We have been with the grandsons during the Christmas Holidays. I'm trying to be a modern grandmother and keep up with the kids but I must confess, the video games have me whipped. When I try to do a race car or skateboard game with them, my reaction time is so slow that I'm constantly running into walls and crashing. I needed to start earlier like our three year old grandson.
I took this picture of him playing a video skateboard game. The image kept nagging at me. It was familiar. Then I remembered this photography series of Todd Deutsch called Gamers. And in particular his image of the hooded players which he generously allowed me to post on my blog.
You know I always wonder when things like this happen, did I make this image because I had seen Todd's image or was I just responding to what was happening. I was thinking about how the video games define a two-generation gap, about how tiny the grandson looks in the environment and how the hood isolates him from what is happening around him. Or, was there some place in the gray matter that stored Todd's image, some place that influenced me to take this point of view. I don't know. Maybe Geoff Dyer is right in his book The Ongoing Moment that there is a collective consciousness of photographers and that interesting new pictures come from interesting earlier pictures.Todd also photographs his family of three sons. Since we had three sons, I can really identify with the confusion, chaos and challenges that he captures. Go take a look at Todd Deutsch's website.
5 comments:
He's a little Jedi warrior. I am not good at the video games either, I agree that you need to learn the moves young.
Just wanted to wish you and Ned a very Happy New Year. Meeting you this year was a highlight. I hope we can see you again in 2009.
ps the word verification for this post was later - soon, I hope.
Happy New Year! Hope that you and Ned and have a wonderful New Year's Eve and a fabulous new year.
I've been visiting this blog call, "Every photo tells a story." The blogger puts up a photo every day and when you visit you have to express what you see in the photo. It's very interesting. Your grandson with the hood seems to be going places and he sees himself in that screen. That's him on that skateboard, he's going places.
Happy New Year to you and your family-2009
I am conflicted on video games. We have 2 boys and thus far have not brought them into our home yet. I know we will eventually but putting off as long as possible.
Honestly not sure if this is "correct" parenting choice but it is the path we have taken so far.
American Mommy, I understand where you are coming from. One daughter-in-law limits the time that can be spent playing video games and they monitor the content of the games. The other one has children so involved in school and sports that the video game time is limited too. They just seem so weird to me. So inhuman....pow, splat, and boom.
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