Gateway to Gaming

Ahead of the holiday season, we gathered some of our favorite video game recommendations focused on family interaction, spoke with Jackbox Games and Halfbrick (creators of Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen) about what it takes to make a game that everyone can enjoy together, and even have tips for new parent gamers hoping to introduce kids to their (and our) favorite hobby.

From its inception, video games were created to encourage social interaction. Tennis for Two in 1958, arguably the first video game, had two players compete in digital tennis against one another. The single-player video game came later, and as much as we love them, some of our best gaming memories are centered around playing with family and friends. And as we get older, we’re making new gaming memories with our own kids.

Making video games is hard. That any game crosses the finish line is a miracle of teamwork and perseverance, and the hardest trick of all is making the final product feel effortless. Arguably, none are more practiced at feeling like effortless joy machines than the games that effectively include players of all ages and skill levels in the experience. And to take it a step further, Jackbox Games is perhaps the best at this sub-genre of video games: inclusive party games that are genuinely for everyone.