by BRANDON B.

My family generally doesn’t get along too well. What has been there to hold us all together? The black sheep of modern time the one thing that everyone always point their finger at: video games. Video games have been there for me my entire life through good times and bad times. Video games give me that fresh out the shower feeling once I beat them. I’ve even learned a thing or two from them as well as life long lessons it takes many to grasp.

In Street Fighter I’ve learned heavy punches and light kicks can make anyone subdue to your needs regardless of their stature, and when they lose the fight they are great sports. Astal taught me that allies come and many different shapes and sizes and size means nothing at all — it’s the heart that the person carries that measures their strength. Streets of Rage taught me that love for your friends and your home will put you through some crazy s— just to restore the proper balance at any means necessary.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters had doppelgängers in it — at first I didn’t get why they had them on there, but then I realized your worst enemy that you would never expect will forever and always will be yourself and to overcome yourself is to admit and know your flaws. Super Mario 64 will make you happy like your first paycheck from your first job, but then p— you off when you see the taxes taken out. You have to go knee-deep in this 3D world full of inconveniences that you must conquer, much like your everyday life but with fruity raptors and fire-breathing turtles. At the end of the day, you keep playing the game. Why? Because your determination for that game or anything hard doesn’t come easy.

Marvel Vs. Capcom taught me the enemy of my enemy is my friend — two different heroes and villains come together in a covenant to take down an ominous evil power. If they can come together with your greatest enemy for a better cause, I know I can too. Shadow The Hedgehog taught me that, yeah, you can have a messed up past, but that doesn’t determine who you will be in the future, and that doesn’t assure you’ll be good either. You have choices along the way to being greatest and also to the Hall of Infamy.

And lastly, but not at all least important, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 taught me that what you do now affects anyone and everyone. Ever hear, “your past will haunt you” or “the truth will eventually come to light and shine brighter than it should”? All of that can be avoided if you watch how you do and say things. So all these things were taught to me by video games, and the crazy part about this is that these video games never come out and say any of these things — it’s what every gamer receives when these games are played.