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Davey is in primary school. He is good at kicking the ball around, and he also enjoys swimming, riding his bike, and running about in the playground with his friends. He has lots of good ideas, too, which he likes to share with his friends. But then his birthday arrives.
For his birthday, Davey had asked for a new electronic game — one that he’d heard some other kids raving about. He was a well-behaved child — he paid attention at school and he also helped-out at home, so his parents were glad to grant his wish. However, from the moment he received the game, everything changed.
It was just as amazing as all the hype. Davey loved the brightness of the display and the loud, integrated sounds. Although he was a little ashamed to say so, he couldn’t wait for his birthday party to be over so he could give the game a proper try.
As soon as he switched-on the device, his eyes lit up, his fingers seemed to be stuck to the controller, and his ears stopped hearing external sounds. He couldn’t stop playing it, he couldn’t peel his fingers off the controller.
“Davey, do you want to go out and play?” asked his little brother, who was holding a football in his hand and was about to head outside.
“No thanks, maybe later…” Davey muttered, without taking his eyes off the flickering screen.
“But Davey, all our friends will be there, they’re all coming,” his brother continued. But he did so in vain. Davey didn’t even respond anymore. So his brother took the ball and left to join their friends. Of course he understood why Davey didn’t feel like playing — a new toy is a new toy, after all. But it was strange that Davey neither showed him the game nor let him have a go.
Outside, the kids kicked the ball back and forth, played hide and seek, climbed trees, and had loads of fun. Davey, on the other hand, spent the whole afternoon curled up on the sofa with all his attention focused on the game. Only when the battery died and the controller stopped working did he wake up from his state of enchantment. Davey blinked his eyes and took a deep breath. He then realised it was dark outside and noticed that everyone was getting ready to go to bed. The day was finished.
The next morning, the game beckoned to Davey again. He resisted for a while, but he finally gave in. He reached for the controller and as soon as the screen lit up, he was enraptured. His eyes widened, his fingers stuck, and he stopped noticing the world around him.
“Davey, it’s nice and warm outside, shall we go to the swimming pool?” his brother asked. Davey was in a daze and just shook his head ‘no’. So once again, his brother went on his own to join their friends. And how they enjoyed themselves! They dived, slid down the water slides, and bit into ice cream cones.
The children spent the whole day outdoors and came home feeling happy and exhausted. Davey, on the other hand, was still caught in the glow of the display screen, and only came out of its spell when the game was over. It was late at night again.
A new morning meant a new fight. The device whirred and flickered to lure Davey over. He resisted for a bit longer today than yesterday, but in the end he still lost the battle. He allowed himself to be coaxed into playing the game, and duly settled into one position on the sofa.
Soon his brother came running up to him, full of excitement. “Davey, there’s a great film showing at the cinema tonight — how about we go and see it?” Davey muttered something vague, not even looking up. And so his little brother went to see the film with their friends. They bought sweets to eat, and really loved the movie. And what do you think Davey did? Well, he played his game non-stop of course, and stayed at home the next day too. As always, he stared at the screen until deep into the night when the battery died.
When Davey put his game away that day, he felt depleted. Then he noticed some photographs spread out on the table. His mum must have left them there. His heart ached as he looked through them. They were of his friends and his little brother, their faces beaming as they kicked the ball across in the playground, eating ice cream. Other shots were of them jumping into the pool, holding each other’s shoulders and laughing. They were truly making the most of the summer.
At that moment, his mum quietly entered the room.
“It seems like you’ve been overdoing it with the game these last few days,” she said to him, gently. “What do you think?”
Davey nodded, feeling annoyed with himself. “Mum, I’ve missed-out on so much… I don’t even know how it happened. But that game is so tempting! I felt like I couldn’t stop!”
He was sorry he had missed so many nice experiences — he could have made some wonderful memories, but because of the stupid game, he had nothing.
“I know the game must be very interesting. But you can see for yourself that it’s not good to completely forget about everything else. Wouldn’t you like to put it away for a few days?” suggested his mum. Davey immediately agreed. He grabbed the components and locked them in the top drawer of his desk. Then he threw the key onto a high cupboard so he couldn’t easily get to it.
“There, now it’s over! No game is going to steal my playtime with my brother and my friends!” he exclaimed in a determined voice. His mum smiled.
In the morning Davey was awakened by a ray of sunshine warming his nose. He peeked at the drawer and was pleased that the game was not calling out to him. It was as if the spell had been broken! Davey got dressed quickly and ate his breakfast, ready for the brand new day ahead.
His brother, who had just climbed out of bed, greeted him sleepily but enthusiastically: “Good morning, Davey.”
“Good morning!” said Davey, eagerly. “And what are we going to do today?” His little brother widened his eyes in surprise.
“So does this mean you’ll finally be joining us? Wow!” and he whistled his loudest whistle. “Then let’s go into the woods and build a fort! We found a really great place for it the other day!”
The two brothers enjoyed a fantastic day in the forest. Together with their friends, they tied loads of branches together and built a fort. The sun shone on their heads, the wind caressed their faces, and they laughed even harder than usual. When evening came, Davey flopped onto his bed and fell fast asleep. Sure, he had a few calluses on his hands and scratches on his legs from the adventure, but there was a huge smile on his face. He went to sleep feeling thoroughly content, full of new memories and experiences. And he couldn’t wait to see what kinds of excitement tomorrow would bring.
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LET’S DISCUSS THE STORIES ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS
Responsibility, Motivation
1. Electronic games, like computers, phones and tablets, can offer us both entertainment and education, but it’s important that we don’t become addicted to them. Do you know what addiction is? What sorts of things can we become addicted to?
2. Have you heard the expression “everything in moderation”? Do you know what it means?
3. Is there anything in your life that you think you may be overdoing?
4. Do you have any advice for Davey going forward?
Credits:
Immersive audio story provided by Readmio
Story: Jana Kacmarova
Sounds: Matej Stesko
Illustrations: Larisa Kulik
Editing: Jodie Hruby
Translation: Inna Demianko
Narration: Richard Usher
Attachments: Simona Horváthová
The post Davey’s New Game first appeared on Bedtime Stories.
