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# Video Games: Why the Next Generation of Parents Will Bond Better
- URL: https://barbarosozturk.com/blog/video-games-why-the-next-generation-of-parents-will-bond-better/
- Published: 2026-02-04T13:11:31.000Z
- Updated: 2026-02-04T13:11:31.000Z
- Description: We worry that screens create distance. But for the first time in history, parents and kids speak the same digital language. Video games aren't isolating the next generation; they are the new campfire.
- Author: Barbaros
- Tags: Gaming, Personal

### Prof G hates skiing, but he does it to bond with his kids. The next generation won't have to suffer through hobbies they hate; they will just log into the same server.

**Inspiration:** Hearing Scott Galloway confess that he drags himself up a mountain to ski—despite hating it—just to get 20 minutes of connection with his sons on the chairlift.

Digitalization is often portrayed as a loneliness epidemic. And that is mostly true. We are more connected but less intimate.

But there is an upside we are missing.

**The "Boomer" Language Barrier:** Older generations had difficulty bonding with their kids because the tech jump was too fast. The internet, smartphones, and meme culture created a linguistic divide. A father in 1990 couldn't "join" his son in Super Mario; he could only watch.

**The "Millennial" Bridge:** The newer generation of parents is different. They are **digitally native**.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/64/81/648165b7-979e-43dd-9c43-02101159f467/content/images/2026/02/ChatGPT-Image-Feb-4--2026--05_06_05-PM-Large.jpeg)

### The World of Warcraft Effect

We are already seeing the shift. There are viral posts of kids who are now old enough to start playing *World of Warcraft*—and their parents aren't scolding them; they are **guiding** them.

- "Dad, how do I tank this boss?"
- "Follow me, son. Pull aggro on the mobs."

This is profound. It turns the digital world from a place of isolation into a place of mentorship.

The parent isn't an outsider looking in; they are the "Sherpa" of the virtual world. They share a vocabulary (XP, loot, strategy) that builds a bridge rather than a wall.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/64/81/648165b7-979e-43dd-9c43-02101159f467/content/images/2026/02/ChatGPT-Image-Feb-4--2026--05_06_25-PM-Large.jpeg)

### The "Chairlift" Moment

Scott Galloway skis to get those precious minutes on the chairlift where his kids actually talk to him.

In a video game, you have "downtime." You have the lobby. You have the long run back to the quest giver.

That is the new chairlift. It’s the low-stakes environment where a teenager—who might be silent at the dinner table—opens up because their hands are busy and they don't have to make eye contact.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/64/81/648165b7-979e-43dd-9c43-02101159f467/content/images/2026/02/ChatGPT-Image-Feb-4--2026--05_06_33-PM-Large.jpeg)

### Conclusion: The New Campfire

This doesn't replace baseball or camping. Physical reality is still king.

But let’s stop demonizing the screen as a wall. For the next generation of parents, the screen is a window.

**My Prediction:** In 2035, the most common "father-son" activity won't be catching a ball in the backyard. It will be catching a victory royale in the metaverse. And the bond will be just as real.