Tag: bonding

Spyro The Dragon – Small but Mighty:

Posted on by in Gaming

As I’ve mentioned before on the site, I was a PlayStation kid. When I was small, my parents were trying to find what it was that interested me, that brought me joy. They wanted something that they could bond with me over, which was hard to find considering how solitary some of my hobbies were. After seeing my excitement over a tiny basketball game themed around Shadow the Hedgehog that came with a kid’s meal at McDonalds, they decided to take a stab in the dark and see how I liked video games. So, we got a PS1 for the family. We picked up a few games such as Crash Bandicoot, Croc, James Pond and of course, Spyro.

For those of you who have done the maths and realised that the PS1 actually came out before I was even born, you’ll have realised that by the time I had got a PlayStation, the entire original trilogy of Spyro The Dragon had already been released for a good few years. I didn’t care. So many of my childhood memories are intrinsically connected with the adventures of the famous purple lizard, that I still revisit the series to this day. Heck, my mum, and I regularly 100% the games whenever I’m home for the holidays. It’s become a tradition, a chance to bond and catch up (and plot the murder of that goddamn bear).

Will Spyro ever get a holiday? No. He won’t.

Amusingly, I haven’t played the remastered editions of the original trilogy. My parents still have the original disks and a PS2 that is clinging on to life, so I’ve not seen the point of purchasing the remaster just yet. The same goes for the Crash Bandicoot games, not that I’ve ever finished the first one… Though now that I have moved out of home and am off living the adult life, maybe I’ll pick them up, as a little reminder of home. Having little things to remind you of home are important. Whether your home is with your biological family or the family you chose, being able to bring those people to mind when your thoughts get a bit too loud, is a comfort.

From the moment we are born, we build associations between our experiences and our reactions to said experiences. For example, when you touch a hot plate as a kid, you very quickly learn not to repeat that behaviour. That’s because your brain quickly makes the connection between that feeling of pain and the action that caused it – a technique called negative reinforcement. There’s been many a psychological study on the different types of reinforcement and their effectiveness but that’d take up more words in this article than there are grains of sand in a beach towel. Naturally, my mental health conditions have caused a lot of negative associations to be built in my mind, otherwise known as “triggers”. To combat that, I’ve tried to build positive ones. Spyro, has been one of these for as long as I can remember.

Some of these lizards still give me trouble now…

Whether it was a way to keep six year old me still whilst she checked my hair for nits, or a way to calm me down the night before my exam results, Spyro has become a lot more than just a game series to me. It has been the background to so many important conversations in my life – be that coming out as gender-neutral, discussing how I’m really feeling or coping with the loss of my grandfather, these games have become such an integral part of my life. As a military brat, I’ve lived in a lot of different homes. The main constants have always been my mum, my dad, my sister, and Spyro the Dragon. Whether it was sitting on moving boxes at age eleven right before starting secondary school or lounging on a beanbag the night before moving out of home, it’s something that I will carry with me forever.

Replayability of games is a big problem in the industry. After all, what’s the point of paying £40 or more for a game that you will only play once? Especially in more stressful financial times such as lockdown, deciding whether you can afford an expense such as a new game is a troubling one. Yet, the adventures of the pint-sized purple dragon retain the same level of excitement and comedic value regardless of how many times you’ve completed the games. It’s got to a point where we remember every single hidden nook and cranny, any secret areas, and shortcuts, as well as which areas we can assault Moneybags in. I hate that bear. So much.

I hope you fall in the piranha filled swamp.

There’s something about collectable based games that are very satisfying. The more popular AAA games tend to be harder to 100%, as there tend to be ten million odd bits to find. Take Assassins Creed 2 – with its endless supply of feathers to find, or the pigeons from GTA IV. Sure, you’d come across some of them across the course of the game but nowhere near enough to justify taking the time to hunt down the final few. Plus, the rewards are rarely worth it. Heck, catching all the Pokemon in the more recent games has become ridiculously difficult (due to trading requirements and version restrictions) yet all you get is a digital achievement. However, with the Spyro games, you get rewarded for picking up everything and anything you can find.

As much as I despise Moneybags and his constant appearances in the trilogy, as well as the later games, he does serve a valuable purpose. To unlock certain abilities, levels, and areas, you need to pay this money grubbing bear a specific fee. He acts as a barrier to ensure that you are collecting the treasure that is scattered all around the worlds in the Dragon Realms. As you progress through the game, his prices increase, actively encouraging you to be a completionist to reduce the time you’d have to spend backtracking. Plus, at the end of Year of the Dragon (the third game), you get to chase him around and torch his bottom until he surrenders all the gems, he stole from you.

