Sunday, June 02, 2013

High level computer gaming


At the junction of Shatin Pass Road 沙田坳道, Fei Ngor Ling Road 飛鵝山道  and Jats Incline 扎山道, many hikers stop at the pavilion to catch their breath and admire the scenery. A family of 3 walked in and sat down, amid the 10 or so of us who were there.  The slightly plump boy, probably in junior secondary school, pulled out a game player and started to annoy the rest of us with the loud music and sound effects.  It was particularly jarring at that moment, at that place, near the top of the mountain, surrounded by natural beauty, with the bustling city at our feet, and everyone enjoying the quiet and the breeze after a rigorous hike. 


The father started complaining, “This is exactly what spoils the scenery 大煞風景 ...  You shouldn’t be doing this.”  But the boy just kept on playing, ignoring his father.  The father continued to mumble but did nothing further to stop the boy. 


I was distracted by other new arrivals and the majestic view and forgot about the family.  Suddenly, the father said something that drew my attention back to the family,  “the big one is just as bad as the small one.”  It turned out that the boy was no longer playing - it was the young mother who was playing.  It was playing a different game, and the sound was not as loud.  But it was jarring nevertheless. 

The scene that played out more than 460 meters up on Fei Ngor Shan 飛鵝山 on Saturday is not unusual in Hong Kong. When we criticize the young for wasting their time playing computer games, we often forget that it is usually the parents who allow or even encourage them. 



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Like father, like son. Or in this case, like mother, like son. Problem parents shirk their responsibilities, set bad examples, and produce problem kids. And the cycle goes on ...

StephenC said...

Yeah. This scene is being repeated all over Hong Kong.