Welcome to the first ‘day of Christmas’, where each weekday the Daily Reaction crew of Sebastian Moss and Dan Oravasaari do an article for each verse of The Twelve Days of Christmas.
On the first day of Christmas
Our true fans sent to us
A partridge in a pear tree.
Dan: Speaking of partridges, today we are going to talk about the influence of families on our lives and take a moment to thank them for everything they have done to help us get where we are.
The biggest influence in my life has easily been both my mother and my brother, who have always supported my gaming habits and were even the ones who got me interested in video games. I remember being a kid and saving up my lunch money for what seemed like forever so that I could go buy Mortal Kombat 3, and having to drag my mother out to the store so that she could actually get it for me – since I was too young according to the ESRB rating. Luckily, my mother supported my hobby and never second guessed my judgment on what violent game appealed to me. I do not know whether it was because my older brother was already into games that were too “mature” for me and it was a way for us to bond, or whether my mom knew virtual violence wasn’t real violence, but even to this day I am thankful that she supported me and couldn’t have been a luckier kid.
Seb: If there’s a better argument for not allowing children to play mature games, I’ve never seen it. Look at you, you clearly should have been kept away from sharp objects and violent media.
My mother was actually initially against games and even watching television. She wanted me to be smart and not melt my brain with the powerfully hypnotic rays of a cathode ray. It didn’t take her long to realize that I was an incredibly hyper and annoying child who needed something to subdue me.
But yeah, I also needed my family to help me buy lovely blood-filled games, which shows just how effective the ESRB/BBFC system truly is. I’m very thankful for them for buying me those games.
So, as you read this, make sure to take a moment to thank those around you who may support your habits even if they do not agree with them. Whether it is by simply buying you a game, or letting you waste all your time online with us here at PlayStation LifeStyle, give them a hug the next time you see them. Also, make sure to send your Partridges to both Seb and Dan on Twitter.
Be sure to email DR ideas, podcast comments and general stupid stuff to DailyReaction@PlayStationLifeStyle.net so Sebastian can finally tell his parents he has friends.
