MY RETRO LIFE
BABY STEPS
PERSONAL STORIES ABOUT OUR SHARED PASSION
David Crookes wonders what retro games his daughter will enjoy
Last year my wonderful wife and I levelled up. We became a mum and dad for the first time and welcomed a lovely daughter who has, over many months, introduced us to many real-time games. Many readers will know the kind. The stealth game in which you put a sleeping baby in a cot before trying to sneak away quietly without being usurped by a creaking floorboard. The puzzler that entails working out why the food you fed yesterday is kid kryptonite today. And the hidden objects game, usually looking for socks.
There have also been many adventures and lots of rhythmbased fun and we’ve been lucky in lots of ways. The difficulty setting of these baby-led games hasn’t been particularly high but we’re just waiting for that boss battle in a public place that we’re sure is still to come.
We also know that our little girl will want to play videogames one day. Most children do and I’ve been pondering when and how we should introduce her to the retro variety. We’re mindful the World Health Organization suggests waiting until at least three years old and we know face-to-face interactions are crucial for a child’s development. Screen time limits of an hour each day also seems reasonable, but we’re likely to wait for some time before thrusting a controller into her small hands. I’m still looking forward to those parentchild bonding sessions in front of a console or computer at some point.