Children Surpass Parents in Home-Video Game Skills

L.A. Times Archives

Jan. 27, 1990 12 AM PT

From Times Wire Services

CHICAGO — Trapped in a world where mom and dad call the shots, it’s no surprise that most kids delight in asserting themselves in one area where they are vastly superior--home-video games.

“I like watching them do good and then destroying their score,” one merciless youngster wisecracked.

Said another: “I hate it when they always get mad and yell when they lose.”

The responses were recorded in a survey of 1,000 young video players conducted by Konami, the No. 1 supplier of software for the popular Nintendo home-video game system.

There was no shortage of confidence among the youngsters surveyed.

Asked if their parents could beat the high scores of their children, 65% of the youths checked the box marked, “Of course not.” Another 23% said “No.” Only 11% conceded that their parents could beat them.

The superiority demonstrated by the youngsters was not for lack of practice on the parents’ part, according to the survey. More and more parents are racking up hours at the controls of games after work and on weekends, the survey said.

“Sometimes they hog the entire day at playing Nintendo. I never get a chance to brag back at them,” one player wrote.

“Sometimes they forget to take turns,” another said.

A more humble child was grateful just to have a video game system, saying he does not care if his mother plays. “After all, she bought it for me.”

Just as dad traditionally has been the one drawn to the train set and the slot car track after junior goes to bed, he again turns up in front of the video screen more often than mom.

About 67% of the youngsters surveyed said dad plays more often, while 31% said mom is the primary player. Dad is a more skilled player, according to 65% of the respondents, while 32% said mom is better.

Do moms and dads brag about their video game skills?

“Yes, yes, yes,” one child wrote. “If I let my dad win, he brags constantly.”

Another youngster was skeptical of his father’s claims: “When you were in school, guess what I did. I beat your score,” the child quoted his father as saying. “I don’t believe him.”

Some youngsters say their parents don’t dare brag.

“With their scores, they wouldn’t ever dare to talk about them,” one child wrote. Several others simply wrote “No,” and one qualified it with, “They aren’t too good.”

A space on the survey provided for parents’ comments on video games produced a variety of responses.

A very enthusiastic mother wrote: “Some are entertaining, others are educational, a few build coordination, etc. Personally, I’m a pretty cool Rad Racer!! Mom.”

A more subdued parent wrote: “Used in moderation, they are fun and help eye-hand coordination.”

One sarcastic dad wrote: “Beats walking the street.”

And for those who lament the decline of the American family as an institution, video games may hold out some hope.

“I like it when we play games together like Contra or Jackal; it really bonds us together,” a child wrote.