pixel-free paradise

As a child, whenever I would visit anyone's house, there would be one huge disparity I would notice: my lack of video games.

Growing up with a majority female dominated household, we had a lot of stuff my friends with brothers didn't have, or we didn't have a lot of stuff they had. One of those "stuff" were video games. They were never appealing to me. I got the memo they were meant for boys, while dolls for girls. Xbox, Nintendo Switches, and WII (I think that's what they're called) were something so out of reach, up until I was in fifth grade. 

I was at a family friend's house, and he asked me and my sister if we would like to play some Minecraft on his Xbox. Then, I knew Minecraft was this game where you mine dirt and grass, but nothing beyond that. My first touch of the controller was something new to me, there were buttons everywhere, and you had to use both your hands and all of your fingers just to jump and mine. It was so aggravating, but so... addicting? Every time we came to his house, the first thing I would do is say "let's play on the xbox", and we would. For hours, every day, for a few weeks. Until I realized I kinda hated it. I missed playing with puzzles with my little sister, I missed making rainbow loom bracelets with my friends, I missed making slime, and this video game fiasco literally took away my whole summer.

My video game days were short-lived, but I also learned something: while video games were perceived as a pastime for boys, I found that these stereotypes aren't set in stone.

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2024 at 1:09 PM

    It's kind of interesting to see how our toys were kind of the opposite since I grew up with 2 brothers. I really enjoyed reading your perspective!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2024 at 1:20 PM

    I think it’s really cool that from such a mundane activity, like video games, you gathered that defying stereotypes is more than possible, and it prompts valuable life lessons.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2024 at 8:40 PM

    I liked how you mentioned that even though video games didn’t end being something you liked or stuck with, the gender stereotypes that so clearly define us sometimes can also be so easily defied

    ReplyDelete

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