March Break Tips: Portable video games keep everyone entertained |
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Whether planes, trains or automobiles, travelling with children on a family vacation has often been a smoother and pain-free journey thanks to portable video games. But today's portable systems and games are not the GameBoys of the past. From games designed for parents, to software that encourages learning, to Internet access at wireless hotspots along the holiday route, portable video games have taken a big step forward.
Parents can get in on the action
Don't let the kids hog the portable systems anymore. Games designed more for adults - as in, parents - have become increasing popular. The biggest trend is in brain training games, designed to keep you mentally alert, such as Nintendo's Brain Age series and Flash Focus. Puzzle games like crosswords and Sudoku and even chess and checkers are now available on video game systems. And old-school favourites like Tetris and those featuring Super Mario Brothers let parents rekindle their glory years of video gaming.
Learning in disguise
Being on holiday doesn't mean kids can't spend their down time learning or keeping mentally sharp. The Nintendo DS supports an extensive library of educational games like Big Brain Academy, a series of puzzles and memory exercises, and My Word Coach which helps build vocabulary. Other titles teach kids and parents cooking skills and recipes, as well as teach foreign languages. The games are fun, to keep children interested and engaged, but also offer an element of subtle self-improvement by challenging young minds to think, memorize and analyze.
Tapping into wireless hotspots
As more people depend on - and demand - reliable and convenient access to the Internet while on vacation, hotels, coffee shops and even campgrounds have started to offer wireless hotspots for their guests, usually free or for a nominal amount. Today's portable systems allow people to play games over wireless networks against others around the world. With jwire.com listing over 2,000 Wi-Fi locations in Canada, a rest stop or hotel stay now provides an easy way for kids (and parents) to surf the Internet or play online with others back home.
More information on this topic is available online at www.nintendo.ca.
- News Canada
