Growing up, I remember playing several video games with my Dad. Now, he was not a gamer, but one of the first games I remember playing with him was Pac-Man on the Atari 2600. Not long after that, we discovered Tetris on the NES. I remember being amazed that my dad could make it past level 9 on A Type – that was a pretty big deal!
Another special memory was the day that my father brought home Top Gun for the NES and a joy stick as well! Even with plenty of practice and the joy stick,
neither of us could land on that infernal aircraft carrier. Thanks dad for those memories.
I’m now building memories with my own son, but I’ve noticed 2 things: One – he seems to be more of a Sega man than his father was, and; Two – he is already a better Sonic the Hedgehog player at the age of 3 than I was at the age of 11.
In honor of Fathers Day I wanted to take the opportunity to recognize a few video game fathers.
7 Video Game Fathers and the Gifts They Would Love
Ness & Father
In the quirky and lovable SNES game Earthbound, the main protagonist Ness must call his father on the phone to save the game. While their conversations are short, Ness’ father is always warm in how he speaks, offering advice and support. It is worth noting that Ness’ father never appears on screen, which leads me to believe that he is a bit of a workaholic.
Ideal Father’s Day Gift for Ness’ Father:
I’d recommend Ness’ father read the book: “Life Matters: Creating a dynamic balance of work, family, time, & money” and consider applying a little more work/life balance and coming home from work once in a while.
Heihachi Mishima
From the fighting game Tekken, we have a rather dysfunctional father/son relationship. You may have some issues with your father, but Kazuya’s father threw him off of a cliff when he was just a child and later on, threw him into a live volcano. Oh, and Heihachi also shot his own grandson amongst other unpleasantries.
Ideal Father’s Day Gift for Heihachi:
Heihachi’s parenting skills seem to be modled after his own father’s poor parenting, so the book: “Toxic Parents: Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life” might be a good gift.
Guile
From Street Fighter 2. Famous for the quote “Go home and be a family man,” Guile is the first to head home once his mission is complete. While leaving your wife and daughter to go on a quest of revenge for your fallen war buddy is not a very fatherly thing to do, Guile’s family misses him and happily brings him back home.
Ideal Father’s Day Gift for Guile:
As a coffee lover, I’d recommend giving him the best coffee maker I know of, the Aerobie Aeropress. I use it everyday, I’m sure Guile would too.
Doctor Eli Vance
From Half-Life 2. A loving and protective single father, Dr. Vance is a scientist from the Black Mesa Research Facility, and was the reason that the Vortigaunt race allied with humanity against the Combine. He is always supportive and concerned for his daughter’s well-being, and the have a solid relationship.
Ideal Father’s Day Gift for Dr. Vance:
What do you buy the man who man who can build anything? Remember this guy made a gravity gun and a hulking protector robot for his daughter. Tools, I would guess.
Harry Mason
From Silent Hill. You got to give this guy some credit, he literally goes through Hell to find his daughter after she goes missing after his jeep crashes in a frightening city. Things get really out of control in a game that is one of the most disturbing video games released up to that time (1999).
Ideal Father’s Day Gift for Harry:
A new car with childlocks on the doors and GPS.
The King of All Cosmos
From Katamari Damacy. So he gets drunk, and basically destroys all the planets in the solar system. Then, he lets his son do all the work of putting things back together again while he does no more than relax. On top of it all, he is critical of the Prince’s performance while literally rebuilding the entire universe.
Ideal Father’s Day Gift for the King of All Cosmos:
Nothing with alcohol in it.
Dracula
From Castlevania. A tyrannical killer that drinks blood must be a bit of a downer to have for a father. Alucard is perpetually at odds with his father in a way that is much more than your typical teenage rebellion. He does manage to offer up some good parting advice, though.
Ideal Father’s Day Gift for Dracula:
A new coffin for a Father’s day nap.
A Happy Fathers Day
So maybe your father is more like Heihachi than Dr. Eli Vance, or maybe you are blessed to have a great father like I have. Either way, take some time to show some respect and love for your father today, and if you are a father consider what you can do to not end up on the wrong side of this list.
Dan Black
Street Fighter is a cool game! What a creative blog post, I really enjoyed it.
Bryan Fisher
I liked Joel from the Last of Us. Guile was a good dad, and I liked his saying.