Different Perspective

I don't impose video games on my wife.  She is incredibly kind in how often she lets me play without making a fuss about it, and as a result, I deliberately resist the urge to get her more involved in my world.  On her own accord, however, she requested that we purchase a Wii so she could play some games every now and then.  The 360 and the PS3 were a little intimidating, and she thought the casual nature of the Wii would be perfect for her pick up and play, easy to put down, hopes of video gaming.  She was right, and it was a great buy for our needs.  It's been really cool watching her get the hang of things, but it's been a little odd to see how she relates to the games.

She doesn't "learn" the same way that most gamers do.  I think this might be true with many casual players, but it's almost like she doesn't want to make the investment into improving her playing.  If she dies too many times in a row, instead of "learning" why she died, or what caused her mistake, she'll turn off the game and try again another day.  It almost reminds me of a person watching TV.  She is a passive participant, not a deep part of the intricacies of the world.  It's a very passive way to play, and she seems to be enjoying herself, so I only help out if she asks me.  (She did call me "coach" once after I verbally walked her through a tricky part... that was kinda weird.)

Despite her passive approach to the gameplay, she seems to be getting a deeper connection out of the characters.  I might ask her how her day went, and when she tells me she played some Wii, she'll also explain how it made her feel. ("Luigi is a dope! He keeps getting lost...", "I always go talk to Mail Toad, she gives me five 1ups!", "Bowser's such a jerk!", etc.) It cracks me up, because I've never looked to deep into the stories of the simple games I enjoy, but she seems to be attached (or conversely, annoyed) to the characters in and of themselves.  A personal favorite was when I asked about a different character who gives 1ups, and she told me he was a tease because he only gives one away.

She is, however, very proud of her gameplay.  At least, to me.  She'll let me know if she gets a couple stars with the same level of excitement that she would let me know that she got a nice compliment from a co-worker.  I hope she isn't proud just to impress me, but I think it's cool that she's finding success in a game and knows that I know what it took to get that far.

I can't imagine how cool it's gonna be to have a kid learn to play games too.  3N3MY has already started to breach the far corners of that boundary, and it's probably pretty amazing. It's an entirely different perspective that I don't think any of us could ever have honestly because of our "gaming upbringing."  I don't know if any of you have had any similar experiences, but I'd be interested to hear them.