Birthday gifts - part 2

I wrote about my 60th birthday on February 27. Now I'm writing about three of my birthday presents. The first one was discussed here. Today I'm talking about the present my son bought me. It's something I mentioned back in November, 2009. He bought me my own copy of the game Pikmin.

I love this little game. It's a puzzle. It's beautifully rendered. It is very easy to get drawn into the narrative. I explained the story in the previous post (Nov 2009) so I won't repeat that here. But what I like about this game is the feeling you get of trying to protect the little Pikmin from harm. As you can see on the cover art here, there are plenty of creatures that will eat them if you're not careful. This picture shows a small Bulborb chasing some Pikmin. The Bulborbs (pronounced various ways) are the first of the non-Pikmin creatures you run into the game but they are certainly not the most fearsome.

I like games where I can pretend I am in the game. I like the way it makes you look differently at your own life. I really believe it is a learning experience. That's why I don't mind our children playing these types of games. They are interacting with the entertainment. It is not the passive "sitting and watching" of television. The good games demand a level of strategy and planning. Reactions are important but they are not the most important thing. Using your brain to figure out problems is a worthwhile way to spend time. You have to use your imagination or you won't survive.

I played this game a little on my son's console but I didn't get too far because I didn't want to take time away from him. Now that I have my own copy, I'm really looking forward to getting into the world of Olimar and the Pikmin. If I can just find out where the Blue Pikmin are located!