I remember the sheer excitement I felt the day my dad walked into the house with our first Nintendo System. It took my mind off of how uncomfortable I was … at the time I was covered in chicken pox! I spent the week in front of the TV learning how to play Duck Hunt and Mario … which is about the extent of my gaming experience.
Fast forward many years later and I have a son who is about the same age I was when I first played a video game. Within the past year, his peers have introduced him to video games and he has worked hard to earn a Nintendo DS. It has been fun watching him earn games and learn about the characters I knew growing up. He enjoys checking out books from the library about Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Donkey Kong. He has enjoyed “daddy-son” bonding time talking about and playing video games.
My husband and I got a sitter and decided to check out 16-Bit Bar+Arcade (1331 Walnut Street, 513-381-1616). It was so much fun jumping from machine to machine. It brought back so many fun memories … and a reminder as to why I didn’t really play much after Mario … I am not very good! We decided that it would be fun to take our kids to play sometime and found out that 16 Bit is for adults 21 and older.
However, once a month they have a special “Bring your Shorty” day! Where kids of all ages are welcome during defined business hours. My son has now gone multiple times with my husband and has learned which games are his favorites. We recently took our 4-year-old daughter for the first time. Although she had a hard time seeing the screens on some of the machines, she loved pushing the buttons, playing on the game consoles, and getting a special kids drink named Optimus Prime.
If you want to relieve some of your childhood favorites, check out 16-Bit Bar+Arcade … with and without your children! Watch their website for their special “Bring your Shorty” days! http://www.16-bitbar.com/cincy#calendar