Retro Arcade Games for Kids: 5 Reasons to Let Children Visit the Arcade
Children in the 1970s and 1980s lived in a golden age when arcade games dominated their afternoons and arcades seemed to exist on every corner. Retro Arcade Games for Kids were everywhere. Eventually, those long afternoons and pocketfuls of quarters faded as video game arcades were replaced by home gaming systems and more advanced technology.
Today, however, as arcades enjoy a resurgence in popularity, modern day childhood can also benefit from the unique appeal of retro arcade games. Yes, we are talking screen time. But a visit to a retro arcade is much different from hours spent in front of a modern day gaming console. Here is how.
Retro arcade games for kids are not violent.
Think about the retro arcade games you know and love. How many of them are about killing or other graphic violence? Probably not many. Pac Man is a hungry guy, but all he eats are dots. NBA Jam is all about scoring basketball points within a fun special effects environment. Tetris is an animated game of building blocks. Other games feature racing, dinosaurs, or similarly harmless themes (Don’t roll your eyes; these tame games are actually fascinating to play. We’ll explain later).
Part of the appeal of retro arcade games for kids is the sheer number of non violent games from which children can choose. And, games that did display some kind of violence often did so with old school graphics and non gory methods that made them much tamer than the graphic violence of modern-day console games. So take your child to a retro arcade (like the one at i’TZ) and introduce them to the nostalgia of your past, guilt-free.
Retro arcade games for kids allow for family bonding.
Teaching your child to play Pac Man, you get to introduce them to the thrill of chasing those dots, evading those pesky ghosts, racking up bigger and bigger high scores. Or going head to head in NBA Jam. You’re sweating at the joystick because all of a sudden you realize your child might actually be better at this game than you are. Or imagine the friendly competition possible with the Mario Party 2 board game.
There are many ways in which retro arcade games for kids can foster family bonding. At least, the kind of bonding you enjoy from some intense competition and the sinking feeling that maybe your child is going to be better at video games than you are. Take heart, at least your children will enjoy the opportunity to hone their video game skills at the expense of your previous high scores of days past.
Retro arcade games for kids allow you to take a walk down memory lane.
Chances are, your childhood was filled with retro arcade games for kids (Though, at the time, they weren’t retro. Try not to feel old). And hopefully you remember those fascinating games with fondness. If you have ever thought wistfully of those fun hours spent in an arcade, missed the jingle of coins in your pockets, or wished your kids could enjoy the carefree foray into the fantasy worlds of arcade games, then now is your chance.
At a video game arcade like the one at iT’Z, you can take a walk down memory lane in the form of retro arcade games for kids. If you take your favorite little person with you, your stroll through the nostalgia of the past can include teaching them all the important things of life: Like how not to get eaten by ghosts and how to fit that tricky shape into your Tetris tower.
Your kids might seem nonplussed at first, but we are pretty sure that by the time you finish enjoying the nostalgia of the past, a love for retro arcade games will be a very solid presence in your kids’ here and now.
Retro arcade games for kids are fun.
You know how earlier we described some of the plot lines of the best retro arcade games for kids? Frogs crossing roads, floating puzzle pieces, and dot-eating circles do not on paper sound all that entertaining. And if you describe them in just that way to your kids, you are likely to get some eye rolls and groans.
So skip the verbal descriptions and let experience be your children’s teacher. Because when you sit down to play these games, they never disappoint. In fact, their fascinating game play is one of the enduring qualities of retro arcade games for kids.
It might be the ease with which they can be played, how baffingly difficult they are to beat, their charming old school graphics, or the appeal of trying to beat your previous high score, but regardless of why these games are so much fun to play, they offer you and your kids a unique opportunity to have some plain old fashioned fun.
Retro arcade games for kids have an enduring appeal, and nowadays, that appeal is being appreciated more and more with a resurgence of arcades. At iT’Z, our retro arcade allows you to introduce your children to the wonders of games that used to mark your childhood, plus modern games that build on the uniqueness of those old school favorites.
Non violent games that allow for family bonding, walks down memory lane, and unforgettable fun are one way to enjoy time with your kids that can leave you with memories that will last you for years to come. However, if arcade games aren’t your thing, iT’Z still offers many other activities to keep you and your children entertained. From laser tag to bumper cars, these activities can ensure a fun and memorable time every time you come to iT’Z.
