games + gaming

While CyberMonday deals kind of started a week ago, making this entire week CyberWeek, it's not to say that you can't get some fantastic deals on tech products today -- some of which have been on for a few days, some of which are brand n…

We know many so many families who love online gaming for its temporary escape into cool unique realms and the connection with others who love to play as much as we do. But sometimes real-world problems can follow us into our online games…

With all the social and humanitarian crises we are facing as a nation, it's more important than ever that the next generation is activated toward making a difference. The children are our future, right? Well, here's one way that's happen…

Recently, Meta announced it would be launching new parental safety controls for teens in the form of tools and resources for both the Instagram social media app and their Meta Quest VR gaming headsets. The goal is to help parents better …

If your kid likes multiplayer VR games, clear some space in your living room, parents! Because I have 7 multiplayer games to keep them moving and collaborating -- or from our perspective, randomly grasping around the room while talking t…

Who else is shopping for Valentine's gifts for geeks this year? My own spouse takes his, ahem, calling as a gamer very seriously, so no red roses for him. Instead I try to get creative and find gifts that incorporates his love of all thi…

Who else is in the market for cool new video games for your families? Video games tend to get a bad rap, but I've found that picking the right game can actually foster connection and fun . So if you have an avid gamer in your family and …

Before the holidays kick into full gear, I recommend you download one super-fun, get-off-the-couch app that also happens to be 100% free: Active Arcade. It's entirely designed to get you moving (and maybe burning off all that pie eating)…

My teenage son and his friends are avid online gamers , so I recently broached the topic of good gaming etiquette for kids and teens with them. “What?” they asked, “You mean like when people tell you to go kill yourself when you mess up?…

If you've been following Cool Mom Tech lately you know how much we loooove Halloween ! So when we learned about a few games for our kids' beloved Nintendo Switches that feel perfect for the spooky season, we were excited to share them, B…

If you've got a geeky gamer to shop for, allow me to share these Nintendo Switch switch plates that I just stumbled on. Because frankly, I know I need to laugh more these days and this is doing it for me. Made by a popular 3-D printer on…

When your teen takes the time to text you the news about InnerSloth's official Among Us costume for Halloween this year, you know that the party game that got millions of kids through the worst of the pandemic last year is only growing i…

I'm part of the micro-generation Xennials, for whom there was no better reward in middle school computer class for finishing your typing drills and DOS coding worksheets early than getting to play a game of Oregon Trail. It's one of the …

We're huge board game geeks in my family. Our stack of strategy games is up to the ceiling. And while we're always up for a new game, they're expensive. So my new solution has been playing board games online before I buy! I get the full …

Last month I shared my newest obsession: the Supernatural VR fitness app for Oculus. Now, after one month of counting calories and playing Supernatural 4-5 times per week, I stepped on the scale and found out I'd lost 10 pounds. I'm so e…

Several weeks ago, if you'd told me I'd be excitedly looking forward to my work out each day, I'd have thought you were insane. I have never craved a good cardio session and I haven't had a gym membership in years. That said, I've recent…

Let's take a minute to applaud our teens who've been willing to quarantine this year. It's been brutal to lose so many activities they love, and they've handled it with flexibility and (mostly) good attitudes! While we'd hoped we'd be "b…

Every year, we share our top 10 most popular posts on Cool Mom Tech. From the best podcasts for kids to customizing your iPhone 14 home screen, here are the posts we wrote this year that resonated the most with our readers in 2020. Also …

Who else is looking for the best video games to play as a family this holiday? To me, these family-friendly games make the best gifts for the holidays, since they provide some safe indoor fun at a time we all really need it. Plus, they p…

While there has been a lot of gaming going on in our house since the start of the pandemic, no game has quite gripped my family like Among Us . This easy and free-to-download game, which launched in 2018, has became HUGE during this pand…

With our kids spending significantly more time on their computers now that for many kids, school is online from home, we've realized something: they can't type. I mean, 16 wpm isn't something to brag about, champ. So we thought we'd look…

