Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Prime Day Deals
  • Superman
  • Donkey Kong Bananza
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
Mass Effect 2 - Garrus
Adventure Games The 25 best video game stories to play right now
The Last of Us 2
Games The 25 best video game soundtracks of all time
Death Stranding 2
Open World Games Hideo Kojima says the "loss of my father was a major theme in the Metal Gear series," but Death Stranding "looks in the other direction"
Raz shoes away his old mentor worming his way out of his ear canal in a screenshot from Psychonauts 2.
Platforming Games Super Mario 64, a forgotten Dreamcast JRPG, classic Jet Li films, and more all inspired Tim Schafer while working on Psychonauts
Best co op games: a screenshot of Cody and May in the game It Takes Two.
Co-op Games The 25 best co-op games of all time
Resident Evil Village
Games The 25 best video game villains you just love to hate
Death Stranding 2 PS5 screenshot
Action Games If you play Death Stranding 2 on your birthday you're treated to a 90-second cutscene that's unbelievably ridiculous even by Hideo Kojima's standards
  1. Games
  2. RPG
  3. Earthbound

What video game reminds us of our mothers?

Features
By GamesRadar Staff published 12 May 2013

Who is your mommy and what does she do

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

You forgot to get a card, didn't you?

You forgot to get a card, didn't you?

Ah, Mother's Day. The day where Americans allow themselves to be told by corporations that they're supposed to spend between $45 and $150 on the woman that raised them (and 1/4 of that on their grandmothers, naturally). It's a festive time, and we've opted to appease the evil demigods that rule over American holidays by giving our mothers the gift... of fame.

Today, we're celebrating not the best games, not the worst games, but the games that remind us of our mothers. Did our mothers buy us our favorite game? Play it with us? Take it away when we were being shitty little kids? Find out here, and share your own stories.

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Bomberman reminds Henry Gilbert of his mother

Bomberman reminds Henry Gilbert of his mother

After my five year old self saw a neighbor playing Super Mario Bros. on their TV, I quickly began begging my parents for an NES. But I doubt I wouldve got one if my mom didnt get almost as much enjoyment out of the system as I did. She beat Super Mario long before me and played Dr. Mario for about a month straight, but her greatest addiction was the original Bomberman.

Her obsession to the explosive puzzler was so great that my mom rented it enough times to have probably bought it twice over. She stayed up late playing it (when else would a working mom find the time?) and without the manual for guidance, she just made up cute names for all the enemies that she said with scorn every time she lost. After she finally beat it, I dont think any game caught her like that again. By the 16-bit era games had become too complicated for her tastes--and that's true for even the subsequent Bomberman games--so Ill always associate her with that 8-bit original.

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Klotski reminds Sophia Tong of her mother

Klotski reminds Sophia Tong of her mother

My mom would never consider herself a gamer, not even a casual one. But the amount of time she spent on certain puzzle games can be considered pretty hardcore. She's definitely logged more hours in Tetris, Sudoku, Klotski, and Solitaire than I have most games. She's always been extremely good at solving puzzles, Rubik's cubes, and riddles, so I always think of her when I see any variation of these popular puzzle games. Too bad I can't get her to play Professor Layton (granted, I havent tried but the XL DS/3DS screens are likely still too small for her to read).

There was one version of Klotski on Windows back in the '90s that was super complicated and had dozens, if not hundreds of levels, but she managed to beat it. One puzzle a day, every day after dinner. Thats when she would stop; she wouldnt solve more than one. Come to think of it, I dont' think she's ever played Bejeweled, but Im sure shed like it. I was thinking about getting her an iPad for Mother's Day and slipping Candy Crush on there. That may just ruin her.

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Legend of Legaia reminds Ryan Taljonick of his mother

Legend of Legaia reminds Ryan Taljonick of his mother

When I was a kid, my mom used to tell me that for every hour I spent playing video games, I'd have to spend an hour playing outside. "But mom, what am I going to do out there?!" I'd protest, to which she'd reply: "Use your imagination." (My response was always that imagination was for Barney lovers.)

