Family Sport Games

My experience with these revered family sport games was so unimaginably intense and lifechanging that it still resonates within me today. Everyone knows as a kid it s difficult to find common interests with your parents. The generational gap sure is tricky to jump and you definitely have to watch what you say to prevent getting grounded But one day we went to visit my uncle s house and sometime later in our visit, their family was excited to show us something in the living room. They had recently bought the new Xbox 360, all with the Kinect Sensor and the game Kinect Sports At first it looked like my uncle was just flexing on us (like he usually does) but things went a little differently. He probably still was flexing as well but that s beside the point.

(this is a hill I am willing to die on) Don’t feel old, but during the glorious year of 2006, the Wii and Wii Sports were born and were big hits to say the least. So much so that four years later, Sony and Microsoft decided to hop aboard the motion control train and came out with the Playstation Move and Xbox Kinect respectively Regardless, these consoles gave a whole new meaning to family game night

They went on about how much fun it was, and that we should try it They didn’t participate because they said they played last night and were too sore. How dramatic; it s just a video game, right? Wrong. Kinect Sports was a warzone, and we were all out for blood. The moment we started playing, everyone was jumping and sidestepping and swinging their arms around Luckily, the Kinect Sensor doesn’t use a controller to work If we had played the Wii then the Nunchuck controller would have a double meaning and hit someone. Things got so crazy that my cousin joined in for a bit and broke one of the lights on the ceiling during the Olympic Long Jump minigame Shit was going down

My parents, brother, and I were sweating, panting, getting a good workout, while also having a good time and laughing together Adult or kid, this was a universal experience anyone could use to bridge the gap between people. This truly was one of the best moments I shared with my parents despite it being just virtual sports. The next day, however, none of us could move; we were all super sore This really put into perspective how little exercise we did in our lives Our bodies ached, and it pained us to do anything, but it didn’t matter because even then we were sore together. The next week my family bought an Xbox 360 and Kinect Sensor for the house

You see the impact these silly little family games can have on us as a society? But the Wii, Kinect, and etc are outdated now; no longer getting consumer attention. Motion control is no longer the next big thing and is just common technology used casually Like when 3D was first invented: every movie used to have multiple exaggerated 3D scenes that were shoved into the audience s faces (yes, I’m talking about Sharkboy and Lavagirl).

Sure, there’s the new Nintendo Switch Sports, but it still uses the same unexciting concept from almost two decades ago And it costs like sixty bucks We still need the game to be accessible to the general public, like come on

We need something new and fresh to revive the family sport genre. Maybe something like augmented reality, virtual reality, or some other technology that ends in “reality” Who knows, maybe the Metaverse will surprise us and actually do something cool like answer our unconscious prayer and make a new sport game. Technology has gone in the wrong direction with family interactivity with the creation of Tablet Kids and Incluencer Family YouTube Channels It s time to go back to a simpler time, a time where families can stay healthy and connect.

Also, I just really want a rematch in Kinect Table Tennis to settle the score.

Jonathan Hernandez