How Monster Hunter Helped Me Be A Better Dad
It’s weird to think that a video game called “Monster Hunter” helped me be a better dad, but it’s true. I’ve been a gamer for as long as I can remember. My dad, bless his heart, didn’t know what he was getting himself into when he gifted me a Nintendo Entertainment System when I was 6-years-old. It came with the original Super Mario/Duck Hunt game. Do you remember that one? I was hooked ever since. Gaming has been a big part of my life, even helping me overcome depression in 2008.
After I became a dad in 2016, my gaming habits understandably slowed down. However, a few years ago, the Nintendo Switch helped me rediscover my love for playing video games. I noticed that my son started watching me whenever I’d find a spare moment to play a game. It was fascinating to him. At first he’d only watch, but then I’d let him hold the controller and I remember watching his eyes light up when he moved the characters across the screen for the first time. It was probably the same face I made the first time I held that, now ancient, NES controller.
In the beginning, the games he and I played were simple ones. Games like Super Mario, Astro’s Playroom, or Kirby. But once he got a little older, he saw me playing a game called “Monster Hunter Rise” and he told me he wanted to have his own copy of it.
“Are you sure? It’s a REALLY hard game.” I told him.
“Yes,” He said, “It looks like fun.”
As a long-time fan of the Monster Hunter series, I can wholeheartedly tell you that it’s a grueling type of game. You’re going to lose. A lot. But little did I know, the whole experience would help me form an incredible bond with my son. The likes that no other game, real life or video, has been able to do.
The Video Game That Helped Me Be a Better Dad – Monster Hunter
For those who don’t know, Monster Hunter Rise is part of a series of games where you assume the role of a hunter. The entire gameplay loop is you going into a world, slaying a large monster, then using its parts to create better armor and weapons.
Quality Time Hunting Imaginary Beasts
The absolute best part about my son’s obsession with the game is the quality time it’s helped us have together. Monster Hunter can be played alone, but it really shines when you team up with your buddies, working together. In the newest game, Rise, you can team up with up to 3 other players online to fight these monsters together.
I won’t sugar coat it — when Beckham, my son, and I started playing the game last year, he was awful. Once he found out that I wasn’t kidding about the game’s difficulty, he was understandably intimidated by the creatures we fought. They’d knock out his character in 1 or 2 hits. However, over time, and with LOTS of teamwork, Becks went from being a hesitant hunter, to now being the first one to head straight into battle and come up with strategies to defeat some of the games more formidable creatures! He didn’t quit, because each time we’d fail a mission, I’d remind him that we can do hard things.
Also, his confidence has grown, not only within the game, but in real-life too! I’ve seen him be more assertive, creating strategies to tackling objectives in his everyday life. It’s been wild, as a parent, to see, but I love it! Another important life skill is independence, so watching him apply it within the game and beyond has been really fun to watch. The game has been a safe place for him to experiment, make mistakes, and learn from them.
More Than Just a Game
Having and creating all these memories with my son makes me wish my dad played games with me. Unfortunately, my dad wasn’t a gamer. Monster Hunter Rise has been more than just a video game for my son and me; it’s been a way to bond, grow together, and learn. We’ve celebrated our victories and learned from our losses.
If you’re trying to come up with ways to connect with your kid, maybe give this incredibly hard game a chance. Of course, there’s treasure at the end of each mission, but the REAL treasure will be the moments your share with your little one.
