You Learn Something New Every Day...

Blogging today is filled with nostalgia as having spent an afternoon around my step sister Katie (aged 7), it instantly brought me back to my younger years. Having watched how she is, it reminds me of how I and almost every child out there is/was like. All kids look up to someone, and want to copy everything they do, from eating the same way off the same table to drinking the exact same drink. They also have a massive list of wants and most sentences begin "can i have?". Most questions get answered with "no" or "noooooahh" in typically stubborn fashion. I was no different, my dad kindly takes time out of every visit to mention how I was exactly the same when that age, and come to think of it, I remember being like it too.

I always had wants, and money whatever little I got would always burn a hole in my pocket. I could never save for something substantial and would only be able to get things worth substantial money (to a 9 year old) on birthdays or at Christmas. This tendency to spend money has thankfully waned with age, but as a youngster it was prominent. It (along with my dads love for the game) is to blame for my love of American football. When given a tenner, instead of saving to buy a new PlayStation game, I chose to buy Madden 92 for the Sega Megadrive. Wanting to emulate my then hero that was my old man, I purchased a 7 year old game just to try to capture his love for the sport of football.

Every Christmas and birthday like every could I would watch endless adverts in between TV shows, and come back to my parents with a massive list of things to get me. Now sometimes I would get what I requested if it was deemed sensible enough i.e a bike, my first cricket bat, action man toys, books etc. Mostly though my requests were not and luckily I would either give up asking or just not be given it. One of those I missed out on, was the board game Mouse Trap. Always advertised, and still going today it looked exciting and a board game I would enjoy more than the classics of Cluedo and Monopoly. Today provided me with justification of my parents choices as well as a pang of gladness that I never persisted with certain idea's as a child. I had to play the aforementioned "game" and if it had not been for a film starting I would still be there now. There is no structure to it, all you do is take it in turns to move around the board. If you land on certain squares you get to set off a ball bearing which randomly hits a trap on the board. If the trap gets you you loose a slice of your cheese, if it doesn't or gets an opponent you gain a slice of cheese. First to get a full round of cheese wins. There's 8 slices and 20 squares. Only 3 traps. If you do the maths, it takes forever and a day to complete a game. Goddamn was it boring, even the 7 year old had enough. No substance to a "game" that is successful simply by misleading kids and parents around the world. It's the only explanation for how it could still be around. Fancy tricks and adverts don't show the traps not working or being a pain in the you know what to set up.

So I dodged a bullet on that one, even if I didn't realise it at the time. I got more enjoyment out of that gnarly copy of Madden 92 than I would ever have got from the more expensive Mousetrap or new PlayStation game. It captured a love for a game I finally achieved my dream of playing two years ago. I can still see Jerry Rice running that streak untouched every single offensive play. Mousetrap is like many other childhood wants - overrated. Often the cheapest and simplest things are best for you.

As the old adage in the title says.