There’s probably a grand total of five people on planet Earth who are perfectly sane and enjoy cleaning — that’s why Marines hate field day. It can take a long time to complete (depending on how bad of a day your platoon sergeant is having), it’s tedious, and it most certainly is not the coolest thing since sliced bread — but it’s an important part of the weekly routine. It’s kind of like when Mr. Miyagi is teaching Daniel-san karate in the original Karate Kid. Yeah. Sure, waxing a car might seem like a dumb task, but you actually learn a lot — and that’s why we think it would be a great video game for kids.
Kids are tough, and like new Marines, they’re blank slates and in need of lots of hand-holding and instruction, even for something for something as simple as taking trash out. This is where video games can help.
So, grab some VR goggles, put ’em on your youngster, boot up Field Day: The Game, and prepare to teach them the following lessons:
Being able to be thorough means you’ll identify smaller details that others won’t see right away.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Ryan Persinger)
Attention to detail
In real-life field day, you’re taught to be extremely thorough — not just with your cleaning, but with every task you’re given. This attention to detail is the very thing that makes Marines great civilians, and it can help your kid succeed in everyday life, too.
Being able to follow instructions contributes to the overall success of your work — no matter what it is.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Tawanya Norwood)
Following instruction
If your kid learns how to follow instructions early on, they’re going to be a much more successful in life. For better or worse, kinds tend to emulate things they see in media — why not give them a digital example?
Resilience
In the Marine Corps, if you’re doing something wrong, you’re going to hear about it. Over time, you learn to take feedback, grow, and fix your mistakes instead of being hung up on them. If you sit there and brood over not getting it perfect the first time around, you’re only taking time away from yourself. Developing a resilience to feedback is a valuable skill.
Maybe then you won’t have to argue about cleaning?
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Hinton)
The desire to clean
Your kid might get so good at the Field Day: The Game that they’ll try it out in real-life. Make sure you commend them for a job well done — who knows, maybe they’ll to want to do it more often.
What’s better than someone volunteering to do chores?
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Colton Brownlee)
Initiative
The annoying amount of cleaning you have to do on field day quickly teaches you that it’s best to do a little cleaning throughout the week. You to take action before you’re asked — this lesson is carried over into any areas of life.