10 Games That Mom Would Like

Little Big Planet is a perfect game to play with mom. The controls are simple, the punishment for death isn’t that high, and if she gets good at using the interface she can be creative and make levels of her own.

Wii Fit is a great way to stay in shape without doing rigorous cardio or weight training. The health conscious mom will enjoy the fun games and activities as well as the calorie counter, scale, and exercise planner. Downside is she'll now be able to catch you when you break something in the house.

While SimCity might be a bit too stat heavy for mom to enjoy, The Sims is a perfect game for her. She can make her own dream house and then put Sims in it modeled after characters from her favorite TV shows or even members of your own family. Its interface is simple and there is no clear goal, a perfect time sink for the mother who just wants to relax.

If your mom enjoys getting up and being active, think about getting her Dance Central for Mother’s Day. The controls are simple, just dance! As long as the Kinect can see her, then she will have a blast getting on the dance floor and busting a move. The addition of classic songs and dance numbers will also be a great bit of nostalgic fun-time for older moms out there.

Believe it or not, mothers and other middle ages women are the key demographic for Professor Layton. It seems strange, especially considering that the hardcore crowd also likes this puzzle game. But if you think about it, it’s a game about a proper British gentleman solving mysteries that tangle everyone around him up in drama, and the only controls you need to remember are, “tap on the touch screen to do things.” It’s essentially an interactive mystery novel/soap opera with puzzles. Mom will love it!

If your mom has a high tolerance for the weird, consider recommending Katamari Damacy. Once again, the control scheme is very simple, much like controlling an RC car. The goal is also simple, pick up small things in order to make a much bigger thing. With a little bit of practice, she will be rolling up Katamaris big enough to please even the King of the Cosmos and his rainbow vomit beam.

For a game that is literally about controlling a gust of wind blowing petals everywhere, Flower is surprisingly deep, not just in gameplay but in emotion. This relaxing and artful experience is easy to control, easy to play, and yet has managed to completely stun even the most hardcore gamers out there. It’s a perfect stress relief experience for moms that have a bit too much on their plate.

Brain Age is another one of those games that openly advertises its key demographic as mothers and middle aged women. This simple brain training game allows Mom to solve some pretty entertaining puzzles while constantly trying to lower her brain age in order to keep up with her younger kids. In our experience, mom always wins.

If you have the type of mom who spent more hours playing with your Tamagotchi than you did, then Nintendogs is the game for her. It has all the fun of caring for a real puppy, without any of the mess. Also, it never grows up! Her Nintendog will stay young and cute forever, unlike her kids.

Finally, the ultimate game for Moms may be one of the ultimate game’s period: Tetris. Tetris practically sold the GameBoy to a demographic of, you guessed it, Moms and middle aged women. Its simple controls and goals and absolutely addicting endless gameplay make this one of the most popular games for mom, period. You can get it on so many different platforms too! Hook your mom up with a 3DS if she’s constantly on the go, or perhaps download the Wii Ware version of the game if she’s more of a stay at home type. If she doesn’t have consoles, download Tetris on her smartphone. If she doesn’t have one of those, you can probably even get it on a smartphone. If she’s teched out, get Tetris on her tablet. Or, if you want to be the best kid ever, get her the original NES version and introduce her to the wonder that is retro gaming.