For as much as I resented that she made me get some fresh air, I always loved it when she'd surprise me with a random game purchase--and as a kid who was way into JRPGs, Legend of Legaia was a wonderful present from a wonderful lady (who knew nothing about games). Of course, this was but one of many games she bought for me over the years, but it was special in its relevance to my tastes--and I still have it, jewel case and all.

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Tetris reminds Hollander Cooper of his mother

Tetris reminds Hollander Cooper of his mother

My mom worked in a hospital during the 1980s, and was generally ahead of the curve when it came to computer stuff because, well, that's what happened when you worked in a hospital during the 1980s. Recently, she told me a story about when everyone she knew was crippled by a Russian game called Tetris. Someone apparently gave her a floppy disk with the game on it and she played it, finding herself totally addicted to the block-dropping mayhem.

Because of that, I've found myself thinking of her whenever I play the game--not because we shared some sort of bonding experience over Tetris or anything, but because she essentially dropped some major nerd hipster cred on me by saying that she played it before I was born.

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Mortal Kombat reminds Lorenzo Veloria of his mother

Mortal Kombat reminds Lorenzo Veloria of his mother

Funnily enough, Mortal Kombat is the game that most reminds me of my mom. Like any loving mom, Mrs. Veloria cared deeply about what media was seen by her childrens eyes and absorbed into their brains. So, when I think back to my days of playing Mortal Kombat at the age of seven, ripping spines out of torsos, and upper-cutting my victims into a spikey pit, my moms reaction to that gruesome game sticks in my mind.

She watched me perform a fatality and said, What are you playing?, paused , then just walked away. To this day, Im still not sure if she approved or disapproved of where my gaming hobbies had taken me, but, hey, I turned out OK, right?

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
The Nintendo 64 reminds Greg Henninger of his mother

The Nintendo 64 reminds Greg Henninger of his mother

I grew up with three sisters, sisters that actually enjoyed playing video games as much as I did. So when the N64 launched, my sisters and I were head-over-heels about the idea of getting one. My parents first response was a big NO. Their main reason was because we would all fight over who gets to play it and what games we will want. We decided not to take no for an answer.

My sisters and I got together, deciding that we needed to put our sibling rivalry aside for the greater good. We drafted up a contract that we would present to our mother as a sign that we were mature enough to handle ourselves. We all voted on what games we wanted, when we would play them, and even had contingency plans for when we had friends over and what the rules would be. We took our typo-laden contract to mom and after she finished reading it, close to tears (from love or from laughing at how ridiculous we were, the world will never know) she drove us right down to the store and purchased the beautiful new system.

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Grand Theft Auto 2 reminds Lucas Sullivan of his grandmother

Grand Theft Auto 2 reminds Lucas Sullivan of his grandmother

Curse Coop--he stole my pick of Tetris (in which my mom could trounce Coop's AND Sophia's respective mothers with her eyes closed). So instead, I'll touch on Grand Theft Auto 2, which against my better judgment, I played while my grandma was in the room. See, at the time, we only had one PC--and my Grandma was chomping at the bit to get some quality Spider Solitaire action going. Unfortunately for her, me and my cousin were gaming like champions--me on the PS2 with Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, him on the PC running over miniature citizens in GTA 2.

My Grandma was a saint, but on this particular day, her patience was wearing thin; she wanted to get on that computer bad. So she stood over my cousin's shoulder, watching agitatedly while he hijacked vehicles, barreled over pedestrians, and used a flamethrower to cook incoming police officers like hot dogs. It was almost as inappropriate as the time we watched The Chappelle Show--the uncensored DVD version, mind you--while she was in the room.

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
The disgusting monster in DmC reminds us... oh...

The disgusting monster in DmC reminds us... oh...

Oops, we messed up. This doesn't remind us of our mom, it reminds us of your mom.

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Also, call your mother

Also, call your mother

Do you have a fond memory of your mother playing a game? Or of smashing your games and telling you to stop wasting your time with those damn things because you're never going to find a person to love you if you hide in a virtual world instead of just saying hi to that nice girl down the street she's Jewish and her dad is a doctor? Let us know in the comments below!