My favourite of the original trilogy. Getting to try other characters, Sparx levels, new mechanics and approaches? Beautiful.

Although the original trilogy did have its problems (looking at you wonky flying mechanics and the Hunter minigames in the Spyro 2’s speedways), it always rewarded it’s players. Be it unlocking a permanent fireball upgrade, a treasure horde, or a series of fun minigames, your hard work pays off. Also, there’s something incredibly satisfying in opening the progress menu and seeing those golden 100% markers next to every level.

Regardless of my emotional ramblings, the Spyro trilogy is still good fun so give it a shot. As of this article being published, I’ll be off celebrating my 21st birthday with my family so I hope you all have a fabulous day and are staying safe!

Remember to like, comment, and follow the site both on WordPress and over on our twitter @OurMindGames. Till next week,

CaitlinRC.

Card Games – Take the Rage with You Wherever You Go:

Posted on by in Gaming, tabletop

In a world that is dominated by technology, people often complain about the good old days of playing card games around the dinner table or whilst at picnics. Though considering some of my childhood experiences with card games, I’d argue they were not such good old days. (Looking at my family holidays in particular). However, in an economic climate where not everyone can afford the latest gaming console installments, being able to whip out a deck of cards and pass the time with good friends is a godsend. Though not all card games are created equal, with some specific ones leading to high levels of salt and unbridled fury *cough* Mao and Uno *cough*.

When my family and I used to go on holiday together, we’d take puzzle books, Top Trumps and a deck of cards to pass the time, alongside the library’s worth of fiction books we brought to read by the pool. After dinner each evening, we’d deal out the cards and play a card game – everything from Chase the Lady to Hearts, to Donkey and President. We’d keep score on a piece of paper from my mum’s bag and despite my dad winning most games, it was mostly a competition between my sister and me, because what is life without a bit of sibling rivalry.

I’d like to hope that there are very few individuals that haven’t ever played a card game. No matter how old you are, there is always something for you. Like most forms of media, your enjoyment of it is dependent on what you are willing to put into it. For example, Irish Snap is only fun if you all throw yourselves into it completely. If you don’t know what Irish Snap is, basically when you place down a card you say a specific number. If that card matches your number, everyone must touch their forehead and then slam their hands down on the card and the last person to do so gets all the cards in the pile. It can be both exhilarating and terrifying, especially if someone forgets to take off their rings!

As you can tell, this article is more of a series of examples of fun card games to play with those you care about or want to get to know better. As a student, people often seem to assume that the only way you can make friends is through drinking and clubbing. However, card games can also be a good way to get to know people. Games like Cheat or Mafia or Would You Rather, are the best way to get past those awkward first few conversations. After all, you can’t really feel embarrassed around someone if you’ve already confessed some of your darkest secrets to them. More than anything, it’s a conversation starter. Often those first few words are the hardest, so having something to divert your attention to once you all become accustomed to one another’s presence, can be comforting, especially to those struggling with social anxiety.

One card game that basically everyone has heard of at this point is Uno. From YouTube videos of various people screaming in rage at one another, to people flipping tables in rage over being given 16 cards for no reason. Uno is the Monopoly of card games, capable of ruining friendships in a single game. All the adverts for it are so wholesome, showing groups of friends laughing and smiling, when in reality – Uno is war. You stare dramatically around the room, scanning your friend’s faces for any hints on their strategy, trying to plan three or four steps ahead, making contingency plans for every situation. You lie in wait, poised like a hunter waiting for the right time to strike. Then when the moment is right, you lunge forward, throwing your card down or challenging someone a millisecond before they can get the word “Uno” out of their mouth. It’s fun, I promise.

What I’m trying to say with this very short piece is that card games can be the catalyst to lifelong friendships. Gaming can be with dice, cards or controllers. It’s the relationships we forge through these games that matter the most, not the actual content of them. Whether we are playing cards over a kitchen table or adventuring across imaginary worlds with our friends across the globe, gaming is something that ties us together and holds us strong through the fires of life. Appreciate it. No matter what form it takes.

Anyways, this was more of a little informal chat than an article. Back to service as usual on Monday,

Thanks,

CaitlinRC.