Episode 404 – Connecting Through Gaming

We talk a lot about playing games with your kids. But boardgames aren’t the only way to connect – and they aren’t always the BEST way, either. 0:00:00 Fact for 404 404 BC: Sparta finally defeated Athens, ending the second Peloponnesian War. 404 AD: The last gladiatorial games are held in Rome. Sponsor Message The most popular scam right now is any variation of the authority scam. No bank, police officer, or any other legitimate entity will ever ask for your private data when they call you on the phone. If you’d like to talk to someone about how you can protect your financial assets, remember you can book a free meeting with First Move at firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers (https://firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers) . 0:05:15 What We’ve Been Playing A Gentle Rain (our review (https://www.thefamilygamers.com/a-gentle-rain/) ) HiFi Unmatched: Battle of Legends volume 3 (our review (https://www.thefamilygamers.com/unmatched-volume-3/) ) Fruition Red Letter, Yellow Letter – we played it in the car! Backstories: Emerald Wedding Anniversary (review coming soon) Tesla vs. Edison: War of Currents Juicy Fruits Dinosaur Tea Party (our review (https://www.thefamilygamers.com/dinosaur-tea-party/) ) Prisma Arena (our review (https://www.thefamilygamers.com/prisma-arena/) ) Obelus (our review (https://www.thefamilygamers.com/obelus/) ) Quarto (our review (https://www.thefamilygamers.com/quarto/) ) 0:32:00 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members! (https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/posts/4130864730536319/) You can join the community too, on Facebook. #Backtalk We asked about “low-key” games. You answered on the #backtalk channel (https://discord.com/channels/1157003438425653379/1239323617368604672) on our Discord, and in this post in the Facebook community (https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/posts/4119323098357149/) . Shout out to The Joyful Jedi for his humorous answer for Loki games instead. 0:37:45 Connecting through Gaming Inspired by Kendra’s comments on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/posts/4119672904988835/) . We’ve talked before about WHY to play games with your kids (https://www.thefamilygamers.com/episode-371-why-play-games/) . But a reason that’s easy to skip over is connection: spending time working together on something – or lightly competing – can build memories and emphasize commonalities between people. And the important part is the CONNECTION, not the method you use. Forcing your kids to the table does not really foster connection. (Bartering could work, though.) Instead of always bringing them into the things you enjoy, bring yourself to something they enjoy. Videogame recommendations: Free-for-all fighting games like Super Smash Bros (any version) Ultimate Chicken Horse Gang Beasts Objective-based games: Overcooked Moving Out Totally Reliable Delivery Service Minecraft, of course. “Like playing with LEGO ‘together’.” Two-player cooperative games that have a plot: It Takes Two (content warning: divorce, language – best for teens) Split Fiction (we haven’t played this yet) Unravel Two Death Squared (abstract strategy puzzles for 2-4 players) Jackbox (get teens using their phones to play TOGETHER) Rock Band (or Guitar Hero, etc.) “It simulates the experience of making music together, while removing barriers” Takeaway: Meet your kid on their terms to better connect with them! 1:05:45 New Backtalk Question What video games are you playing with other people LOCALLY? We’re talking couch co-op and local multiplayer. Tell us on the #backtalk channel (https://discord.com/channels/1157003438425653379/1239323617368604672) on our Discord, or in our Facebook community (https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa) . Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa (https://www.facebook.com/familygamersaa) and thefamilygamers.com/community (https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/) Twitter (X): @familygamersaa (https://twitter.com/familygamersAA) Instagram: @familygamersaa (https://www.instagram.com/familygamersaa/) TikTok: @familygamersaa (https://www.tiktok.com/@familygamersaa/) Bluesky: @familygamersaa (https://bsky.app/profile/familygamersaa.bsky.social) Threads: @familygamersaa (https://www.threads.com/@familygamersaa) Youtube: TheFamilyGamers (https://www.youtube.com/TheFamilyGamers) or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord (https://thefamilygamers.com/discord) Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-family-gamers-podcast/id1031290391) or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also ...