A man named Andy Baio recently wrote an article for Medium
about an experiment he’s been conducting on his ten year old son. Baio’s had
his son play important video games in chronological order from 1979’s Galaxian
up to 2005’s Shadow of the Colossus. He’s restricted his son from playing
anything out of chronological order, so he hasn’t been able to play anything
released after 2005 until now. Now that he’s finished with the experiment, it’s
instilled his son with a legitimate appreciation and – it would seem – love of
classic video games and an understanding of what makes a video game fun.
I’ve always been fascinated by history, and as a student of
pop culture, I’ve been especially fascinated by the history and evolution of
pop culture. As a father going on eleven months, I’ve been thinking a lot about
how I’m going to acclimate my daughter to the works of entertainment that have
made an impact on me over my lifetime. My father did the same with me, though I
know I often didn’t appreciate much of what he tried to share with me. Even
still to this day, I can’t muster much excitement for Mr. Smith Goes to
Washington, My Fair Lady or any of the classical symphonies he’s played for me.
However, I did eventually develop a love for The Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, Bob
Dylan, Alfred Hitchcock and Paul Newman, some of my father’s favorites.
So as my daughter Quinn starts to develop her own precocious
personality (and boy is she precocious), I want her to have that same kind of
appreciation for the landmarks of pop culture that have shaped my artistic
taste buds for thirty years. I’d actually thought about doing the exact same
thing with Quinn that Baio did with his son, but I honestly don’t think I have
the wherewithal to follow through with that plan. However, I do have a list of
essential games, movies, music and books that I want to share with her. If she
doesn’t like any of them, I’ll be extremely bummed, but if she comes away with
an appreciation or love of just one of them, I’ll be very pleased.
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| Photo courtesy digitaltrends.com |
The Beatles
I’ve actually already started to expose Quinn to the
legendary quartet of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo
Starr, playing them in the car on our way to and from daycare. I experienced
The Beatles a bit disjointedly growing up, as my Dad tended to play music via
mixed CD. But the fab four recorded some astounding albums in their relatively
short career and I want Quinn to have an appreciation of the album format. This
is something I might do chronologically, introducing Quinn to the band with
their early records, Please Please Me, A Hard Day’s Night and Help!, leading
into the mid-career masterpiece trilogy of Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt.
Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and finally finishing up with the later works;
The White Album, Abbey Road and Let It Be. This is a daunting task in and of
itself but it should be fun.
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| Photo courtesy movienomics.com |
Pixar Movies
Pixar is on another level from just about any other
animation studio out there. Studio Ghibli and Dreamworks certainly give them a
run for their money, but it’s hard to touch the track record that includes Toy
Story, Finding Nemo, Wall-E and Up. I’m actually just as excited to watch Brave
with Quinn as I am those aforementioned titles. Sure, it’s not my favorite of
the studio’s films, but the lead character is a strong role model for any
child, but especially for young girls. I can’t wait to see which Pixar movie
becomes her favorite. Then again, she’ll probably just latch onto Disney
Animation’s Frozen no matter how hard I try to avoid it.
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| Photo courtesy ign.com |
Minecraft
This one’s not really for her, but for me. I think it’s
almost certain that if Quinn has any interest in video games, she’ll be a big
fan of Minecraft (assuming the game possesses the lasting appeal that I expect
it to). However, I’m not a fan of Mojang’s virtual lego set, simply for the
fact that it’s all a bit daunting to me. But if I’m ever going to learn how to
appreciate Minecraft, I’d like to do it while spending time with my daughter.
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| Photo courtesy justpushstart.com |
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time
These two games go hand in hand for me and hold a dear place
in my heart. A Link to the Past is the template for all subsequent Zelda games
as well as countless others throughout the industry’s early days. The way the
world slowly opens up as you discover new abilities, the way it all feels so
epic despite the primitive graphics and the way each dungeon simultaneously
tests your reflexes and your wits. It’s brilliant. And Ocarina of Time is the
purest and most well-realized representation of that gameplay template in three
dimensions. The majesty and wonder of each game is something that can only be
fully appreciated through a child’s eyes and I want Quinn to experience these
classics while her imagination is at its peak.
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| Photo courtesy eweb4.com |
Radiohead OK Computer
Ok, so this one might have to wait until she’s a little
older, because this album is incredibly difficult to understand at first
listen. In fact, the whole thing unfolds with each listen as you piece it
together like a strange audio jigsaw puzzle. The themes it touches on –
suicide, politics, class warfare – are particularly sophisticated, so it will
have to wait until she can handle such topics. But the entire experience of
discovering this rich musical work is one I want to share with her.
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| Photo courtesy manhattanrarebooks.com |
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
I will read a lot of books with Quinn as she grows up – The
Hobbit, Treasure Island, Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, etc., but when
she’s around ten years old, I plan to read this underrated and somewhat
controversial trilogy with her. The story of Lyra and her daemon is an
adventure with texture and color unlike most fantasy books of its kind. This
series stars a wonderfully well realized female main character whose story
compels the reader to question everything and expand their outlook on the
world. It’s a captivating and magical journey with valuable lessons I want to
teach my young daughter.
Frankly, this list could go on and on. There are so many
films, games, books, TV shows (OMG did I mention Lost?) that I want to share
with Quinn throughout her lifetime, but I don’t have the room to list them all
here. I can’t wait to see how her tastes take shape. Will she love fantasy or
will she prefer more grounded fiction like her mother? Will she pay any
attention to the music I play for her or will she just listen to Taylor Swift
and scoff at daddy’s “old fogey music”? Will she be a gamer or will she feel
alienated by their decided slant towards the male demographic? I guess time
will tell, but in the meantime, she’ll have to put up with my old fogey things.
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