Just last week, Twitch launched Watch Parties , a feature that allows Twitch creators to watch Prime Video TV shows and movies with their communities. Whether you've got a kid on Twitch, or maybe you're looking for a way to watch your Am…

It's not just kids who are gaming more courtesy of the quarantine. We know lots of grown-ups are doing it a lot more too, which is why we decided to put together a Father's Day gift guide just for the gamer dads. We scoured the web for t…

With lots of extra time on their hands, my kids are spending a lot of that playing video games. And based on some of the discussions in our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group , I'm not the only parent who's experiencing the same thing. Bu…

We're all doing our best practicing social distancing and stay connected during this Coronavirus lockdown, and we've seen lots of creative ideas, from Facebook Live dance parties, to Zoom cocktail parties, even online singalongs like the…

It's ironic that I chose the word "connect" as my 2020 word, just to find myself practicing "social distancing" three months into the year. Suddenly, instead of looking forward to coffee shop meetups, long chummy walks, and dinners with …

Next up in our Holiday Tech Guide 2019 , we're sharing the coolest tech toys and gifts for tweens and big kids. We know that they can be tricky to shop for, so we've done the research for you (not to mention asked our own tweens and big …

So your kids are obsessed with watching other people play video games and you can't quite wrap your mind around it. We decided to ask video gaming expert Dr. Rachel Kowert to weigh in on this phenomenon and tell us what we need to know. …

Over the weekend, my family and I played with the Nintendo Switch Lite , which is Nintendo's newest handheld gaming device. Considering how much we love the Nintendo Switch , we figured this would going to be a pretty popular holiday gif…

If you're an Amazon Prime member like me who also happens to have a Nintendo Switch , you'll definitely want to check out this awesome offer from Twitch Prime (which, if you didn't know, is owned by Amazon). All you need to do is connect…

If you've got Pokémon fans in the house, you'll impress them with this little bit of news that they might already know: just today they announced the new Pokémon Sword and Shield game coming to Nintendo Switch in the fall of 2019. And if…

We're all for setting some smart parental controls on our kids' tech, and there are some great parenting controls built into the Xbox One that you might not know about it. From limiting screen time to blocking other users who might be in…

As a mom of four kids, I get all sorts of questions asked of me by friends and strangers alike. You can probably guess what they are. "How do you do it?" "Do you ever sleep?" and then a question about whether my kids get along, which is …

Question: how many times in the last day has your kid danced Orange Justice? If the answer is more than once, then you're going to want to check out these cool Fortnite gifts we've found for kids who are obsessed with the game. Sure, the…

With so many kids either asking for a Nintendo Switch this holiday season, or looking to add to their Nintendo Switch game collection, we decided to share some of our own kids' favorite games, along with favorites from our Out Tech Your …

With a few of our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group members looking to gift a Nintendo Switch to their kid this holiday season, we've had a few awesome threads about the popular gadget, including the cool Nintendo Switch accessories. If …

If you're like us and have an abundance of geeks to buy for this holiday season, you'll appreciate these awesome, affordable geeky gifts under $20 for the holidays. Whether they're into Star Wars, Stranger Things, Dr. Who, or just losing…

We were so pleased to hear that the Xbox Adaptive Controller that has been making the news over the last few months has finally launched. That means kids and adults with disabilities who aren't able to use current Xbox controller now hav…

In news that is sure to score a serious "wahoo!" from the Super Mario fan in your life — and just in time for back-to-school, too — Moleskine has released a limited edition notebook collection that features the game-changing gaming chara…

If you thought your kids tech-savvy as toddlers, it's amazing to see how quickly they pick up video games when they get a little older. They know what's hot and what's not faster than Mario with a super star power-up. Turns out there are…

Warning: you're about to seriously waste some time reliving your childhood. We've found the motherlode of retro computer games thanks to Classic Reload. They've collected and preserved more than 5,000 classic video games for future gener…

