How a Game Console Can Bring Your Family Together

Between our smartphones, tablets, laptops, game consoles, PCs, etc. screens are a big part of our lives these days. Sometimes it can feel like a real challenge to pull everyone away from their various screens and bring the family together.

But what if there was a way to use screen time to bring the whole family together? Instead of fighting it, we can embrace the awesome technology at our fingertips and use it for our benefit.

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Take a family game night for example.

As my children have grown older and our schedules have become busier, our Friday family game night has happened less frequently. Honestly, come Friday night, we are all tired and it’s easier to veg in front of a movie or let the kids play their favorite PC and console games than pull out a board game.

Typically I think of game consoles as one or two person games and not something that brings the whole family together. Sure there are games like Mario Kart, etc. that 2-4 people can play but you have to be in the right mood for that kind of activity.

But recently, I discovered the perfect way to blend family game night with a game console and a fun variety of games. It’s a Nintendo Switch game called, Carnival Games.

Carnival Games features 20 super fun different carnival-themed games that can be played over and over. You can play with up to 4 players and each game has different fun features, meaning you can find a game for everyone to enjoy.

We were given a Nintendo Switch and Carnival Games to try out with my family and we had so much fun with it!

My whole family (from my husband and I to our youngest, Luke, who is 7 to our oldest, Nathan, who is 15) enjoyed it. We played for 2 whole hours one evening taking turns (because there are six of us and four-player options.)

Carnival Games has a fun variety of 20 different games. While there were some games we all especially enjoyed, each person had their own favorite mini-game. Two of the kids loved the baseball game, another loved “Short Stacks”, while another loved “Clowning Around”.

One of my favorite things about Carnival Games, in addition to the variety, is that the games are quite short, such as 30-60 seconds each. This was a great way to try out the different games without having to commit a significant amount of time.

Each game has clear instructions at the start and most are very similar in how they work so it’s easy to get the hang of it.

It was also great for getting the kids to try something new. For example, one of my kids likes to do the same game over and over and was reluctant to try a different one. Because they are so short, we let each of them pick a game and it was great for encouraging sharing.

As you play games, you can earn tickets which you can use to unlock other games or even fun things like different music tracks or different outfits for our characters. The ticket earning potential was a lot of fun and I think some of us looked forward to the ticket count even more than who won each of the rounds.

We loved the colors and graphics and sounds of Carnival Games. It really did feel like we were at a carnival with the perfectly themed games, fun music (you can trade in tickets for different music options though we haven’t done that yet), and the announcer will encourage you during the game. It was all set up very nicely and a lot of fun.

When you first get started with the game, you can customize your character, rename them, etc. The kids had fun picking out their characters. Though it did get a lot chaotic at the character screen because all it took was for one child to push a button on their controller. But I think that was more due to my younger children than the game itself.

If you don’t want to play with four players, the computer will fill in for the empty spots with computer characters.

The only thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was the screen that showed the results of each game and which player got 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th place. The 4th place winner (loser) would usually shake his or her head or even a hand in an “oh darn” movement in disappointment. That’s not a great example for kids who should be encouraged with good sportsmanship behavior when they lose.

But that was one very small thing and I don’t think my kids even noticed. Especially my 7-year-old because he was too busy shouting “That’s not fair!” if he lost. Yes, we’re working on the good loser behavior with him now and this game definitely helps with that in a good way!

Also because there is such a fun variety and the games are short, it’s easy to redeem yourself and win the next round or game if you didn’t do so well before.

Another nice benefit to Carnival Games with the Nintendo Switch is that you can bring it on-the-go too!

My whole family loves Carnival Games. Some of the feedback I received was “Awesome!” “We need to do this more!” “I love it!” etc.

Even my 15-year-old gives Carnival Games a two-thumbs up. He was a bit reluctant to join at first because he, being the teen that he is right now, is skeptical of anything he deems “little kiddish” but he quickly jumped in and loved it once he gave Carnival Games a try.

I am very happy with this game and I highly recommend Carnival Games with the Nintendo Switch as a wonderful way to use your game console to bring the family together.

I’m putting our new Nintendo Switch and Carnival Games aside as a fantastic family Christmas gift.

It’s the perfect Christmas gift for my family and maybe for yours too.

Every year, I go through the same dilemma: what to get my kids for Christmas while staying in my budget AND finding meaningful gifts they will actually use and appreciate versus more clutter that eventually gets tossed. (I know first world problems!)

Does this happen to you too?

The Nintendo Switch with Carnival Games fits the bill perfectly. It’s a gift I know my kids will love and appreciate for a long time. It will be well used, doesn’t have a ton of small pieces that might get scattered or lost. And best of all the Nintendo Switch and Carnival Games can help bring the whole family together for a 21st-century-type family game night.

Learn more about Carnival Games and buy it for your family here: Carnival Games