Rather remarkable story that restored my faith in humanity...

[Steven]

This summer I'm teaching a public speaking class to 5 and 6 year olds. This past Monday morning I had a pair of 5-year-old twins who were very shy initially. After we played a little game, I found out they loved video games.

"What's your favorite video game?" I asked one of the twins.

"King of the Monsters (http://www.rvgfanatic.com/7401/768415.html)!"

I almost fell out of my chair. Then I thought either he meant War of the Monsters, or that I was *SO* out of touch with games today that a new KOTM emerged, title infringement aside...

"Yeah, we love King Monsters!"

"No, it's King OF THE Monsters," his brother reaffirmed.

Remember, these boys are FIVE!

"For PlayStation? XBox?"

"Nintendo!" they shouted. If they said Neo Geo, I would have fainted, lol.

The only way to test for sure it was the same game I grew up loving, I asked them, "Who is your favorite monster?"


http://www.rvgfanatic.com/mediac/400_0/media/DIR_768715/GeonKOTM.JPG
"I like the Godzilla one!"


"OH you mean Geon!" I said out of excitement. The other kids in the class blinked at me innocently

"Yeah! Geon," he butchered, in an attempt to repeat me.

"Do you know the human guy's name?" his twin asked me, obviously aware of the fact now that I was a KOTM expert


http://www.rvgfanatic.com/mediac/400_0/media/DIR_768715/AstroKOTM.JPG
"Astro Guy," I stated


"We call him Ultraman!" they both laughed.

"HA, SO DID I!" I exclaimed, lost in a moment of truly bizarre-o OMGWTFBBQ

"What's the name of the robot monkey?" they probed

"CYBER WOO!" The twins laughed. I quickly told them how it was my favorite game growing up (for a brief period it was, anyhow, certainly among my childhood faves).

That Monday, July 7, I came home and searched for KOTM on Virtual Console. To my surprise it was released earlier that day! Random coincidence, or was it how the twins played the game? But wait, something didn't add up....


A. My class is super early in the morning. I doubt they could have downloaded and played the game before class

B. They mentioned robot monkey: Cyber Woo was NOT a robot in the original, he was simply "Woo"

C. KOTM 2 has yet to receive a VC release

D. They cited it as a Nintendo game


That means... it had to be SNES KOTM2... but what were the odds of ALL this, including the fact that KOTM was VC-released THAT SAME MORNING? That's some serious Twilight Zone shit!

Tuesday the students had to go find something valuable at home to bring in Wednesday to share about. The twins told me, "Mr. Steve guess what we'll be bringing!"

I laughed. "King of the Monsters?" They nodded their little heads furiously.

NO FREAKING WAY. I know VC downloads aren't physical, so it HAD to be the SNES KOTM2 port, no? I'd find out Wednesday....







http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/SFC_Gamer/kotm2twins.jpg
I snapped this photo as they signed up on the board when to present



And Wednesday they came in hauling their KOTM2 SNES game along with two SNES control pads. I couldn't believe it. What are the odds huh? The game was a home run with the kids, everyone was asking questions about it and admiring the glossy label. The twins told me they can't get pass the sea level.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"We can't get over the hole in the ocean."

"Just press B real fast"

"I guess we don't do it fast enough"

During break they pretended to play the game. All the other kids came over and joined in. It was the most adorable AND the weirdest shit I'd seen in a LONG time, LOL

SNES KOTM2 as the favorite game of two five-year-olds in the year 2008. My faith in humanity has officially been restored.

[Kevincal]

I bet their dad is a classic gamer. :D Really cool story though.

[DigitalSpace]

That's awesome! I hope you plan to add the story to your site.

[thom_m]

Amen, my brother!:-D

Now seriously: that's probably good parenting. You see, I'm already teaching my 4-year-old daughter to play games on my NES. Maybe one of their parents is also a gamer, and is doing the same thing.

[Steven]

That's awesome! I hope you plan to add the story to your site.


