What kind of games are popular with both children and parents?

The Joan Ganz Clooney Center talked to nearly 700 parents to find out what their children, aged 2-17, are playing and if the parents play along with them. The survey then ranked game genres by popularity with children, but also noted which percentage of parents played each as well.

Overall, this survey collects a slice of information on family gaming that could be of great use to developers creating games for that market. Aside from ranking the top 13 genres, the survey also breaks down genres favored by boys or girls and lists the top fifty games played by kids.

According to the survey, puzzle and strategy games are most popular with both groups, with 77 percent of parents playing and 78 percent of children. Adventure games are the second most popular genre with kids, followed by simulation and building games in third.

For most of the games included in the list less than 34 percent of parents said they play games in each genre, with the exception of brain training games, which 50 percent of parents play, and the aforementioned 77 percent that play puzzle games.

Puzzle and strategy games are still the most popular genre when the results are divided by gender. For boys, adventure games are in second place, followed by simulation and building games, racing games, and motion-sensing games.

For girls, simulation and building games are the second most popular, followed by motion-sensing games, dress-up games, and adventure games. 

The full infographic can be viewed on the Joan Ganz Clooney Center website, and ends with a list of games popular with kids which is, unsurprisingly, dominated by Minecraft and Mario.