Playing video games with my 22-year-old son has brought me to tears | Dominik Diamond
A parent describes spending three weeks living with his 22-year-old son in a two-bedroom flat they called the “brotel.” Their time together included cooking, films, barbecues, pizza and video games, including a return to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the first co-op game they played together in 2009.
A parent says he spent three weeks living with his 22-year-old son in a two-bedroom flat the son called the “brotel”. During that time, they cooked curries, watched Lanterns, barbecued meat, analysed Tarantino films, ordered pizza and played video games.
He says the first game they played cooperatively was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in 2009, when his son was five. He recalls that the child struggled to place a mobile gun turret while under fire, but says they enjoyed the experience.
He also says his son later played Banjo-Kazooie and Rayman after being introduced to them by his sister. The article considers what it was like to tackle Modern Warfare 2 again nearly two decades later.
THE QUESTIONS THIS EVENT LEAVES BEHIND
What changed in their relationship between the first game and their later return to it?
How might shared gaming experiences shape family relationships across different ages?
What circumstances made the three-week period of living together possible?
How could revisiting an old game affect memories of the original experience?
YOUR QUESTION
Does this story leave you with another question?
Send us the question the report did not answer. It may become the next question IAQ investigates.
GLOBAL CURIOSITY MAP · SEPTEMBER 2026