by Wendy Brooks

Created on: January 11, 2009

It's hard for my daughter to believe that there weren't video games around when I was growing up. She's still getting over the fact that I didn't have coloured television or a computer when I was young. My sister and I played a lot of board games when we were growing up. We had fun for hours playing such games as Sorry, Monopoly or Scrabble. I still love playing board games today, especially with the newer versions of the old favorites. I mean, now you don't need a banker for Monopoly or Life. These games now have a little machine that keeps track of all your money. But with the progress of technology comes the video game and I have to admit that most times I would prefer to play a video game with my daughter instead of a board game.

Video games today have come such a long way from the old Atari games. The type of game system and games to pick from seems to be endless. You even have your choice now of playing a game on the television or on a small game system you hold in your hand. Nintendo seems to be my family's favorite. I think we own every Nintendo game system that's come out, everything from the original system to Super Nintendo to Nintendo DS to the most popular Wii.

With most board games, you just sit around the table and play the game. Video games used to mean sitting in front of the television to play your game. Now, especially with the invention of the Wii, video games have become more realistic and you need to be up and moving to participate. Wii Sports, for example, gets you involved in such sports as bowling, tennis and golf and there's no way of playing this game sitting down. With the addition of more remotes, the games become more fun as you can compete with others right there in your living room. These games are so advanced now that if you have High Speed, you can even compete with others from around the world. You can't do that with a board game.

Board games are fun and I still enjoy playing them but I get bored with them after a while. Video games, on the other hand, provide such a variety of different games and ways to play that it's hard to lose interest. One minute we can be playing Animal Crossing where we're trying to collect money by fishing or catching bugs so that we can buy furniture for our house and pay off our loan, the next minute we can be playing Mario and Sonic At The Olympic Games competing against each other in various competitions. Another great thing about video games is that you can save your progress and continue from where you left off the next time you play. You can't save your game when you play a board game. Once you're done playing you have to pack everything up and start all over again.

The downside about video games is that they are more expensive than board games. It can be quite costly by the time you buy the game system, the games and the extra remotes and other accessories that go with them. However, I feel that if you can afford it, it's worth it. I know it's important to be active and doing things outside, but on those days when it's storming or you just don't feel like going out, a video game is a great way for the whole family to have fun together.

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