Ultimate Insight 21 : Ben Gold's Dad

1) Your son Ben Gold has had quite the journey with Smash Bros. When did you notice that Ben was taking the game seriously and that it could end up being more than "just a videogame?"

> Since they were quite young Ben and his older brother Harry always loved Nintendo and naturally played against each other quite a lot. Harry always fancied himself as a pretty decent player and being four years Ben's senior he thought his younger brother would be a bit of a walk-over. But at a certain point Harry just couldn't beat Ben anymore. Harry would challenge Ben over and over again and Ben would just destroy him. Harry was frustrated and confused because it just didn't add up but it was around that time that I realised Ben may have had a some talent as a player.


2) If something like Smash was around when you were in your late teens/early 20s, do you think that you would be part of it's community?

> A definite no. I couldn't even get interested in Pong or Space Invaders when they came out in the 70s and 80s even though all my friends played them obsessively.


3) Ben has travelled interstate multiple times for Smash events and even had two trips to America for the game. As a parent did you have any reservations around Ben doing these trips?

> Not really. Ben's always been a pretty sensible, level headed sort of chap so I was pretty sure he could take care of himself OK. Actually I was very happy that Ben had found something he was passionate about and that he seemed to be pretty good at.


4) What do you think the biggest benefits have been for Ben being part of the Smash community?

> Ben's gained a lot of confidence in himself. He's developed organisational and leadership skills. He's learned to set goals and attain them and he's seen that hard work, persistence and setting high standards reap excellent rewards. I think those are pretty good life skills to learn.


5) Are you proud of what your son has achieved through Smash?

> I am very proud of Ben's accomplishments in the Smash Community and all of the success he's achieved. He and his team mates have built the scene from something pretty small potatoes into something pretty world class. Also as a player he's been able to promote "Ben Gold" as something of a "brand" whilst acting as a sort of ambassador for the local scene when he's playing out of state or overseas.

===

Here's a cute story from Ben Gold's dad - About a year or so ago a neighbour I had never met used to jog past my yard in the mornings. He would nod and I would nod back. Eventually we struck up a conversation and we would chat for a few minutes every morning before he continued on his way. I guess the guy was in his early forties. One day he mentions he's off to his friends place to play Smash Bros. I casually mentioned my son Ben Gold plays Smash Bros not really thinking anything of it. The guy's jaw drops, he stares at me and says "Not THE Ben Gold? You KNOW Ben Gold?" I think I made his day but at the time I couldn't for the life of me figure out why.