I love video games. I play with my teen son, with my kindergartener, and both of them at the same time. Since I am an active gamer, I probably know more about video games than the average mom. If a game comes up in a conversation, I repeatedly hear the other mom say something to the effect of, “I’ve never heard of it. I don’t know anything about those games.”. The conversation goes on to share how they would love to be more educated on them so that they can appropriate games for their children but are clueless. You and I both know that when you head to the store, they don’t always know details about the game your interested in. My advice to you is to talk to real, live gamers.
Walmart recently launched a Gamer Network HQ. It’s a skillful group of gamers who are knowledgeable in all the latest video games. They can provide you the product information you’re needing whether it be age appropriate games or two player brain games. They got answers! And for ALL you moms out there completely clueless in the video game world, I recommend you check out the GamerNetworkHQ twitter stream. It’s geared for the moms who need advice in finding those family friendly games and even help in understanding the rating system. They are there all the time to answer your questions. It really is a great resource. I know some walmarts have a setup in the stores for more interactivity but ours did not….disadvantage of a small town, you know?
Truett plays all sorts of games but loves Skylanders, a game published by Activision. We bought him the Skylanders Giants Starter Pack for his Xbox 360. He enjoys the various challenges, getting a start for completing them, and loves being able to switch from one skylander to the next. He quickly picks up on which one is more useful in certain challenges. Skylanders is actually a sequel to Skylanders Spyro’s Adventures. I love that purple dragon. We loved Spyro when they were little so I’m not surprised at how much Truett loves Skylanders Giants, and being able to change out characters makes it even more fun.
Two of the big selling points to this game to me is the fact that it offers co-op play and you get so much in the starter pack for a fantastic price. By simply placing two skylander giants on the portal, it becomes a two player game and at under $75, it’s a bargain. By the way, that may be one of the questions you would have wanted to know and could have asked the gamers on that twitter account I shared. BAM!
Some questions you might wanna ask the folks at GamerNetworkHQ the next time you are making your video game purchase include:
- What age group is this game designed for?
- What do the ratings mean?
- What do the symbols on the package mean?
- Is it co-op play? (is it two player, first person, etc)
- If it’s a sequel like Skylanders, are the characters compatible?
- Are there any other accessories needed to play this game?
You get the idea! And I just wanted to say something about games. Obviously, anything in excess is not good for you so always limit game play. Also, instead of cursing video games, try taking a little bit of interest in some of them with your child. I think you’d be surprised at just how clever your child can become through game play. In any game, there is always some strategy to figure out to progress further or get better and it’s fun to see these things through the eyes of your child. Happy gaming!
Cat Davis says
I try to stay away from video games, I get crazy obsessed with winning and won’t stop till I beat the whole darn game.