In addition to the madness, I was actually working on a KOTM2 review prior to this incident, further proving to me that there are strong cosmic forces at work here. This story will definitely be included in my upcoming review.

[Aussie2B]

Wait, why do 5 and 6 year olds need to learn how to do public speaking? o_O

Anyway, that's real cute. :) I think as older gamers we tend to get cynical and think little kids will turn their noses up to older video games, but I think that's more common among teenagers and young adults who have never played anything that wasn't brand new. Real young kids don't seem to notice or care about the difference in graphics if they're actually exposed to classic games often. They're just looking for something fun to play, and parents who are trying to "raise" their kids on the classics really don't need to put as much effort into it as they think. If anything, they're better off just enjoying playing like normal, and when the kid shows some interest, just hand the controller over. :) My fiance's little sister's favorite game? Super Metroid, which came out the year she was born. She easily hops from NES to Wii and back again, without a second thought. All it took was two older brothers and me playing retro games around her for her whole life for her to take interest. And it just shows that girls don't react to games any differently than boys given the proper environment too.

[exit]

My friends daughter was hooked on Super Mario 64 for awhile, his Grandfather found a N64 with a few games in the trash and gave it to him. She was hooked on it for a couple of weeks and then hooked on my NES for a while when I brought it over to let them borrow it.

I think it all depends on the parents in general, the kids that grew up playing these consoles are having kids of their own now and introducing them to what their generation played. So if they see a NES at a garage sale or wherever, they'll snatch it up for nostalgia sakes and act like it's for their kids.

[Sabz5150]

The kids are all right :)

[TonyTheTiger]

Why is this so surprising? It's not "OMGWTF!" when a younger person says they're favorite movie is Casablanca or their favorite TV sitcom is I Love Lucy...

[Jorpho]

It's not "OMGWTF!" when a younger person says they're favorite movie is Casablanca

Yes, yes it is. (That is, assuming the younger person isn't just parroting something he heard an adult say.)

[Pantechnicon]

Why is this so surprising? It's not "OMGWTF!" when a younger person says they're favorite movie is Casablanca or their favorite TV sitcom is I Love Lucy...

I disagree. As a parent I find myself seriously taken aback anytime I see either my children (ages 10 and 7) or one of their pals demonstrate either affection or acute knowledgeableness about elements of pop culture which manifested before they were born. There's so little emphasis placed on teaching history anymore - at least in a meaningful or non-revisionistic way - that, like the OP, I find it very reassuring when a kid latches on to something from the past and says "This was worth knowing about.", even if it's just some old video game.

Additionally, any child, say, under 12, who seriously enjoyed a movie like Casablanca in a non-campy way would be a child worth paying close attention to in the future because he/she is demonstrating some advanced intelligence in appreciating an entertainment medium not intended for children in the first place. Such a child would have a mind that easily transcends the cognitive level pursued by the newest toy commercial/cartoon of the week as shoved down the throat of the average Robbie Ritalin.


Great story, Steven. If there's any way this could get moved into the Lore section I'd say it's a worthy candidate for inclusion therein.

[modest9797]

There may be war and violence but there is hope in America's future!

[TonyTheTiger]

Yes, yes it is. (That is, assuming the younger person isn't just parroting something he heard an adult say.)

Well, Casablanca came out in 1942. So anyone who isn't a senior citizen at the moment is younger than the movie. And it's a movie that gets much appreciation from non-seniors. So...honestly, I don't think it is.

And you can replace Casablanca with The Wizard of Oz, Zorro...take your pick. And video games aren't exactly old. So I don't find it nearly as amazing as everyone else here seems to.


I disagree. As a parent I find myself seriously taken aback anytime I see either my children (ages 10 and 7) or one of their pals demonstrate either affection or acute knowledgeableness about elements of pop culture which manifested before they were born. There's so little emphasis placed on teaching history anymore - at least in a meaningful or non-revisionistic way - that, like the OP, I find it very reassuring when a kid latches on to something from the past and says "This was worth knowing about.", even if it's just some old video game.

