Favorite Family Video Games

I am feeling so much better today.  Wow, I am such a baby when I'm sick.  I can breathe better and my mood has changed.  I don't know why I let people get to me but it only happens about once in a while so I think that is good.  I am back to my happy self!

I have been thinking what to share today.  It is Wednesday so it's my Favorite Things.  I thought I would do video games.  Yes, the nerd in me is coming out today.  I am been playing video games since I was little, I still have my Atari.  Video games have come a long way from Pong.  I am lucky to have a son that enjoys video games as much as me.  Addison started playing early because I was playing when he was baby.  I think his first video game he really played was Halo.  I think before Halo he was just pushing button but this game really made him understand to concept of faming.  Well, our family is not a typical gaming family.  JT wasn't really into video games until he met me.  Now he he loves them because we play as a family.  Our video games of choice are 2 player or co-op games.  It's fun to spend the day together shooting up enemies.  Our top video games for our family are:

1. Gears of War - this game started JT's madness of 1st person shooters.  When we bought this game he made me stay up all night to try to finish it.  He finally let me get some sleep when we were stuck.  The controls are the best with this game.  Being able to duck, jump, roll and covering is not like any other 1st person shooter game.  I warn you it's violent for children but you can turn the blood off.  
2. Gear of War 2 - I know but this one is better than Gear of War 1 because of the storyline,  The weapons seem better too and the aliens are better.  This one also seemed a little more difficult to me.  
3. Halo - I let Addison play this game when he was 5.  I know some of you might think that's too young but Halo is a 1st person shooter but it's not real blood it's blue blood.  Addison would always tell me it didn't look real.  The story line is good. The graphics are great.  It's not as dark and violent as the Gear of War games.  Addison says the only reason it's M for mature is because of the language. 
4. Halo 2 and 3 -  I'l lump these together because the whole Halo series is great.  I consider it a young teens first person shooter games.  It's bright and pretty but you can still kill aliens.  I think the Halo seres is one of the most popular first person shooter video games.  
5. Lego Star Wars-  We love the Lego video games.  They follow the movies pretty close.  And there is something so cute the see all the character you love as lego pieces.  Everything is lego pieces from ships to plants.  
6. Lego Harry Potter - follows all the movies up to the last one.  Very cute but seemed a little more difficult than the other Lego games.  
7. Lego Indiana Jones - this is my second favorite behind Lego Star Wars.  I think I just love Indiana Jones.  But the games follows all the four Indiana Jones movies.  Oh and this was one of the first Lego video games that did spit screen the right way.  In the first Lego video games when 2 people were playing they had stay pretty much together.  
8. Lego Clone Wars- another addition to the Star Wars series but follow the storyline from the Clone Wars series on Cartoon Network.  This is the newest one out of the Lego series.  
9. The Xbox Kinetic games - there have only been a few kinetic games to come out since Christmas but they have been some fun ones, like the sports games and the dance games.  I love the Xbox Kinetic because it gets us moving as a family and it's just so silly.  
10. The Raymond Rabbids games-  these are Wii games and of course I have to mention the Wii.  The Nintendo Wii changed gaming by using your body.  Nintendo is great for the family because most Nintendo games are kid friendly.  The Raymond Rabbids games are not two player but we take turns and they are so silly.  Some of the games do have mini-games that you can play with more than one player.  

As you can see we really only love 4 types of games.  We have many other games but these are the games we play together over and over again.  The Lego series is not a 1st person shooter games is more like an adventure game with you as lego characters.  If you don't want you kids to play

 anything violent I would suggest these.  The Lego series is perfect for kids at any age.  The Gear of Wars games are dark and violent.  I would probably say wait until your kids are at least 10 to play these games.  I think it depends on your child and their maturity level.  Addison has been shooting real guns since 5 so we believe certain video games are ok.  The Halo series is violent but as a stated before it's a different type of violence.  It's not really bloody or graphic.  I guess the best thing is to play the games yourself to see what the games are about.  I see so many times parent at Best Buy picking up games for their children and they have no earthly idea what the game is about.  Some games are way too mature for children, example grand theft auto.  They do not only have just language and violence but sex, so watch what your kids are playing.  Addison is smart enough to know when a game is too scary for him.  He sees previews of games and if the preview scares him he doesn't want to play it.  He also has friends that play games that he thinks are too scary for him, like Dead Space 1 and 2.

The Xbox Kinetic, the Wii, and the Playstation move has changed gaming.  Most hardcore gamers do not like these systems because they say they are not real gaming.  I think they are for people that aren't gamers.   They make anyone able to enjoy playing a video game, you don't have to be tech or gaming savvy.  If I had to pick one console for a family, I would pick the Wii because I believe it has something for everyone.  But, now since the Xbox Kinetic is out I believe it will make motion gaming better and better games will be created.  

I would like to say also, Addison is only allowed to play video games on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays so that's when we play these games with him.  He has started to get into the online gaming with the Halo games.  That's when he can play with his friends or other people.  I am not crazy about online gaming.  Too many kids get sucked into it and ends up being the only thing they do.  We have limited his online gaming to 1-2 hours on the weekends so he can play with his friends.  And we monitor who he's playing and always tell him to never give any information about himself.  

I mention online gaming because it's the one thing I don't like about video games but it has become really big in the gaming world.  There are too many people online from all over the world of different ages.  I believe there are too many young people online that are not being monitored.  But I also believe there are too many young people on the internet that are not being monitored.  There are some positives about online gaming like Addison is able to play his friends that live far away.  It's a way they can chat and bond without being at each others house.  But, online gaming will never replace running around with your friends outside.