The Blue Prince: A Family Bonding and Learning Experience
I've always been the gamer in the family. When my son was born nearly 11 years ago, I was eager to share my passion for gaming with him. I remember him sitting next to me, watching me play Sea of Thieves with friends, and he even tried wearing the headset to talk with them. Now, the roles have reversed, and I find myself sitting next to him as he battles Calamity Ganon in Breath of the Wild. His true gaming passion has always been Minecraft, where he appreciates the rules, order, and the calming environment of creative mode. He also enjoys setting up TNT blocks and watching them explode.
What I wasn't expecting was the gaming connection my wife has made with my son. She made an effort to play Minecraft with him, although it's not her favorite. But she loves puzzles and stories, so when a friend suggested Blue Prince, a puzzle-solving roguelike game recently released on the Switch 2, for both her and our son, she immediately bought it. They've been working through it together, and they've already surpassed our friend who suggested it.
Blue Prince is a unique game where you explore a 45-room mansion from one day to the next, aiming to reach Room 46 to earn your inheritance. The rooms reorder themselves at the start of each day, requiring both detailed thinking and the ability to piece together a large story. This is where my wife and son's complementary skills shine. My son has an incredible spatial intellect, easily remembering directions and solving puzzles quickly. He can quickly line up pieces or flip switches in a specific order, and he notices minor changes in a room instantly. My wife, on the other hand, excels at the big picture and piecing together story themes. She loves word-based puzzles, especially those with symbolism, while my son struggles with them.
Blue Prince has been a valuable learning experience for both of them. It has brought up teachable moments where my wife can expand my son's way of thinking and explain her thought process for solving logic puzzles. The best part is the excitement it instills in him. His mind is constantly thinking about how things might connect in the story, and he's even started writing down their discoveries in a notebook! This is a significant achievement, as he struggles with reading and writing.
Gaming, and Blue Prince in particular, is not just a distraction for my son but a way to expand how his brain processes information and logic. It provides him with strategies he can use in his daily life. While he spends more time on screens than he should, the interaction and enthusiasm he and my wife have experienced through this adventure are worth the extra screen time.
In my opinion, Blue Prince is a game that brings families together and fosters learning. It's a testament to the power of gaming as a bonding experience and a tool for cognitive development. So, if you're looking for a game to play with your family, I highly recommend giving Blue Prince a try.