Aren't these water bottles such a clever collaboration from our friends at Nintendo and S'well? We love S'well bottles , and we love Nintendo , so it's no surprise we're loving these new bottles. Sure, they're fun for Father's Day , but …

So this is how the story goes. Nintendo brought back the NES Classic in November, 2016 and it sold out almost immediately. Then lots of people were sad and gnashing their teeth (okay, slight exaggeration. Maybe). Well, it's back. Again. …

With all the throwback gaming consoles making their way back to the market (cough Nintendo cough), we probably shouldn't be surprised that Atari is making a comeback. But that doesn't mean we're a wee bit excited about it. Okay, try very…

There are no shortage of fun geeky products for your home these days, case in point this fun Nintendo floor mat from our friends at Think Geek. While you won't be winning at Super Mario games with it, you will win at cleaner floors (mayb…

Calling all you expecting video game geeks! We spotted this fun Bumkins Nintendo print baby gear that we just had to share. Seriously, how fun is this? Related: 5 of the coolest geeky baby onesies We've been longtime fans of Bumkins' pra…

We've been pretty happy with our Nintendo Switch investment going back to 2017 and now, it's about to get even cooler with the launch of Nintendo Labo . It's a series of fun cardboard accessories that can take game play to a whole new le…

The gingerbread house just got a 2017 makeover thanks to this clever Super Mario gingerbread house we found at Michael's. Seriously, how fun is this? Related: The coolest craft gifts for kids You get everything you'll need to put togethe…

Raise your hand if you already have tickets to see The Last Jedi . Yep, we're obsessed too at our house, so I'm (obviously) looking for hot new Star Wars gifts for my kids this holiday season. At the top of my list: Bloxels Star Wars . T…

The holidays are right around the corner, which for many of us means lots and lots of family time, well, beyond the eating, and the eating again. Whether you're hanging with your immediate relatives, or you're celebrating with your entir…

Hot Wheels is getting a big tech upgrade, thanks to their newest partnership with a longtime Cool Mom Tech favorite, Osmo . You'll be able to recapture your living room floors from miles of winding plastic track, but still let your kids …

Each year, there's one tech gift that we see and go...yup. That's going to be the one everyone wants. And this year it's the new Collector's Edition Propel Star Wars Drones that I got to check out at a top secret press preview event this…

Gaming has taken over the world -- or at least our kids' brains, same as it did when we were kids (ahem). But what our kids have that we didn't have back in the day is such an amazing collection of cool gamer school supplies. Whether the…

Forget Snapchat, Facebook, or even Instagram. Teens these days are often connecting with friends online by gaming together on their Xboxes and I find the key to good communication for them is a great gaming headset for teens. So my almos…

If you're like me, you've been trying to track down the Nintendo Switch since it was released last week, and well, let's just say it's been no easy feat. Unfortunately, my search has been pretty unsuccessful as of yet, but in the process…

Next up in our Cool Mom Tech Holiday Tech Gift Guide, we've got two dozen ideas for great geeky gifts for a kid in your life. From little babies just cutting their teeth on Nintendo (literally -- you'll see) to big kids and kids at heart…

If you were hoping to gift that amazing mini NES Classic Edition that everyone's drooling over and won't get it in time for the holidays, here's a fun idea: wrap this super cool Nebula of NES Games poster as preview of what's to come in …

With Halloween right around the corner (nope, we can't believe it either), we thought it would be fun to round-up a bunch of the coolest free geeky pumpkin carving templates. As in, a whole lot of them! Whether you've got Pokémon fans, e…

My kids are obsessed with Aphmau , the hugely popular YouTuber, Vlogger, designer -- and mom, by the way -- who creates the Minecraft roleplay videos they devour like I used to watch, oh, Captain Caveman . I happened to click on the Aphm…

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard something about Pokemon Go , the new, free app that's blowing up the Internet. In fact, it's about to take over Twitter in user activity. Seriously. We've been getting lots of…

