Video games are a normal part of many young people’s lives. For parents and carers, though, it can sometimes be difficult to keep up with the games their children are playing or to know what information is worth paying attention to.
To help explore that space, we spoke with Andy Robertson, a journalist, author and the creator of the Family Gaming Database. The project aims to make it easier for families to understand video games and make informed choices about what their children play. In this conversation, Andy shares how his own relationship with games developed, why he created the database, and what parents can do if they’re feeling unsure about gaming.
“I played a lot of games growing up, starting fairly young in the 1990s on the Amiga, and later moving into console gaming.
What I enjoyed most were games you could play together as a family, especially split-screen or competitive games where everyone was involved in the same space.
I drifted away from games in my twenties, but came back to them through the GameCube and Wii, particularly once I had children of my own. That experience of rediscovering games as something social and shared, rather than solitary, was pretty formative.”
“Across all that work, whether I was writing about video games for national newspapers, running a YouTube channel, or working on my book about games, there was a clear common thread: there were far more games available than most parents realised.
Because of that, parents often felt on the back foot when it came to the games their children were playing. They lacked clear, accessible information, and the existing coverage wasn’t really designed with them in mind.
That gap is what led to the creation of the Family Gaming Database. I wanted a resource built specifically for parents and carers, free of jargon, easy to understand, and focused on what families actually need to know. That’s how familygamingdatabase.com came about.”
What’s the main purpose of the database, and how do you hope it helps parents and carers?
“The aim of the Family Gaming Database is to be a single, trusted place parents can go to understand the games their children are playing.
Each game page is designed to give you everything you need to make an informed decision in just a couple of minutes.
Beyond that, if a parent decides their child isn’t quite ready for a particular game, we also suggest alternative games that offer a similar experience but are more age-appropriate. The goal is not to shut gaming down, but to help families find games that are fun, suitable, and genuinely enjoyable to play.”
Accessibility is a big focus. Why was that so important for you to include?
“As soon as we started helping families find games that fit their tastes and abilities, it naturally led us to think more carefully about accessibility.
Many children face specific barriers to playing games because of disability, and those barriers are often invisible in mainstream game coverage.
We worked closely with the accessibility community and with people who have lived experience of disability to identify which data points would genuinely help families.
“This allows parents to uncover games that a much wider range of people can play, despite physical, sensory, or cognitive barriers.”
How did you go about building the database in the early days, and what was the biggest challenge?
“The biggest challenge was scale. With around a thousand games being released every month, it was immediately clear that we could never cover everything.
Instead, we made a deliberate decision to focus on games that we felt it was particularly important for parents to know about. That curatorial approach helped keep the database useful rather than overwhelming, especially in the early stages.”
What kind of feedback have you had from families using the site?
“Around two million parents visit the site each month to get information about games and make informed choices.
We regularly hear from families who are grateful that the service exists, that it’s free, and often surprised they hadn’t come across it sooner.
What’s especially encouraging is hearing stories of parents taking an active role in choosing games, and then seeing how much their children enjoy the games that are suggested. That sense of shared discovery is exactly what we hoped the site would support.”
How do you see games playing a role in young people’s wellbeing?
“Video games are an important part of children’s lives and form a strand of their wider play experience, one that moves back and forth between the screen and the real world.
Games can help children engage with the world at their own pace, encounter new ideas, and experience perspectives beyond their own.
They offer a space for exploration, creativity, and agency, which can all contribute positively to how children learn to be and do well in the world.”
If a parent is feeling unsure about gaming, what’s your top piece of advice?
“The most helpful thing a parent can do is talk to their child about the games they’re playing.
Spend some time watching them play, ask what’s happening on screen, and let them explain what they enjoy about it.
Alongside that, doing a bit of research can really help. Resources like the Family Gaming Database, my book Taming Gaming, and other family-focused sites can give parents confidence and context without needing to become gaming experts themselves.”
How has the database changed since you first launched it, and what’s next?
“Since launch, the database has steadily evolved. It looks better, is much easier to navigate, and includes tools like the Game Finder, which lets parents enter their child’s age, the consoles they own, and the kinds of games they already enjoy, then generates a tailored list of suggestions.
Looking ahead, we plan to keep expanding the number of games covered, while also spending more time adding board games and other ways to play.
We also offer an API that other organisations use, which helps get this information into parents’ hands wherever they already are online.”
Thank you to Andy for sharing his insights and experiences. For parents who are curious about the games their children play, conversations like these can be a helpful starting point. Taking a little time to explore games together, ask questions, and understand what young people enjoy about them can go a long way in making gaming a more shared and positive experience for families. Make sure to check out this awesome resource here: https://www.familygamingdatabase.com/en-gb/home
