The Outsider

My son Grey is 3 years old now. And I can see that all the karma I��ve contributed to the universe is crashing down upon me. I never had any trouble believing my dad when he told me it would happen one day, and here it is. As a father I have to be careful about what kind of media I expose my child to. But the geekety-geek I am can��t wait for my boy to share in life��s finer things, such as comic books, science fiction, and videogames.

I��ve tried to get him playing with me on the PS2, but the controller is just too much for his little brain and hands. Sure, he can hit Square or X when you tell him to, but using both hands at the same time seems just beyond his abilities for now. He has a blast making Sly Cooper jump or smash stuff, but he just doesn��t get the big picture. If I leave him unattended for a moment, he ends up mindlessly jumping in a corner.

I��m sure the good folks at SCEA are all very busy entertaining us and making money, but I have to ask them: Where are the kids�� games? What I want is a PS2 peripheral for tots, a kid-sized DualShock with kid-styled buttons. Or even just a big joystick with a button on top, like the new ��TV Games.�� Is this asking for too much? If Sony wants to extend the life span of the PS2 well into the PS3 cycle, this is one way to do it.

Like millions of other dads (and moms), I know for an absolute fact that I am getting a PS3 when they are available. It��s a done deal. Take my money now. But then a lot of us parents will have an extra videogame console to pawn off on the kids. I know there are lots of great PC games for kids, but I��m not thrilled about tying up my beautiful Macintosh computer so my snot-nosed, greasy-fingered hellion can paste flames on CG fire trucks. The PS2, however, would be the perfect platform for this.

So here��s what SCEA should do: Make some Sesame Street and Bob the Builder platformers that teach the ABCs and whatnot, and combine them with a kiddy peripheral. Sony gets another cash cow, and we parents get a cheap, powerful educational tool and digital baby-sitter. It��s win-win!

But believe that I have my eyes on the prize. What I really want to do is train my son to have the manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination he��ll need to be a musician or a surgeon or to pilot robots on Mars. A little help please?

Robin Wilson is lead singer for the Gin Blossoms, and is mentally not much older than his son. Find him on 1UP at theoutsider.1UP.com.

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine.