Feeling both seen and attacked by @crossplayblog.bsky.social God forbid a man have hobbies... etc etc

Well, it finally happened: @patrickklepek.bsky.social's nine-year-old is playing Fortnite because of, of course, KPop Demon Hunters www.crossplay.news/p/fortnite-k...

Just recently, Epic Games showed concern about the amount of in-game item slop that's in Roblox. Now, they're bringing in-game item sales to Fortnite. www.crossplay.news/p/fortnite-i...

A month of Marios, Pokémons, and deeply questionable licensed video games. Who's ready for an Elf on the Shelf game? Here's what video games families can expect in October: www.crossplay.news/p/video-game...

Our five-year-old was developing a bad relationship with her iPad. Was it a phase? Because of her injury? Either way, when school started, it was time for a reboot. www.crossplay.news/p/trying-to-...

The endless repetition of trying to have a baby means living life in a state of limbo between two timelines. Video games have helped Stephanie Morse through years of frustrating struggles. www.crossplay.news/p/how-video-...

While in London, our family swung by Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue, which tries to merge game with reality—to mixed (but fun) results. www.crossplay.news/p/minecraft-...

Last week, @patrickklepek's 4th grader came home asking about "the news." He wasn't sure what to say. How do you talk to a child about an assassination? www.crossplay.news/p/talking-to...

How Nintendo made visiting a "boring" French museum incredibly special—or, the story of how @patrickklepek.bsky.social almost completely screwed it all up www.crossplay.news/p/how-ninten...

Video games helped Matt Cooper navigate a relationship with neurodivergence. Now, his neurodivergent children also love video games...but he worries about them exploiting them. www.crossplay.news/p/how-microt...

Parents shouldn't be confused over the ratings assigned to the games their kids are playing. www.crossplay.news/p/how-do-rob...

A quiet month for Nintendo as school kicks back into gear, but there's plenty of video games for you to play with—or in front of—your kids this month. www.crossplay.news/p/your-guide...

For years, @patrickklepek.bsky.social has been waiting for his school district to have a real cell phone policy. This school year, at the elementary and middle school level, they're basically banning them: www.crossplay.news/p/so-my-scho...

We have the technology to know everything our kids do online. It's only a question of whether you decide to use it. But should you? www.crossplay.news/p/how-much-p...

Video games became a way to connect for a father who struggled to express himself and a son who desperately wanted to connect. A touching story about how video games can act as a form of quiet communication across fractured relationships: www.crossplay.news/p/connecting...

I swear I'm not a helicopter parent, I tell myself, while I look at a blue dot on my phone and strap an AirTag to my daughter's wrist. www.crossplay.news/p/i-made-my-...

What do you do when your children want to play video games but actively push back at the idea of difficulty and challenge? www.crossplay.news/p/its-hard-t...

Watching my son learn how to play Pokémon highlights a fundamental disconnect at the heart of the series: the show and the games work completely differently. Instead of showing him how to play Pokémon, the show is teaching him all the wrong lessons. My latest for @crossplayblog.bsky.social

I'm back from my mental health sabbatical to promote my latest essay for @crossplayblog.bsky.social and to get back to ruining my mental health (unrelated to crossplay) open.substack.com/pub/patrickk...

Getting ready for an eight-hour flight across the ocean means filling up your video game handhelds with games you'll never end up playing

Your guide to August's family friendly video games, which includes a bunch of games where you'll manage a farm, a shop, or something in-between www.crossplay.news/p/best-new-v...

Growing up we had a contraption hooked to our TV called a "TV Guardian" that cut the audio and displayed censored subtitles when a non-Christian was spoken (Sex becomes hugs, bastard becomes jerk, etc etc). Never had a binder, but my parents would *lurk* when I was on the family computer.

To control how they played video games, this kid's Christian fundamentalist parents created a tool even the devil would be envious of. It's time to learn about The Binder. www.crossplay.news/p/how-my-rel...

It's even more frustrating when my 6yo insists on only playing as Donkey Kong and I'm finding very little to engage me as Pauline between having to yank camera controls to point out the objective she keeps running past. She's having a blast though 🤷‍♂️

Is Donkey Kong Bananza's co-op mode actually good—or just chaotic? Does it matter?

