Gaming with Friends: perfect on 3DS

Sharing Your Hobby Is Fun

One of the best things about my favorite system (the Nintendo 3DS) is how much it encourages you to share your gaming hobby by design. The Mii Plaza encourages you to get out and walk in hope of getting StreetPasses (news flash: I got one this year! In 2021!) or at least rack up coins. Added to that, many of the games lend themselves very well to single cart/multi-system play (looking at you Mario Kart 7!). I have shared quite a few games with others over the years.

Those were the days, when they lined up for you in Streetpass

But it isn’t just the built-in sociability of the system: The games are so good that you just have to get others playing them. I had an older friend (someone in her 80’s) who was delighted by playing some of the Professor Layton series with me. I also had a younger cousin for whom I bought Plants VS Zombies on DS. Such a good game! They are such good titles that they practically DEMAND to be shared. So, that is exactly what you do. What games would I share now?

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

Titles for Young Players and Teens

These days the games I’d most wish to share with a younger friend or relative are SRPGs, notably the Fire Emblem series. I fell down that rabbit hole with Awakening and haven’t climbed out yet. The characters and stories just suck me right in. Also, I genuinely think playing games such as strategy table top games and SRPGS have helped me develop more logical thinking skills. The more I play, the better I feel I am at problem solving.

Fire Emblem Awakening

Of course, SRPGs are generally for teens and up. For the even younger set I would want to share Animal crossing: New Leaf and Disney Magical World 1 & 2, as these games are fantastic for stress relief and simple fun. There’s just something so relaxing about running your town (New Leaf) and visiting a virtual Disney World and interacting with all the characters (Disney Magical World). I am particularly a fan of the latter, since I am quite far from the Magic Kingdom in real life!

LadiesGamers.com. Player character with Mickey and Minnie in front of the magic castle.
Disney Magical World is great for unwinding at the end of the day.

The Fun is in Sharing

For older friends I still lean towards the Professor Layton games. Great stories, characters, and puzzles that will keep you busy for a good, long while. I have also tried to get some to play Brain Age, but no luck so far. It’s such a simple way to keep the brain cells hopping. I just started Brain Age: Concentration and love it, even though it’s causing smoke to pour out my ears while playing.

For me, the key to this article was the word “share”. The 3DS is a system made for shared experiences, which is why all my recommendations are for this system. My cousin, sisters, and I would play Mario Kart most family get-togethers for years. Yes, we were looking at separate screens, but the fun was communal. We also enjoyed playing New Leaf way back when that first came out. Trading fruit and running around each other’s towns was a blast.

Whatever games you choose to share with your friends and relatives, make sure it’s something you can enjoy together. Even if it’s just a new topic of conversation. The memories you build with your loved ones around the games you enjoy will be what you remember in the years to come.

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