I bow down to the PlayStation god

I bow down to the PlayStation god
13 December 2012

I bow down to the PlayStation god and am in awe of its power.  How amazing and bizarre to worship a little black box.  But I do.  I really, really do.

I was a slow convert though.  For years and years I was fearful of its power and hold over people.  Of their obsession with it and how it became such a focus in their life.  How it turned young kids, who should be playing outside, into mindless zombies, spending hours staring at a screen.  How it seemed so very passive and unresponsive.  How it robbed people of their time.  How very expensive it was to partake and become a fellow PlayStation follower.  The console is expensive, so too are the games.  It’s extra wires, cables and game controllers.  Not even accounting for the fact that it would attempt to lay sole ownership of my TV.

And like a normal little boy, Luke’s heart’s desire was to join the following.  And as a bigger boy, it was still his heart’s desire.  He so badly wanted one.  But I know my boy.  He’s obsessive about something if he likes it.  I wanted him to still play outside, read and develop other interests, so I held fast.  I also deftly avoided the WII as well as the Xbox.  I know – I’m a terrible meanie.

And then this year, Luke came and asked very nicely.  A friend was selling his old PlayStation 2 console, including controllers and some games for R300.  A winning deal.  And would you know it, Luke was in possession of exactly R300.  How terribly convenient.  Pretty, pretty, pretty please may he buy it for himself?  And so at the grand old age of 14, I finally relented.  And what a good choice it was.  It has brought him so much joy.  It has entertained him and kept him enthralled.  Not so much so, that it’s taken over his life.  He still likes his sport far too much for that.  It was a “healthy” hobby if you wish.  And once the novelty worn off, so did the obsessive playing.  It was only every so often that he would indulge. 

Well, that was until we got a new cell phone upgrade a few weeks ago.  Luke’s cell phone upgrade to be exact.  And after a bit of negotiation and doing our homework a decision was made.  Would you believe that Vodacom (that would be the cell phone shop) was running a special on PlayStation 3 consoles, including a game?  How very odd I thought.  To the best of my knowledge they’re a cell phone supplier and provider, yet they are clearly very clever.  How to entice new business?  Or get old customers to return?  Well, it’s quite simple really.  Flood the market with PlayStation 3 consoles, including a game that nobody wants.  Just in time before the PlayStation 4 comes out and the old consoles become an expensive paper weight.  Very cunning indeed.

And so with that, we became the “proud” owners of a PlayStation 3.  And Luke is truly in love.  He loves playing.  Sadly for him, he doesn’t have many games yet.  He has the one naffy game that came with the package deal from Vodacom.  He bought himself a second hand Assassins’ Creed Revelations game (it means nothing to me) and then just yesterday, I spotted a bargain at a Cash Converters.  Fifa Street 3 – a soccer game that both of my boys would enjoy.  Such fun for them.  We also got a few demo’s that my Mom and Katrine picked up in the UK.  So, I suppose in drips and drabs our game repertoire will increase.

He even tried to entice me to play with him.  A gentlemen’s game – cricket.  This still on the old PlayStation 2.  But sadly for me and even more sadly for Luke, my uncoordinated dance moves, carried over to my non-existent PlayStation skills.  Or more aptly, what skills?  I can’t figure out the controls and seriously sucked.  Hardly a treat for Luke to play against me as I provide no challenge.  It’s all golden ducks and a white wash of note.  I was so bad at it, I have still to be invited to give it a go on the new PlayStation.  Not that I’m holding my breath.

But where I had once been hesitant and distrustful of the PlayStation god, I now bow down in front of it.  And marvel at my ignorance.  Because if Luke’s on the PlayStation, I know exactly where he is.  The entertainment is cheap and permanently on hand.  He can’t be up to mischief if he’s right in front of me.  He can’t be cruising the streets or the Malls.  He’s not succumbing to cigarettes and alcohol away from home.  And as long as I toss food at him every so often, he is quite content.  For the moment he is also chilling out completely and vegging.  It is the beginning of the holidays after all and relaxing is good and needed.

Amber shows not one iota of interest in the PlayStation, her god is the TV.  And as for Cole?  He doesn’t have the patience or the stamina for the PlayStation just yet.  For him it’s far too passive and mild.  He has the odd go, but his staying power is not good.  For him the allure of the outside always beckons.

And as for me?  I don’t do the PlayStation at all.  As mentioned before I viewed it with distrust, for robbing people of their time.  For being too passive, unresponsive and one dimensional.  It turns people into mindless zombies staring at the screen.  No sirree Bob.  Not for me.  I blog instead.  You know blogging – something that is very passive, unresponsive, one dimensional and leaves me mindlessly staring at the computer screen like a zombie.  Robbing me of time.  That’s me.

In fact, I think Grant would prefer it if I did the PlayStation instead.