Lists

Some games do a really good job of bringing in new players. The quiz game Buzz, Just Dance and the PlayLink PlayStation games you control with your phone are welcoming to people who don't think of themselves as gamers.

 
26/11/2024 / 7 weeks ago

We are running the Family Gaming Zone at ComicCon London (October 25^th-27^th 2024). As you can see below, we'll have a wide selection of video games for you to try out. Talk to one of our on-hand experts to find a game that's a perfect match for your family using the special search page on the database. From big AAA games to the small indies we're aiming to have something for everyone.

 
22/10/2024 / 12 weeks ago

We track the best prices and discounts for our favourite games. Because we don't get any money from these sales, they are a uniquely independent way to find bargains for your family -- often for just a few pounds or dollars. Browse our top picks here, or check out our longer list of really cheap games.

 
15/10/2024 / 3 months ago

Ludwig is a new BBC drama starring David Mitchel as accidental detective John 'Ludwig' Taylor. Each episode John takes on a puzzling crime scene while also trying to "crack the biggest puzzle of his life - finding his missing brother?"

 
08/10/2024 / 3 months ago

Video games, like urban planning or architecture, create spaces for us to enter. Like those other disciplines, video game spaces can offer a chance to address relationships, history and identity in open and generative ways. However, also like those other disciplines, they can only exist to funnel and restrict allowed behaviour in the direction of the institution that owns the space.

 
16/05/2024 / 8 months ago

Of course the way of the industry is to encourage us to upgrade to newer technology. There are lots of reasons to continue enjoying your PS4. However, if you want to know what other games you could also play if you upgraded to PS5, here's a list for you.

 
13/05/2024 / 8 months ago

Of course, the way of the industry is to encourage us to upgrade to newer technology. There are lots of reasons to continue enjoying your Xbox One. However, if you want to know what other games you could also play if you upgraded to Xbox Series X|S, here's a list for you.

 
13/05/2024 / 8 months ago

In England, if something terrible happens or some drama unfolds our first instinct is to get the kettle on for a nice cup of tea. It gives us something comforting to do (and then hold and warm us) when life throws a curve ball.

 
04/05/2024 / 8 months ago

Games create space that invites you to experience what it feels like to be someone else. Whether on your own or with others, this inevitably frames conversations about what you have experienced.

 
01/05/2024 / 8 months ago

Thinky games are an increasingly popular type of video game that call on your brain power more than your reactions. You complete levels and progress by working out the (often impossible-seeming) solution to the scenario in front of you. They are a deeply satisfying challenge, particularly when you find the answer to a tricky conundrum the developer has presented you.

 
29/03/2024 / 9 months ago

There are many games that have their own language or create a world where characters have their own history. Less common are games that task you with deciphering words into sentences, or discovering how letters and symbols come together to make meaning.

 
28/03/2024 / 9 months ago

Many games include cards as a way to offer the player a choice or collections of items. There are a handful that use classic playing cards more directly, though. These games often subvert or lean into the common understanding of how these Clubs, Hearts, Diamonds and Spades work. Often with fascinating results.

 
11/03/2024 / 10 months ago

Shooting is a popular way to engage players in video games. There's something innately rewarding about getting good at aiming and feeling powerful when you hit your target. One interesting twist on this experience is games that do the shooting for you, but leave it down to you to efficiently get around the levels and make strategic weapon choices.

 
06/03/2024 / 10 months ago

Play is hugely important in children's lives, this much is common knowledge. Less well known is that it is enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as a fundamental right of children.

 
14/02/2024 / a year ago

If you have enjoyed the Traitors TV Show or similar shows that came before and inspired it, like The Mole. Here is a list of games that also offer you the chance to be a Faithful or a Traitor in lots of different ways.

 
10/01/2024 / 12 months ago

Each year those who write about video games like to collect together the best games they have played. These lists often contain the same games over and over, which got us wondering: what would a Game of the Year list look like without the Big Blockbuster, Licenced or Popular games included? Here's our alternative Game of the Year list without those games included.

 
01/01/2024 / 12 months ago

Video games are usually thought of as something for young people. In fact, many parents hope that their kids will grow out of playing games. However, more likely, they will have a lifelong relationship with video games in some form or other.

 
13/11/2023 / 14 months ago

Video games are often thought to be power fantasies about shooting. While many offer this experience, there are a growing number that look at other sources of power. In particular, the power our parents hold over us and the power we hope to grant to our children.

