4th Nov 09

Kite Flying vs. Nintendo DS – Which is Better for a Holiday?

by David Davies

‘In 559 AD, when Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi Dynasty was in power, he ordered the indiscriminate killing of the clan surnamed “Yuan” as a purge. Yuan Shao, a grandson of Yuan Xie (the Duke of Pengcheng), was put into a dungeon. His brother made a kite for him. Then the two brothers fled the Jinfeng Tower where the dungeon was located by sitting on the kite. Legends like this reflect the creative thoughts the ancient Chinese had about flying.’ - Cultural China Website

Yeah, Kite Flying really rocks

For us westerners, the kite is a symbol of fun, something to do on a windy day when perhaps the sun is not as strong as we would like it to be and the kids are bored. For the ancient Chinese, the kite was something much more intimate, leading to the saying ‘those who fly a kite can have a long life’. Indeed, there seems to be something about the relaxing and innocent nature of such a simple device – images of kite-flying are certainly bound closely with innocence, happiness and childhood in western culture too. Some claim that flying a kite is a therapeutic, rejuvenating process, that building them stimulates creativity and ingenuity and adaptive creative thinking, as well as the development of concentration and the discipline of attention required to keep a kite in the air. These aspects of kite-flying ring true with some facets of Chinese medicine. In fact, the kite is respected and even worshipped in some parts of the world in a way that most citygoers visiting the seaside on a breezy day would find quite odd.

Kites are important, you know

Frankly, though, what are the chances of a kite being flown these days? Have you seen kids? Me neither. Well, I’m quite familiar with their scalps, but their faces are normally pointed down at a screen of some type, whether it’s an iPod, or a mobile phone, or a handheld games machine like the mega-selling Nintendo DS. Now, the DS is a curious device. DS stands for dual-screen. There is a top screen built into the underside of the lid of the device, and a touchscreen beneath that. This leads to a novel interactive environment where mastering a complex game is as much about someone’s ability to multi-task as it is their mastery of hand-eye coordination. Curiously, the same philosophy of relaxation and self-improvement the ancient Chinese attributed so successfully to kite flying has parallels in the gaming philosophy of the DS. Unlike other handheld consoles which focus primarily on traditional, action-oriented games, the creative industries surrounding the DS are more focussed on keying in to a gamer’s own creative and intellectual abilities. Take a look at this list of successful sellers on the platform;

But, you can’t fly it, can you?

• Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders
• Big Brain Academy
• Brain Age Express: Math
• Brain Boost: Beta Wave
• Flash Focus – Vision Training in Minutes a Day
• Mind Quiz: Your Brain Coach
• My English Coach
• My Spanish Coach Level 1 – Learn To Speak Spanish
• My Word Coach
• Spelling Challenges and More

A far cry, I think you will agree, from the traditional fare seen on gaming platforms. This focus on self-improvement has helped the DS become a hit with older demographics too, and many argue that this cross-pollination of gaming culture laid the foundations for the success of Nintendo’s Wii console.

So, what does any of this have to do with going on holiday?
Holiday is meant to be a time of rest and recuperation for adults. For kids, though, it’s a time of adventure, a time where something must be done all day, whether that’s going to the beach or simply watching a favourite TV show. Children must be doing something at all times. An activity as simple as kite flying can keep them as quiet, if not quieter, than a session on the DS. Of course, part of the success of these devices is their ability to keep kids quieter for longer while mum and dad chill out. However, I’d argue that giving the kids a DS for a few hours on holiday could be as beneficial, if not more so, than kite flying.

It’s funny the first time, but after 6 months, it gets annoying…

What is it about kite flying that is seen as so wholesome? It is the romantic ideal of children’s fun. They get exercise, they are in touch with nature, the kite fosters their creative spirit and invigorates their faculties etc. etc. Now, I’m not going to pretend that a Nintendo DS can do all of these things, but it does lead to the same net result: fun. Isn’t that what flying kites and playing games is all about? While the by-product of kite flying might be some quietude and good exercise, the by-product of the DS, with the right games, can be education and improvement of skills. Kids can learn and have fun while they’re doing so.

As with most things in life, surely the best compromise is balance. Children should be exposed to as many things as possible, whether on holiday or not. A good day’s kite-flying, balanced out with an hour or so on the DS in the evening while mum and dad share a few glasses of wine, can’t be a bad thing.

Magical

However, if you do prescribe to the idea that kids staring at screens is the work of the devil, and you want to take your children somewhere kite obsessed, I would recommend a holiday in the city of Weifang, China, the unofficial capital of kites, home to the World Kite Museum, modelled to look like a dragon kite in mid-flight. Dedicated to displaying examples of the history of kite flying from around the world, the exhibition room covers 2,000km2. Suddenly, letting the little ones have a spin on the DS doesn’t seem like such a bad idea after all. Even mums and dads get bored.

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