Video Game Obsession

Jersey #3 has a video game obsession.

He is most often found with a Wii remote in his hand.  

He switches from games on the Wii, to games on the computer, to games on his personal video game system (Nintendo DS).  He has some sort of beacon to immediately find video games that may be in the back of a restaurant, or other business establishment.

He is our early bird, and typically the first child awake in our home each morning.  He uses it to his advantage, and enjoys some uninterrupted Wii time.  

Before he learns the name of another boy his age, he will learn the video game status of their household.

"Mom, I met a new friend today.  He has a Wii.  He doesn't have a DSi though, he has the older model DS.  He has a same game as me.  He is on level 6.  I am going to teach him how to get to level 7"  

He asks for new video games for every birthday, Christmas, or when Nana visits.

When he was younger, he was this obsessed with trains for a few years.  A couple years ago, he transferred his obsession from trains to video games.  

I do not play video games of any sort.  I do not enjoy them.  I am not sure where the fun is to be had.  Personally, I think video games are a waste of time.  I told The Referee that he should write a Wii game that covered kindergarten skills, so that it had a point to it.  

I admit it is fun to watch him play boxing or jedi duel games on the Wii.  He is ambidextrous, so he can put a remote in each hand, and play both sides of the battle.  It is fascinating.

His visual/spatial "gift" that causes him to flip letters that are the same shape (b/d or M/W or p/q, for example), seems to help him navigate 3-D video games with ease.

I don't have a clue how to help Jersey #3 complete any "levels" on his games.  I get dizzy just watching him play, with the amazing graphics on some of those games.  He learned to beat the games on his own, or to wait for The Referee to come home to help him when he got really stuck.  

He would call me or his older sisters into the room to read the screen for him.  I always thought it was odd the way he could maneuver through the menus of the video games even before he could read.

Last month, I made a comment to him that he could read well enough now that he should be able to read the character comments on the games himself.  I've also told him that it is a good thing his reading is consistently improving, or else I would have to reduce his Wii time.

Tonight, he showed me that he could read the comments on the video game just fine.

He even read the word "adventure."

I was impressed enough to say that maybe Mario isn't all that bad.

Still, is there a way we can get Mario to take an adventure through the USA states and capitals, or climb a tower of mathematics?