Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Kids can be wild. They can be incredibly sweet and affectionate one minute, and completely demanding the next. They might take your expert advice on some things, and completely ignore it on others. As a lifelong gamer who grew up on classic consoles and still collects retro physical media, I know what makes a good game. I know what solid, responsive controls feel like. But when it comes to buying video games for my kids? All of my gaming experience goes right out the window. Often, I find myself standing at the store, buying a game that I know will be an absolute disaster, just because my girls are obsessed with the franchise.
Let’s take a look at five games that perfectly illustrate this parental struggle. I mean, Are These The Worst Licensed Kids Games on Nintendo Switch?
First up is the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer video game. My kids have talked about this one in the past, and it is fundamentally broken. The controls are completely terrible and unresponsive, which is a cardinal sin in gaming. Worse yet, it doesn't even accurately follow the charming story of the classic holiday TV special! The voice acting is grating and misses the mark completely. It is just a bad, bad game from top to bottom.
Next is the Peppa Pig game. Part of the issue here is personal—I really do not like the TV show. I cannot stand the constant snorting, and there is honestly nothing about the Peppa Pig universe that appeals to me. But setting my personal bias aside, the game itself is just incredibly annoying. To make matters worse, the actual play control isn't very good either. It feels clunky and unpolished, making it a complete chore to actually sit down and play with them.
I know this next one is controversial, so prepare your pitchforks: Animal Crossing for the Nintendo Switch. I am just not an Animal Crossing fan. Both of my girls absolutely love it, and even my wife—who isn't usually a big gamer—really enjoys sitting down with this game. But for me? I just don't get it. I never have. I prefer games with a clear goal, and the daily chore-simulator aspect of Animal Crossing completely misses me. I know I have it coming, so feel free to attack me down in the comments for this take!
Then there is Bluey: The Videogame. This one breaks my heart because I genuinely wanted to love it. I think Bluey is one of the absolute best children's cartoons ever made. It is so well-written that I will happily sit there and keep watching it even after my daughter has left the room. The game actually looks fantastic and sounds exactly like the show. But the gameplay? The play control is absolutely terrible. The hit detection and platforming mechanics are so incredibly bad that it completely ruins the experience. It is a massive letdown for such an amazing franchise.
Finally, we reach the game that inspired this entire video. I just picked a physical copy up tonight as a gift for my 6-year-old daughter's birthday: Hello Kitty Island Adventure. Now, I get a massive kick out of this specific title purely for the humor factor. If you are a fan of South Park, you might remember the legendary "Make Love, Not Warcraft" episode where this exact game was the punchline—it’s what Butters admits to playing instead of World of Warcraft. I haven't even put it in the console yet, but I already know my fate. I know I'm going to have to sit there and help my daughter navigate through it, and I fully expect it to be a terrible, frustrating gameplay experience.
So, I want to hear from all the other gaming parents out there. Let me know down in the comments: What are the video games you have bought for your kids purely because of the franchise, knowing full well that they were going to be terrible and that you would be stuck helping them play through it? Drop your parental gaming nightmares below!
#ParentingGamer #KidsVideoGames #BlueyTheVideogame #AnimalCrossing #HelloKittyIslandAdventure #BadVideoGames #RoXolidProductions #GamerDad #NintendoSwitch #FamilyGaming
Kids can be wild. They can be incredibly sweet and affectionate one minute, and completely demanding the next. They might take your expert advice on some things, and completely ignore it on others. As a lifelong gamer who grew up on classic consoles and still collects retro physical media, I know what makes a good game. I know what solid, responsive controls feel like. But when it comes to buying video games for my kids? All of my gaming experience goes right out the window. Often, I find myself standing at the store, buying a game that I know will be an absolute disaster, just because my girls are obsessed with the franchise.
Let’s take a look at five games that perfectly illustrate this parental struggle. I mean, Are These The Worst Licensed Kids Games on Nintendo Switch?
First up is the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer video game. My kids have talked about this one in the past, and it is fundamentally broken. The controls are completely terrible and unresponsive, which is a cardinal sin in gaming. Worse yet, it doesn't even accurately follow the charming story of the classic holiday TV special! The voice acting is grating and misses the mark completely. It is just a bad, bad game from top to bottom.
Next is the Peppa Pig game. Part of the issue here is personal—I really do not like the TV show. I cannot stand the constant snorting, and there is honestly nothing about the Peppa Pig universe that appeals to me. But setting my personal bias aside, the game itself is just incredibly annoying. To make matters worse, the actual play control isn't very good either. It feels clunky and unpolished, making it a complete chore to actually sit down and play with them.
I know this next one is controversial, so prepare your pitchforks: Animal Crossing for the Nintendo Switch. I am just not an Animal Crossing fan. Both of my girls absolutely love it, and even my wife—who isn't usually a big gamer—really enjoys sitting down with this game. But for me? I just don't get it. I never have. I prefer games with a clear goal, and the daily chore-simulator aspect of Animal Crossing completely misses me. I know I have it coming, so feel free to attack me down in the comments for this take!
Then there is Bluey: The Videogame. This one breaks my heart because I genuinely wanted to love it. I think Bluey is one of the absolute best children's cartoons ever made. It is so well-written that I will happily sit there and keep watching it even after my daughter has left the room. The game actually looks fantastic and sounds exactly like the show. But the gameplay? The play control is absolutely terrible. The hit detection and platforming mechanics are so incredibly bad that it completely ruins the experience. It is a massive letdown for such an amazing franchise.
Finally, we reach the game that inspired this entire video. I just picked a physical copy up tonight as a gift for my 6-year-old daughter's birthday: Hello Kitty Island Adventure. Now, I get a massive kick out of this specific title purely for the humor factor. If you are a fan of South Park, you might remember the legendary "Make Love, Not Warcraft" episode where this exact game was the punchline—it’s what Butters admits to playing instead of World of Warcraft. I haven't even put it in the console yet, but I already know my fate. I know I'm going to have to sit there and help my daughter navigate through it, and I fully expect it to be a terrible, frustrating gameplay experience.
So, I want to hear from all the other gaming parents out there. Let me know down in the comments: What are the video games you have bought for your kids purely because of the franchise, knowing full well that they were going to be terrible and that you would be stuck helping them play through it? Drop your parental gaming nightmares below!
#ParentingGamer #KidsVideoGames #BlueyTheVideogame #AnimalCrossing #HelloKittyIslandAdventure #BadVideoGames #RoXolidProductions #GamerDad #NintendoSwitch #FamilyGaming