Additionally, any child, say, under 12, who seriously enjoyed a movie like Casablanca in a non-campy way would be a child worth paying close attention to in the future because he/she is demonstrating some advanced intelligence in appreciating an entertainment medium not intended for children in the first place. Such a child would have a mind that easily transcends the cognitive level pursued by the newest toy commercial/cartoon of the week as shoved down the throat of the average Robbie Ritalin.


Great story, Steven. If there's any way this could get moved into the Lore section I'd say it's a worthy candidate for inclusion therein.

I think you're putting a little bit too much...gusto...into it. My "BS meter" always goes off whenever people go into the "Well in MY day, sonny!" or a "The kids today!" rant. Everything seems to go in cycles. One of my favorite animated features as a kid was Pinocchio which was made a whole 44 years before I was born. I don't think that was somehow absurd. It's a timeless classic.

And I'm certain that when Casablanca came out, older people who lived before the time of film would rant about how it's just another movie that rots people's minds and how they should do something productive like shovel out the stables. And 40 years from now, the 5 year olds today will declare that Spongebob is a work of sheer brilliance compared to the garbage kids in the year 2048 watch. This isn't to say that some things aren't just better than others. But the things that really are that much better, usually aren't forgotten. Hence, Casablanca.

Sometimes I notice people applauding kids for liking old things but I can't tell if it's because the kids like something they themselves like or just because it's a kid that likes something old. What if it's not Casablanca but rather Jaws 3? Or instead of King of the Monsters it was Pit Fighter. Both would be years older than the kid but would it be impressive?

[TonyTheTiger]

Double Post

[Dreamc@sting]

That is definitely awesome, my daughter will be 4 this halloween and while she doesn't actively play games yet, she is always in a trance watching me play classics like sonic. Its a good way to keep her busy :P...hopefully soon she will pick up the controller and play with dad!

[Sudo]

There is hope for this generation yet. :)

[Pantechnicon]

I think you're putting a little bit too much...gusto...into it.

El gusto es mio.


One of my favorite animated features as a kid was Pinocchio…I don't think that was somehow absurd. It's a timeless classic.

My kids like Pinocchio, too. But a brightly colored 2-D animated film full of neato creatures like Jiminy Cricket or Monstro the Whale is an easy sell across multiple generations. Try to get a 21st century kid raised on a steady visual diet of Blu-Ray enhanced CGI to appreciate the visual craftsmanship of the something like the original King Kong. Assuming you can keep the child’s interest sustained over that first, daunting obstacle of black and white cinema, you’re more or less showing them a world (i.e. – New York in 1933) which in many ways probably looks just as fantastical to them as anything Walt Disney ever dreamed up. A kid who can appreciate something like that is a cool kid.


And video games aren't exactly old. So I don't find it nearly as amazing as everyone else here seems to.

This is wholly a matter of perspective. In 2001 Stevie Snotnose was in seventh grade when Mom & Dad put a brand new X-Box under the Christmas tree. He’s starting college next month, and odds are good that the last time he stopped by Gamestop he mentally observed how a good number of the “old school” X-Box games are now sitting in the clearance bins. He's never used a computer that didn't have a "Start" button in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. The first game controller he probably laid his jelly-covered hands on was either a Playstation or an N64. Everything before that barely registers on his consciousness: “Co-what-covision?” :?.


My "BS meter" always goes off whenever people go into the "Well in MY day, sonny!" or a "The kids today!" rant. Everything seems to go in cycles. One of my favorite animated features as a kid was Pinocchio which was made a whole 44 years before I was born.

So you’ve just dated yourself between 23 and 24 years old. I’m 38…or about four-fifths of the way through the long gray tunnel between Fervent Youth and Middle Age, so I don’t know how this is going to register on your BS meter, but trust me when I say you’re not yet old enough to appreciate sincere youthful appreciation (rare though it be) for things of yore. Give it another decade or so and the concept will make perfect sense.

[Kid Fenris]

There's so little emphasis placed on teaching history anymore - at least in a meaningful or non-revisionistic way

Durn LIEberal education system with its multiculturalism and ADHD and negroes.


