Super Bomberman saved my Christmas – and my middle-aged gaming dad pride

Dominik Diamond's 18-year-old son was setting off for his first Christmas away from home. How could he send him off with memories to savour?

It was a strange Christmas in the Diamond household, because for the first time in 23 years as a parent, my family wasn't complete. My 18-year-old son Charlie was spending it with his girlfriend and pals 3,000 miles away on the other side of Canada, so he was away for three weeks. This made me sad, for me, but also happy for him that he is mature enough to make these decisions. One of the aims of parenting is to get your kids into a position where they want to leave home and are able to do so, and my son is a man now.

So, we had a Charlie Diamond Christmas before he left. Whatever he wanted to do, we would do. This involved going out for dinner to a place where I actually wore a shirt like a proper grownup and put on trousers that weren't sweatpants; watching whatever movie he wanted; and playing whatever video games he wanted afterwards. I will admit that I wasn't looking forward to the last two. He likes horror movies, and I tend to go more for upbeat stuff in my middle age, owing to the unending horrors of real life. Also, he would kick my arse at any of the games he likes.