Family Gaming With The Buckle Family

We went to the Eurogamer Expo this year to talk to families first hand about the games they enjoyed together, and how they went about choosing them.

The Buckle family were at the event, Mum and son. I asked them what games they played as a family and Zelda was top of their list. "I play Zelda" said Mum while son chipped in "I've played all the Zelda games so far". It was interesting to hear that they not only played the series together but tracked through all the different iterations as it had developed.

In a family finding a game series you enjoy together can be a little bit like discovered a Boxed Set of DVD's to watch. Having enjoyed one you can then graduate on to the next in the series.

They played on a variety of different consoles and handhelds. Mum said that she "played mainly on Nintendo DS, Wii and PS2" while the son played on his "PC and Xbox 360."

The family used PEGI symbols not only to avoid inappropriate games but so that they could have a conversation about what was appropriate in the family (with different aged children). "I've got two different aged children. The eldest can play some games but [PEGI ratings] make it easier to say to my youngest, 'no you can't play it'."

We asked where and when they played their games in the family. "We play games in a family room. Sometimes with friends. It helps us see what's going on. We like to try and make it as much of a family thing as possible."

Although the family didn't often use the extra PEGI symbols on the back of the box it seemed to be a useful addition. Currently they spoke highly of shop staff who they would ask why a game had a particular rating. Accessing this kind of expertise at retail is a really good way to make informed choices about the games you play in your family.

Their favourite game to play together was Mario Kart. I asked who wins when Mum and son played. "He does" said mum.

We'll be back with more Family Surgery interviews soon.