Who gets to play your systems?

[SlowCoder]

I teach my kids that it's important to take care of things, whether it's their property, or someone else's. They have both experienced their own property getting destroyed in the hands of the neighbor kids, as well as stuff breaking due to them not taking care of them. Both of them are gentle when it comes to my game systems.

 

We have our PS2, PS3, Wii and Genesis, NES, SNES and N64 all set up in the living room for play. They are used every day, but remain running because of the meticulous care I take, and have instilled in my children, after many years of service. Everyone is required (but doesn't always remember) to wash hands with soap before playing.

 

This summer, we allowed my sister's boyfriend to babysit my older son at home. They aren't supposed to play video games all day (though I'm sure it happens anyway). So far I have had one of my PS3 controllers crushed because the boyfriend left it on the floor under a rocking chair, and a rubber thumbstick pad has fallen off one of my PS2 controllers.

 

I'm very timid about bringing out any of my classic stuff. While I'd love to be able to have an Atari, Coleco, Intelli out and available for play, I just don't know if I can muster the patience (and honestly shudder at the thought) to have anyone other than my own family play.

 

What do you think, and how do you cope?

[Rex Dart]

Yikes. I don't have kids but I think my plan is to let them play on a modded Xbox (or 'old' computer, surely I'll have a few by then) so they can't destroy anything of value. Maybe let them use the SNES & Genesis, those are pretty sturdy. No discs or brittle systems until they're older though. Luckily, it's just me, the wife, and the cats for now, so the worst I get is having to rinse cat puke off a cord now & then.

[+save2600]

Anyone can play if they want, but it has been my policy since the early 90's that nobody, and I mean nobody is allowed to touch my stuff unless I'm around. And even then, I'll handle the cartridges and discs thank you very much.

 

I've only been able to trust one single person in my life with gaming and that was a Neo*Geo system I had back in the day. Let a buddy borrow it for months before I got it back in nearly the same shape I left it. That gear is built to last though. By that time, no way would I have lent my 2600 and its games to anyone. Or any disc based system.

 

I remember when I was a kid, naturally, I'd bring games to a friends house to play. Would chuck my 2600 carts in a bag (or not) and off I went on bike. I must have lost a game or two or something as my dad started scratching small x's in the lower left or right hand corner of the label. DOH! So if anyone has any 2600 carts with x's in 'em... was probably mine!

[HatefulGravey]

Everyone gets to play everything in my house. There are differing levels of supervision based on age but everyone plays. The three kids in the family below 7 love to play the older stuff but things like the reset on the VCS are too much for them to remember most of the time so I normally have to help there, but they do well with the rest normally.

[high voltage]

I'm only playing with myself :-(

[+20ohm20]

Nobody in my house, except for me, has any interest in video games or vintage computers. I don't need to worry about anyone "touching my stuff" ... ha!

[+20ohm20]

I must have lost a game or two or something as my dad started scratching small x's in the lower left or right hand corner of the label.

 

That's better than writing your name on the label in neon green marker.

[nathanallan]

Not many people have any interest in classic gaming or computers in my house, and the few that visit have to deal with me supervising them regardless of age. Enough stuff got broken by me and my friends as a kid, not gonna happen now, I've seen the Dark Side

[bigbee99]

Anyone can play them while they are out but I can't keep everything out. I even loan them to friends from time to time. What good is a system that is just collecting dust in a closet? The living room only has the wii hooked up right now. I do have my NES and C64 sitting on my Comp desk though. The kids (6 and 12) have my SNES and N64 in their room along with a PS3 and GC. They have had every system in the house in their room at one point or another (we own 14+ consoles) except for the 2600/7800 and the C64. They think those two are cool, but do not enjoy them as much. I also have a Yobo NES and a N64 at my grandmothers since she baby sits a lot.

 

The biggest problem with the older stuff is the cleaning of the carts. When the kids play the NES or 2600 I have to stay with them until they get on a game they want to play for a while. How ever, they are getting pretty good at cleaning them now. They have not broke anything.....yet. They are hard on the CD's though. Several GC and wii games have been lost to mishandling when they were much younger. I think they finally get it.

