Blog postss by Jo Robertson

If you have a child who’s Christmas wish list is a list of video games, we have some game related gift ideas that aren’t just more games. These are great ways to expand your child’s hobby beyond the screen and discover new creative pastimes.

 
16/11/2021 / 2 years ago / Jo Robertson

Video games can feel like a hurdle between you and your grandchildren, but here are 5 ways they can help you play together. From sharing interests to laughing together or helping each other win, games are great for intergenerational connection.

 
04/10/2021 / 2 years ago / Jo Robertson

There is a lot of talk about screen time and setting limits when I’m talking to other parents about gaming children. This is all well and good, but it doesn’t really help me understand how healthy my children’s gaming is. Digital detoxes sound good, but like fit camps when you come home how do you stay healthy?

 
20/09/2021 / 2 years ago / Jo Robertson

As August marches on, summer starts to dwindle. Holiday trips have been taken and we realise that the rather average weather isn’t really going to improve. There’s that fresh early morning nip in the air telling us that autumn is on its way. We are reminded it’s time to start making the transition back to routine and school.

 
23/08/2021 / 2 years ago / Jo Robertson

Managing children’s screen time is top of parental pressures and often talked about topics when it comes to video games. It’s easy to feel like video games take over. Children naturally want to keep doing what they enjoy, even when it’s long past the time they should have stopped.

 
02/08/2021 / 2 years ago / Jo Robertson

Children arrive as these tiny precious bundles that we are hardwired to love and protect. I remember that first walk with the buggy, the first drive in the car when they were newborns, the first time they ate solid food: terrifying!

 
12/07/2021 / 2 years ago / Jo Robertson

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. As my children grow up, sometimes all I can see are things I wish I had done better or differently. I know I’ve done a good enough job but parenting is full of ups and downs and we are learning as we go. Each child is different and brings new challenges - and joys!

 
28/06/2021 / 2 years ago / Jo Robertson

My son loves Rocket League and as far as I can tell he’s really good at it. But I worry it will end up being a replacement for real sport. When his youth football team came to an end this summer after nine years of Saturday morning matches and weeknight training, I met a bit of a brick wall when I asked what he wanted to do instead. He’d just finished exams and the dangling carrot that had been keeping him going is having lots of time to play Rocket League with no revision to do first.

 
07/06/2021 / 2 years ago / Jo Robertson

As May is Health Awareness Month we wanted to look at video games through this lens. There is a lot of focus in the media about cutting our screen time to improve our mental health but with so much of our lives functioning via our phones, computers and tablets this isn’t always easy.

 
24/05/2021 / 2 years ago / Jo Robertson

Like many people, the winter lockdown over the long dark months of January and February had a detrimental effect on my activity levels. I realised that I needed to fully embrace the lockdown walking thing. So I took to trudging around the freezing neighbourhood, feeling more and more like a cliche with each person I passed, also doing the same thing.

 
10/05/2021 / 2 years ago / Jo Robertson

As a mum reading headlines about video games; I could believe they are all about combat and violence. Video games are reported to lead people into a dark world of violent thoughts and evil behaviours. This is the reputation video games get and one that I used to be afraid of as my children got into gaming.

 
04/05/2021 / 2 years ago / Jo Robertson

It’s easy to assume video games are entertainment for children that (we hope and pray) they will outgrow. The reality is that games are played by people of all ages and many children will likely play their whole lives -- just as we have continued reading books and watching films as we have got older. This means that an important aspect of caring for a child who loves video games is to try some games for ourselves so we know what they are like.

 
26/04/2021 / 2 years ago / Jo Robertson

I’m a creative person but I am terrible at drawing and painting, if someone suggested doing a fun art activity, I’d say - 'ummm no thanks!' But if that art activity was based around a video game, I would be much more tempted to give it a go. Not that I’m a big video game player but that the idea of doing art within the parameters of a game makes it feel much more doable.

 
19/04/2021 / 3 years ago / Jo Robertson

There’s quite a bit of gaming-skill disparity in our house. With me at the bottom of the pile and the husband and kids jostling for the top spots.

 
06/04/2021 / 3 years ago / Jo Robertson

This week we are going to be sharing some of our favourite games to help you escape. Whether that's a form of virtual travel or escaping to an alternate world, there are loads of games to help you find some new scenery.

 
29/03/2021 / 3 years ago / Jo Robertson

This week we are going to be sharing some of our favourite games to play together. Whether it's Friday night with the teenagers or Sunday afternoon with toddlers there are a great selection of games to get the family gaming together.

 
23/03/2021 / 3 years ago / Jo Robertson