April 01, 2020
Are you in quarantine with the kids, desperately trying to keep their minds active?
It’s about to get harder with school holidays around the corner. Without homework to occupy them, what’s the best way through the coming weeks and months?
We’d like to make the case for gaming. A lot of parents worry that video games are a corruptive influence, encourage violence and simply aren’t a good use of a child’s time.
We’re fighting gaming’s corner. There are a lot of sensational headlines in the press about video games and real-world aggression that simply aren’t true.
The science simply doesn’t support or show any links between gaming and violence. On the contrary, several studies show games can improve cognition, attention spans and the ability to make logical decisions.
Industry body UKIE also works incredibly hard to support the positives that the video game sector provides individuals and families alike. UKIE works closely with the UK government – especially the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) – to suggest policies and tackle issues such as addiction and providing ideas for safer browsing online.
Gaming, too, can help combat depression and anxiety – the perfect remedy in these tough times. We think now’s the perfect time for those parents on the fence to take a journey together with their children to explore what gaming has to offer.
There’s never been a better time to take up gaming
That doesn’t mean plopping your kids in front of a screen for eight hours a day. There are so many brilliant, creative and educational games out there that you, as a family, can sit and enjoy together.
Top of our list are:
- Scribblenauts: Bright, colourful puzzle platformer Scribblenauts lets players type in any word they can think of, and the game will conjure it up. Great for expanding the vocabulary in a fun way.
- Kerbal Space Program: If you’ve got budding astronauts at home, KSP will help them reach the stars. Create your own (almost lifelike) spacecraft and uncover the deepest regions of space, featuring real orbital physics.
- Universe Sandbox: Similarly, Universe Sandbox boasts its own gravity engine. A truly impressive space simulator, kids can create and destroy their own planets, stars, moons, solar systems and even black holes.
- Minecraft: Minecraft is a great creative platform. Creative mode gives kids tools to build a whole world, while survival mode teaches them resource management while they explore.
- Ring Fit Adventure: Ring Fit Adventure is a Switch peripheral designed to help you and the family work up a sweat in your living room (kids will love exercising while defeating enemies in Adventure mode).
- Super Mario Party: Super Mario Party is a board-game-themed title that the whole family can enjoy. No one journey around the board is ever the same, and it’s the perfect time sink to enjoy together.
- Dreams: Dreams is an all-round creative package with almost infinite possibilities. Create your own 3D levels and share them with the ever-expanding online community.
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Animal Crossing: New Horizons is your go-to game for the kids to relax and invest their time building their own home in an animal-populated island community.
- Trivial Pursuit: The classic board game has made its way onto consoles, and is the perfect way to fire up the brain. Its questions and quizzes are great to keep the kids learning during lockdown.
All we are saying is give games a chance
For every game with guns, there are many more fun, child-friendly games made by big studios and independent developers with a loving spirit, creativity and togetherness at their core.
And those games are there right now, ready to download to your console or order from Amazon, for you and your family to explore together while following government advice to stay at home.
There is a variety of games that educate children and help their creativity blossom. You may even find hidden talents you never knew existed as you build your own virtual library.