The adage is true: content is king. But it’s especially true when you’re on a 15+ hour flight with a four year old. There, content isn’t just king, it’s queen, prince, princess, hand of the king, jester, and everyone else.
All of that is to say that I recently downloaded the first videogames for my child to try to play on our trip. Nothing too fancy, some simple games on an iPad that seemed age appropriate. Think: less Call of Duty, more Peppa Pig.
Anyway, she loved them. I mean, who wouldn’t? They’re like mini movies or shows but you can interact with them by touching them. When I was four years old, we played with those weird plastic things that morphed when parents put in the oven. Oven toys! Great fun. Times change.
Anyway, it’s awesome being a kid in 2023. It’s decidedly less awesome being a parent as I quickly found out because you’re constantly being upsold on content in said games. Call me naive, but I assumed that games meant for toddlers wouldn’t try to nickel and dime their way into your hearts. I was wrong. I was very, very wrong.