5 Awesome Family-Friendly Video Games
5 family-friendly PC games to pass the time with your kiddos.
By C.A. Ramirez
Beat your kids (in a video game), and alleviate your frustrations!
Sometimes, as a parent, our children frustrate us to no end. Taking out sweet revenge against a misbehaving child through a video game is not only enjoyable, it’s therapeutic. For instance, the other day I told my girls not to irritate the badger that has taken up residence in our pantry. We haven’t used it for months, but this is California and common law does apply. According to a stack of mail on top of some weathered newspapers, he’s been paying the gas bill since quarantine. Long story short, I cleaned up quite a mess and was able to unwind and forgive my girls through the wonder of PC gaming.
Here are five family-friendly PC games that you should enjoy with your kiddos when you are most peeved with their ill behavior.
1.
Title: Wobbly Life
A pandemic-era gem. RubberBandGames (2020).
Developer: RubberBandGames
Publisher: RubberBandGames
This is a gloriously quirky 3rd person open world game where players are encouraged to explore and have fun the environment. You can customize your avatars via in-game currency that you receive for completing odd jobs around the world.
It’s a multiplayer delight, but it does not support same-screen multiplayer, so each player needs their own PC and monitor. There is no fighting or blood in this gem, as the game centers around the hilarious rag-doll physics and awkward control schemes that make even the most mundane actions and tasks an absolute hilarity.
2.
Title: Cake Bash
Smash your dessert. Cake Bash (2020).
Developer: High Tea Frog
Publisher: Coatsink
Quarantine has put pressure on all of us in some way or another, and this game is a fantastic way to release that tension. Each player chooses a confection-based avatar, and a mini-game is then voted upon by all parties involved. Cake Bash as a version of Mario Party, but after a few minutes, you realize this game is actually fun. It is a genuine blast and easy to pick up and play.
Cake Bash supports 4 players, so I recommend using a PS4 or Xbox One controller because either one is much easier to use than a keyboard.
3.
Title: Shotgun Farmers
As it turns out, corn can kill you. Shotgun Farmers (2019).
Developer: Megastorm Games
Publisher: Megastorm Games
My personal favorite. Yes, the word gun and shot are in the title, but I assure you this will not have your children primed for modern warfare. This may be paradoxical, but Shotgun Farmers is the most child friendly FPS that is not overt in its religious influences.
Free of any gore or gut-wrenching death animations, players use fruits and vegetables that have converted into weapons. The Double Cob gun shoots out corn nibbles while pineapples stand in for grenades. In my opinion, weaponized produce is the best way to run and gun with your kids.
4.
Title: Don’t Starve Together
An oldie-but-goldie. Don’t Starve Together (2016).
Developer: Klei Entertainment
Publisher: Klei Entertainment
Dark in its artistic tone, this title offers a great introduction to the crafting and survival genres. Players take control of a top-down view where the elements and animals conspire against you. Resources need to be gathered and refined so that campfires can warm you in winter while providing a heat source to cook your freshly snared wildlife.
Though a bit more mature in nature, it is not plagued with too much gore, but there are moments of animated violence—no worse than Looney Tunes or The Animaniacs. The game’s setting lends itself to plenty of opportunities to explain the outdoors and the dangers present. If you enjoy hiking or camping and your kids don’t, I suggest you play this game with them. I hated breaking bricks with my head until I discovered there could be gold coins inside them. It’s all about perspective and broadening the horizons of our children.
5.
Title: Deep Rock Galactic
Do you have the stones? Deep Rock Galactic (2018).
Developer: Ghost Ship Games
Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing
Finally a title with some chest hair on it. Navigating procedurally generated caverns in search of precious minerals, riches, fame, and fortune are the goals here, dear Mediums. This game is probably the most fun you will have with your children.
The violence is stepped-up a but in Deep Rock Galactic, but it is against alien creatures defending sparkling treasure troves, like so many fairy-tale dragons. There is no same-screen multiplayer, so every miner needs their own PC and monitor, but the replay value is exceptional — so much so that I can strongly recommend playing this even if you don’t have kids.
And there you have it, dear Mediums. 5 family-friendly video games.
This article originally appeared on Medium.com (March 11, 2021).