Plans for raising your kids with Final Fantasy?

**finalfanatic1011** · 11-15-2013, 04:55 PM

Currently on my lunch break I have decided to gather opinions on my day dream I experienced at work. I couldn't help but smile as the thought came to my mind that in a couple short years I would be having little ones (if all goes as planned). My thought then turned into a hope to have them both sitting on my knee, resting on me with their tiny plush FF dolls engaging in the realm that I so easily lose myself in. Now I know some of you are just kids yourself (no offense) and some of you never want kids and some have had the joy of experiencing kids already. Is this an idea that could do more harm, imprinting a longing of living through my children or is it more possible of passing on my love for a game that has given me hope and an escape to my very own pride and joy. Has anyone else done this already and how did that work out? Just an FYI I am 23, don't know if that's pertinent but it could be lol. No opinion is wrong and I welcome them all.

**noxious.sunshine** · 11-16-2013, 03:28 PM

My daughter is 5 and already a big fan of Final Fantasy.

It started while I was playing XIII and she saw Fang riding on a chocobo a couple of years ago, and she said, "MOM. I love your big chickens!" - cutest. thing. ever. I told her that they're chocobos and she eventually settled into calling them "Chickabos" .. - She now calls them what they are, though.

And after that, I let her watch me play and she'd cheer me on.

After I moved in with my boyfriend, she started watching me play VII, VIII, IX, and so on. She got really into the chocobo racing on 7 and I'd set her up with my gold chocobo and do the automatic racing. She lovesss it. And if I put her around the chocobo farm by Midgar, she can beat the low-level monsters on her own. Her fav thing is to steal the controller if I leave the room and try to play for herself. I can always hear her giggling like a maniac.

It's a great way for us to hang out, have fun, and bond outside of just watching t.v. or movies or playing. It never ceases to amaze me that at only 5 years old, she's at least mastered the art of pushing the right button to execute a physical attack. I think next time she's with me, I'll try and teach her to read the screen & show her what it all means (you know, using potions & phoenix downs) & how to do it all. She's already on a 1st or 2nd grade reading level and she's only in kindergarten and she's insanely smart, so I think she'll get it. XD

When we got XIV , we let her watch the opening movie and she was absolutely fascinated. She asked to watch Bahamut and see the chocobos a lot after that. ^_^

**finalfanatic1011** · 11-16-2013, 04:49 PM

That is just awesome, I am just hoping for an experience like that. And sorry to say, I was fascinated by the chocobo races in 7 too lmao. It's great to know that we can teach something as intricate as losing yourself in a video game to a child, their imaginations just astound me and I can only pray that by the time my child is old enough, that they too will be wow'd by story, graphics, emotions, and a connection to something much more than some silly creatures (Cait Sith and Red come to mind).

**noxious.sunshine** · 11-17-2013, 04:51 AM

haha yeah, she -loves- Cait Sith .. That's her fav character. She's really into cats. He's also my fav, but for different reasons (see sig. lol)

She also really loves Fang & Lightning too & she likes to help me make characters on XIV. I let her pick out the hair and eyes and all that. .. I can't remember if she's watched me play XIII-2, but I don't think she has.

I haven't played IX or XII in awhile.. I could maybe let her try those out too.

**Unknown Entity** · 11-18-2013, 03:20 PM

Final Fantasy is but only one of many series' I will be introducing to my children, starting with Final Fantasy VII. Why? Not just because it's my favourite, but I'd like them to learn to appreciate video games just as much as I do, and that uber sexy graphics and celebrity voice actors don't always count for much. The story is great, and the mini games are a lot of fun too. Final Fantasy VII also got me into and taught me how to read - my reading skill was always above average when I was at primary school, and that stuff was constantly tracked and monitored (I impressed my secondary school tutor by reading and finishing The Da Vinci Code when I was fourteen years old, and was the only person in my English class to finish Wuthering Heights when I was fifteen). I still put subtitles on when I play games, and I still read them even if the characters are talking.

There's part of me that would rather my kids didn't play video games at all, but I think that's becoming more and more impossible with each year, as new technology is being developed. There are educational video games for kids as young as three years old, but then you have the all popular Call of Duty franchise, and kids somehow getting their hands on these video games meant for people twice their age. I still use my SE W810i as my every day mobile phone - there are kids half my age rolling with the latest iPhone, doing things I can only IMAGINE doing with such a device.