ESo you’ve just dated yourself between 23 and 24 years old. I’m 38…or about four-fifths of the way through the long gray tunnel between Fervent Youth and Middle Age, so I don’t know how this is going to register on your BS meter, but trust me when I say you’re not yet old enough to appreciate sincere youthful appreciation (rare though it be) for things of yore. Give it another decade or so and the concept will make perfect sense.

Dammit, TonyTheTiger, why aren't you DEAD INSIDE yet?

[Greg2600]

Kids are wonderful creations are they not? At least until the rest of us lousy old folks screw them up.

[cityside75]

Thanks for the story Steven, I enjoyed reading it.

My son, age 5, happily jumps all over the videogame spectrum while his seemingly ADHD afflicted father looks for something fun to play together. He's never yet made any comments in regard to the difference in graphics and sound of the old games versus the new, I think he just takes everything for what it is and decides if it's fun or not. Just yesterday we played Freeway on the 2600, TMNT on the SNES, and Warioware Twisted on the GBA. He seemed to enjoy all of the games equally, although he obviously tired of Freeway the quickest. As has already been stated, it really is a wonder to see the clean slate that a child's mind is, and how the teachings of parents and significant others can impact that.


And 40 years from now, the 5 year olds today will declare that Spongebob is a work of sheer brilliance compared to the garbage kids in the year 2048 watch

Spongebob IS a work of sheer brilliance. :D

[Steven]

Wait, why do 5 and 6 year olds need to learn how to do public speaking? o_O

Anyway, that's real cute. :)


Haha. Yeah, it's crazy that 5 and 6 year olds are taking public speaking classes, but the world is changing and communication is bigger than ever. When I was 5 I sure as hell wasn't even concerned with public speaking nor did I know any friends who had to do what these kids are doing. It's amazing.

Greg, I hear you. Young kids are wonderful creations... so innocent and so honest. Gotta enjoy them while they stay that way. I'm teaching as young as 5 year olds to 13 year olds. BIIIIIG difference. I enjoy each age range for different reasons, but I prefer the young 'uns.


<< Sometimes I notice people applauding kids for liking old things but I can't tell if it's because the kids like something they themselves like or just because it's a kid that likes something old. >>


I was mostly shocked because it was an old game that wasn't exactly SUPER popular, and one I grew up *LOVING* like crazy. I mean, it was the LAST game I expected to come out of their mouths when I asked them, "What's your favorite video game?"

(So sort of a combination of both)

If they said Super Metroid, for example, I'd be shocked still, but not to the degree I was when they said King of the Monsters.

By the way, I'm not sure their parents appreciate the classics. It just might very well be one of those "right place right time right price" situations. I asked them what other SNES games the twins have, and they told me one of the Power Ranger games, Ms. Pac-Man, and one more they couldn't remember. Anyway, it was a case in which I will always remember whenever I think of my video game memories.

Two five-year-old twins citing King of the Monsters 2 SNES as their favorite video game in the year 2008. I loved the game as much as they do back in 1994. The VC KOTM was released that same morning, just mere hours prior. Also prior to this happening, I was in the middle of working on a KOTM2 SNES review. Combine all this, and it's a moment I'll always remember :)

[TonyTheTiger]

My kids like Pinocchio, too. But a brightly colored 2-D animated film full of neato creatures like Jiminy Cricket or Monstro the Whale is an easy sell across multiple generations. Try to get a 21st century kid raised on a steady visual diet of Blu-Ray enhanced CGI to appreciate the visual craftsmanship of the something like the original King Kong. Assuming you can keep the child’s interest sustained over that first, daunting obstacle of black and white cinema, you’re more or less showing them a world (i.e. – New York in 1933) which in many ways probably looks just as fantastical to them as anything Walt Disney ever dreamed up. A kid who can appreciate something like that is a cool kid.

