In What Are You Playing This Weekend? we discuss gaming and such with prominent figures in the pop-culture arena. We always start with the same question.

In honor of Mother’s Day, we’re changing things up this week. Gameological contributors called up their moms and asked them what they’re playing. We got a diverse range of answers. Here’s what they had to say.

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Ray Gibson
interviewed by Ellie Gibson

The Gameological Society: Hello, Mum. What are you playing this weekend?

Ray Gibson: I have been playing Scrabble, and Sudoku, and doing the Guardian crossword, which I love. I believe strongly that people should play games. It’s an escape route, and it brings my blood pressure down. It is enjoyable, it keeps your mind sharp, and I just enjoy the tussle of it. 

Gameological: Did you worry about the amount of video games I played when I was growing up?

Gibson: To some extent, but you also read books and did a lot of other things. So I didn’t worry that much. But I do remember saying to you, quite often, “Ellie, you will never get anywhere in life playing computer games.”

Gameological: How right you were.

Gibson: And here you are, a writing-editor person for computer online games…thingies. Videos.

Gameological: You don’t actually know what I do for a living, do you?

Gibson: No. 

Gameological: I remember playing a lot of card games, video games and board games as a family. It wasn’t until I was about 30 that I realized you didn’t really like them, that you were just playing to humor us.

Gibson: I think that goes for most parents, certainly most women. Nowadays, your dad will still play games with your brother, but I’m not interested in bargaining for blocks of wood and sheep and wheat. I can’t get along with that. 

Gameological: Are you talking about Settlers Of Catan?

Gibson: Yes, but I call it “Prisoners Of Catan,” because you’re imprisoned in your kitchen for hours and hours till this damn game ends, and the shepherds are all dead.

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Margie Heisler
interviewed by Steve Heisler

The Gameological Society: What are you playing this weekend?

Margie Heisler: Well, isn’t tennis a game? I play once a week, and occasionally, I’ll play a match. I think about strategy and what I need to do to win. I want to win. I don’t play board games. Dad never really cared to play games, and it was something I thought would be fun. When I was in college, I played cribbage, but it’s funny, I don’t remember how to play anymore.

Gameological: Was I the first person you ever met who played video games?

Heisler: Yeah, [the trend] started around the time you were that age.

Gameological: What did you think of my video game obsession when I was a kid?

Heisler: At the time, I thought there was real good hand-eye coordination; there was some thinking going on. But I really didn’t like the obsessive quality of it. I didn’t like that it was an indoor, in-the-basement, by-yourself type of situation. It was not social, it was not outside. It didn’t create any physical health. That’s why I put limits on it, because I still wanted you to be active and do stuff, and be involved with school and friends. On one hand, it was a way to have you be involved in something that you felt you were a winner at. On the other hand, as a child if you don’t keep trying to interact socially, you’re kind of creating your own destiny of aloneness.

I gotta tell you, the reason why I started to play tennis is because I wanted to play with you. You were a master of tennis. I wanted you to be good at a sport, so I got you involved with all those lessons with the thought that you might possibly make the team. Then ironically—isn’t this funny?—by the time I was at a place where I could do a little challenge with you, you don’t play anymore. 

Gameological: Well, we could play Wii tennis.

Heisler: There we go. Combining all my talents.

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Pat Jones
interviewed by Scott Jones

The Gameological Society: What are you playing this weekend?

Pat Jones: Hmm. The only one I do is Bookworm on the DS that you gave me. And there’s also a jewel one on there that I like. 

Gameological: Bejeweled?

Jones: Yes, I think that’s it. Those are the only two. And sometimes Words [With] Friends on Facebook. There’s lots of things on Facebook these days.

Gameological: How often are you gaming?

Jones: Every day. Mostly I play the DS at work. I bring it with me. [Note: She takes care of elderly people in Florida.]

Gameological: And the old people don’t mind?

Jones: They don’t know the difference. They’re asleep most of the time.

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Noeline Keiser
interviewed by Joe Keiser

The Gameological Society: What are you playing this weekend?

Noeline Keiser: I’m playing Bejeweled and Text Twist, depending on where I am. I play Bejeweled on my iPhone and Text Twist on my computer.

