I’ve been a gamer since I was five years old, now when I say a “gamer,” I mean everything from video games (My first was an atari), to board games, to tabletop RPGs. I’ve played hundreds of hours of D&D, magic the gathering, chess, checkers, board games galore, atari, Intellivision, ColecoVision, NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, N64, Playstation -1,2,3, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS Vita, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch, and PC games. Gaming has been a part of my life literally for as long as I can remember!

Now as a father, my kids continue this tradition and we find us bonding as a family over games, fun, and gathering together as a familial unit. Nothing excites all of us like a new board game or bonding over video games we’re playing. It’s so different from what previous generations had, whereas they couldn’t bond or reach their teens, for us, gaming does that in our household. 

With two teens and two little ones 6 and 8, sometimes the choice of games involves picking a couple of them and switching between them, but everyone has a bast. Aside from bonding, gaming helps make faster decisions, teaches good sportsmanship, and helps players to develop hand-eye coordination (in video games). Board games help develop imagination and creative solutions while working within the confines of rules and structure. 

If you don’t game in your family, try it, it’s even great bonding for couples, especially with games that are cooperative. You can thank me later…