My Grandfather passed away last week. In the face of my Grandmother’s passing a couple of years ago, he had lost his lust for life. A proud man, he refused the offer of dialysis - instead choosing the path of least resistance, a path which allowed him to be reunited with his beloved wife in whatever world exists beyond this mortal coil.
When I sift through my own memories of our time together, the one thing that crops up is just how much time we spent playing games together. As a child growing up in the 1980’s, I fell victim to the parental view that computer games were detrimental to my development. “You’ll never get anywhere playing games for a living!”, my Grandmother used to say.
Of course, as a child growing up in the golden age of videogaming, I was wont to disagree. Gaming was new, exciting, and provided a form of escapism that other mediums such as film and television simply couldn’t offer. I finally managed to convince them to purchase an Archimedes 3000. For those unfamiliar with this machine, the A3000 was the computer of choice in schools, before Microsoft muscled in with Windows. These days, the Archimedes is known mainly for being the genesis of ARM processors, now used by nearly every smartphone in existence.
Back then, though? It was just myself, my grandfather, and a keyboard. We spent entire afternoons huddled around that computer, dog-fighting in Chocks Away; we’d help each other find the solution that would allow us to complete yet another level in Lemmings, or Oh No! More Lemmings.
“Opi, I can’t do this”, I’d cry out, upon becoming stuck on yet another stage of The 4th Dimension’s Cataclysm; and he would trudge up the stairs, huffing and puffing, and lay his hand on my shoulder.
“Come here, let me have a look”, he would reply.
And together, we would work out the solution. Times like this were when I felt closest to him; we were from two very different generations, but we shared a mutual love of gaming. We both understood that the medium has the power to bring people together.
In later years, when I found myself grounded and relegated to my bedroom, he turned a blind eye and allowed me to play Tekken 2 on my PlayStation. My Grandfather was a legend among men. When my Father was at work, my Grandfather let me plug in my Dad’s Mega Drive and let me spend hours on Sonic The Hedgehog.
Gaming is often held up as an example of what is wrong with society; frequently cited as a motivation for murder, theft and the break-up of marriages, it’s a medium under frequent attack. The people who make these accusations - The Daily Mail, Jack Thompson, FOX News - often forget to look at the right side of the coin; they forget that games and gaming are just as much a means to bring people together as they are a means to bring people into competition against each other. Thankfully, my Grandfather was not one of those people. In his twilight years, Opi - as he liked to be known - was more likely to be found playing Microsoft’s Solitaire; but he retained his love of gaming, right until the very end.
My Grandfather was a rare example of a man that belonged to an older generation, but who was all too aware of how times can change; rather than stand immobile, condemning the march of progress, he was happy to move with the times. He appreciated the fact that the progress of technology wasn’t something to be feared - it was something to be embraced; and while he didn’t always understand how to use all the new gadgets that came out, he always respected them.
When I told my Grandfather that I was starting a new company, I was confronted with the question: “Doing what?”
“Writing about videogames”, was my response.
“Oh that’s nice. Do you remember Chocks Away?”
Rest in peace, Opi. You’re gone, but you’re certainly not forgotten.
In memory of my Grandfather, David Melville Morgan - Born: 10th May 1926. Died: 18th March 2014; Reunited with my late Grandmother, Joan Phyllis Morgan - Born: 30th November 1929; Died: 19th April 2012.
Dale Morgan
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