We’re a week into the summer school holidays here in England, and I can’t help but wonder how many parents who vowed to keep their kids away from screens are already feeling the pressure. When my boys were younger, I’d picture perfect summer days filled with seaside trips, backyard treasure hunts, river paddling, and family visits – all those nostalgic, grainy Kodachrome moments that shape childhood. Then reality would hit: I had work commitments, and my sons had what we’ll politely call limited attention spans. They could blaze through a whole day’s worth of enriching activities in a few hours, leaving behind muddy footprints, abandoned craft projects, and exhausted grandparents. More often than not, we’d reluctantly allow some Fortnite time just to catch our breath.
There’s so much guilt and judgment around kids and gaming, especially during long breaks, and I think we need to shift our perspective as a society. Some of my fondest summer memories involve gaming with my boys—building absurd Minecraft mansions on lazy August afternoons or cracking up over Goat Simulator. We always brought the Switch on holiday, so when we went out for dinner, my wife and I could enjoy a quiet drink while the boys played Super Mario together. We still had plenty of beach days, swims, and adventures, but games gave us a way to unwind with something familiar.
When the boys stayed with their grandparents, they took games along too. My mum had a Nintendo Wii, which she insisted was purely for entertaining the grandkids when she needed a break. It was sweet watching my sons patiently explain Kirby’s Epic Yarn to her—probably reminding her of when I was young, trying to rope my dad into playing Kick Off or Leaderboard on our Commodore 64 while he was supposed to be cooking dinner. There’s something special about kids sharing their passions, whether it’s music (my boys picked up real guitars after playing Rock Band) or the thrill of catching a Jigglypuff in Pokémon Go.
“Everything in moderation” might sound like a tired cliché, but it’s true. We treat screen time like some universal evil, when we should really be thinking about how that time is spent. If your kids love games, summer is a great chance to ask: What are they playing? What do they get out of it? Are they just zoning out, or are they laughing with friends, building in Fortnite Creative, or learning something new? Games are versatile—maybe not ideal on the beach, but perfect for long car rides or rainy afternoons. And parents shouldn’t feel guilty about that. For Gen Z and Gen Alpha, gaming is woven into their lives, just like comics and mixtapes were for us.
Earlier this week, I took my 17-year-old to London. While I met a friend, he explored the city alone. On the coach ride home, we were too tired to talk, so we played Mario Kart together, balancing the Switch on the tray table as it wobbled with every bump—usually to my advantage. It was silly, but it was ours.We laughed and shared gaming strategies, occasionally glancing up as the evening sun lit up the fields outside. That hour and a half I spent with him on the bus will likely stay with me longer than anything else from that day. Even with a screen between us, we felt connected.
### What to Play
Fumes (Image: Fumes Team)
Car combat games were huge in the mid-90s, with titles like Twisted Metal, Carmageddon, and Destruction Derby letting players ram, crash, and blast their way through chaotic battles. Fumes aims to recapture that wild energy—it’s an open-world, single-player vehicle battler where you roam a Mad Max-style wasteland in a customizable muscle car, taking down enemies. The retro visuals and wailing guitar soundtrack evoke the original PlayStation era, while the arcade-style handling keeps things fast and reckless. Currently in early access on Steam with a free demo available.
Available on: PC
Estimated playtime: 10+ hours
### What to Read
Light of Motiram (Image: Polaris Quest)
As reported by IGN and others, Sony is suing Chinese publisher Tencent for alleged copyright infringement over its upcoming game Light of Motiram. The claim? That the game—featuring a young girl battling giant robot dinosaurs in an open world—bears a striking resemblance to Sony’s Horizon series. Tencent has yet to respond.
Meanwhile, Variety reports that Amazon MGM Studios is developing a Wolfenstein TV series. Writer Patrick Somerville (Station Eleven, Maniac) is attached, with MachineGames’ Jerk Gustafsson executive producing. The Nazi-slaying shooter joins a growing list of video game adaptations (The Last of Us, Fallout) being eyed by streaming platforms eager to attract younger audiences tired of superhero fare.
In other news, developers at Falmouth University are collaborating with local teens to create Ace of Hearts, a game designed to help young people process difficult childhood experiences like grief and poverty. More details are available on the BBC’s website.
### Question Block
Team players (Image: Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty Images)
Andy writes in with a thoughtful question:
“In his Richard Dimbleby lecture, Gareth Southgate expressed concern that young men spend too much time gaming, gambling, and watching porn. I think he’s oversimplifying gaming—good gaming can be beneficial. How do you think gaming helps young people build pride, identity, and community?”
While toxic gaming communities are a real issue, there are also countless positive examples. I’ve seen firsthand how gaming fosters teamwork, creativity, and belonging—especially for young people finding their place in the world.Many gaming communities are known for their kindness and acceptance, particularly in space exploration games like Deep Rock Galactic and No Man’s Sky, as well as creative games like Minecraft, where players often celebrate each other’s building skills. Minecraft has also helped create welcoming spaces for accessibility—like the amazing Autcraft, a server for neurodivergent players that helps them form friendships they might not have found otherwise.
Streamers on platforms like Twitch and YouTube—such as Aimsey, SpringSims, and xChocoBars—also build communities that give fans a sense of identity and belonging. What I love most is how some games inspire creativity and inclusivity beyond the game itself, whether through League of Legends cosplay meetups or Life Is Strange fan-fiction groups. Like music and movies, video games give fans ways to express themselves and explore who they are. For many young people, these spaces make the modern world much easier to navigate.
Got a question for Question Block—or thoughts about the newsletter? Reply or email us at pushingbuttons@theguardian.com.