 
06/11/2023 / 14 months ago

Video games are known for finding some small (often peculiar) part of life and turning it into a game. The moment of firing a gun, jumping over a ditch or even cooking the perfect meal have all been the subject of successful games. However, there are some games that go in the opposite direction and turn their attention on the largest aspects of life.

 
30/10/2023 / 14 months ago

Games are often about destruction rather than creation and include acts of killing, felling and undoing. With news of the "Beloved Tree in England Felled in Act of Vandalism" as the New York Times put it, we may imagine that video games are (as is the instinct) in some way to blame.

 
02/10/2023 / 15 months ago

Most often in games, we are battling to survive no matter the cost to others. Games are usually a story about the wielding of power to achieve worthy ends. However, there are some games that embrace the limits of this use of power.

 
13/09/2023 / 16 months ago

We are running the Family Gaming Area at EGX London (October 12^th-15^th 2023). As you can see below, we'll have a wide selection of video games for you to try out. Talk to one of our on-hand experts to find a game that's a perfect match for your family using the special search page on the data. From big AAA games to the small indies we're aiming to have something for everyone.

 
08/09/2023 / 16 months ago

Many games present a substantial challenge. This is often about quick reflexes or your ability to deal with multiple systems at the same time. There is a specific set of games that focus on the challenge of a layered, complex conundrum you need to decipher to succeed.

 
22/06/2023 / 19 months ago

Video games let you step into the shoes of someone else. For a long time, the lead characters were dominated by men but more recently games have offered protagonists of a wider set of genders. Still, there aren't many with a woman hero who faces challenges and opportunities unique to her identity.

 
08/04/2023 / 21 months ago

That video games can be like playgrounds for children is clear from even briefly observing how children move and interact in online play. Hone in on Adventure Playgrounds specifically and there's a deeper match in how children used fixed equipment for imaginative play, made-up games and (sometimes) its intended purposes. Go further to consider their history in Junk Playgrounds and the ongoing role of Playworkers and we are way beyond a qualifying metaphor to a new way of valuing play(-frames) in video games.

 
04/04/2023 / 21 months ago

As the old saying goes: Parents, you can't live with them, you can't shoot them. Coming to terms with the family we have grown up in takes time and isn't always easy. It's perhaps no surprise that there are lots of video games that use this as the backdrop to their narrative and interactions.

 
19/03/2023 / 22 months ago

Designing for Children’s Rights (D4CR) is a global non-profit association, supporting the Designing for Children’s Rights Guide that integrates the U.N. rights of the child in design, business and development of products and services around the world.

 
14/03/2023 / 22 months ago

If you ask for suggestions of video games for your children to play there's often a strong response on social media - all the more so if you are a non-gamer. Although these suggestions are often helpful, they circulate the same small pool of popular games, often at the expense of less familiar titles.

 
02/03/2023 / 22 months ago

Like most forms of media, video games often save the best and most interesting chapters until the end. However, there are many games that set you loose in their world without barriers or restrictions. Most interesting, I think, are games that do this without it being obvious that the world is your oyster.

 
01/03/2023 / 23 months ago

Quite a few video games include bikes as a means to get around. But there are some special experiences that let bike transit take centre stage. And when they do that it's one of the most satisfying ways to get around a video game world.

 
09/02/2023 / 23 months ago

Video games are largely about what's on the screen, the clue's in the name, right? But there are some games that get the player to close their eyes and engage with other senses. There's something magical about relinquishing the visual world for a while and embracing the idea of engaging with a virtual world with just sound (and maybe some controller haptics).

 
07/02/2023 / 23 months ago

This is our list of video games where you can continue improving for many years of play. We don't think that excelling in a video game is in the same category as learning a new language, singing or becoming a doctor. It's no surprise, there are a lot of reasons that these are very different pursuits. However, we generally misunderstand how much skill, knowledge, intuition, theory and expertise (amongst other things) are required to be the best at a specific game. Video games have a far higher skill ceiling than it seems.

 
31/01/2023 / 23 months ago

There's nothing quite like messing around on the water in a boat. It's even more fun if you can do it with a friend. As in life, so also in video games. The combination of seafaring (or river-faring) and cooperative challenges works really well.

