Game reviewers fret over whatever system we’re given to score – whether it is a 100% scale, a 1-10 rating, or a 5 star scale like at GamerDad. We anguish over half-points, look over our own history to ensure consistency, and generally think way too much about the whole thing. Turns out that our kids have a much better gauge of whether or not a game is good – and it gets around the common problem I face of dealing with games that are fun but loaded with problems.

I was playing the DS pinball game Flipper Critters while we were watching some lazy Saturday movie, and my boys were on either side watching. After about 30 minutes of elapsed play, I asked if they would like a turn. Neither took me up on it – and even when I said ‘it won’t count against your game time’ they still refused. My older son said “I learned everything I needed to know about that game watching you play it – and none of it makes me want to play.” My younger guy didn’t even want any of the furry creatures as stuffed animals, saying that they were mean and rude without meaning to be and he found them annoying. This discussion led me to discover that there were four ratings they gave games:

I would spend my game time on this without a second thought. This is reserved for games they love – flavors of Zelda, Metroid, Shadow the Hedgehog, Mario, Sam & Max, and … wait, Shadow the Hedgehog?!?! Yep – they LOVE that game. I tried to warn my older son off – even had him rent it before buying it. That only convinced him more that he loved it! Goes to show you – it isn’t about the critical review, it is all about the ‘fun factor’. When friends come over … guess what is popular with almost all of them? Yep.

I would use game time for it, but more often than not something better gets the time. Often this is games they have played a bunch or that are just average. Something like Rebel Strike might be fun as a full family deal, but never comes out in solo mode or even with just the two kids. Same for Cooking Mama – they only want to play it when they can get their REAL Mama involved 😉

I would play this only if it doesn’t count for game time. My kids love playing games I get for review – but they don’t want to have it cost them their own choices. I’ll often have them watch and then let them decide. Certain things like Metroid Prime Pinball or Naruto or Mage Knight Destiny Soldier are games they love, but then there are ones that they’ll ask “can I help you review it?” And then follow up with – but only if it doesn’t count against my game time! Top Spin 2 for the PC is a great example of that – looked fascinating, would enjoy playing … but wouldn’t give up their own time for it!

I wouldn’t play this even if it didn’t count against my game time. This is new to me – I am used to games that aren’t age-appropriate to them, but now they’re getting to the point where T games are generally OK. So now they have access to much of the crap that I play – and we all know that kids have a great BS detector! Games like ‘The Chosen’ held no interest for them, and of course ‘Flipper Critters’ they were actually thinking I scored it too high (at 2.5 stars!).

As someone who grew up when Pong was new and my life was already so full of other stuff that the thought of playing video games all day was an issue, I have never been in a position where my video game time has been regulated. For me it was all about do I like it or not. Of course, before the internet there were too many times that I would buy a game that was mediocre (Eradicator) and end up playing it through just because I had paid for it. How about you? How do you bin out your game playing? What about your kids?

Tags: Misc