When it's time to unplug the devices and hit the pool, lake, or ocean to cool off, I know my kids love stretching out and relaxing on a comfy pool float or raft while they talk to their friends. And, whoa, they would go nuts for any of t…

I was just in the Vans store last week buying my daughter a new pair for summer, and of course today they launch their new Vans x Nintendo collection . I'm actually afraid to show them to my video-game loving daughter because you guys, t…

With all the time I spend outside of the house waiting for my kids to finish a class or practice, I'm always trying to find something new to do on my phone. You know, other than continually refreshing my Facebook feed or checking to see …

Every parent knows that babies just love to chew on all the things that probably shouldn't be chewing on. And always the expensive, important stuff. The keys. The phone. The video game remote. And so, over the years, clever handmade arti…

Since starting to Konmari, or "tidy," my home almost a year ago, I've found myself avoiding certain categories of stuff left to purge, like the four large bins of CDs we've had stored in our basement since switching all our music over to…

Of course I've heard about Minecraft . How could I not? The crazy best-selling, square-loving video game is practically everywhere and has been for years now. I also knew the super skinny basics on Minecraft: It's all about virtual, 3-D …

If you're tearing through the list of snow day activities to keep the kids occupied when you're stuck indoors, allow us help you with two beautifully designed, really fun new apps we've discovered from Seedling . As in, the same company …

As we approach the final week of Christmas shopping, I plan spend a few minutes to make sure that I'm buying toys and games that will feed my kids' brains as much as their need for play. And while "math toys" has never appeared on any of…

Honestly, haven't we all rocked out to an air guitar at some point in our lives? (Or maybe this morning in the shower -- ahem .) Pretending to be Lenny Kravitz or Joan Jett shredding the axe and professing our love for rock 'n' roll out …

For our final installment of our 2015 Tech Gift Guide, we've got lots and lots of cool tech gifts for men and women under $25. Yes, you read that correctly. And no, we're not talking about stocking stuffers, folks. These are awesome gift…

Since we first featured the wooden iPhone baby teethers at 3Princesses Store on Etsy a few years ago (has it really been that long?), they've added a whole slew of cool geeky baby gifts that just so happen to be super affordable too. As …

This is a sponsored message from VTech Today's preschoolers are a far more digitally connected and savvy group than we ever were, and now a new system from VTech is channeling that screen time interest and transforming it into an opportu…

While things we find on Kickstarter aren't usually available in the immediate future, if you've already got holiday shopping on the brain (eek!) it's worth taking a look at Cannybots , a Kickstarter campaign for a very cool new tech toy …

It's hard to believe this was my first ever year attending the Maker Faire in NYC, but yep. It's true. And now consider me an annual attendee. Thanks to our sponsor Sprout by HP who hooked me up with tickets (thank you thank you thank yo…

Last year we fell in love with the Anki Drive app-controlled racers, calling it one of our top tech toys of 2014 . Earlier this year at Toy Fair, we got a look (and a very fun if brief test drive) of the brand new Anki OVERDRIVE and as o…

There seems to be no shortage of websites or online games that will help teach our kids coding so they can be ready to head out into this increasingly technical world. And as much as I love that there are so many online options, sometime…

Think for a minute about how far we've come in games design from the days of Asteroids and Space Invaders. Now, there are some stunningly beautiful mobile games for both iOS and Android that change the way we think about gaming apps. Hey…

With a bunch of Minecraft fans in my house, and a couple of them with gadgets of their own, I'm pretty sure these new Minecraft cases from Think Geek would be a huge hit. You won't find these Minecraft cases anywhere other than Think Gee…

For years, my kids have collected LEGO Minifigures which they love to play with while building with their LEGO bricks. So, it was with great excitement when they learned that LEGO has come out with a brand new game that puts their belove…

Getting our kids on board with STEM early in the game seems like a great way to go. And just because it's summer doesn't mean that gentle parent-ly nudge in the right direction has to take a break. An easy way to get kids hyped about thi…

