We recently got power back after nearly a week due to a “bomb cyclone” that hit Washington. While it is no fun having to deal with closed schools and no power, I did appreciate how dark and quiet it was walking the dog at night.

With a generator covering the household essentials, you’d think gaming would take a backseat. However, with the plethora of games available on your phone and the Steam Deck - I was still able to get my fix 😄.

A few of the games that got me through the no-electricity doldrums that I’d recommend: Pokemon TCG Pocket, Elden Ring (on Steam Deck), and Balatro.

Amazingly my kids didn't ask at all about video games, but we did get a lot of games of Monopoly and Ticket to Ride in.

Thankfully the power came back in time to cook up the turkey 🦃!

OUR BLACK FRIDAY MUST HAVES

Maybe it’s the proliferation of ecommerce or just a down-year, but it feels like this Black Friday is one of the least hyped and there aren’t boatloads of deals out there. However, we’ve uncovered a few favorites that we think are worth it this year!

• 81% of parents believe their children are learning positive financial skills from video games

  • This doesn’t surprise me too much as games force you to save, understand supply/demand, and how to earn money to purchase items. However, I’m curious whether kids fully grasp the concept of digital currencies and the hard costs of real money to acquire digital cosmetics rather than in-game items purchased with in-game money.

• Kind of ironic to have a Black Friday list and then share this story asking whether Americans are drowning in toys

  • As a parent this hit me because I feel like it can quickly become an issue. Plus, the idea that less toys may be better for kids was on full display this summer. On a vacation trip, my boys would not stop playing with a wooden train set at our rental house. It happened to be the only toy there and they were so engrossed with it and used their imagination to come up with all different scenarios. Yet, even after we got home our own wooden train set remains untouched in its bin.

• Gaming beats TV to be the new primetime family activity

  • A recent study shows families are gaming more together in the evenings than watching TV. In our house we do family dinner and then a little playtime and then our bedtime routine, so even though we’re gamers I would say we’re not on this list. I usually avoid video games on weeknights with them. While I can see this being a trend, I’m actually a little surprised.

• Saw this question about a kid always playing video games in “Ask Eric” and felt like the advice was perfect - try talking to them about it, or even picking up a controller for yourself.

rizz: (noun but can also be used as a verb) - shortened version of charisma; describing the ability to attract a sexual partner

Synonyms: style, charm

Silky: Yo I saw that you were talking to that girl Rachel over there. Did you get her number?

Kai: Indeed! You know me, I got mad rizz!

We’re getting through the holiday season and there will be gaming deals galore - as we have the Steam Holiday Sale and a week or so of free games on the Epic Games Store. We’ll make sure to navigate through those too.

GLHF,

Chris