Family Game Night, Version 2.0

Felicia Flaherty, 12, rocks out with Guitar Hero. Kari Barrett watches at a game night for families and neighbors at Genevieve Woche's. (Photos By Michael Williamson -- The Washington Post)

"He's a teenager, and he's at that stage where we don't necessarily agree on a lot of things," said Thomas Morgan of his 14-year-old son, Taylor.

But there's no time for family squabbles when it's time to fight the evildoers as a team in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. The Morgans, who live in Potomac, have a projector in the basement of their home, complete with a 100-inch screen. It's like being in an action movie together.

When Thomas and Taylor play against each other, head to head, Dad's reflexes are no match for his son's in fast "shooter" games, though Thomas still has the edge on slower games that require more strategy. So the Morgans generally like to play in co-op mode when they play together. Sometimes they go head to head in online Halo matches against another Xbox-owning father-son team they're friends with in real life.

The games have been there for them even during some trying times for the family, Thomas said. . "When you're in the trenches with somebody, you develop a special bond with them," he said. "Even if it's just virtual reality."

He said their shared appreciation for a good video game "absolutely reaches across the generation gap."

Some parents say playing games is a rainy-day way to pursue their real-world hobbies with their kids.

Bruce Richardson races and tinkers with his Porsche when it's nice outside. When it isn't, he races and tinkers around with virtual cars on the PlayStation 2 with his 11-year-old son, Mark. Modifying cars in the games sometimes gives them ideas for what they want to do with the Porsche. Right now, they're working on the car's exhaust system, upgrading it as they upgraded the cars in their racing games.

"The game gives us stuff we can think about with the real car," he said. "It leads the way, in a sense."

The Richardsons, who live in Potomac, have a pretty sweet set-up if you're into racing games. They've got game-controller steering wheels hooked up to sawhorses in the game room, complete with gamer seats that have built-in speakers.

Bruce thinks the racing games are a good simulator for Mark, so he can learn the basic physics involved in driving. He looks forward to the time, a few years down the road, when his son will get his learner's permit -- and when Mark will get behind the wheel of a real car.

And, then, they will see if all those hours they spent together playing video games pay off.