And 50 years from now, the 5 year old who appreciates Spongebob will also be a "cool kid" to the 5 year old of today. That's why I disagree. Young Frankenstein was filmed in Black and White and it still tops lists of favorite comedies and that came out long after black and white was the norm. Clerks and Shindler's List, too. I don't think any of them have suffered or will suffer because young people thought/think they look "old."



This is wholly a matter of perspective. In 2001 Stevie Snotnose was in seventh grade when Mom & Dad put a brand new X-Box under the Christmas tree. He’s starting college next month, and odds are good that the last time he stopped by Gamestop he mentally observed how a good number of the “old school” X-Box games are now sitting in the clearance bins. He's never used a computer that didn't have a "Start" button in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. The first game controller he probably laid his jelly-covered hands on was either a Playstation or an N64. Everything before that barely registers on his consciousness: “Co-what-covision?” :?.

The fact that you named your imaginary character "Snotnose" not only dates you but, more importantly, your example proves my point completely. How do you say it? You can't go home again? Do you honestly think that "Stevie Snotnose" upon his 38th birthday isn't going to look back and think "Wow, all the kids these days don't know what they're missing. They have no idea how wonderful Halo is because they're drowning in 4D Laserstream Media."

Do you honestly think that 60 year olds today didn't think the same thing about Colecovision? Do you think they were wrong to think that? In the end, we have a soft spot for what we grew up with and tend to dislike when newer audiences neglect what we appreciate. Doesn't necessarily make what they appreciate inferior. Sometimes older stuff is just plain better but I'll say it right now: Frasier is far superior to Gilligan's Island.

And I highly doubt that in 50 years Casablanca won't be remembered. For it to be remembered, of course, 5 year olds today will have to eventually appreciate it. And I'm certain that will happen. It's really the same principle that keeps Shakespeare's work in our culture just earlier in the chain. Younger generations developing an affinity for something of "yore" that is flat out awesome.


So you’ve just dated yourself between 23 and 24 years old. I’m 38…or about four-fifths of the way through the long gray tunnel between Fervent Youth and Middle Age, so I don’t know how this is going to register on your BS meter, but trust me when I say you’re not yet old enough to appreciate sincere youthful appreciation (rare though it be) for things of yore. Give it another decade or so and the concept will make perfect sense.

It's funny. I dated myself intentionally because I expected this. And you still keep proving my point. You just admitted that "quality" itself is somehow removed from your subjective impression of the past. Hence, the cycle I said exists. That is what sets off my BS meter. No matter what amazing game/movie/etc. comes out, it's not part of your past. So there is less emotional attachment to it. Even if it is point for point superior to what you remember.

I'm not even saying that kind of nostalgia is a bad thing. It's probably at least a small part of why older things can survive as long as they do. But it is a subjective impression wholly removed from the "real world." If you stand outside your subjectivity for a second you end up realizing that past generations thought the same thing that future generations eventually will. So that is why I am rather dismissive of comments related to "My generation this" or "This generation that." Because you'll never stop hearing it and each time it's based on something very personal. You know it's going to be said later on again...for something that maybe hasn't even be created yet.

I'm not saying that any of this shouldn't be important to you or that we should be nihilistic about entertainment both past and future. All I'm saying is that the clichés are decades overdone and yet nobody seems to "get it" that the answers they seem so cocksure they have will become the same answers someone down the line will be so cocksure they have.


I was mostly shocked because it was an old game that wasn't exactly SUPER popular, and one I grew up *LOVING* like crazy. I mean, it was the LAST game I expected to come out of their mouths when I asked them, "What's your favorite video game?"

(So sort of a combination of both)

If they said Super Metroid, for example, I'd be shocked still, but not to the degree I was when they said King of the Monsters.

Yeah, I can definitely see that. I'd be pretty taken aback by it too since it would have come from as far out of left field as you could imagine. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly cool. I'm just finding these "Wow, I do have hope for this generation after all!" comments amusing because that's exactly what our grandparents would have said if one of our parents mentioned that they liked Billie Holiday. Every generation can't be "OMG it's so horrible!"

