Gaming is a big part of many teenagers (and the lives of people of all ages) nowadays, and it's often included in YA novels. However, sometimes I don't quite believe that writers have much experience with video games, themselves. This isn't meant to be a call-out post to any specific writer, but just some hints that you could include in your writing.
First - we don't all like the same types of games. There are as many types of games as there are genres of books. For example, I like more story-driven games, RPGs, some indie titles and most Nintendo titles. I've always thought you can tell a lot about a character from what their favourite films are, and video games are similar to that. Contrarily, I don't play a lot of multiplayer games. Yes, not all games are multiplayer, there is such a thing as singleplayer games. I had no-one to play multiplayer games with when I was younger, so I never picked up the habit. While I do enjoy them with friends, they're not what I tend to reach for, either. And playing with strangers doesn't appeal to me, although I understand why some people enjoy it.
Second - we don't use video game speak in our everyday lives. The only time I would call someone a 'noob' for example, is ironically and only if I'm in a group of other gamers who would get the joke. Also, a related term with very similar meaning is scrub. Again, though, I wouldn't use it with non-gaming friends.
Third - girls play video games. And we don't all get into them just because we had an older brother, either. Quite honestly, the idea that the only way a girl can have more masculine interests is is she has brothers is one I would happily see buried. I got into them because it was something I could do by myself, as an only child.
Fourth - it can be just a hobby. I'll cheerfully nerd out over the tiniest details in many of my favourite games, but it's not my whole life. They're one of the best stress relievers I know. I'm not planning to become a game developer or make a million off YouTube Let's Plays. Those are not as big a thing anymore, either. If you want to seem more current, have your characters watch a game on Twitch. Or even stream one themselves.
Fifth - if you don't know, stay unspecific. "He threw his console out the window" rather than "He threw his PlayStation out the window." You know, just in case the console you mention may not even be out where your book is set. "Now he hasn't even got a video game to take his mind off things" rather than "Now he hasn't even got Mega-Mutilation Part 3 to take his mind of things." There's more to video games than violent ones, anyway. And keep in mind if it's reasonable for a character to know something. A non-gamer may well assume most TV consoles are PlayStations and that any Nintendo handheld is called a GameBoy. Have a character gently correct "Well, it's actually a 3DS..." to show you did your research but are still bearing in mind narrative voice.
Sixth - not all of us will have everything. Some will have a tricked out gaming PC they bought themselves, all the latest consoles and every game on release. Some will be surviving with last generations systems, second hand games, and Steam sales on a laptop, due to lack of funds. Some may use predominantly handhelds, some will prefer PC gaming over everything. Every type of gamer is equally valid.
Seventh - some good phrases. "I watched a video game stream on Twitch last night." "I bought a few new games on Steam." "I was achievement-hunting for hours." "My favourite games are JRPGs." "I collect Amiibo." "They should port more games to the Switch." "I don't think the Xbox One is living up to it's potential." "My gamer tag is ...." (A gamer tag is like a username, often a nickname with a few numbers after it) If games aren't your thing, any one of these can be used to clue the reader in that your character likes gaming, and you don't have to make a big conversation about it. Here's a sample conversation where the main character isn't the gamer:
I entered the school hall, and noticed my best friend talking by the lockers, to a boy I knew she was interested in. "I think they should port more games to the Switch," she said.
"Talking about video games again?" I said with a smile.
"Hi, how are you?" she said.
I've introduced the fact that she likes video games, with a statement a lot of gamers have been saying, and lead them off the subject so discussion of it doesn't take over the story. If you're not overly confident in your use of gaming terminology, just move the conversation on.
So, there's a few tips! Also, if you're curious, here are my experiences with gaming. I got in through my GameBoy and Pokémon (Still love it, favourite Pokémon - Vulpix). I played mostly PC games growing up - my parents didn't let me have a console for the longest time. Nowadays, I am making do with a laptop and handhelds because of a sheer lack of space. I can't fit a TV in my bedroom, and the house TV is where Dad lives. (seriously)
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Sunday, 21 January 2018
Thursday, 22 June 2017
Personality Traits for an Only Child
Quick, write a list of all the character traits you'd associate with an only child!
Did you write spoiled, selfish, self-centred or bratty, or any synonyms thereof? Screw your list up and throw it in the bin. If you wrote lonely, set it on fire, first.
Let me first go through the issues with these first two ideas. Also, since we are not a monolithic group, these are based on my own experiences, and not hard and fast rules. Since I was used to amusing myself at an early age, I found I tended to get less lonely and bored than other children. I could happily play by myself, reading or playing video games, or playing pretend in the garden for hours. The other main one is that my parents did not spoil me. We were a middle-class family, but they certainly did not cater to my every whim and buy me everything I wanted. Mum said than when I had friends round and she put out snacks, because I wasn't used to fighting for things, they would be gone by the time I got to the table. And it was nice to share, since I never had anyone to share things with! And without siblings, I could never gang up on my parents to convince them that a trip to Lego Land/a trampoline was absolutely essential for our well-being!
1. Independence - this is an obvious one, when you think about it. Being more used to doing things alone means that we tended to be more independent. I was allowed to go on train journeys by myself earlier than my other friends, and now I find I much prefer holidaying by myself.
2. Maturity - since we become much more used to talking to adults at an early age, we can sometimes come across as more mature. I can distinctly recall family events where I was the only one present who was under 30!
3. Perfectionism - In some families, the desire to make your parents proud can be spread over a few people. One to be the perfect-grades-and-good-career one, and one to have grandchildren. In only children, all this is concentrated on one child, so the pressure can be increased. I've had bits of it since I'm my parents only chance at grandchildren, but I don't want to get married yet!
