Crossplay

Welcome to Crossplay, a platform where parenting meets gaming. Navigating the realms of social media, technology, and video games can be daunting for parents. With over 20 years of experience reporting on video games and being a parent to two children myself, I understand these challenges firsthand. Crossplay is designed to help you find your way through this complex landscape.

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Articles

Why Are So Many Kids Still Obsessed With Squid Game?

Jan 9, 2025 | patrickklepek.substack.com | Patrick Klepek

Happy New Year! Did you know a subscription to Crossplay is currently 25% off?This offer will only last until January 17. Please consider supporting this newsletter!A few weeks ago, I was watching the first season of Netflix’s Squid Game when my brain started going hmmat the catchy tune the creepy robot in “Red Light, Green Light” hums while players shuffle across the room. That same catchy little tune is one I’ve heard my eight-year-old hum quietly over the years.
How Ubisoft's Quirky Just Dance Series Has Charmed Kids and Adults For 15 Years

Jan 7, 2025 | patrickklepek.substack.com | Patrick Klepek

Happy New Year! Did you know a subscription to Crossplay is currently 25% off? This offer will only last until January 17. Please consider supporting this newsletter!When I’ve run out of ways to entertain my children, or need to a distraction that’s not simply more iPad time, I will flip on an older version of Just Dance on the Switch. This is an annual franchise for Ubisoft, but I don’t even know what year we’ve been playing for what seems like ages now.
Australia Plans to Ban Social Media for Young Kids. Who Can Blame Them?

Dec 10, 2024 | patrickklepek.substack.com | Patrick Klepek

Over the summer, I published a piece called “Government Legislation and Regulation Is Coming For Video Games.” It focused on the still pending Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) that may or may not work its way through Congress before the end of the year, but it reflected a broader movement in the U.S. and elsewhere.
My Newborn Slept on My Chest While a Game Helped Me Understand the Passage of Time

Dec 5, 2024 | patrickklepek.substack.com | Matt Carney

After a long and miserable experience at the hospital, we came home with a healthy baby girl and a distinct feeling that a paradigm shift had occurred. So my wife could rest, I’d often handle naps, sometimes wearing the baby around the house as I cleaned in a misguided effort to multitask, and sometimes putting her down in the bassinet, remembering that I should try to nap, as well.
Your Guide to December’s Family Friendly Video Games

Dec 3, 2024 | patrickklepek.substack.com | Patrick Klepek

I’ve had intentions of putting together a holiday gift guide for Crossplay, but it’s looking like I’m going to run out of time, given how many people are probably doing the vast majority of their shopping by the time you read this—or at the last second. But if you think something like that would be useful, maybe I’ll try to get it together for next week, even if it’s mostly a test run for how something like that might work.
Thank You

Nov 28, 2024 | patrickklepek.substack.com | Patrick Klepek

I’ll keep this short. Even if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to use the holiday as an opportunity to thank everyone who continues to make Crossplay possible. It has been one of the most rewarding projects of my career, and it’s almost single handedly responsible for keeping me in the business of writing and reporting.
Spawnpoint, Episode 07: Mario Parties

Nov 26, 2024 | patrickklepek.substack.com | Patrick Klepek

For years, Keza has avoided bringing Mario Party into the home, worried how her children would react. Would they fight the same way she used to with her brother? For Patrick, could his children get over the fact that both of them can’t be Peach?
This Video Made My Blood Boil

Nov 21, 2024 | patrickklepek.substack.com | Patrick Klepek

There’s a good chance that if you click on that video, you’ll watch 10 seconds and turn it off in disgust. It’s a young child—probably no more than 10 years old—forced to do pushups.
The Very Important Details of Roblox's Big Parental Controls Update Are Here

Nov 18, 2024 | patrickklepek.substack.com | Patrick Klepek

Last month, Roblox announced a sweeping overhaul of its parental controls, but the announcement was missing important details. An overhaul, no matter how major or minor, was long overdue for the platform. You can’t, for example, engage with the parental controls, however limited they might be, without physically interacting with your child’s device. No other platform works that way, and Roblox shouldn’t, either. Today, details are getting filled in, and Crossplay was briefed in advance.
Watch and Listen to Patrick's Live Crossplay Q&A!

Nov 15, 2024 | patrickklepek.substack.com | Patrick Klepek

I’ve missed doing Crossplay’s mailbag, and while that’s likely to come back in the near future, I also enjoy interacting with audiences in real-time. We haven’t really had an opportunity to do that with Crossplay because I don’t have the bandwidth for livestreaming games (yet), but answering questions while drinking some coffee? Yes!Crossplay is reader-funded, and every subscription counts. Consider upgrading today.