 

The wife has a friend with 4 kids ranging from 5 to 12. The house goes crazy when they are here. What ever is out they can play but they usually want to just play the wii or something on the computer. I pulled out the old Tomy Pac-Man handheld out last time they were here. Surprisingly it got a lot of play.

Maybe it was the bright colors that kept bringing them back to it.

 

I do get a little uncomfortable with that many kids running around my stuff though. Maybe I have been lucky since nothing has been broken.

 

B

[godslabrat]

I take very good care of my stuff as well, however, the ultimate rule in my home is that this stuff was made to be used-- all guests are welcome to it. This has resulted in an incident here or there, but overall, I'm glad people don't have to come into my house and feel like they're at Grandma's. "Don't sit on the good couch! And don't change the channels so fast, you'll break it!"

 

Having said that, I'm still bitter over the last incident that happened... not because it happened, but because the guilty party knew better and just couldn't be concerned with acting responsibly. Break something by accident, I won't even blink... break something because you just don't give a shit, and you won't be invited back.

[Hatta]

Having said that, I'm still bitter over the last incident that happened... not because it happened, but because the guilty party knew better and just couldn't be concerned with acting responsibly. Break something by accident, I won't even blink... break something because you just don't give a shit, and you won't be invited back.

 

 

Sooo what's the story there?

[PsychoKittyNet]

Anytime we have a family get together I try to bring out my stuff and get the younger ones to play them. I haven't had any issues yet.

[tz101]

All systems and games at my house are "fair game" for any and all visitors. My only reservation is that I handle all disc based media. Most cartridges are tough as a tank, so I don't care. I just don't want my discs all scratched up and possibly broken. Also, every game gets put back in its original place before another is taken off the shelf. Maybe I am a little too strict?

[Chuck D. Head]

I take very good care of my stuff as well, however, the ultimate rule in my home is that this stuff was made to be used-- all guests are welcome to it. This has resulted in an incident here or there, but overall, I'm glad people don't have to come into my house and feel like they're at Grandma's. "Don't sit on the good couch! And don't change the channels so fast, you'll break it!"

 

Having said that, I'm still bitter over the last incident that happened... not because it happened, but because the guilty party knew better and just couldn't be concerned with acting responsibly. Break something by accident, I won't even blink... break something because you just don't give a shit, and you won't be invited back.

 

This pretty much sums up my feelings. One thing I have noticed is that people dont seems to be rough with things, just careless. The biggest problem I have is with discs not being put away in their safe little home before the next disc is brought out, but cartridge games are no problem. The only thing I am protective of is the NES carts being cleaned before use, so my toaster dont get dirty inside. Typically, of all the "classic" systems, the N64 gets the most use and it is tough as nails. That and I rotate through the colors every month or so, to keep any one from being worn out. Time to break out Grape, I think.......

[+save2600]

Having said that, I'm still bitter over the last incident that happened... not because it happened, but because the guilty party knew better and just couldn't be concerned with acting responsibly. Break something by accident, I won't even blink... break something because you just don't give a shit, and you won't be invited back.

Do tell, inquiring minds want to know!

 

Last asshat I had over at the house a couple of years ago that didn't respect my machines... was sitting in a chair last I saw, but then decided to put both of his feet up on a cherry ST:TNG pinball that had its lockdown bar and side rails chromed (not cheap!) while making out with his girlfriend one drunken night. First offense is when they spilled their bottle of wine on the carpet. Mind you, he was given a briefing on machine/gameroom etiquette that night(washing of the hands, violent game shaking, taking turns, etc), but by the time I saw his shoes on my machine, I snapped. Literally picked him up and threw him out of the house. First and last time he's even been over.

[TheGameCollector]

I would let pretty much anyone play my game systems if they wanted to. I would just get the games out myself. I have let certain friends borrow games as well and I find that my friend is actually better at handling games and DVDs than my dad is.

 

What my stepdad used to do with my half sister and cds was gave her the binder full of those free Playstation demos (the ones I didn't care about and keep) and let her learn how those work. She never seemed to break any. Just got fingerprints all over them which were wiped off.

