Attitude Be Everything

I don't remember the last time I had so much fun playing a video game.

My son and I have been sailing the Sea of Thieves for a few weeks now, and we're starting to get our sea legs. We've completed the Pirate's Life Tall Tale -- swashbuckling with Captain Jack Sparrow, scuttling the Flying Dutchman, and returning the Black Pearl to Jack and his crew.

Often times the Captain would insist on solving the puzzles and fighting the battles himself, to prove to himself he could do it. I watched with pride and admiration as he would try-try again, until he succeeded.

The more we sail, the better our crew becomes. We're learning to take our defeats with a grain of salt. We win some, we lose some -- but overall the good times outweigh the bad. While I was initially quite salty about the PvP aspect of the game, I'm learning to brush it off and carry on -- and so too is the Captain.

As much as I'm trying to teach my son good sportsmanship and having a good attitude -- he's indirectly been teaching me as well. When we're overtaken by other pirates, I try to ham it up (make sounds of anguish on mic), and tell their crew "good game." Because it is a game, and the point is for everyone to have fun whether we win or lose.

At the end of the day, it's not about the gold. It's about the adventure. Sharing the experience with someone, even if we end up at the bottom of the sea, gives us fond memories and stories to tell. The most interesting bits of Captain Jack's life weren't about him being rich -- it was about his quest for riches.

In the Sea of Thieves, and in life, attitude is everything. Adventuring with the Captain has reminded me of this essential life lesson.

"But we missed the point the whole way along. It was a musical thing and you were supposed to sing or to dance while the music was being played" - AlanWatts

 

As We Set Sail

Welcome to the first in a series of posts that captures the adventures of a swashbuckling family -- in Sea of Thieves, an amazing game by Rare game studio. The game was released in 2018, and as of 2022 it's the best pirate game ever.

Ahoy, I'm Greybeard -- a 42-year old salty sailor aboard an old sloop called The Kraken. The Kraken's captain is my 9-year old son. This blog is a family-friendly look into the ups-and-downs of sailing the high seas, and the lessons that we learn along the way.

We began playing Sea of Thieves recently, and we're both enthralled by the game. Sea of Thieves was inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Goonies, and other adventure stories. My son and I work together as we look for buried treasure and sunken ships, battling sirens and sea monsters, and evading ill-mannered pirate players.

What's it like playing with your son?

In a word -- awesome.

There's nothing like experiencing life (and games) through your child. It reminds me of a simpler time when my imagination felt unfettered. I've gamed with other adults before, but gaming with my son is a unique experience. There's also a lot more fart jokes.

But isn't Sea of Thieves full of PvP (Player vs Player)?

Sea of Thieves is full of... thieves.

The game is designed as a PvPvE experience, where you have the choice to embark on quests -- or lower your cannons at your fellow players. We tend to be a peaceful crew, but the threat of pirates always looms. After being robbed and blown up a few times, we're quickly adapting to the dangerous nature of the game.

Despite having to always look over our shoulders, we wouldn't change the game. The PvP is balanced so that we aren't constantly encountering blood thirsty pirates, and can enjoy other aspects of the game. And if our ship is sunk, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and keep sailing.

When playing with a kid, I recommend disabling voice chat for other crews -- to avoid exposing your kid to foul mouths. Fortunately, we've also encountered some genuinely nice folks. The game is truly a mixture of different playstyles and personalities.

What's next?

My goal is to post at least once a week, including anecdotes and screen shots. Eventually, we will start uploading edited videos to YouTube, which will be included here.

Stay tuned for the adventures of Greybeard and son!