[Pantechnicon]

Young Frankenstein was filmed in Black and White and it still tops lists of favorite comedies and that came out long after black and white was the norm. Clerks and Shindler's List, too. I don't think any of them have suffered or will suffer because young people thought/think they look "old."

And neither do I, but tell me: How many 10-year-olds were polled for these favorite comedy lists?

Seriously now, my only point is that any "kid" who shows an appreciation for anything - games, movies, whatever - predating his own existence is a cool kid in my book. You can harrumph this opinion all you want, but it's just an opinion, and once you've got another decade or so invested in the mortal coil I'm willing to bet - confidently - I'll be vindicated in this outlook. So let's not pick fights where one need not exist.

(/obligatory)
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b235/sideshowbennie/GetOffMyLawn.jpg

[TonyTheTiger]

And neither do I, but tell me: How many 10-year-olds were polled for these favorite comedy lists?

Seriously now, my only point is that any "kid" who shows an appreciation for anything - games, movies, whatever - predating his own existence is a cool kid in my book. You can harrumph this opinion all you want, but it's just an opinion, and once you've got another decade or so invested in the mortal coil I'm willing to bet - confidently - I'll be vindicated in this outlook. So let's not pick fights where one need not exist.

What gave you the impression that I'm picking a fight? If a 5 year old came up to me and said he liked King of the Monsters I'd be pretty pleased myself. So I'm not harrumph-ing anything other than the "this new generation now has hope" kind of stuff which is spawned from the tired clichés of "In my day, sonny" and "The kids these days."

And, I still don't see what age has to do with this. This isn't really a case of being knowledgeable or experienced or wise. It's a case of "Wow, I liked this when I was young. Now they do. That's cool." Sure it's cool. We all like to see things we like live on. Maybe because it makes everyone feel young again. But if it doesn't happen, that's not indicative of that generation (or even that individual) having some defect. It's all "in our heads" so to speak based wholly on our own individual past. Every generation goes through it. Everyone grows up "with the best cartoons" if you catch my drift.

I'm personally a little miffed that Elmo practically took over Sesame Street from the (as far as my tastes go) superior character of Big Bird. But, if anything, I take solace in the knowledge that however may years from now, some new character is going to show up and the toddlers of today will hope that Elmo is kept alive.

[Steven]

I'm just finding these "Wow, I do have hope for this generation after all!" comments amusing because that's exactly what our grandparents would have said if one of our parents mentioned that they liked Billie Holiday. Every generation can't be "OMG it's so horrible!"


Heh, don't take my "restored faith in humanity" title too seriously. For the record, it was used extremely tongue-in-cheek.

[digitalpress]

LORE contest officially ended (and I'm sorry for keeping everyone in suspense on that one, just hang in there!), but there may be room for one more.

Great story. This is what everyone here wants to hear. I hope everyone gets a chance to read it!

[MachineGex]

Excellent story. Reminds me how my 4 year old son jumps around playing anything that is fun. NES to XBOX to GC to 360. He doesnt like the Wii too much, too hard for him to control. It is neat for me to watch him play older games that I love. Makes me proud to see him turn on the NES every few weeks. I am getting my Atari 2600 mod'd and I can't wait to see him play a few 2600 games. I am guessing he will like a few of them if I pick the right titles.

[Daria]

And I highly doubt that in 50 years Casablanca won't be remembered. For it to be remembered, of course, 5 year olds today will have to eventually appreciate it. And I'm certain that will happen. It's really the same principle that keeps Shakespeare's work in our culture just earlier in the chain. Younger generations developing an affinity for something of "yore" that is flat out awesome.

Yes, but they'll be much older when they finally do.

A 5 year old liking Casablanca =/ someone who used to be 5 liking Casablanca.

[TonyTheTiger]

Well, yeah, true. Of course, Casablanca was never targeted at 5 year olds even when it came out so I wouldn't necessarily expect any 5 year old to enjoy it any more than I'd expect one to enjoy Memento. In fact, I'd be pretty confused if one did.