Gameological: What do you enjoy about those games?

Keiser: I like that they’re simple, and I can just play them and don’t have to use any brainpower. Since I don’t have to think too much, they let me zone out a little bit and forget all the housework, and whatever else I have to do. I’ve never liked other kinds of games, like where you go up levels, because I don’t have time to build on it. It’s too complicated for me.

Gameological: I remember you using games as stress relief since I was little. In those days, though, it was Tetris. I remember you used to keep a handheld Tetris game in your purse, and you would give it to me to keep me quiet while I was waiting for you at the hairdresser. But that wasn’t for me, was it? It was for you.

Keiser: Yeah, it was for me. Hey, I waited for you, too, when you were at class or wherever else I had to take you. I had to do something! What did you want me to do? So I would play.

Gameological: Dad didn’t want any games in the house, but you would let them in when he wasn’t around.

Keiser: Yep! I enjoy games. I think they’re a good way of relaxing. And I can play them with my kids, too! Dad thought those games weren’t good for you, though. He wanted you to be outdoors more. He still doesn’t play games.

Gameological: But you do. You’ve always said you’re not a gamer, but really you’ve played them forever, and maybe more than you think you do.

Keiser: I guess I do play a lot, huh? I didn’t realize that. Don’t tell Dad!

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Judith Nelson
interviewed by Samantha Nelson

The Gameological Society: What are you playing this weekend?

Judith Nelson: Like, nothing. The only thing I’ve ever played in my life is Pac-Man. I never even really played that. My boyfriend in college was a Pac-Man champ. I played every once in a while to keep him company. So is that the end of the interview?

Gameological: But that’s not true. You’ve played some Rock Band and Wii games.

Nelson: I played Wii for a week. I just did tennis. And then Rock Band one time at somebody’s house.

Gameological: Why’d you only play Wii for a week?

Nelson: I just felt a disconnect. You’re supposed to feel like you’re really playing the game, but I felt a disconnect from the screen.

Gameological: You read a lot of my game reviews. What do you get out of that?

Nelson: I like the stories. It’s almost like reading little short novels because most of them are set in medieval times or involve sorcerers and knights or forces of evil. They trigger your imagination. I picture them. I don’t know why it’s never made me tempted to play the games. I feel a little daunted by it.

Gameological: So how do you feel about having a daughter that writes about games professionally?

Nelson: I really think that anything that challenges the stereotypes in this world is great. I couldn’t be more proud of you if you were a female astronaut, but there are a lot of those now. I guess I could be more proud if you were the first female president of the United States, but I don’t think I want you to be. As a woman who was one of the few women in law when I started and one of the few female judges when I became a judge, I think breaking barriers is great.

Gameological: Even if I’m wasting time playing games like Angry Birds?

Nelson: No. If you’re writing about it, that’s fine.

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Amy Rasmussen
interviewed by Gus Mastrapa

The Gameological Society: Mom, what are you playing this weekend?

Amy Rasmussen: Well, you know what I’m going to play. My Friends Whatever. Whatever its called. Words With Friends.

Gameological: When we were kids, and we used to play Scrabble, you used to always put a word so everybody else could get a good word off of it. Do you remember that?

Rasmussen: I guess I did. I don’t remember doing it on purpose. But I suppose I did. I would play it so we could play. 

Gameological: But then I started beating you.

Rasmussen: What you’re trying to find out is, do I play strategically now? I just play to get my turn over. Because I have 10 things to do. If a word pops up at me, and I find a place for it—I mean, I try to play strategically. If I have a “Q,” I try to find a triple space, and I try to find a “U.” But sometimes I’m just doing it so that I’ve done it and I can get on to the next thing.

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Coreen Steinbach
interviewed by Anthony John Agnello

The Gameological Society: What are you playing this weekend?

Coreen Steinbach: The New York Times crossword puzzle. I started working the New York Times crossword with your Uncle Bob on Sunday afternoons in high school. Nerds. When Dad and I moved to the ’Cuse, we were religious about the Sunday Times. That was the start of my regular puzzling in earnest. I was working on the Sunday puzzle when I went into labor with your brother Gabe.

