Hands up if you like playing video games with your family!  A recent story on news.com.au revealed that home games consumers are turning away from violent video games in droves, with one in three games sold considered to be ‘family-friendly’.  And why not?  Shouldn’t a game be something fun and lively?  Shoot ‘em up games are a dime a dozen and have been implicated in many crimes as the influencing factor behind brain snaps that result in applied violence.  Whether or not you subscribe to that theory is beside the point.  Family games are big news!

The Sun Herald reported that for every fighting game sold, seven family-oriented games are sold.  This is a dramatic rise from 2006 when family games accounted for just 13% of the market.

So, why is this happening?  Psychologist Dr Janet Hall believes that in the current climate of global terrorism and street violence, parents are exercising their responsibilities and guiding their children towards more wholesome genres such as dance, puzzle and trivia games.  And the family as a whole can enjoy participating together.  Family games currently make up 28% of all titles, followed – not closely – in second place by sport and racing games a 16%.

To further drive the point home, Bond University research recently showed that 70% of parents in game households  play video and computer games and that 80% of those parents share the PC or console with their children.

Isn’t it reassuring to know that there’s a return to genuine fun for fun’s sake and that games can actually bring families together rather than alienating parents from children and so on?