Five not-so-obvious games to get for kids

It’s officially December so you can’t be mad about Christmas decorations being up any more. So if the Christmas knick·knacks are now officially out and about, then it means at the very least you should have started thinking about what Christmas presents to start getting people, especially kids. The gift-giving season represents a perfect opportunity to introduce kids 12 and older to video games if they aren't playing them already, with the obvious choices being games like MineCraft, Super Smash Bros. LittleBigPlanet 3, Skylanders and anything from the LEGO series. Those are all great, safe options, but if you’re really smart about what you get them, you can get something that entertains both them and you, and also that benefits them in other ways.

We already know that games, generally, can help relieve stress, improves comprehension skills and make kids happier. The games we've selected below, will do all that and perhaps help with socialisation, fitness and general knowledge. And they'll probably keep you happy as well. Now some of these titles may be outside the age restriction range of the kids in your life, so I'd encourage you to make responsible choices if you consider buying any of them