Donkey Kong Bananza's co-op might not be the "ideal" way to play the game, nor will it teach them *how* to play, but you're sure to be laughing with your kids the entire time www.crossplay.news/p/donkey-kon...

One family's desperate search for Pauline, aka a review of Donkey Kong Bananza's first hours www.crossplay.news/p/donkey-kon...

Roblox is becoming more like Discord and leveraging the kind of "age recognition" technology that's likely to be all over the internet soon. The latest details on the new safety features that Roblox is pitching: www.crossplay.news/p/new-roblox...

A world of camper vans, endless UNO, being brave at the movie theater, and more. Here's what @patrickklepek.bsky.social's family has been playing, watching, and reading lately! How about your family? www.crossplay.news/p/what-my-fa...

Recently, @patrickklepek.bsky.social spoke with a person Roblox is calling their new "head of parental advocacy." But what does that mean, and what changes might be coming to Roblox in the future? www.crossplay.news/p/roblox-hir...

My five-year-old has turned into a screen time monster lately. Is this a phase, or something more? www.crossplay.news/p/uh-oh-are-...

Your guide to July's family friendly video games is highlighted by a fantastic-looking new Donkey Kong video game for Switch 2 www.crossplay.news/p/video-game...

The kids are alright.

Anti-ICE protests have come to, of all places, Roblox www.crossplay.news/p/politics-p...

A good hint system, no punishment for having trouble reading. Lost in Play is a modern point-and-click adventure game that's perfect for kids. www.crossplay.news/p/a-great-ad...

Latest publication is live! I wrote this guest post for @patrickklepek.bsky.social 's @crossplayblog.bsky.social all about how to connect with a gaming kid if you yourself are not a gamer. www.crossplay.news/p/never-too-... #videogames #parenting #parentingtips #gamerkid #Parents

Based on the reaction of Patrick's children, it's clear Donkey Kong Bananza will be a hit because of three things: Pauline (!), co-op (!!), and being able to destroy the entire world (!!!). www.crossplay.news/p/donkey-kon...

Did you know it's possible to play some Switch 2 games on a Switch 1? Did you know that some games even let you play multiplayer that way? www.crossplay.news/p/how-to-pla...

Offering customizable accessibility, POPUCOM can be made to fit a range of skill sets so players can color their way! See why @patrickklepek.bsky.social at @crossplayblog.bsky.social is excited that fans can "find their own fun in their playground." More: www.crossplay.news/p/a-video-ga... #BestOPS

Can't recommend @patrickklepek.bsky.social's Crossplay enough. I'm always excited to find a new column in my inbox. open.substack.com/pub/patrickk...

Last night, @patrickklepek.bsky.social stood in line to surprise his daughters in the morning with Mario Kart World, which became a whirlwind moment of happiness and disappointment www.crossplay.news/p/what-do-ki...

Who’s out tonight?!

Here's your guide to June's family friendly video games, which begins with an explosion of Switch 2 games, including Mario Kart World. www.crossplay.news/p/best-games...

What class should a five-year-old play in Diablo IV? A conversation with Diablo IV game director Brent Gibson about playing and making games as a parent. www.crossplay.news/p/should-a-c...

How a lonely father found community in retro game collecting www.crossplay.news/p/finding-fr...

Thankfully, Fortnite's Darth Vader AI chatbot that's currently slinging swears around is disabled for anyone under the age of 13 by default, according to Epic. www.fortnite.com/disney#darth...

I give @crossplayblog.bsky.social money every month not because I have kids but because other people have kids! Kids are important! I think what @patrickklepek.bsky.social is doing with this blog is neat and even if you are a childless heathen like me you should follow along. www.crossplay.news

The developers making the Roblox phenomenon Dress to Impress are nearly as interesting as the game itself. Learn who they are! www.crossplay.news/p/who-makes-...

Hey, quick question for Google: why the hell are they pushing AI on kids? @patrickklepek.bsky.social tries to unpack why the company wants an eight-year-old to use AI to "create stories, songs, and poetry" and "get homework help" www.crossplay.news/p/why-is-goo...

Before becoming a parent, Lauren was the *perfect* parent. Her kids were *not* going to be iPad kids. Junk food? Bad! Screentime? Bad! Gaming? Bad! But when she actually had kids...well, everything changed. Here's how it happened. www.crossplay.news/p/why-i-let-...