Jo Robertson is a parent contributor to the Family Video Game Database. Today on our blog, she demonstrates why it’s the ideal resource for any parents looking to understand the games their children are playing.

We have just had a particularly wet and miserable lockdown half term, where I was constantly struggling to find ways to keep my children amused. If I were an ideal mum I would be crafting and baking and getting them to be creative all the time,  but there is only so much energy I have for that with small children. 

As for a lot of parents at the moment, screens are a useful answer (and let's face it, they are having more screen time than ever at the moment). So how do I make sure my kids’ screen time is healthy and they are playing games that are suitable for them? 

It’s easy to assume that video games are just mindless entertainment, but you’d be surprised at the number of games out there that inspire creativity.  If, like me, you didn’t grow up playing games and all you really know about them are the bad headlines about addiction and violence, it’s hard to know how to find the right information.

Don’t feel overwhelmed! There is increasingly more balanced and helpful information out there for parents. One resource that is really helpful is the Family Video Game Database and Taming Gaming book. The author, Andy Robertson, encourages parents to engage with their kids gaming-life rather than taking on the lock it away and worry approach. This sounds like more hard work but as I found, actually sitting down to play video games with my kids is really fun.

On the database you can search in really clever ways. There are lots of the usual filters to help narrow things down: age rating, what kind of devices and systems you have, how many players (maybe your kids get on better playing alone, or maybe it’s more fun to pay something together)  

But what I really like is the chance to search by what kind of game experience you want to have. This is a really nice setting, as it really brings a human feel. For example, I searched for ‘Games to Get Children Cooking’ with the age rating PEGI 7+, as I have primary-aged kids and we have a Nintendo Switch.

It came up with some really nice suggestions, including:

• Toca Life - a ‘digital toybox’ which gives children digital playsets like a shop or a hospital.
  
  
• Good Pizza, Great Pizza - a cooking game about running your own pizza restaurant.
  
  
• Inbento - a puzzle game about making sushi meals for a family of cute cats
  
  

About Natterhub

Natterhub is an educational social media platform created to prepare primary school children to thrive online. 

Our interactive lessons give children all the skills that they need to stay safe in a digital landscape, and our Badges of Honour help teachers to keep track of their progress. 

With a cleverly designed interface that looks and feels like social media, children learn in an environment that feels like the real deal whilst teachers can make use of the extensive Natterhub content library to keep pupils engaged and inspired.

Natterhub is powered by TwinklHive, and is used in over 40 countries around the world. Twinkl, a global educational publishing house, offers primary and secondary resources to 8.5 million members, across 197 countries.