Games We’re Thankful For – Roundtable

Josh Miller – The Family Man

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

I’ve made it no secret how much my kids mean to me. So it should come as no surprise when the game I’m most thankful for is one they adore as well. Growing up, most of the games I played were simple platformers that didn’t require a lot of effort in learning. This was in part to the limitations not only of games at the time but also the controllers being used. So of course I was wary about giving my kids a controller with far more inputs than I grew up with and games a tad more technical than what I played on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Thus, I tried a LEGO game. Not just any LEGO game, but specifically LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. The puzzles weren’t the easiest for them to wrap their heads around at first, but they would eventually get there. However, it was the open-world sections along with the disregard to punish players for dying that helped bring them into the world of video games. The open-world section gave them the ability to mess with the camera controls until they got the hang of it and the same can be said for the movement in a 3D space. Then…combining the two.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes brought my children into video games. They did it in a way that gave them the freedom to learn at their own pace while dropping them in a world they already knew and love. They enjoyed being able to switch characters and chase each other around the world. They loved falling from the Helicarrier just for giggles. Heck, they even liked watching themselves die so their character would explode into pieces in a way that made them laugh. This is why when any parents ask what games are great to get their kids into video games, I always suggest the LEGO games, specifically ones with open-world elements to it.

While I grew up on games like Super Mario Bros., Bart vs the Space Mutants, and Friday the 13th; it’s games like LEGO Marvel Super Heroes that are getting them into video games. Seeing them learn and love a hobby that I grew up learning and loving (without someone to share that with), is such a wonderful feeling. That’s why I’m thankful for LEGO Marvel Super Heroes.

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There you have it, with us revealing what games we are thankful for, I now turn my question to you reading this. What are video games that you are thankful for?