Playing video games together as a family

Like all forms of entertainment, video games aren’t good or bad. It depends why or how they’re played. As a parent or carer, you can help to encourage healthy gaming habits.

One way to do this is by playing together. This allows you understand the fun and frustrations of a games. It becomes part of family life, and is an opportunity for conversation and connection.

Games you can play together

  • Overcooked is a game where four people work together to create plates of food in a restaurant. Work together to complete the dishes in time.
  • Knack is an adventure game where two players take on the role of a hero robot. Use items and junk you find to grow in size and gain powers.
  • Conduct Together gets you to control the trains and points of a pre-made toy train set. The challenge is to collect and deliver passengers without crashing into each other. It encourages communication and teamwork.
  • Castle Crashers is a game where four people play knight heroes. It’s one for older teenagers. You work together most of the time, but there is some healthy competition too.
  • Knights and Bikes is an adventure staring two children. It’s light-hearted but also has a more serious story of the young girl coming to terms with the loss of her mother. It also has a series of books children can read alongside.
The Taming Gaming website also has a lists of games that can develop literacy and emotional intelligence. Some games can help to calm anxious feelings.
 
Andy Robertson is a video game journalist and father of three. He created the Family Video Game Database and wrote the parenting book Taming Gaming. Photo credit: Andy Robertson
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This advice was written by our experienced Parent Talk coaches. Parent Talk is a free online service for parents and carers, provided by the charity Action for Children. For more advice, message our parenting coaches with our online chat.

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