And if you're looking for more, check out the 100 best villains and the meanest things we've done to game characters.

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
CATEGORIES
Android iPad iPhone PC Gaming Wii-u Nintendo PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms Mobile Gaming
GamesRadar Staff
Social Links Navigation

GamesRadar+ was first founded in 1999, and since then has been dedicated to delivering video game-related news, reviews, previews, features, and more. Since late 2014, the website has been the online home of Total Film, SFX, Edge, and PLAY magazines, with comics site Newsarama joining the fold in 2020. Our aim as the global GamesRadar Staff team is to take you closer to the games, movies, TV shows, and comics that you love. We want to upgrade your downtime, and help you make the most of your time, money, and skills. We always aim to entertain, inform, and inspire through our mix of content - which includes news, reviews, features, tips, buying guides, and videos.

See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
Mass Effect 2 - Garrus
The 25 best video game stories to play right now
The Last of Us 2
The 25 best video game soundtracks of all time
Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says the "loss of my father was a major theme in the Metal Gear series," but Death Stranding "looks in the other direction"
Raz shoes away his old mentor worming his way out of his ear canal in a screenshot from Psychonauts 2.
Super Mario 64, a forgotten Dreamcast JRPG, classic Jet Li films, and more all inspired Tim Schafer while working on Psychonauts
Best co op games: a screenshot of Cody and May in the game It Takes Two.
The 25 best co-op games of all time
Resident Evil Village
The 25 best video game villains you just love to hate
Latest in RPG
Project Shallah or Project Jewel
Final Fantasy 15 director's mysterious new "cutting-edge" RPG based on One Thousand and One Nights temporarily on hold, with "no further development" in sight
Cyberpunk 2077
After a nearly month-long delay, Cyberpunk 2077 patch 2.3 launches this week with "new Photo Mode functionality, additional cars, and more"
The first scenario in Frosthaven, showing a four player party facing down a group of monsters
I've played board games like Frosthaven for years, but I think the digital version might be a far better introduction
Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077
It took me 326 hours to clock a less-obvious reason why Cyberpunk 2077 is the best open world RPG I've ever played: it's a secret comedy game
An Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered screenshot showing Dark Brotherhood leader Lucien Lachance talking to the player in a dimly-lit inn
I'm playing Oblivion Remastered as a vampire, and I wouldn't trade my new life for better sleep or a clean conscience
A black and white picture of the Dragonborn during Skyrim.
I hope you like the tamer fantasy of Oblivion and Skyrim: lore master of 29 years says Todd Howard "gravitates not towards the weird stuff" and doesn't expect Morrowind-grade weirdness from The Elder Scrolls 6
Latest in Features
David Corenswet as Superman fighting back flames
I’m tired of MCU post-credits scenes that go nowhere, which is why Superman’s organic world-building is such a breath of fresh air
The first scenario in Frosthaven, showing a four player party facing down a group of monsters
I've played board games like Frosthaven for years, but I think the digital version might be a far better introduction
Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077
It took me 326 hours to clock a less-obvious reason why Cyberpunk 2077 is the best open world RPG I've ever played: it's a secret comedy game
Lego Pokemon characters sit around a table, divided from a Fallout Vault 111 scene by a white line
I don't know about you, but I'd throw money at these gaming Lego sets
Superman flies up above Metropolis in the Superman Returns game
I've been searching for the best Superman games after watching the new James Gunn movie – here are my 7 favorites
An Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered screenshot showing Dark Brotherhood leader Lucien Lachance talking to the player in a dimly-lit inn
I'm playing Oblivion Remastered as a vampire, and I wouldn't trade my new life for better sleep or a clean conscience
  1. Zion Wright grinds along a wooden balustrade in in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4's San Francisco level
    1
    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 review: "A nostalgic, must-play hit for fans"
  2. 2
    College Football 26 review: “Thanks to rivalries and dynasty, this is the greatest show on turf”
  3. 3
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  4. 4
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  5. 5
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...