**finalfanatic1011** · 11-19-2013, 11:41 AM

Entity I agree wholeheartedly. My reading level has always been way above everyone when I was in school, 5th grade we did a biography report, everyone read books with 150 pages or so, I read a book on FDR with about 580 pages in the same amount of time. I am really picky with my reading now and don't do it often but I hope to pass that along to my kids at least. I do the same with subtitles as well, it allows you to get a sense of imagination when it comes to what the character would sound like on your own, instead of always filling in the blanks for you. Don't get me wrong I have a Galaxy S3 but my kids won't be getting involved so quickly as most kids do now a days. I want them to enjoy what they have and not what they could have. Also that video games are not just meant to waste time and not get stuff done, more to indulge yourself in.

**loaf** · 11-19-2013, 01:31 PM

I'll force my kid to play them in chronic logical order.

**noxious.sunshine** · 11-20-2013, 09:17 AM

Chronic logical order.

makes sense.

**finalfanatic1011** · 11-25-2013, 04:41 PM

Loaf, this is the only way. IT MUST BE DONE

**Tiffany** · 11-26-2013, 04:27 PM

Claire's not much into video games like that. Granted, she's got some delays so not sure if that's part of it. She does like watching my hubby play Forza, and she was quite enthralled with Minecraft too. Our issue is that she's incredibly sensitive, so she can't watch things that have any sort of violence in them... cartoonish or not. She loses it.

So for now we're limited to very soft and kid-type games ha ha.

Someday though, it'll happen!

**noxious.sunshine** · 11-26-2013, 09:31 PM

How old is she?

**Pete** · 11-29-2013, 02:28 PM

I'd raise my kids with FF games when they're at the stage where they're starting to move up from picture books to regular kids books. I wouldn't necessarily want them playing it when they're too impatient to actually read through the dialogue and miss out on some great stories.

True story, the games made me a much better reader than I would have been.

**finalfanatic1011** · 11-29-2013, 06:51 PM

Completely agree, the dialogue really helped my reading. I do agree that it will be at a certain age. No need to put more pressure on a young child's mind. Tiffany I am sorry to hear about that, it must be tough to handle seeing as there is violence in every form nearly everywhere imaginable. You must be one proud mama though to be able to share at least slightly in something you enjoy with your her. You seem to understand and accommodate her very well.

**Tiffany** · 12-02-2013, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by noxious.sunshine

How old is she?

She'll be 5 in 3 weeks!

Not sure how that happened, but yikes LOL

**noxious.sunshine** · 12-02-2013, 04:49 PM

Omg! Parker will be 6 January 4...

It goes by Waaaaahhhhh too quickly, doesn't it?

We let her play XIV on her own.. just wandering around Gridania cuz she insisted on being the White Mage. So cute.

**loaf** · 12-02-2013, 05:22 PM

I will also make my kid run through FFI with 4 Thiefs.

**Clint** · 01-06-2014, 10:04 PM

I'm a little confused as to why anybody would push video games on their children. I mean, video games are fun, but physical exercise is healthy, and keeps kids from getting fat and lazy.

I can't really see my kids not playing video games eventually, considering that I do, and I did as a kid. But I didn't spend months at a time chronologically playing through every Final Fantasy game, nor have I ever. I've never completed a Final Fantasy game. They're too long, and they take too much effort to beat. Effort which I'm not willing to put into a game. That's just ridiculous.

For example, I put about 40 hours into Final Fantasy 8. That was the most I ever played a Final Fantasy game, and my team still wasn't strong enough to beat the game with. In order to beat the game, I would have had to put more time into the game to make my team stronger, which is precisely what I wouldn't want my kids to do. I'd want them to better utilize their time, because there are a million healthier options for my kids then allowing them to sit around all day playing overly-difficult video games.

Also, I saw people mention that reading dialogue helped with their reading skills. What actually helps with developing reading skills is reading. I'd rather my kids read A Journey to the Center of the Earth and Moby ****, like I did, rather then games.

Also, it's ridiculous that I can't mention Moby **** without being censored. Seriously, it's the title of a ****ing book. It's not profanity.

**finalfanatic1011** · 01-07-2014, 12:36 AM

I have to agree whole heartedly christ Eastwood. I have never beaten a FF nor do I plan to. I enjoy playing them for a while but could never finish it. Im actually hoping my kids are into a sport like soccer, football, or hockey but if not whateve they ARE interested in will satisfy me. I dont plan on overly pushing it. I just know too many people that arent interested in rpgs or jrpgs and im hoping I can influence them thats all. I understand how it sounds so sorry for the misconception.

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**Sean** · 01-07-2014, 03:33 AM

(IF)* I have kids... I doubt I'd bother. I can't stand to play the old FF games anymore unless it's one of the SNES titles and I'm doing it on an emulator and can fast forward constantly.

Now, I improved reading by watching my dad play Final Fantasy VI on our SNES back in the day when I was a wee lad, but I could have done the same by reading actual books.

If I introduce any potential future offspring to gaming it would be the simple, casual, pick up and play family-style video games, at least until they're older.