Toy

Although we often see the screen as a hard separator of virtual and physical play, most children move seamlessly between playing video games and playing with toys on the carpet.

There are some games, like Skylanders, that incorporate toys into the play on the screen. Also, there are many game-adjacent toys that extend the imaginative play from the screen to the real world.

Then there are toys that don't have an actual connection to a video game, but offer a play experience that's familiar to children who play a lot of games. This might pick up the adventure or super hero themes from familiar game experiences, but just as popular are toys that invite creative interactions and problem solving in ways familiar from digital play.