I had some trouble coming up with the first topic but I finally decided on my favorite video games, PC & console. (Totally random topic for an educational course but hey, its the first thing that came to mind!)
I've gamed since I was young with my Dad and my two brothers, it was a great way to bond with them (my Mom never got into gaming). We all played original Nintendo - Mario Bros., Duck Hunt and even this weird game based on the Olympics with an actual pad you could run on. From there we moved to PC games including the original Warcraft. My Dad would hook up 2 PC's and we would skirmish against each other, or ally against a computer opponent over and over again. It was a lot of fun and we kept with the Warcraft series as it came out. Eventually it came out with an online gaming matching system so not only could you play against/with people on your network but also people around the world.
Gaming often gets a bad reputation - often for good reason. There are people that form addictions to video games and lose touch with reality, forgetting responsibilites and taking a game way too seriously. However, when people can monitor and be responsible with the amount of time they play, it becomes a great way for people to interact and stay in touch. For example, now that we're older both of my brothers have moved out. My older brother and his wife live in North Carolina and my younger brother attends college in Akron. All 4 of us play an online game (World of Warcraft) together to keep in touch and still hang out a couple nights a week.