 

I think what I'll do to slow down or eliminate destruction when I have a kid and they're young like that is go ahead buy them their own loose cart games and let them ask for things from there. Really the best way to teach kids about using cds is to get them started with music cds. Find out what kind of music you think is suitable for them to listen to (and if you can't then just record them some video game music in the computer and burn it to cd) and let them learn how scratched up discs behave. Then all you are losing are cheap CD-R'S that cost like $20 for a 100 pack so about 20 cents a disc.

 

Then again some people are clumsy with CDs no matter how old they get. I think if I give a kid some cds and then take a peek at their case after a while I could use those discs to assess how well they treat them.

[the-topdog]

Anybody and anyone can play the systems I have out for play. They are my spare systems I bought for that specific reason, so if they get broken or a controller dies, I still have a my main collection intact. After all, the beauty of these systems is sharing and letting people relive their childhood or introducing a new generation to the joys of vintage gaming.

 

None of my high value systems like my Entex Adventurevision are set out for play, they are on display and I will take them down to show people gameplay on them but they get put right back up on the shelf after the demo.

[keilbaca]

Anyone can play any of my systems. I haven't had anything broken (yet... my wii is at the girlfriend's to keep the kids happy). I even hosted a few guitar hero fests with lots of alcohol involved, and brought out my classic games, and nothing got broken.

 

I figured if anything breaks, I can fix it. What's the use of owning game systems if they're not being played? I obviously can't play them all

[Chuck D. Head]

 

None of my high value systems like my Entex Adventurevision are set out for play, they are on display and I will take them down to show people gameplay on them but they get put right back up on the shelf after the demo.

 

Yeah, for god's sake, keep it away from the damn jello!

[the-topdog]

None of my high value systems like my Entex Adventurevision are set out for play, they are on display and I will take them down to show people gameplay on them but they get put right back up on the shelf after the demo.

 

Yeah, for god's sake, keep it away from the damn jello!

 

I shall encase it in an orange jello shrine

[GKC]

My kids get to play them basically whenever they want to and, though they are young, they don't really have a lot of supervision other than the times I am in there playing with them. Then again they seem to only want to play the Gamecube which is a dime a dozen system. Friends and family who come over will want to play for only a short time so I don't worry about them. Haven't had anything broken by anyone who isn't me. My anger and fits of rage are my systems worst enemies

[128Kgames]

I teach my kids that it's important to take care of things, whether it's their property, or someone else's. They have both experienced their own property getting destroyed in the hands of the neighbor kids, as well as stuff breaking due to them not taking care of them. Both of them are gentle when it comes to my game systems.

 

We have our PS2, PS3, Wii and Genesis, NES, SNES and N64 all set up in the living room for play. They are used every day, but remain running because of the meticulous care I take, and have instilled in my children, after many years of service. Everyone is required (but doesn't always remember) to wash hands with soap before playing.

 

This summer, we allowed my sister's boyfriend to babysit my older son at home. They aren't supposed to play video games all day (though I'm sure it happens anyway). So far I have had one of my PS3 controllers crushed because the boyfriend left it on the floor under a rocking chair, and a rubber thumbstick pad has fallen off one of my PS2 controllers.

 

I'm very timid about bringing out any of my classic stuff. While I'd love to be able to have an Atari, Coleco, Intelli out and available for play, I just don't know if I can muster the patience (and honestly shudder at the thought) to have anyone other than my own family play.

 

What do you think, and how do you cope?

 

Sister’s boyfriend? Break his thumbs. Damaging ANY equipment is punishable by death in my household, especially if it’s vintage.

 

On a lighter note, I too have all my equipment out on display and it can be hooked up for play (and often is). My ColecoVision, Vectrex, Bally's/Astrocade, Neo Geo carts etc. are on one of those bookshelf units from IKEA in what used to be my home theatre, but has now morphed into more of a family room.

 

The only stuff hooked to our TV for regular use is the Xbox 360, Xbox, Wii and Neo Geo. Now that we have the Kinect, the Xbox 360 sees most of the action. My kids are only 5 and 3, but we've taught them to respect my stuff and not to play with it unless I or my wife are there to play with them (although we have let them play with the Kinect by themselves a few times, since there is now controller for them to mess up).

 

The washing hands thing is brilliant, had not thought of that until now (probably should be washing mine beforehand myself...). Have not had to face anything getting played with yet with anyone other than immediate family, so I have not been exposed to your type of situation as of yet. Will have to set ground rules once the kids start having more friends over when they get older.

 

I think you can be safe letting others play with your other systems, provided you are there to oversee them. And just an FYI the IKEA bookshelves have glass doors as options if you decide to go that route and want to protect stuff even more so.

[SlowCoder]

I clap for those of you who are willing to allow anyone who enters the house to play your vintage stuff. I wholeheartedly agree that the stuff should be played, not stored in a closet. And that's what I want to be able to do. I guess I just need to get over my apprehensions. Even though recently my PS2 has been pulled to the floor by my 4 year old multiple times, I have no problems with my kids playing. It's the unknowns who I feel I need to carry a big bat for.

 

I'm working with my wife to rearrange our computer/craft room into something more usable. I also use that room for my console work. I think she's already agreed to getting a bigger TV in there, and knows I really want a "gaming space". If that comes to fruition, it may just be my solution to leaving the newer stuff (PS2/PS3/Wii) that I don't care so much about in the living room and keeping my vintage stuff safely away in the back room. And I can only invite those who I trust to play in there.

[godslabrat]

Having said that, I'm still bitter over the last incident that happened... not because it happened, but because the guilty party knew better and just couldn't be concerned with acting responsibly. Break something by accident, I won't even blink... break something because you just don't give a shit, and you won't be invited back.

 

 

Sooo what's the story there?

 

 

Do tell, inquiring minds want to know!

 

Was trying to not thread-hijack, but since more than one person asked... a few years back, I had a little get-together at my house. My game room has quite a bit of stuff in it... hundreds of games from systems ranging from the 2600 to the 360. Not only that, a Beatles Rock Band set, dozens of Batman and Star Trek toys... pretty much a geek's dream room. Anyway, one of the guests said that they couldn't come because they couldn't find someone to watch their kid (five years old). So, we agreed to let the kid come. What I didn't know at the time, but wish I had was that: A) it wasn't that a sitter couldn't be found, it's that none of the sitters they'd used before would watch the kid (RED FLAG!) B) the kid was a known discipline problem and C) the kid had a history of theft.

 

Not knowing any of this, I try to be a gracious host. The parents ask me if the kid could play with my stuff. I agree-- which was my fault, however, I was under the impression that they'd at least keep a minimal eye on her, because WHO in their RIGHT MIND turns a five year old loose in someone's house? Also, who brings a five-year-old to a party without planning for a way to amuse them?

 

So the parents left the kid to tear apart the entire room. The Batcave was broken, certain parts were "lost" and still not recovered. The Beatles drum set was molested (though no permanent damage was found). The XBox 360 had been pulled out of the TV cabinet-- for what purpose, I have no idea. The kid had been handling stuff that could ONLY have been reached by her climbing all over the furniture and cabinets. It's a miracle she hadn't toppled a bookcase doing that. Notwithstanding what she DID do, it frightens me to think of what COULD have happened, had I been someone else. I'm not a parent, I'm under no obligation to child-proof my home. In that room, I could very easily have had guns/knives/power tools/drugs/porn/adult toys/whatever. And granted, those things would have made the party MUCH more fun, but if she'd hurt herself, who would be liable? Moi.

 

In the end, I got a mumbled apology as they escorted the kid home. And for the record, I harbor no ill will to the kid... I remember what being five was like. What pisses me off is that the parents didn't even admit that letting her run around unsupervised wasn't a bright idea... as if the rest of the world had to tolerate their kid's hyperactivity just because they did.

[+save2600]

And lemme guess... the parents didn't offer to reconcile in a monetary way, any dough to help out with anything either.

 

First red flag really is when the parents asked if their kid could play with your stuff. That right there tells me everything I need to know about them.