The Best Stories About Kids and Games of 2019
When it comes to children and play, there is a lot to talk about. We want to encourage their love of games because we love games too. But we don’t want to introduce them to anything before they are ready, we want to benefit from the gaming experience, and we want to remember that not all games have to be electronic.
Here are our favorite posts of the year to help you build a playful relationship with your child.
Age-appropriate orientation
This year, we aimed to help you determine if certain video games are right for your child’s age, or find ways to make them suitable by playing Dad Mode .
Somewhat selfish, as my 9-year-old constantly asks me if he can play Fortnite, I asked writer Stephen Johnson to answer that question for me – or at least help me make my own decision. What he did so kindly and carefully:
Other players really are the worst part of Fortnite , especially when it comes to kids and safety. Any game that attracts so many people also attracts the bottom-feeders who prey on these people – from pedophiles to crooks and legions of garden jerks. While the chances of encountering child molesters or swindlers while playing are slim (despite the hysterical media coverage), if you don’t turn off the chat, your child will talk to countless trolls, bullies, losers, people who play loud music in their games. mic, YouTube celebrities and other villains seeking to teach them exciting new curses, sexual attitudes and racial slurs. Fortunately, if you turn off voice chat, attackers will not be able to disturb your child.
Ahead of Halloween, we’ve hand-picked the best, but not too scary, video games for your kids (the fear factor made them feel timely during Halloween, but the advice is everlasting).
Also, and perhaps most importantly, we helped you figure out which video games can pet dogs in . Because this is good and useful information.
Playing video games with a child
Games can be a great way to distract our kids from our hair. Alternatively, playing with our kids can be an enjoyable experience. This year we made a bet on suggesting ( insisting ) that you jump up and play with your child.
If you love games but hate playing against people who cannot play (like young children), we have a solution for you. This age guide is full of multiplayer games that are both fun and competitive against even the youngest players.
Another good option for playing with kids? This is Minecraft , according to writer Stephen Johnson, who had an epic years of experience interacting with his son while playing:
When my son was seven, we played Minecraft together for about a year, and we decided to take on the main task of the game: to defeat Enderdragon. The process of researching the beast’s weaknesses online, exploring and using the Minecraft world to obtain the gear we need, and creating and executing a plan to bring it down took an afternoon game all summer. We both had fun, and I tried (very carefully) to apply the lessons of the game to life. I don’t know if it worked, but it definitely didn’t hurt and we had a lot of fun.
Now that you’ve played their games with them, it’s time to introduce them to your games. These are retro video games that should be on your list to play with your child.
We don’t play video games
Kids (and adults) love video games, but games don’t always have to be electronic. With a little creativity (and a little bubble wrap ), we’ve taught you this year to create a homemade classic game for your kids and their friends.
We then compiled a list of what we call the best pencil and paper games to play with your kids. These are games that require, you guessed it, a piece of paper and a pencil. Or the flip side of a paper menu and crayons. You get the idea. These are perfect games when you are waiting to board a plane or deliver food to a restaurant.
We also helped you (and by extension your kids) create your very first Dungeons and Dragons character :
With all the books, charts, and maps of the game, the beginning can seem daunting. Even if you found the dungeon master and other players, now you need to create a character. You might be tempted to get really weird – I was. But if you plan on staying with this character for a while, you don’t want to burden yourself with someone you end up hating to play. Here’s how to make the D&D hero that best introduces you to the game.
Last but not least, we’d be overlooked if we didn’t remind you that clap games never go out of style.