Mothers day is here. Your mom wants to spend time with you. You want to spend time with your mom. However, you don’t have to do another brunch at the garden club. You could introduce mom to a bit of your world. Here are 10 games that will make the experience fun for both of you and provide a backdrop for bonding with mom.
My goal was to find a wide range of games. Every mom and child combo will be different, but I’m confident that you can find something in this list to work with! If you think a game should be added, let me know in the comments.
Note: Nothing in this article should be taken to imply that moms can’t be good at video games. A mom who is already experienced with video games does not need a top 10 list. I’m assuming your mom has some things to learn.
#10: Mario Kart
Mario Kart is a genre defining game for multi-player party fun. It is wildly entertaining, easy to pickup, has some challenge for mastery and has enough randomness to keep things interesting even for skilled players.
#9: Portal
Portal 2 may be an oddball here, but it is possibly one of the greatest co-op games ever made. So, if you and your mom enjoy playing it, you have a fantastic experience ahead of you.
#8: Hearts
My survey of moms lead me to the conclusion that Hearts was very popular among the older mom crowd. Games.com has a multi-player version and you and your mom can jump right in.
#7: Angry Birds
My focus in this series is on co-op games and while Angry Birds is a single player game I think it belongs. First, Angry Birds has defined casual games on mobile devices. So, this could be the gateway drug your mom needs if she is not a gamer already. Second, when your mom beats your high score you will be swapping the phone back and forth immediately.
#6: Terminator Salvation Arcade
I hear you already, you’re saying: “How in the hell am I supposed to play a Terminator standup shooting game with MY MOM!?!?!”. Well, this was added to the list based on the recommendation of my wife, who is also a mom. Is she biased? Maybe, but hey, I convened a focus group.
#5: Castle Crashers
When you read this article title, you didn’t immediately think of Castle Crashers. However consider that if you have 3 leveled up characters the relative contribution of the 4th isn’t really noticed. Your mom can wander around, swinging at rocks just like my 4 year old does, while you and the rest of the party beat heads. If she ends up being good at the game, and she probably will since it is easy to master the basics, then it is more head crushing awesomeness for everyone.
#4: Team Fortress 2
Yes, I know TF2 is an FPS. FPS games are most decidedly not the normal venue for moms. However, TF2 has two critical elements. 1. It requires Steam so you have an excuse to get mom to install it. 2. It is free to play, so mom can’t claim that the $60 entry fee is why she doesn’t want to try it. Get mom in game and get making giblets.
#3: Minecraft
Mom may not immediately “get” Minecraft. However, I know more than a few families who have their mom, themselves and their children on a Minecraft server where they just build things and chat. For them, Minecraft is hugely conducive to being a part of each other’s lives.
#2: Mario Party
Mario Party is the father and mother of casual party play. There is also a version available for just about every Nintendo platform ever made. If your mom can’t derive some fun from one of these games then check for a pulse.
#1: Words with Friends
Words with Friends is Scrabble that you play on your phone, iPad or whatever other platform it is on. Words with Friends is a fun game, can be played asynchronously, and you can chat. You can interact with your mom, but not have to respond instantly. It is a win for everyone.
Moms are Awesome
Whatever gaming you and your mom enjoy, have fun this mother’s day and make sure you celebrate the woman who raised you and all of the mothers in your life. Mom’s come in all shapes and sizes, but they all want to keep in touch with their children. I hope that this list helps you do that.
