The subject of gaming with your kids is one that’s near and dear to my heart. I recently had the opportunity to introduce my daughters to the music of The Beatles via a 3-hour marathon Rock Band session, playing through the entire story mode in one sitting. It was an experience I’ll never forget, and became infinitely more satisfying when, the next morning at breakfast, my 10-year old was singing “Here Comes the Sun.” I smiled for ages.

The great thing about playing games with kids is what they can teach you about how you play vs. how they play. For example, early on I had abandoned the level creation in LittleBigPlanet, because the tools didn’t work as I anticipated or expected they would–therefore, they were “broken.” When my kids showed me the level they had created a day later, I was at once astonished and shamed. Kids are flexible, amenable to learning new ideas and trying different approaches, and, importantly, willing to fail and try again. There’s a lesson on patience and tolerance in there somewhere that I’m still endeavoring to learn.