Gameological: Your other gaming obsession is Jeopardy!. How’d you get into Jeop? It’s Trebek’s ’stache, right?

Steinbach: Dude, Trebek ditched his ’stache years ago! That goes back to high school and the Art Fleming days. We had a little black-and-white TV in college, and we would watch Jeop at noon. We even had little clickers to ring in. That’s grown steadily over the years. You know the tale: I’ve bought books on the subject—

Gameological: And even gone to qualifying things to get on the show.

Steinbach: And I came so close! The regional [qualifying rounds] are less common now, and you’re limited to the online test system, which sucks.

Gameological: So what’s the difference between puzzles and Jeopardy!? What are they doing differently for you?

Steinbach: That’s a tough question. In some ways, they are similar. Broad knowledge is tested, and both have their own tricks, so once you’re skilled at the activity, there’s an aspect to it that is automatic, just like your skill set in video games. Crosswords are primarily a language activity, and I love language-related anything. I love the solving aspect of it. Jeopardy!, on the other hand, involves rapid recall across many areas of knowledge, and it’s fun to test your ability to rapidly, correctly respond across those diverse areas.

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Bonney Teti
interviewed by John Teti

The Gameological Society: What are you playing this weekend, Mom?

Bonney Teti: I will definitely be playing the fox game. [Note: She’s talking about Mystic Ice Blast, which she reviews on today’s podcast.] And I will definitely be playing Family Feud on Facebook, too. Oh! And Lexulous. I play that every day. Dad’s not much for games, so that’s about it.

Gameological: Dad doesn’t even play cards with you?

Teti: No, because now he plays a card game on the iPad. He plays gin.

Gameological: He taught me how to play gin when I was little. We used to play all the time in the summer.

Teti: You know, when he first taught me—I didn’t know how to play, so he taught me. And then we went on vacation, and I kept winning and winning and winning. I had no idea what I was doing. And he got so mad, he put the cards down and went for a very long walk on the beach. It was our first time that we ever went away together! It was supposed to be so romantic, but he was so irritated that he couldn’t win. He’s usually not like that.

Gameological: Really?

Teti: Yes, he’s usually not like that. I’m pretty sure I’m the worst sport in the family. I’m the most vocal about not winning, I’ll say that.

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Ginny Toal
interviewed by Drew Toal

The Gameological Society: What are you playing this weekend, Mom?

Ginny Toal: I started playing Angry Birds. I can see where it becomes addictive. But that’s it, since you took our Wii last time you were home.

Gameological: Bah. You only used it for Wii yoga, and now you do real yoga. You don’t need it anymore. Did that Wii yoga experience prepare you at all for the real thing?

Toal: Wii yoga is totally different from regular yoga. They give you different positions that you really have to learn how to do the right way, as opposed to an instructor on the screen telling you what to do. I think it familiarizes you with the basic poses of yoga. How to balance. I thought I was really good, according to Wii Yoga, but I really wasn’t, according to real yoga.

Gameological: Do you play games with your young autistic students?

Toal: I just watch them play. My one child has gotten past, I want to say the highest level of Mario 2? For—what is it—DSi? He’s not even five. He has an amazing capacity for video games. He’s amazingly intelligent. He uses an iPad. Children with autism, their brains tends to focus on screens, or light or motion. The games are helpful.

Gameological: You guys indulged us with a number of systems when we were growing up: Nintendo, 3DO, Dreamcast, probably half a dozen others. Which one did we like best, in your opinion? 

Toal: I think you liked the Nintendo the best. I can still see you guys trying so hard to land the plane on the aircraft carrier in Top Gun.

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Kathleen Vogel
interviewed by Elise Vogel

The Gameological Society: What are you playing this weekend?

Vogel: That’s for little old ladies. All the little old ladies play mahjong and bridge, four days a week, all day long. I don’t do that. I’m 77 years old, and I don’t play games. I do the real thing.

And now, we put the question to you. Tell us what you’ve been playing lately—or what your mom has been playing lately—and which games—video or otherwise—are on your playlist for the weekend.