If you are a parent, playing video games with your school-aged kids is a good pastime as long as you set boundaries. Too much screen time is not good for their health and exposing them to violent games can influence their future habits. With millions of games to choose from, as a parent, you need to be extra careful what you allow your children to play. An experienced team of essay writers from AdvancedWriters.com will look at popular video games parents can play with their kids.
Minecraft
Developed by Mojang, this incredible sandbox game has taken the world by storm since its release many years ago. It has been ported to various platforms making it easy for you to pick it up for your kids on their preferred system. It has close to 130 million active users each month and has sold well over 200 million copies worldwide. Even though the game caters to young school children, adults can play it too and have a good time.
Untitled Goose Game
Developed by House House, Untitled Goose Game was released in 2019 to universal acclaim. It is a puzzle stealth game where players take the control of a goose that causes havoc in an English village. While some may argue that the game can make children mischievous if they copy the actions of the goose, the game is fun and 100% harmless. It is up to you as a parent to ensure they don’t copy the actions of the goose in real life as that can land them in trouble.
Overcooked
This wonderful cooking simulation was published by Team17 and developed by Ghost Town Games. Players take control of several chefs and have to create meals in a specific order before the time runs out. It’s co-op fun at its finest and your kids will learn a thing or two about the madness that goes on inside the kitchen of a busy restaurant. It came out in 2017 on various platforms and has a sequel called Overcooked 2 which was released in 2018 and is equally fun.
Following the release of the newest gen consoles, you can also find the Overcooked: All You Can Eat edition. With enhanced graphics and both games included with all the expansions, this one will keep the school kids busy, but not neccessarilt quiet. You can check out our review of it HERE.
Rocket League
Published and developed by Psyonix, this split-screen car soccer game is a blast. If you don’t have time to play this game with your kids, the game has AI or bots to play against. The only major issue with this game is the menu system can be complicated if you have school children that are still learning how to read. This means you’ll have to walk them through the menu setting but aside from this, it’s a well-made vehicle football game for children.
Nintendo Labo
To play this game, you need to buy a Nintendo Switch which is not separately. Nintendo Labo was released in 2018 and is a toy to life concept game consisting of 2 parts. One part of the game has multiple sheets of cardboard while the other is an actual game. The game comes with accessories that need to be attached to the joy-cons on the Nintendo Switch. The main objective of the game is to teach children the basics of programming, physics, and engineering.
Super Mario 3D World
Mario has been around for over 30 years and this instalment in the long-running Mario series was released in 2013 on the Wii U. There are not many child-friendly games better than this one because the levels are so well-made and open. The controls are very easy to master and if you’d like your kids to experience this classic on a modern console, a Nintendo Switch version is also available.
Rayman Legends
Developed by Ubisoft Montpellier, this Ubisoft published platform is hilarious, gorgeous, and offers endless fun. It was first released in 2013 as a sequel to the popular Rayman Origins which came out in 2011. The levels do her harder as one progresses through the game, but the good news is there is co-op. You can play this game with your kids and help them through levels they find challenging.
Mario Kart 8
Players take the role of characters from the Mario franchise and race each other while collecting items to stop their opponents from winning. It was originally released in 2014 on the Wii U, but you can buy Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch. It is a must-play for school children because it is very immersive, great sound design, amazing graphics, and a user-friendly control system.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
This is a well-crafted turn-based role-playing tactical game that is a crossover between Ubisoft’s Raving Rabbids and Nintendo’s Mario franchise. The game was released in 2017 and can be enjoyed both cooperatively or single player. While the game does get harder in the later stages, your school children will sink plenty of hours into this game that is filled with fun gameplay and humour.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Many see this game as the best the Nintendo Switch has to offer. Released in 2017, players take the role of Link in this action-adventure who awakens from a hundred-year slumber. The objective of this game is to save the kingdom of Hyrule and defeat Calamity Ganon. The art style and gameplay mechanics set a new bar in the action-adventure genre. A sequel is in the works as of February 2021, but this is a great title to pick up for kids to play for the follow-up.
Spelunky
This 2D platform came out in 2008 and is loved by both school children and adults. It has been ported to various platforms and while it does have some cartoon violence, this is an excellent title for children. A sequel (Spelunky 2) was released in September 2020 to critical acclaim. It builds on the foundation laid down in the first game and improves on them. Before picking up the second game, it is worth experiencing the original game first.
And that’s your lot…
Playing video games is a great form of entertainment for children as long as you choose games wisely. There are thousands of games on multiple different platforms, and you have to choose the one that fits their age group and not expose them to the content they are not ready for. If school children are allowed to play games moderately, parents can notice an increase in their problem-solving skills, imagination, and creativity.
Think some of these games shouldn’t be on the list? Maybe there are some crackers you enjoy playing with your kids? Why not let us know in the comments below, or on our scoial channels. We’d love to hear your thoughts.
In the mean time, why not click HERE to check out more opinion pieces on the site.