Why Video Games are Great for Family Bonding
Some rights reserved by kennymaticAs video games become more mainstream they’ve gained greater diversity, new categories, and more genres than ever before. This has led to a multitude of new uses, roles, and niches video games can fill in today’s society. Perhaps one of the most surprising is the role of family bonding.
Video games, in general, tend to be a somewhat controversial subject. Quite often any discussion of them gets tainted with thoughts of over saturation of violence or obsessed online playing. But, if you’re already a fan of video games, you know they offer quality enjoyment, intense bonding power, and personal fulfillment.
It shouldn’t surprise you that my father and I played video games together. As a matter of fact, some of my fondest family memories come from my father and I huddled around our Nintendo in our garage, furiously trying to beat the next level in Mario. I cherish these memories greatly, for several reasons. Likely, they’re the same reasons your child will love playing video games with you.
Having my father engage in an activity I enjoyed directly demonstrated my importance.
So often adults try and have a child engage in an activity they, at best, know nothing of or mildly enjoy. At worst, parents thrust their children into sports or activities their children have no affinity for, and perhaps actively dislike. By having my father do the opposite, and engage with me on an activity of my own choosing, it showed that I was important enough for him to make the effort, rather than force me into doing something he’d enjoy.
It was just the two of us attempting to overcome obstacles together.
There are very few activities where you can directly interface with your child, just the two of you, and overcome direct obstacles and achieve goals. Video games excel at this, offering conquerable resistance that requires teamwork and goal sharing. Often times, without the ability to work together and communicate effectively, beating a video game (winning) is often impossible. And what two skills need to be built up in families more than communication and teamwork?
Sharing an activity helped overcome any struggles we were having outside the activity.
There are, and always will be, times you don’t get along with your parents, child, and family in general. Living in close quarters and sharing much of your lives will at times cause friction. But, when my father and I played video games, that friction disappeared. It was a great bridge to close any recent and temporary distance or discomfort.
It was a great time in general to talk and share my life with my father.
Beyond just helping us stay close, it helped make us close originally. While playing video games we’d talk about what was going on in our lives, any frustrations, and in general how I was feeling about everything. It was a great time to share, which really helped us bond.
Whether you’re actually interested in video games, or just want to bond with your family, you should consider taking up video games. And even if you fall in the realm of those who think video games promote unhealthy habits, there are still options for you to consider, due to the diversity of video games.
A great category for parents new to video games, and perhaps reluctant, are browser based games. These video games tend to be easy to learn, fun to play, and quick to master and beat. There’s not much time investment, and quick and easy turn around rewards. A currently popular version of these are online farm games. These are fun, satisfying, and appropriate for any age.
bonding, family, mario, nintendo, online games, teamwork, video games 
Reader Comments (3)
Too much of anything is bad, but if an action is done out of the motive to share time and experience, I think that is a positive experience for the child and parent.
Thanks for lunch and welcome.