We all love video games, and it's a little sad to think about all the people who are missing out on the fun. Often, they get a bad rap for being overly dark or violent but there are a ton of games that are super fun without all the gore.
For those that want to get their mothers into video games, we've put together a list of games so wholesome and intuitive that anybody can dive in and have fun!
Updated September 18, 2021 by Sharnelle Earle: While being home longer than anticipated, what better way is there to bond with the family than by playing some easy-going video games. Even if your mother isn't keen on shooting up zombies, you can find a video game that is easy for her to digest and control so that the both of you can have a fun time. From Switch games to online play, there's something for everyone out there. It doesn't have to be mother's day to start enjoying time with mom by playing video games.
15 The Sims Games (PC, Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo, Mobile)
- Life Simulation
- Customization
- Build
The Sims series has a basic concept. All you do is control characters, watch them do silly things, and ruin or make their lives. Watching to see what your mom does when she has the power to control a house full of characters can be a hilarious turn of events. The older Sims games allow the Sims characters to have more freedom despite your control like flirt with death himself. This makes for an entertaining soap opera in video game form. The more recent games, like Sims 4, allows players to do intense interior design. Depending on if your mother likes drama or decorating, there's a Sims game out there for her.
14 Farm Together (PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One)
- Farming
- Decorating
- 16 players
Many mothers enjoy spending countless hours on Facebook. With Facebook, comes mini flash games like Farmville and Packrat. If your mom enjoys simple, mobile-like farm games, Farm Together may bring you two closer. Farm Together is like a tycoon Animal Crossing game. You can share a farm with up to six other players and grow all sorts of crops, expanding your farm to unlimited lengths. The game also allows you to extensively decorate the farm, but don't worry, there's interior design too. Farm Together is a relaxing and addicting game, especially with friends.
13 Fall Guys (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, Mobile)
- Arcade
- Platformer
- Massive Multiplayer
For even more fun, you can play Fall Guys with your mom. She may not get the hang of it for a while, but that's what brings in the laughs and motivation to keep playing. Everyone's bound to lose at some point when playing Fall Guys. The game is all about performing parkour and making it to the finish line without falling off of the map. This is a similar concept to TV shows like Wipeout, which came out in 2008. If your mother has always been a fan of competitive shows with funny obstacle courses, she may enjoy Fall Guys with you.
12 Cake Bash (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
- Arcade
- Competitive
- 4 players
Cake Bash is a harmless and wholesome PvP party game. Players control colorful pastries and play minigames together, trying to become the winner. If you can't get your mom to understand or play party games like The Jackbox Party, Cake Bash may be an easier alternative to warm her up with. A plus is that since this is a four-player game, you can invite other family members to join you too.
11 Super Mario Brothers (All Nintendo Systems)
- Platformer
- Classic
- 4 players
The famous Mario franchise is classic. Everyone knows Mario, even your parents. If your parents haven't played a Mario game in their past, they still know enough to willingly jump into the wagon. Mario games are just engaging platformers. Platformers are easier to consume for people who haven't played games before because the only thing you need to understand is going up, down, right, and left. There's no deep concept to the core gameplay. Super Mario games allow families to have a blast together without needing to know other types of video games beforehand.
10 Stardew Valley (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, Mobile)
- Farming
- RPG
- 4 players
Picking up where Harvest Moon left off, Stardew Valley is a game that tasks the player with becoming a farmer, creating a sustainable land filled with crops and then going out into the town to try and find a spouse.
The whole thing is very calming and smooth. It also allows two people to play at the same time, meaning that player one can get their mother involved. Whether mom wants to tend to the same field or have a farm of their own, this is a game that can get anyone hooked (no matter how old they might be).
9 Animal Crossing (GameCube, Nintendo DS, Switch)
- Farming
- Life Simulation
- Decorating
When Animal Crossing first appeared on the scene, many people weren't too sure what to make of it. As time has passed and more installments of the series have released, however, people have found themselves becoming addicted to the soothing gameplay.
Not only does it look cute and lovely, but it also gives players a lot to do while never becoming too challenging. As such, it offers up a perfect chance for people who aren't too experienced to see why video games are so much fun! It's unlike anything else, so it's worth seeing if mom wants to give it a try!
