OT: Video games with your kids

Grand Theft Auto.

I play the new remastered Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1&2 on xbox w/ my 6 year old and 4 year old girls. They love creating characters, and can actually do some tricks. It's pretty fun and I highly recommend it.

Any Lego Game (Dimensions was great, but is discontinued), or sports game or even 1:1 fighting game (like Super Smash on the Switch) as long as it's not too realistic.

The switch is much better for kids games and playing with them.

Call of Duty. In a few short sessions, your loving child will transform into a toxic demon that tells everyone that he fucked their mother.

Grand Theft Auto!  Just treat the prostitutes with respect and it's all good.

I destroy my kids in Madden until they cry.  Teach them the disappointment in life that awaits them in but a few short decades. 

Overcooked/Overcooked 2 - co-op cooking game that may end up with you screaming at everyone around you.  But tons of fun once you get it right.

Any cartoony racing game, e.g. Team Sonic Racing - like Mario Kart, but with Sonic characters

Any of the SkyForce games - vertical shoot-em up.  Good clean fun for any age.

Little Big Planet is a good one. A platformer that has a very cute aesthetic and can be difficult at times but super entertaining to play in a group.

Caveat is I'm nowhere near dad age so I don't know if it's too difficult or not.

I don't think it's on PS4 as I'm an elitist PC gamer, but Roblox. We usually do co-op stuff, little do the other kids we're playing against know they're getting slaughtered by a middle-aged guy who is getting a false ego pump.

I got out my old N64 with steering wheel and pedals controllers and played Sanfrancisco Rush, and my kids like it.

I hope to get a PS5 sometime as a late birthday gift/ xmas gift so I can get the new xwing game. It is available on the PS4 as the same game I think. I am hoping to get a flight stick too.  I'm guessing my kids may have fun trying to fly Star Wars ships. (Although this is mainly for me to get to play with my brothers who live far away).

Tearaway Unfolded is a great game for kids and parents to enjoy together. It's cutesy, not at all difficult (very forgiving) and it also has an online site where you and your kids can create papercraft from the game. Since it's an older game, you can typically buy it on sale or at a reduced price, like now for only $5!

My 6 and 4 year old boys love the Lego games. My 12 and 10 year old girls like Horizon. My 2 year old daughter likes going through their stuff while they're playing video games.

My kids are my carry on Warzone

I am an addict so probably don't take advice from me. But, kids are more advanced at these things than you think. Just let them get good at it in their own way. Anyways, my road went like this:

Super Mario/Duck Hunter Combo

Then Sonic 

Then I got into sports video games and never ever looked back. 

So start with a platformer. There's probably some good ones out there, but the best bet is to turn off your wifi, open up chrome, and jump over cactus with a T Rex. Then maybe move onto an actual game you need to pay money for. 

Then move into the VR world. Something shooty, but for kids. Astro Bot Rescue Missions maybe?

Then just pull out the latest NHL game and help them win the Stanley Cup. Put it on the easiest setting. Maybe play as the opposing team and pull your goalie. Get the kid's confidence up so they don't give up before they get good enough to enjoy the real thing. One time I did this with NHL 94 and I scored 100 goals. It was the dumbest thing in the world, but I had a blast as a 6 year old, and still remember it 24 years later. 

I have a 6 year old. We started with Lego Ninjago and Lego Marvel Superheroes games on the PS4, they're very kid friendly, you don't really have to worry about dying or anything. Now he likes to play Fifa and Madden against me, where I usually set his difficulty to easy and mine to All-pro. Fifa actually has a one-button control mode which is great for kids.

We're getting him a Switch for Xmas, with the usual Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros type games, which he already plays pretty frequently at his friends houses.

I got my kids the Lego Avengers collection.  They enjoyed playing, and when they watched the movies during the covid lockdowns, they already knew most of the characters.  You can also get Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Ninjago depending on what your kids like.

I would also recomend Rocket League.  It is a soccer type game with cars that is easy to play but with enough extra features and skill to keep you interested.  

Nintendo Switch, currently.    My special needs 7 year old and I have some awesome MarioKart battles.   The kid can basically beat me now.      My healthy "normal" 9 year old has gotten in to a really fun game called Rocket League, which isn't what it sounds like, but is a team driving game in this arena where you attempt to knock a ball into a soccer or basketball goal.

Eventually here we will get a PS for the older one.   (Can't wait...)

On the Switch, I play PGATour2K21 and that's a hell of a lot of fun.  

This looks pretty cool for the whole family. Comes out next spring I believe.

Minecraft or the cartoon-y racing games. Most of mine are under 8 and that's what we usually play.

Anything Lego-related will be right up their alley. Maybe Madden or any of the other official pro sports games (NHL 2K21 for example) if they're a bit older and like those respective sports, but beyond that I think you're mostly going to be restricted to Lego games.

Can Fall Guys split screen?

The best game i have ever played with my kids was on the Wii U.  It was called Lugis Haunted Mansion if i recall correctly.

You had 1 ghost who used the Wii U game display to see everything, then on the TV 3/4 other players played characters with flashlights, but could not see the ghost unless they shined the flashlight on the ghost, or randomly lightning would show the ghost for a fraction of a second.  

It was the most amazing multiplayer game to play with family.  They were unforgettable times.

Definitely need more details on your kids' age and interests -- can they read?  Do they have any interests in any video game franchises (Pokemon, Star Wars, Avengers, etc.).

Based on them being "at an age now where they have the cognitive and motor skills to play something" I'm guessing they're 5-ish?

If they're into music/dancing, the Just Dance franchise is pretty fun, it's multiplayer, and will give your kids some exercise.

Along the same lines, I have a 6 year old niece that really liked Ring Fit Adventure for Nintendo Switch, and it's also good for physical activity (pretty good workout game for adults too).  It's not multiplayer, but you can take turns playing the minigames.

I would recommend the Nintendo Switch for younger kids in general, since it has a lot of exclusives that are geared toward younger kids.  Mario Kart has a lot of "driving assist" options that make it accessible even for really young kids.  The "Let's Go" Pokemon games are a good way to get your kids to practice reading too.  Edit: Oh, and the new Mario Kart Home Circuit game looks like something that kids would really get a kick out of.  It comes with a real life RC car and you create a race course in real life and there's an AR element of playing the game on TV while the actual RC car goes around the track in real life.

Minor threadjack: anyone have a TV recommendation to pair with the new generation of consoles? Looks to me like you need 4k with a 120 Hz refresh rate to take advantage of them, and that appears to be about a $500 investment from what I'm seeing. Any advice is appreciated. 

I just wish video games could go back to the before time when winning wasn’t determined by how much money you spent on gems and upgradables, etc, etc. Micro-transactions are the devil’s handiwork. 

Was just looking at this recommended list yesterday.  It's really comprehensive and list games that are good for families of all skill levels.  Give it a look!

https://www.taminggaming.com/search/category/Work+Together+to+Thrive

Mario Maker is great. I’ll make my daughter custom-made mario levels that she cannot really lose, and she has a blast. Plays for maybe 10 minutes, but still. 

They've brought back Leisure Suit Larry ... or so I hear.