Clash Royale

These games are big, brash and popular. They have big budgets which means the visual and interactive quality is particularly high. They also have strong and wide ranging player communities.
 

Online games are great because you have a world of opponents to take on and defeat (or be defeated by). But beyond the competitive element of these games are often a strong sense of community and camaraderie.

Players enjoy making new connections in these games, as well as connecting with wider family and friends. Listen to the chatter while children play these games, and you hear as much talk about homework, television, YouTube or what's happening in the world as who to shoot in the head next.
 

One of the most exciting aspects of modern video games is playing with other people online. It's a big step from playing something like Mario Kart with family and friends in the same room to going online to play with people you don't know.

The games in this list offer small steps to go from local play to online play. Some games, like Roblox are designed for young players with lots of special safety settings. Other games, like Sky, are designed to lead players into co-operating with each other with in-game purchases you give away, and interactions that start limited and expand as you gain experience. Then there are co-operative games like Ibb and Obb where you work together and communicate with gestures on the screen.

You can use Family Settings and Parental Controls on your system to limit how your child interacts with other players online. As well as finding the right games to get them started, it's also important that you play with them and keep game screens in shared family spaces so you can see what they are doing.
 

Some video games require a high amount of skill and experience to play. These have developed into competitive sports with high profile competitions and big prize money. Although it can seem a little strange to think of a video game as a sport, the challenge, focus, training, instinct and skill required means that players at the top of these leagues and competitions have approach the pastime like athletes approach sporting prowess.

Less obvious than the big prizes and high profile winners are the aspects of esports that can lead to a diverse set of skills suitable for a range of digital careers. Digital Schoolhouse, a not-for-profit programme delivered by the UK games industry trade body Ukie (The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment), has been using an annual e-sports schools tournaments to teach technology and digital skills.

Students aged 12-18 years participate as players or fulfil professional roles crafted by the video games industry, for educational purposes. They manage the event itself, photograph the action, organising production logistics, referee, commentate on live match streams, manage team community, logos and branding and even deal with most of the paperwork themselves.

Whether it’s the Digital Schoolhouse programme or something similar, finding a way to inspire and cheer on children towards a career in video games not only opens a door to their future, but creates a healthy understanding of the industry today.