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PlayFirst Grapevine
Non-Violent Reminisence from a PlayFirst Mom
05/05/2008 08:00AM
In 2006, when Marco was one-year-old, PlayFirst, Inc. contacted me about working for them as a graphic designer. This was a no-brainer. Art, games, a vibrant local company… perfect.
PlayFirst proved to be just as good a place to work as I had hoped. This is a very family-oriented company and everyone here is okay with me being a mom first and foremost. Being a mom and working full time requires a lot of understanding and flexibility from one’s employers—I would insist on my rights anywhere, but at PlayFirst I never have to ask twice when I have to run out to get Marco to a doctor’s appointment or even bring him in for an afternoon. Not all companies are like that, as I’m sure some of you out there know.
Right from the beginning I enjoyed sitting down with Marco after work and showing him the art from our games. By the time he was two, he began to get curious when he would see me playing games at home. The first PlayFirst game I showed him on the computer was Tasty Planet. At that time he wasn’t really able to play so much as watch, but by the time Sponge Bob: Diner Dash came out he was ready to work the mouse!
I now work as the Design Manager at PlayFirst and I’ve contributed to over twenty-five games since I started working here. With Marco being a bit older, I feel very proud to work in a casual games company where I can share my work with my son without worrying that the content in the games is not suitable for him. When I tell him that I make games for living, he thinks it’s very cool. I guess I do, too. Currently Marco is having a lot of fun playing Animal Crossing, moving around and picking up fruit from the trees. He really had a blast helping me play through Doggie Dash, too. The washing and grooming of the cats and dogs brings endless fun on our playing dates. I secretly hope he will like casual games when he gets even older so that we can still enjoy our play dates. Playing together is fun entertainment, cooperative Mommy and me time, and qualitatively superior to having him just sit in front of the T.V.
Though I am sure his dad is hoping for them to one day play Grand Theft Auto together, it’s important to me that PlayFirst has never asked me to help create a game with excessive violence. That is not what I stand for and I wouldn’t do it. I don’t want my son playing games like that, so I would not feel comfortable contributing to their production. Because we’ve played together so much, though, if he does decide to play games outside my comfort range when he gets old enough to do so, I take comfort in knowing that I will always be able to sit with him and talk about what he’s seeing and experiencing. It won’t feel out of left field to him, because it’s something we do all the time; I play his games with him and I like that he plays mine with me. We are both thrilled that there are so many games we can play together, and I am proud to work at a place that helps to sustain that.
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Comments
That's an awesome story, Maria. I'm so glad you can connect with Marco like that!
-ChrisB
Written by Caesar_X, 05/10/2008 03:55PM [ Report Abuse ]
What I find most appealing about PlayFirst as I learn more about this wonderful company is how it treats it's employees. From what I have seen it's like a fun family and it shows respect to its members. That means a lot to me and I am sure that it means a lot to the people that buy your games. Thank you PlayFirst for not just setting the standard in games but also setting a gold standard in how you treat your employees.
Written by candycrazy, 05/10/2008 06:23AM [ Report Abuse ]
Pf was the first site that I felt comfortable with letting my daughter download games by herself(any other site I hang over her shoulder "watching"). Just a suggestion if Hubby wants to play a game with your son Star defender 4 is a great game for them to play the hand eye cordnation needed has helped my son greatly...plus hubby loves that game lol and they have fun doing the manly thing together.
Written by gable875, 05/06/2008 10:34AM [ Report Abuse ]
Kudos to Playfirst for realizing how challenging it is to be a parent for one and for creating the type of games they do. I have to agree that there is too much violence in a lot of games out there. Love ya Playfirst! Glad I found you. :-)
Written by DinerFan_1997, 05/06/2008 12:16AM [ Report Abuse ]
Maria, thanks for sharing with us. I remember the olden days of playing the Nintendo with my son and daughter but I'm appalled and shocked at the violence in some of the games today - mostly the one you mentioned "Grand Theft Auto". Many adults play it but I know for a fact that there are smaller children out there playing it also and not supervised by an adult with strong values such as yours. It's very scary to think what type of adult they will come to be. I love the games PF brings to the table and am so happy to hear from you, the design manager! as someone above already said: "Kudos to you!!" (and to PF too!!)
Written by Pinky1130, 05/05/2008 05:24PM [ Report Abuse ]
kudos to you,there is too much violence in the computer and home game systems,me i like the dinner dash games best
Written by musiclover1963, 05/05/2008 03:48PM [ Report Abuse ]
I'm single, no kids, but even so, the fact that PlayFirst promotes family friendly, non violent games, is also a major reason why I use this site and buy my games here. I don't need to hear, see, or play "pretend" violence. I like that PF shares those values.
Written by Lattegato, 05/05/2008 03:46PM [ Report Abuse ]
