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Comment by icebraining | Hacker News Reader

I’d be hesitant to share time in front of a screen though, video games don’t seem to be real interaction.

Maybe it depends on the games? A single player game with elements of exploration can be fun shared experience; I still remember fondly playing Super Mario 64 with my father. And for small groups, a session of Worms is nice - being turn-based, you're never immersed in the screen, it's more like a digital version of Pétanque and similar games. The sessions with my friends were a riot.

Not that there's anything wrong with avoiding video games, but they can bring some variety.

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I agree that it depends on the games... and on the kids. I was dismayed early on when I bought my boys a used Wii and they just couldn't get it. We all got frustrated and lost interest.

Then I hit success with a used Xbox 360 and playing Lego games cooperatively--where the adult is the helper and coach making it more fun. My boys also love the Kinect and really got into dance and adventure games. So the trick seems to be to try out lots of things and see what groks.

Once a few games clicked with them, they were willing to engage with more advanced games. In one year I went from playing Lego to cooperative Halo and we love it. For balance, we limit what we call "ePlay Time" to an hour a day and make it conditional on good behavior and spending quality time on the board games Daddy prefers to play.

I often play couch-coop-games with my girlfriends.

Coop is always kind of a bonding activity :D

What good games do you guys play, and on what systems? I grew up with a Gamecube and original XBox, and pretty any game that had a single player also had a coop version. Now on systems like the PS4, most games have strictly single-player and online multiplayer. I don't like that I have to buy another system, copy of the game, TV, etc just to play a game in the same room as a friend.

Often I play indie games from Steam.

Risk of Rain, Nuclear Throne, Towerfall, No Heros Here...

Do you sit in between them?

Sometimes.

My son just turned six and I got him a Switch for Christmas, it's his first gaming system. Apparently he's still too young to really be able to play the games I bought him, but we have had a lot of fun playing Mario together. He gets extremely excited being the hat and helping out. We've only played 3 or 4 times because I'm not that much of a gamer anymore, but I'd say it has been a positive experience. I wish there were a few more games that he could enjoy on his own though.

I'm not familiar with games for the Switch but the DS had a lot of games that are easy for younger children to play. The trouble is that they get horrible reviews because they're targeted at kids but kids aren't the ones reviewing them. Fortunately the bad reviews mean these games are usually half the price or less of a AAA game like Mario so you can take a gamble and buy a couple.

I recall Mario Party, Rabbids, and Carnival games being popular games for my kids because the mini games were usually pretty simple and easy to understand. The games themselves develop coordination, timing, and problem solving skills that are helpful for kids.

The Animal Crossing games are perhaps a little beyond a 6 year old but they're definitely worth while. The require reading comprehension, resource management, and a bunch of other skills that require a child to think.

Thanks for the advice. The problem is I haven't bought a nintendo device since the super, so I had no idea what I was doing. Looking back the DS might have been better for him. The Switch just looked like so much fun.

Mario Odyssey is super great for the younger crowd. Turn on Assist Mode and it gives you arrows to direct you to your next goal and some extra health, my 9yo is able to manage without assistance. The 7yo is more than happy to be the hat in 2p, even if he does sometimes troll his brother.

I always wondered what the assist mode is. I think I will give that a try. I've noticed that he has fun just hanging out in the city and jumping around messing with things. So I have no regrets with Mario. The Pokemon however was a huge bust, because it wasn't cheap. It looks like a great game for an older kid. But he bought it with his Christmas money because he likes Pokemon, and then we started it and I can barely figure out everything that is going on with it.

Once he's old enough to play, Snipperclips is a fun co-op puzzle solving game.

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