Video games have always been a big part of my life, and now they’ve become a way to connect with my daughter in meaningful ways. As someone who’s been gaming since the days of the Atari 2600, I’ve seen how this hobby can grow and evolve. Today, as a dad, I’ve found new ways to share my passion for gaming while balancing parenting responsibilities.
Here’s a look at my journey, how I’ve introduced my daughter to gaming, and some advice for parents who want to share this hobby with their kids.
My Journey Through Gaming
My love for gaming started when I was around five years old in the 1980s. Back then, the Atari 2600 was incredibly popular, and my cousin passed down his system to me and my brother. We played classics like Joust and Moon Patrol a ton, and I still think about those games to this day.
Soon after, we inherited an IBM desktop computer from my aunt, which introduced me to DOS games like Janitor Joe, Commander Keen, and even Leisure Suit Larry — though that one wasn’t exactly kid-friendly. These early experiences sparked a lifelong passion for gaming.
As I got older, I kept buying the latest systems and exploring new games. I didn’t have the budget for systems like the Atari Jaguar or the CD-i, but I had friends who owned them, so I still got to try them out. Today, I enjoy everything from retro classics to the latest releases.
How Parenting Changed My Gaming Habits
Becoming a parent changed the way I approach gaming, but it didn’t take away my love for it. I wanted to introduce my daughter to gaming in a way that was fun and age-appropriate, so I started by playing kid-friendly games that I also enjoyed, like The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.
Wind Waker was one of the first games to get her interested in gaming. She loved the cartoony visuals and enjoyed watching me play. In the early years, I handled most of the gameplay while she watched, but as her eye-hand coordination improved, we started playing games together.
We mostly stick to cooperative games because she doesn’t enjoy competitive ones. Over the years, we’ve had a blast playing games like Minecraft, Roblox, and other smaller indie titles like Unravel. It’s been a great way to connect and enjoy a shared hobby.
Lessons I’ve Learned About Gaming with Kids
I’ve learned a lot about gaming with my daughter over the years. Here are a few tips for parents who want to introduce gaming to their kids:
Find Games You Both Enjoy
It’s important to pick games that are fun for both you and your child. For us, Zelda was the perfect starting point. The Lego games are surprisingly fun too. We loved playing Lego The Incredibles together. It’s hard to stay engaged with games you don’t enjoy, so find that balance. You might have to play through some real duds along the way. Pupperazzi comes to mind.
Gradually Build Skills
As kids grow, they’ll develop the skills to take on more complex games. My daughter went from watching me play to mastering games like Minecraft. Open-world games are particularly great for kids — they can explore, create, and play freely. Two recent games my daughter loved are The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Another parent friend of mine mentioned that his daughter loves Red Dead Redemption 2. That game is very much not kid-friendly, but he doesn’t let her play the missions – she loves to just roam the open world. So that could be another option for you.
Stick to Age-Appropriate Content
Younger kids might find even cartoony violence scary, so I made sure to choose safe, kid-friendly games early on. As she’s gotten older, we’ve explored more mature or complex titles, such as Cuphead, Ratchet and Clank, Spiderman, and Astro Bot.
You can check games for your preferred level of appropriateness on CommonSenseMedia.org. It’s my go-to before playing games with my daughter.
I still play all the games I love, but I play the mature games after she goes to bed.
Gaming Can Teach Real Skills
I’ve always felt that gaming helped me to become a strong reader and puzzle solver. I was always far ahead of my peers in reading, writing, and spelling in school. There’s even research that says gaming may be associated with higher cognitive skills.
Likewise, gaming has been a great tool for building my daughter’s reading skills. Early on, I would read the dialogue out loud to her in games, and over time, she started reading it herself. Text-heavy games like RPGs are perfect for this.
When my daughter was 7, she loved Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch because of the in-depth story and the anime cutscenes. And this game in particular is when I noticed her starting to read the dialogue on her own when we got about halfway through the game.
Gaming as a Creative Outlet
Gaming can even introduce your kids to amazing technical skills like 3D animation. When my daughter discovered that you can create characters in Minecraft and build custom worlds in Roblox, we experimented with both. I downloaded Blockbench and we created a couple of 3D models for Minecraft. We also downloaded Roblox Studio and built our own game in Roblox. While she isn’t able to do it on her own, it’s fun to do together and a great introduction to technical computer skills.
These days, we’ve started exploring content creation together. My daughter loves watching YouTubers like Aphmau, Moody Unicorn Twin, and IamSanna, and dreams of starting her own channel. She’s especially excited about sharing her favorite games, like Roblox, and maybe even getting popular enough to earn Robux from her videos.
We’ve recently recorded several Roblox sessions together to upload to YouTube, and she had so much fun. It’s been a great way to collaborate and create something together, while also teaching her about online safety. I help her come up with ideas, set boundaries for sharing personal information, and guide her on how to handle comments responsibly. I run the channel though, so I can fully moderate what she sees.
Why Gaming Together Matters
Gaming isn’t just a hobby for me — it’s become a way to bond with my daughter and share something we both love. It’s like watching a movie together, but interactive and much more engaging.
If you’re a parent thinking about introducing your child to gaming, my advice is to find games you both enjoy, let the experience evolve naturally, and use it as an opportunity to connect and have fun.