By Lorie Ham
Many areas of the country are seeing record heat this summer, which makes outdoor family activities not only unappealing, but in some cases even dangerous. So what can you do for fun with the family this summer while staying indoors where it is cool?
There are many options—reading, watching movies, playing board games, or even playing video games.
While there are some negatives to kids playing video games, there are also a lot of benefits. According to an article on the website Understood, those benefits include kids getting to practice their visual-spatial skills, learning problem solving, making social connections, and kids who play video games are often very creative.
There are many video games that the whole family can play together, but which games should you choose?
My oldest son Jayce has been playing video games most of his life, he also writes a monthly video game news column so he keeps up with the latest in the video game world.
His top five video games to play as a family are:
- Mario Kart 8
- Super Mario Party
- Super Smash Bros Ultimate
- Overcooked
- Minecraft
“All of these games are great because they all are games that more than one person can play and all have a happy, family friendly vibe that will set a good atmosphere for an evening of play with the family,” shares Jayce.
“All of them also encourage friendly competition and collaboration, which are good skills to learn. My favorite of all of these games is Mario Kart 8 because it is the easiest to learn and easiest to have a good and fun time competing with your friends and family.”
There are also an abundance of different consoles out there for playing video games. All of the games mentioned here are on Nintendo Switch, which is the most accessible console as it is the most affordable and has a portable option.
Minecraft and Overcooked are also available on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.
If you are already a gaming family but haven’t kept up with what’s new, a brand new game was just released on the Switch called Mario Golf: Super Rush. “It is a cute and fun way to learn the basics of golf and compete with others while playing as your favorite Mario characters,” continues Jayce.
“This year, on October 29, a new Mario Party game called Mario Party Superstars will be released. It will feature game boards and mini games from previous Mario Party games.”
For more video game suggestions, you can check out these articles on Understood, and GameDesigning. And if you are worried about your kids still getting exercise, there are a number of dancing games out there as well!
So beat the heat this summer with some indoor video game fun. Both as a family and for your kids on their own.
Do you have some favorite family friendly video games? Pleases share them with us on our Facebook page!
