Happy Mother's Day! Every second Sunday of May features special dedications and well wishes for mothers around the world. This year, we figured why not showcase all things in which mothers love – gamer mom style.
Family gaming can be an awesome way to build and strengthen familial bonds, so we set out to chat with several of our super cool moms from the Singapore studio on their recommendations for family fun and growth. Enjoy and remember to tell your mom your love her!
KAORI KATO, EXPERT RENDERING PROGRAMMER
Catan! It’s a really famous board game in which players get resources, develop roads and settlements to earn point in achieving victory. I gifted one to my 9 year old daughter as a Christmas present and we played it as a family for the first time during the circuit breaker period.
It took us a few rounds to really understand the system but it’s a great game, with not-so-complicated rules – playable for kids around 10 years old! The game requires for players to set their strategy and priorities right to win, you often need to make choices to build further or save your resources. If you build a new settlement, you will have more chances to get resources. On the other hand, you can block other players by building roads to the resource field which you want to own. It’s a strategy-based game which allows my daughter to have fun while levelling up her decision-making skills.
Bonus recommendation
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle – It’s a turn-based tactical RPG developed by Ubisoft Milan and Ubisoft Paris and features a crossover between Nintendo Mario and Ubisoft’s Raving Rabbits! It’s a great game for kids with the colourful graphics and helps in developing their thinking skills with its turn-based tactics. Each character has its own strategy with special weapons and skills plus it can be enjoyed with your family in coop and versus mode.
BROOKE DAVIES, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR NARRATIVE
Lately, our favourite family movie is Upside Down. We recently relocated to Singapore from Toronto, so this movie really speaks to us. It is all about a girl’s feelings after relocating to a new city, very much like our current situation. Moving to a new place has given my family a common language to speak to our sons about this big transition. The movie’s themes are universal to any kid (or adult!) with its complex feelings and will continue to be a family favourite even after we’ve settled into our new home in sunny Singapore!
Bonus Recommendations
Quixx and Yahtzee! These family friendly dice games are both addictive and fun for kids and parents alike. My 8-year-old will play dice and math games for hours, they have made him awesome at mental math – an awesome added bonus. Also, Mario Kart 8 – we play this as a family with our 4- and 8-year-olds and it never gets old. Perfect for family bonding but maybe not just before bedtime, though!
LIN YAN, GAMEPLAY PROGRAMMER
Hades – it’s a rogue-like dungeon crawler with gorgeous art, gameplay and a refreshing storytelling structure. It’s a perfect game for me to recharge whenever I have me-time, and most importantly, pausable! As a mom, I’m always there for my kids and having a fun game that can be paused at any moment of time is a huge plus point for me.
Furthermore, there's always a feeling of progression (clearing each room, getting boons, moving along the story) regardless of whether I have a short 10-minute session or a full hour of play. It’s in the details for me, I especially love the character interactions and the sense that they have lives outside of the player experience.
Bonus recommendations
My 5-year-old enjoys boardgames like Snakes and Ladders, or Risk Junior where each player controls a pirate ship and battles other players for treasure – it’s fun to physically launch your dice from the ship! Apart from giving fun to the family, games are also a great way of teaching social skills, player interactions and perseverance!
There are countless methods of engaging with the family and everyone is distinctive in their own special little way. Think you have a unique way of celebrating or you’re itching to shout out a burning recommendation? We’re always on the lookout for squad members who are serious about fun. jobs.ubisoft.com