Do you love playing games? Do the kids love to do so as well? Then it’s probably occurred to you to try and set up some gaming sessions for the whole family.
But when you get the idea and start to plan it, you then run into a few problems. You and the kids play different things, have different games you find fun, and you might not even have a medium for playing things altogether.
And when these problems crop up, it’s easy to drop the idea and think you’ll work it all out later. However, if this is the second or third time you’ve done that, we’re here to help you out.
After all, gaming with the kids is a lot of fun for a parent. And while you do have to create a safe space for everyone, the kids are absolutely going to love the fact that you did! They get to play games with you, hanging out and eating snacks, and they might even get the chance to beat you in a game of Mario Kart! What could be more exciting?
So if that’s the kind of family activity you’d love to set up this year, here’s a quick guide for finding the right kind of games you and the kids can play together.
Start with Some Small Puzzles
Getting into the gaming spirit with the kids might require a bit of a pivot from the both of you! In that, if you’re already a gamer yourself, the games you like to play might not be suitable for children.
And if the kids have some games they enjoy, the mechanics they know off by heart can be a bit difficult to grasp or get used to!
As such, it’s a good idea to find a totally new thing to try and play together. And we recommend going for small, easy, casual puzzles, like a word search or an easy level sudoku.
This way you both still get a bit of a challenge, as well as the chance to get competitive about who finds the next word first, or who finishes their sudoku box first.
By starting like this, you both get to go into the activity as ‘beginners’, despite everyone loving to play a game. It simply levels the playing field a bit more, and then you can build on your joint gaming habits from there.
Do You and the Kids Have Any Common Interests?
Really, is there anything that you and the kids already do together that you both love? And this can be anything.
Do you all like action movies? Are you all Star Wars fans? Do you all enjoy watching F1 racing when it’s on? Maybe you always love getting the chance to play soccer in the yard when it’s sunny out?
Take common interests like these and shine a gaming lens over them. If you enjoy watching car races, you’ll probably enjoy playing them too – especially if you buy an F1 simulator that lets the kids pick their favorite teams to race under.
Or if you’re sci-fi fans, a game set in space or on another planet will be more than engaging for both you and the kids. That chance for other-wordly exploration will really tingle the senses!
If you keep this in mind, it’ll help you find titles that speak to everyone, that everyone is also desperate to have a go at. And it also makes for a much nicer surprise when you tell the kids you’re doing some fun family gaming sessions from now on!
Look into the Family Gaming Genre
There’s already a genre of games that are made for families to try out together: family games! They’re usually co-op games for up to four or six players, where everyone can take turns to advance round a game board or to score the most points on an activity.
That makes them a very good starting point for parents who want to find games for both themselves and the kids.
They’re simple yet competitive, with a bit of challenge that requires communication and coordination. They’re also usually a lot more colorful and characterful, which makes the worlds pretty fun to engage with.
However, not every family does enjoy games like these, so it’s OK to skip out on popular titles like Mario Party or Overcooked! There are other kinds of co-op games out there for you and the kids to get stuck into.
You just might need to widen the search a bit and step outside of the traditional family game genre. A detective or mystery game, for example, that requires you to all work together to solve the ‘whodunnit’, might be more up your street.
Don’t Sweat it Too Much!
Finally, don’t let yourself sweat the details of a family gaming session. The most important thing is that the kids will get to do something they love with the person they love most in the world.
And that’s all that really matters! Of course, it’d be nice if the game you’re focusing on does feel fun to play as a family, but don’t worry about it too much. If you think the game would be good to try out altogether, install it, get the kids down, and play!
Finding Games for You and the Kids: What to Remember
When everyone in your house is a gamer, it’s actually easy to have nothing in common when it comes to your shared hobby!
From age ratings to story content, as well as game lengths and frustrating mechanics, everyone likes (or can only play) something different.
So, you need to find something everyone can try out together. Start small and simple with puzzle games, think about an interest you all have in common, and focus on that family gaming vibe.
And don’t forget, the kids will love a gaming session with their parents no matter what. It’s simply being together and having fun together that they actually care about!