4. Can't get away with anything - bird knocks picture frame off our mantlepiece? My fault. Friends scribble on the walls? My fault. Things missing? My fault. Never being able to shift the blame to brothers or sisters meant I always got the blame, even for things I didn't do.
5. Liking solo activities - I remember how hard it was for me to get people to play board games with me! Since we have to amuse ourselves, you might find a more lasting interest in doing things we can do by ourselves, such as reading. And video games, even now, I prefer single-player games to multi-player. Also, you don't have to give a girl a brother to explain why she has a "boy" interest. Not that any interest should be categorised as for girls or boys, anyway.
6. Liking younger children - they were a novelty, so I was never as annoyed by my friends brothers and sisters as they were. And this has carried through into adulthood! Not having to listen to screaming young babies in my formative years means I seem to prefer them still, even now.
7. Introversion - okay, I won't say this is always an only child trait, but it's one I definitely picked up. Only children can genuinely prefer to spend time alone and require more peace and space than other children.
8. Close to parents - I wouldn't necessarily say I'm closer to them than children with siblings, but as I used to do a lot of things with Mum, like nipping to the shops, having a coffee or going to garden centres, we get on quite well know.
What about negative traits? I won't deny that there are some, and I also won't refute that some only children can be spoilt. However, some children with siblings can be spoilt, too. It's not a unique thing, and definitely isn't caused solely by being an only child!
1. Overly sensitive - never having built up a thick skin to siblings teasing means we can struggle more with bullies and their comments.
2. Trouble relating to peers - tying into maturity above, we may find it harder to socialise with people our own age.
Assorted oddities:
I never liked the front seat of the car. The back seat was comfier, and I could spread my legs out over it. I never had to fight with people for it, so I didn't want it because I couldn't have it. Since Mum liked me in the front seat so she could converse with me better, it just made me want the back seat more.
We never had much that I might need a second person to use - it took ages to convince my parents to get me a games console, since "you need a second person to play it with!"
I think I did more after-school activities than my friends, perhaps for the sheer fact that my parents wanted to provide me with something to do. Of course, this plays into the whole increased pressure thing listed above!
Did you write spoiled, selfish, self-centred or bratty, or any synonyms thereof? Screw your list up and throw it in the bin. If you wrote lonely, set it on fire, first.
Let me first go through the issues with these first two ideas. Also, since we are not a monolithic group, these are based on my own experiences, and not hard and fast rules. Since I was used to amusing myself at an early age, I found I tended to get less lonely and bored than other children. I could happily play by myself, reading or playing video games, or playing pretend in the garden for hours. The other main one is that my parents did not spoil me. We were a middle-class family, but they certainly did not cater to my every whim and buy me everything I wanted. Mum said than when I had friends round and she put out snacks, because I wasn't used to fighting for things, they would be gone by the time I got to the table. And it was nice to share, since I never had anyone to share things with! And without siblings, I could never gang up on my parents to convince them that a trip to Lego Land/a trampoline was absolutely essential for our well-being!
1. Independence - this is an obvious one, when you think about it. Being more used to doing things alone means that we tended to be more independent. I was allowed to go on train journeys by myself earlier than my other friends, and now I find I much prefer holidaying by myself.
2. Maturity - since we become much more used to talking to adults at an early age, we can sometimes come across as more mature. I can distinctly recall family events where I was the only one present who was under 30!
3. Perfectionism - In some families, the desire to make your parents proud can be spread over a few people. One to be the perfect-grades-and-good-career one, and one to have grandchildren. In only children, all this is concentrated on one child, so the pressure can be increased. I've had bits of it since I'm my parents only chance at grandchildren, but I don't want to get married yet!
4. Can't get away with anything - bird knocks picture frame off our mantlepiece? My fault. Friends scribble on the walls? My fault. Things missing? My fault. Never being able to shift the blame to brothers or sisters meant I always got the blame, even for things I didn't do.
5. Liking solo activities - I remember how hard it was for me to get people to play board games with me! Since we have to amuse ourselves, you might find a more lasting interest in doing things we can do by ourselves, such as reading. And video games, even now, I prefer single-player games to multi-player. Also, you don't have to give a girl a brother to explain why she has a "boy" interest. Not that any interest should be categorised as for girls or boys, anyway.
6. Liking younger children - they were a novelty, so I was never as annoyed by my friends brothers and sisters as they were. And this has carried through into adulthood! Not having to listen to screaming young babies in my formative years means I seem to prefer them still, even now.
7. Introversion - okay, I won't say this is always an only child trait, but it's one I definitely picked up. Only children can genuinely prefer to spend time alone and require more peace and space than other children.
8. Close to parents - I wouldn't necessarily say I'm closer to them than children with siblings, but as I used to do a lot of things with Mum, like nipping to the shops, having a coffee or going to garden centres, we get on quite well know.
What about negative traits? I won't deny that there are some, and I also won't refute that some only children can be spoilt. However, some children with siblings can be spoilt, too. It's not a unique thing, and definitely isn't caused solely by being an only child!
1. Overly sensitive - never having built up a thick skin to siblings teasing means we can struggle more with bullies and their comments.
2. Trouble relating to peers - tying into maturity above, we may find it harder to socialise with people our own age.
Assorted oddities:
I never liked the front seat of the car. The back seat was comfier, and I could spread my legs out over it. I never had to fight with people for it, so I didn't want it because I couldn't have it. Since Mum liked me in the front seat so she could converse with me better, it just made me want the back seat more.
We never had much that I might need a second person to use - it took ages to convince my parents to get me a games console, since "you need a second person to play it with!"
I think I did more after-school activities than my friends, perhaps for the sheer fact that my parents wanted to provide me with something to do. Of course, this plays into the whole increased pressure thing listed above!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)