8 Katamari Damacy (PS2)
- Puzzles
- Arcade
- 2 players
This game is for those mothers who like things a little absurd, following a tiny prince as he attempts to create new planets from the random detritus often found in the world. It's not long before these tiny planets grow larger though, sucking up small animals and eventually entire buildings!
Not only does Katamari Damacy look cute, but it's simple to control, making it very welcoming to new gamers. Most importantly, it allows players a chance to enjoy a game that's devoid of violence, which is a hard thing to find in a modern world that seems so obsessed with media that glorifies combat.
7 Pikuniku (PC, Switch, Xbox One)
- Platformer
- Puzzles
- 2 players
If you're looking for a game you can play both on your own and with your mother, Pikuniku is an excellent pick. It offers both single-player and co-op campaigns. It follows a little red oval "creature" of some sort, walking around a cartoon world while kicking things and interacting with the other creatures in the game's universe.
Sure, it's not the most sophisticated game on this list, but that doesn't change the fact that it can be a lot of fun for people who don't know much about the way that video games are often controlled.
6 Overcooked (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
- Arcade
- Cooking
- 4 players
Okay, so this one definitely isn't for any mothers out there who only want something calm and soothing, but we think that anyone who is close to their mum and likes to work with them will fall in love with this game.
The Overcooked series tasks two players with attempting to get as many meals cooked as quickly as possible. While the graphics and gameplay of this game are definitely wholesome, the language that will come out of the players' mouths might not be! It ends up being a lot of fun as long as people don't take it too seriously.
5 Journey (PC, PS4, iOS)
- Story rich
- Relaxing
- 2 players
There's no doubt that this game is meant to be played with as few people as possible. It's all about allowing a player to properly take in this mesmerizing world (while also throwing in the odd online player from time to time), which makes it perfect for a mother and their child!
Not only is there no violence at any point, but it also offers people a chance to have their lives enriched by an intriguing narrative (one that doesn't take a huge amount of video game experience to see through to the end). It does take quite a bit of imagination to read through the subtlety of the presentation, though.
4 Flower (PC, Playstation, iOS)
- Artistic
- Relaxing
- Casual
As video games have become more sophisticated and artsy, more abstract concepts have started to be accepted as "games." Flower is definitely one of them.
In this game, the player takes control of a breeze as it starts to collect more and more petals, zooming through flowers and creating a beautiful collection of colors as it goes. This was the experience that introduced many players to the concept of video games as art, demonstrating that a game doesn't have to adhere to a certain set of expectations to be considered fun or interesting.
3 Goat Simulator (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, Mobile)
- Comedy
- Open World
- 4 players
Nobody is denying that this game is pure chaos, but it is filled with the sort of cartoon violence that a lot of mothers out there will be happy to take part in with their child.
Believe it or not, this isn't a realistic experience that accurately simulates what it's like to be a goat. Instead, it's a parody of the various simulation games that had come before. The player spends their time trying to cause as much destruction and chaos as possible (racking up a serious number of points as they do so) while changing the world around them in the oddest way.
2 Proteus (PC, PS3)
- Relaxing
- Casual
- Music
This is one of those games that some people have argued isn't actually a game at all, but as you've probably noticed by now, we completely disagree. Despite the fact that it uses pixel art, this is possibly one of the most beautiful games that someone can play with their mother, especially seeing as there is no combat whatsoever.
In fact, in this game, people can follow rabbits and just walk through a beautiful forest as the seasons change, offering up a subtle narrative that people can turn into their own story.
1 Octodad (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, Mobile)
- Comedy
- Difficult
- 4 players
Okay, so we're going to start by saying that this game is probably for those parents who have actually played a couple of games in the past.
Why? The controls are purposefully frustrating, for one, demanding that the player learns how to control each of the main character's limbs using separate buttons. Swinging your way around various different levels does not come easy. Octodad is priceless nonetheless, telling the story of an octopus that somehow ended up in the human world, trying to fool everybody−including his own family−into thinking it's just a normal human.