My 7-Year-Old Nephew Destroyed Me In Mario Kart And I’ve Never Been Prouder

I thought I was a gamer. Then my nephew sat down, picked Yoshi, and absolutely humiliated me on Rainbow Road. I didn’t even see it coming. That moment hit different because I realized—I’d been gatekeeping my own hobby from the people who actually make it fun. Here’s the thing nobody tells you about gaming with your kid. The games you think they’ll love? They probably won’t. The ones you think are too simple? Those are the ones that create the core memories. I found out the hard way after three failed sessions where my son just wanted to watch me play instead of actually playing with me. So I spent a month testing. I forced my friends with kids to let me come over and watch. I analyzed what actually kept a 6-year-old engaged versus what made them grab a tablet after five minutes. These five games survived the test. Not because they’re the highest rated. Because they actually work. Step 1: Start With Something That Levels The Playing Field Pick Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I know, obvious. But here’s the trick—turn on smart steering and auto-accelerate in the settings. Most parents skip this and wonder why their kid keeps driving into walls. With those two options enabled, a 5-year-old can compete with an adult. The rubber-banding mechanic means they’ll stay close enough to feel the tension. Common pitfall: Don’t pick your best track first. Start on a simple course like Mario Circuit. If you pick Rainbow Road round one, they’ll get frustrated and quit. Let them win the first race. I’m serious. The smile is worth more than your ego. Step 2: Use Cooperative Games To Build Trust Before Competition It Takes Two is the gold standard here. It forces you to work together. You literally cannot progress without both players solving puzzles. Each character has unique abilities—one player might need to hammer a button while the other flies across a gap. This game taught my nephew how to communicate under pressure. He started saying “cover me” and it nearly made me tear up. The difficulty scales naturally so you won’t get bored either. Common pitfall: Don’t rush through dialogue. Kids need time to process what they’re supposed to do. If you skip ahead, they’ll get lost and lose interest. Step 3: Introduce A Shared Goal Instead Of Direct Competition Minecraft in split-screen multiplayer mode. Set one goal together—build a house, find diamonds, survive the first night. Don’t just drop them in the world and say “have fun.” Kids need direction. I made this mistake and my kid spent twenty minutes punching a tree with no idea why. Instead, say “we need to build a shelter before dark” and show them how to place blocks. The creative mode is fine for younger kids, but survival mode teaches real problem-solving. Common pitfall: Don’t take over when they’re struggling. Let them die to a creeper once. The lesson sticks better than you telling them what to avoid. Step 4: Use A Party Game To Teach Sportsmanship Super Mario Party Jamboree is chaotic but that’s the point. The randomness of the dice rolls means skill matters less than luck. Your kid can beat you without feeling like you let them win. The minigames are short—90 seconds max—so attention spans don’t get tested. After each round, talk about what happened. “That was close! You almost had me on that rhythm game.” This teaches them how to lose gracefully because they’ll lose some rounds too. Common pitfall: Don’t dominate the bonus stars. Let them collect the bonus for most coins or most minigames won. Kids remember the ending more than the middle. Step 5: End With A Story-Driven Experience They Can Participate In LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is perfect for winding down. The puzzles are simple enough that a kid can solve them with minimal help. The humor keeps adults engaged. And the split-screen means you’re both experiencing the same story at the same time. My son started quoting the characters during dinner. That’s when I knew it worked. Common pitfall: Don’t skip the cutscenes. Kids need the narrative context to care about what they’re doing. If they don’t know why they’re collecting those bricks, they’ll wander off. The truth is, most parents overthink this. They buy the newest, most complex game and wonder why their kid loses interest after ten minutes. Kids don’t want the best graphics or the deepest mechanics. They want your attention. They want to share something with you. A game is just the excuse to sit next to each other for an hour without phones or distractions. I’ve started a tradition now. Every Saturday morning before anyone else is awake, my nephew and I boot up the Switch. We don’t plan what we’re playing. We just pick something from this list and go. Sometimes we finish a race. Sometimes we just drive in circles laughing. That’s the win. Not the W.