Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Do You Let Your Kids Win When Playing Video Games Or Earn It? Happy Father’s Day to all of the amazing dads, stepdads, grandfathers, and father figures out there! Today, we are diving into a topic that is incredibly near and dear to my heart: playing video games with my kids, and the ultimate parenting debate of whether or not you should let your children win when you play against them.
For years, one of my absolute favorite pastimes has been sitting down, grabbing a controller, and playing video games with my girls. We have bonded over so many family-friendly titles across multiple console generations. We started with classics like Wii Sports and Mario Kart Wii, mastering motion controls and dealing with the chaos of the Wii Remote. As they grew older, we transitioned into the intensely competitive races of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the original Nintendo Switch. Now, we have fully entered the next generation, exploring the massive, interconnected open-world environment and chaotic 24-player races of the brand-new Mario Kart World on the Nintendo Switch 2.
But throughout all of those years, across all of those different consoles and games, there is one strict rule that I have always adhered to: I have never, ever let them win.
In the words of my youngest daughter, who is currently dealing with the brutal reality of this policy: "I always lose, and you never play easy on me! It is so incredibly difficult to try to get past you. Even when I do manage to get past you several times during a race, you literally just pass me again using obstacles and items, and it is literally not fair! It is so not fair!"
I definitely understand the frustration. When you are a kid, playing against an adult with decades of gaming experience can feel like an insurmountable challenge. But I want to compare her current frustration to the perspective of my oldest daughter. My oldest is now a genuinely fantastic, highly skilled gamer. She has learned the mechanics and can now easily go head-to-head with me in almost any game.
Here is her perspective now: "I can actually play now! It was so frustrating when I was little and you wouldn't let me beat you, but now I have a lot of fun beating you because I know I am actually better. When I win, I am the true champion."
Hearing that makes it all worth it. I totally get where both of my girls are coming from. However, my philosophy as both a parent and a lifelong gamer has always remained consistent: I never wanted to take it easy on my kids. I wanted them to experience the challenge, learn the mechanics, and figure out how to overcome obstacles on their own. Video games are a fantastic, low-stakes environment for children to learn about perseverance and practice. When you hand a kid an unearned victory, you rob them of the immense satisfaction and confidence that comes from finally achieving a hard-fought win through their own effort.
Now, I do have a caveat to this rule. If my kids are playing a single-player game or a cooperative campaign, and they get stuck on a difficult boss fight, a puzzle, or a tricky level, I will absolutely step in to help them get past that specific area. I don't want them to give up on a fun adventure. But when it comes to competitive, head-to-head multiplayer gaming against the old man? They still have to earn every single victory on their own. No free passes and absolutely no mercy on the racetrack!
I would love to know what your philosophy is as a parent when playing video games with your kids. Do you let them win to boost their confidence? Do you go easy on them at first? Or do you take my approach and make them truly earn every victory? Share your thoughts down below!
For now, I am off. I've got to go kick my daughters' rear ends in some massive Knockout Tour races in Mario Kart World! Happy Father's Day!
#FathersDay #GamingDad #MarioKartWorld #Parenting #NintendoSwitch2 #GamerDad #FamilyGaming #Nintendo #MarioKart #DadLife #ParentingHacks #VideoGames #MarioKart8Deluxe #NintendoSwitch #GamingCommunity #WiiSports
Do You Let Your Kids Win When Playing Video Games Or Earn It? Happy Father’s Day to all of the amazing dads, stepdads, grandfathers, and father figures out there! Today, we are diving into a topic that is incredibly near and dear to my heart: playing video games with my kids, and the ultimate parenting debate of whether or not you should let your children win when you play against them.
For years, one of my absolute favorite pastimes has been sitting down, grabbing a controller, and playing video games with my girls. We have bonded over so many family-friendly titles across multiple console generations. We started with classics like Wii Sports and Mario Kart Wii, mastering motion controls and dealing with the chaos of the Wii Remote. As they grew older, we transitioned into the intensely competitive races of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the original Nintendo Switch. Now, we have fully entered the next generation, exploring the massive, interconnected open-world environment and chaotic 24-player races of the brand-new Mario Kart World on the Nintendo Switch 2.
But throughout all of those years, across all of those different consoles and games, there is one strict rule that I have always adhered to: I have never, ever let them win.
In the words of my youngest daughter, who is currently dealing with the brutal reality of this policy: "I always lose, and you never play easy on me! It is so incredibly difficult to try to get past you. Even when I do manage to get past you several times during a race, you literally just pass me again using obstacles and items, and it is literally not fair! It is so not fair!"
I definitely understand the frustration. When you are a kid, playing against an adult with decades of gaming experience can feel like an insurmountable challenge. But I want to compare her current frustration to the perspective of my oldest daughter. My oldest is now a genuinely fantastic, highly skilled gamer. She has learned the mechanics and can now easily go head-to-head with me in almost any game.
Here is her perspective now: "I can actually play now! It was so frustrating when I was little and you wouldn't let me beat you, but now I have a lot of fun beating you because I know I am actually better. When I win, I am the true champion."
Hearing that makes it all worth it. I totally get where both of my girls are coming from. However, my philosophy as both a parent and a lifelong gamer has always remained consistent: I never wanted to take it easy on my kids. I wanted them to experience the challenge, learn the mechanics, and figure out how to overcome obstacles on their own. Video games are a fantastic, low-stakes environment for children to learn about perseverance and practice. When you hand a kid an unearned victory, you rob them of the immense satisfaction and confidence that comes from finally achieving a hard-fought win through their own effort.
Now, I do have a caveat to this rule. If my kids are playing a single-player game or a cooperative campaign, and they get stuck on a difficult boss fight, a puzzle, or a tricky level, I will absolutely step in to help them get past that specific area. I don't want them to give up on a fun adventure. But when it comes to competitive, head-to-head multiplayer gaming against the old man? They still have to earn every single victory on their own. No free passes and absolutely no mercy on the racetrack!
I would love to know what your philosophy is as a parent when playing video games with your kids. Do you let them win to boost their confidence? Do you go easy on them at first? Or do you take my approach and make them truly earn every victory? Share your thoughts down below!
For now, I am off. I've got to go kick my daughters' rear ends in some massive Knockout Tour races in Mario Kart World! Happy Father's Day!
#FathersDay #GamingDad #MarioKartWorld #Parenting #NintendoSwitch2 #GamerDad #FamilyGaming #Nintendo #MarioKart #DadLife #ParentingHacks #VideoGames #MarioKart8Deluxe #NintendoSwitch #GamingCommunity #WiiSports