 
17/01/2023 / 2 years ago

The Digital Futures Commission's A Vision of Free Play in a Digital World report outlines the key qualities of "free play" for what "good" looks like in a digital world. The team from 5Rights Foundation and LSE set out ambitious expectations for children’s free play in all contexts.

 
17/01/2023 / 2 years ago

Video games often challenge a variety of mental capacities requiring the player to process information and respond accordingly. With the right focus of application, video games have the potential to be effective therapeutic tools for addressing various cognitive abilities.

 
12/01/2023 / 2 years ago

Many video games are a way to develop and sustain meaningful relationships with others. From a therapeutic perspective, this means they also have the potential to help individuals and groups develop their social interactions. This can include individuals with autism, down syndrome, traumatic brain injury or with sensory processing disorder.

 
09/01/2023 / 2 years ago

Playing any video game requires a degree of movement from the player. However, motion-controlled games require a greater degree of movement and are therefore more useful from a therapeutic perspective.

 
04/01/2023 / 2 years ago

These are the games we've picked from up-and-coming releases this year, because they are of particular interest to families. You can read more about how we hand-pick games for a few reasons:

• Importance: They are important for parents to know about, perhaps because of some unexpected content.
• Popularity: They are really popular with children, who will be asking to play them.
• Significance: They offer an unusual experience we think families will love.

 
01/01/2023 / 2 years ago

These are the games we've just added to the database this month, because they are of particular interest to families. You can read more about how we hand-pick games for a few reasons:

• Importance: They are important for parents to know about, perhaps because of some unexpected content.
• Popularity: They are really popular with children, who will be asking to play them.
• Significance: They offer an unusual experience we think families will love.

 
01/01/2023 / 2 years ago

These are the games we've picked from new releases this month, because they are of particular interest to families. You can read more about how we hand-pick games for a few reasons:

• Importance: They are important for parents to know about, perhaps because of some unexpected content.
• Popularity: They are really popular with children, who will be asking to play them.
• Significance: They offer an unusual experience we think families will love.

 
01/01/2023 / 2 years ago

Video games are essentially entertainment media that are usually designed to make money. Interestingly, they are also a powerful way to look at what agency we have (or don't have) in our lives dominated by a capitalistic imperative.

 
23/12/2022 / 2 years ago

Sailing is something not everyone has access to. If you grow up with parents who are into sailing, you will likely have a way into the exciting activity. If you didn't however, it's unlikely you have spent much time on the water.

 
22/12/2022 / 2 years ago

As with any commercial media, it's common to make use of an existing franchise for characters, worlds and stories. Video games based on franchises are often popular because of the association. The best examples of these are also popular because they are also good games in their own right.

 
14/12/2022 / 2 years ago

They might say that "the first cut is the deepest", but when it comes to video games there are many experiences where the second time through is the one that you really love. From games that intentionally offer a "New Game +" where you go again with more equipment and upgrades, to games that are more fun once you know what's really going on, this is a list of games that people love to play a second time.

 
17/11/2022 / 2 years ago

Video games are often praised for how good they look. Some games let you use these beautiful spaces to take photos. It's a feature that's growing in popularity both in terms of how often it's provided and how much people are using it.

 
04/11/2022 / 2 years ago

Often we think about video game narrative as what characters and narrators tell us. But the worlds in which we play these games are often as dense and rich with story as any other aspect of the experience.

 
01/11/2022 / 2 years ago

Games are often about fighting. The abilities, weapons and special powers that characters have get a lot of attention. But a really huge part of many games is how to combat and defend attacks from enemies. This is a list of games where the most enjoyable and fun aspect is the dodge-roll or parry.

 
19/10/2022 / 2 years ago

From the paper fortune tellers we used to make in school, to intricate origami birds, the playful folding of paper into interesting objects has long overlapped with other types of games. Origami appears in video games and board games surprisingly often. This list looks at the best games that put paper folding to the test.

 
18/10/2022 / 2 years ago

We often talk about video games not only being entertainment because they are a new way to tell stories. However, some games use narrative as the way you interact with the game. Whether you are exploring a living breathing world, making choices that impact the story or even just deciding how things are said, narrative is the thing you are working with.

 
11/10/2022 / 2 years ago

Whether at Halloween or other times of the year, people love games that spook and scare them. There are loads of games that offer experiences as disturbing as you want. However, it can be hard to find games that have a spooky or scary theme but don't take things "too far".

 
07/10/2022 / 2 years ago