As our children get older, they’re not so interested in the toy kitchen as a worthwhile Christmas present anymore, they go towards the dreaded video game. Now, if you’re a parent that’s a bit reticent towards the idea of your kids playing video games this is understandable. You may think that they will barricade themselves away in their room, playing violent games for hours, if not days on end. But, you could use your kids’ interest in video games to actually bond with them a bit more. And in fact, the whole family can get in on the act! Let’s find ways to create a family-friendly gaming experience.
Having Gaming Parties
Quite possibly, the era of the board game has disappeared once and for all. But there are options for so many family-friendly competitions through the video game format. Space Team, Mario Kart, and Minecraft are all great ideas for kids and parents alike to join forces. It’s certainly a great way to pass time if the weather is terrible; you could all sit down, in the living room, and get a few snacks. With these games, you could set up a few computers and play together. For this, you would need a VPS (Virtual Private Server) because it can take up a lot of the bandwidth. It used to be popular, LAN parties, where a bunch of people would congregate and play together on their own individual computers. And this is something that isn’t just a family friendly activity, but if you are trying to find ways to bond with your kids, a gaming party could be the answer!
Gaming Is Not As Bad As You Think!
If you’re reading this thinking that all gaming does is rot your kids’ brains, you’re very much mistaken. In fact, as there’s been quite an influx of brain training games, not to mention the video games that focus on the more physical side of things, like Just Dance 2017, there have been studies that show the effects of gaming on brain development, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness. Granted, this is something that you should keep an eye on at home, especially if your kids are playing too much, but as far as making some time to play video games as a family, you don’t need to think that this is detrimental to the health of your children.
While the evolution of gaming has gone from Pong to Donkey Kong, Sonic The Hedgehog, and has become more realistic, the gaming experience can still be a family-friendly one. And if you’ve got kids that are obsessed with Minecraft, and you feel when you’re losing them to hours in front of their computer screen, it’s time to join them! A family-friendly game experience is easy to achieve, you can have a LAN party, or you could all gather around the TV screen, and enjoy a few rounds of Mario Kart! And as the nights are drawing in, and the weather’s getting worse, if you’re trying to think of ways to bond as a family, playing video games together is an option you should seriously consider.
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