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Competition within the family can be a good thing — especially when it is the virtual sort. So why not channel that through video games. There is a strong likelihood 2021 may not be the year of ‘away vacations’ for a lot of families in light of the pandemic. Gaming can facilitate some special bonding time and, sure, you do not want your whole family drowning in screen time, but playing video games with your children and/or parents rules, when you are all working, playing, rather, towards a common goal.
Read More | Multi-player video games to keep you social
So, we have rounded up some video games that will undoubtedly lure in even the biggest non-gamer, whatever the generation.
Overcooked 2
Do not let the adorable graphics fool you; Overcooked 2 is intense, with diabolically-planned levels that amp up the fun. The premise is simple: your team of chefs have to make various types of delicious food and serve impatient customers within a given time limit. Teamwork is the key, and the game forces you to work with other people to keep those hungry mouths fed.
Overcooked 2 is almost impossible to play solo, and it may be frustrating at first, but once your team knows their roles, you will find yourself climbing over the couches in excitement at a round well served.
Nintendo Labo
If your family likes building things and you are tired of the usual Lego. Perhaps you can pick up a few Labo kits, which are cardboard kits you and your children can build together and play games with. Like the Toy-Con kit which has a fishing rod, music game and more. There is a robot kit as well as a driving kit, which you can use with the accompanying games.
- Blue light glasses: You could be hurting your eyes without even knowing it. Chances are you have already been wearing a set of these given the work-from-home settings. Blue light has been shown to disrupt circadian rhythms by up to three hours, while suppressing melatonin production. So blue light glasses minimise these adverse effects.
- The 20-20-20 Rule: This rule helps re-focus your eyes; so everyone at 20-minute intervals should look away from the screen towards an object that is 20 feet in distance for 20 seconds.
- Social distancing: This is not what you think. Do make sure you and your family sit a decent length away from the screen.
Plus, the kits are usually cardboard brown, you can also have fun customising and painting them to suit your taste.
Super Mario Party
Do you like board games, but hate setting them up? Super Mario Party is like a big multi-board game of its own — but the interactive sort. Set in the colourful world of everyone’s favourite plumber, Mario, you can play through several mini-games with up to four players.
From a large board game, you can take turns playing, and to several smaller puzzle games you can play 2-on-2, together. Mario Party is hours of fun while the summer heat sizzles outside.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Whatever it is, Nintendo sure knows how to make some fun games. If you and your family have the need for speed, then Mario Kart 8 is fantastic. Up to four players can play on one Switch console and you can play online with 12 players — perfect if you have family in multiple houses.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is all about racing and upgrading your favourite Mario characters, collecting all forms of cute power-ups such as Koopa shells and banana peels to throw off your friends which makes for a positively competitive experience.
Just Dance series
Ricky Pond is not the only dad worthy of memorable choreography. Break out those moves with Just Dance, a series of music games from Ubisoft, which lets you dance to colourful avatars on the screen. Any edition is fine for Just Dance, as each game is packed with popular tracks, and if you want more, go for the Unlimited membership.
The game is more enjoyable even if you want to keep the children busy while you get some free time for yourself. You can also join in as an entire family as many songs support up to four players. Just make sure you have enough space in your living room!
Fortnite
I know playing a first person shooter in a battle royale is not wholesome family time, but it is fun when you team up. Several families are jumping into the Fortnite craze, ‘squadding’ together to take down other players. This immersive shooter is equally about completing fun quests, unlocking eye-catching costumes and defeating fun cross-over boss events such as the Wolverine or Predator battles.
Plus it is a game free of toxicity, where you can bond and have fun. You can play together from your mobile phones, consoles and PCs or laptops — great if you want to join up with your cousins next door.
FIFA
While the title here just specifies a football game, you can substitute it with any sports game that you and your family likes; it could even be NBA or cricket. If you are all sports enthusiasts, this is the perfect way to get together and play an exciting game. Again, it does not need to even be a sports game, you could indulge in some arcade fighting in Street Fighter. If it is cars you want to race, then Forza Horizon.
Though, coming back to FIFA, very few games are packed with so much fun as football, especially with the consistent improvements in game-play mechanics.
