KEEPING IN TOUCH IS EASIER THAN EVER

Father’s Day 2.0: Bringing My Family Closer Together through the Metaverse

The first half of this year has brought an avalanche of articles written on and about the “metaverse". Topics have highlighted issues such as child safety, virtual economies and how future employment may be defined. Yet, very little attention is being paid to how this technology actually brings people together. As a father of two adult children, kids inevitably grow up and then apart, and you find yourself open to exploring any option that will give you some meaningful together time you can all enjoy. No better example of this is a virtual reality game I’ve turned into a new family tradition, Walkabout Mini Golf. My wife and I embraced the technology and game this year to reconnect with our adult kids and siblings. Walkabout Mini Golf is a unique and fun way to converse after a long day, as opposed to making conversation be-tween bites of dinner. My wife and I use this game to interact daily with our daughter who isn’t very talkative when she comes home from work and our son who moved out six months ago. Now, in our household, “How was your day?” is more likely to be followed by “Get in the Hole!” I received my Meta Quest 2 on Christmas and began playing Walkabout Mini Golf the same day. It wasn’t long before the kids and my wife were hooked and in turn ordered headsets and downloaded the game. We established a standing, daily 6 pm tee time. Soon, the conversations we used to mumble around dinner are now face-to-face on a virtual fairway. Smack talk is mixed with the day’s highlights. The banter held on any of twenty-two dynamic courses has cut down the number of messages posted in the family group chat. The winner of each nightly round gets a picture of their avatar in front of the scorecard and the image posted across social media. The rounds are competitive and fun. We only wish there was an accessory that you could put on your drink to more easily find it! We will be playing a double elimination tournament this coming Father’s Day. I guess you could say it’s our version of cornhole, but you don’t have to be present to play. Reconnecting was also a theme when I remembered my sister, currently living three-quarters of the way across the county, had purchased a Quest 2 for her husband. I convinced her to download a copy of Walkabout Mini Golf and she was smitten. Our nightly four-some became a five-some and it wasn’t too long before her husband joined. What had been in the past, the rare phone call or occasional text exchange between siblings has now evolved into daily conversations regarding anything and everything happening in our lives. In the end, this game has allowed me to share a sport I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my entire life with my adult kids, without any of us leaving the con-fines of our homes. Distances be damned, rounds aren’t rained out, and nothing beats the competitive edge coming out of that family member from who you’d least expect it. Not to mention, as a published author, I enjoy and respect this game so much that I’ve purposely worked it into my upcoming 3rd crime fiction novel as a plot point. Walkabout Mini Golf and the metaverse, perfect for when you want to reconnect with friends and family but circumstances, such as the pandemic or physical expanse prevent actual in-person get-togethers. I recommend a call to action for dads universally. Meet your kids where they are (immersed in technology) and you will enjoy more frequent and robust conversations... and meaningful moments.

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Ken Harris retired from the FBI, after thirty-two years, as a cybersecurity executive. He is the author of the “From the Case Files of Steve Rockfish” series. He is a native of New Jersey and currently resides in Northern Virginia.