School's out (finally). Time to really sink into summer's sun and fun. But for many parents, summer also means tackling this gnawing question, how are we going to keep these children entertained? Well, for your tech-head kid, we're happy…

Okay procrastinators. It may be a little late to order something awesome online for Father's Day...or maybe not! Check for shipping options for some of these cool geeky gifts for your favorite gamer, or just bookmark it for future gift i…

If you're always looking for the newest, coolest toys for your kids, we think you're going to want to know about the introduction of the wildly cool Disney Playmation this fall, because mamas? This could be a category changer. If it does…

This a sponsored message on behalf of Gameband + Minecraft If you've been waiting to get your hands on the uber popular Gameband + Minecraft for a Minecraft lover in your life, now's the time. Because when you purchase it at Target, you'…

If you've ever looked, then you know how hard it is to find examples of female role models in STEM, which is why these parents decided to create this new card game Women in Science for their daughter, and now, for all our kids. Yeah! Not…

My girls are obsessed with Minecraft. As in, Marble Jar -level obsessed. And yet, for some reason, Mojang hasn't quite embraced the girls who have embraced Minecraft with any female characters. Until now. Tomorrow, they're rolling out Al…

We absolutely love it when our childhood favorites make a modern comeback, like princess phones , Little Golden Records , and of course, Simon . So naturally we're shaking with excitement (ha) over the new Magic 8 Ball official app that …

What do you get for the kid who has everything? Cool STEM toys that might help them learn something new, we say. Because even kids who have everything, don't yet know everything. And now it's easier than ever to shop for awesome educatio…

I admit it, I'm an app junkie, and so are my kids. But the in-app purchase prompts on some of our favorite games drive us all crazy.Because even when you've disabled in-app purchases on the devices your kids use (you have, right?), the a…

When people ask me about any tech "wows" I might have caught at the NY International Toy Fair this week, honestly there were a few but not tons. However the first thing I'm excited about is the upcoming Anki OVERDRIVE , and it's killing …

My kids love to give and receive Valentine's Day cards from their friends and classmates, but they'd prefer to skip the mushy-gushy sentimental cards and stick with printable Minecraft Valentines cards, or others that reflect their love …

If your kids are as obsessed with Minecraft as mine, you will laugh like I did when I saw this Minecraft Valentines t-shirt . Not laughing? Give it a sec. Take your time. You'll get it. The raglan tee is just available in men's and women…

I'm not going to lie that when I heard the news about The Simpsons on Minecraft Xbox, I got more than a little excited. Because even though my kids are completely obsessed with Minecraft , if there was anything that might get me actually…

This is a sponsored message from Gameband + Minecraft Your little Minecraft lovers are going to be able to take their favorite game with them wherever they go thanks to the new Gameband + Minecraft , the first ever wearable for Minecraft…

If you're planning on grabbing a new XBox One, PS4 or Wii for the kids for the holidays--or maybe just freshening up your existing one with some hot new video games that the whole family can play, we've tracked down the very best ones. W…

Not done with your holiday shopping yet? No problem. We've rounded up today's best Cyber Monday tech deals and discounts all in one handy place. Make sure to check back as we'll be updating this post all day long and follow us on Twitter…

The holidays are coming—as in, fast —and that means company. While we're always thinking about organization tips like cleaning off the china or straightening the bookshelves, it's easy to forget about what a presence tech is in our homes…

The concept of intelligent robots taking over the planet used to be something you'd only see in sci-fi movies but I'm starting to wonder whether a robotic takeover may not be so far-off. Okay, maybe not in our immediate future, but highl…

I was once a struggling engineering student, so I have a special appreciation for the courage and creativity of kids who really want to know how stuff works and aren't afraid to jump in and figure it out. Now that one of my own kids is c…

Not even the biggest die-hard Minecraft fans can live on screen time alone, so when it's time for them to step away from their favorite game, you could try some of our screen-free Minecraft games , or offer up one of the cool little Mine…