Author: Cat Cooley
How to Keep Your Kids Safe During Halloween
Halloween is easily one of the most exciting holidays for kids. The idea of dressing up in their favorite superhero costume and getting candy from everyone is a dream coming true. For parents, however, it can be a stressful holiday. Strangers giving candy to my kids? Walking on the streets in the night? Streets crowded with people making it easy to get lost? A lot of kids wearing the same costume? Worry not, parents! We put together some tips to make Halloween a fun holiday for the kids and stress-free for you!
Check the Candy Before You Let Your Kids Eat It
After receiving the candy or when you get home after a fun Halloween night, check them. Does your child have any allergies and you need to make sure the candy is safe? Do you approve or disapprove of that particular candy for your kids? Is the candy a choking hazard for your young child? Do any of them seem unwrapped or contaminated?. It’s not possible to check every piece of candy your child collected (unless you eat them all and make your children very sad) but it is possible to at least vet them for major problems.
Buy or Rent Costumes That Have Reflective Stripes
It’s not unusual for the darkness that comes with night time to affect our vision, especially in huge crowds of people in costumes. It can be even harder to spot your child if there are other kids wearing similar costumes. When buying your child a costume, try to find one that has reflective signs, or are brighter or unique. If there are no such options, buy reflective or shine stripes separately and tape them to the costume.
Review Information and Accessories with Your Kids
If your kids are going to trick-or-treat by themselves or with a group of friends, review what is allowed and expected of them. Review the route, explain how to call 911 and other important numbers if needed, tell them that they should not enter anyone’s houses to get treats, agree on the time they should be back home, and other important information. Don’t forget to pack them with accessories that may come in handy: flashlights, batteries, a charged phone with saved contact number etc.
Prepare Your Home for a Successful Halloween
The same way you want your kids to have a fun, worry-free Halloween night, you want other kids to as well! Prepare your home for trick or treaters. If you decide not to participate, leave the candies outside or simply put up a sign saying you’re not participating in the event. If you do wish to be a part of it, take any dangerous things away from your door entrance, like garden hoses or bikes, and make sure your lights are on. Also, consider putting up a couple of Halloween decorations so kids will feel more welcomed!
Plan a Gathering with GameTruck
Go one step further to ensure that your child has the best Halloween ever and plan a party or gathering! GameTruck parties come equipped with our air-conditioned trucks, multiple flat screen TVs, and all the best games and consoles. Plan your next event with GameTruck San Jose by visiting our website or calling us today at (866) 253-3191.
5 of the Scariest Video Games for Halloween
The spookiest time of the year is upon us! From setting up decorations to horror movie marathons, those of us who love Halloween always look for new ways to make the month of October a little more exciting — and there’s no better way to increase the terror in your life than by exploring the season’s creepiest video games!
If you’re looking for games to chill and thrill you, GameTruck Atlanta is here to help! We’ve picked out our top five favorite scary games to keep the spirit of Halloween alive — check them out!
Silent Hill 2
This game may be over 15 years old, but there’s a reason it’s just as popular today as it was when it first came out. A grim, unrelenting descent into one man’s nightmare, Silent Hill 2 draws you into a dream-like world of horror that you never want to leave. If you’re wondering what makes the game so sinister, dive into the never-ending fog and discover the many disturbing endings that are waiting for you!
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Take the risk and immerse yourself in the terrifying world of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, one of the later installments in the long-running horror series. This new first-person view leads users into a survival-horror adventure filled with suspenseful exploration that will keep you up all night.
The Land of Pain
When something strange and mysterious appears in the woods, you’ll have to quickly learn how to survive as you fend off a dark and disturbing evil. The Land of Pain will take you on a memorable horror adventure where you’ll flee from an unrelenting enemy, solve puzzles, and unravel the ancient mystery that has cursed this land.
Friday the 13th: The Game
Transform into the iconic murderer, Jason VoorHees, and roam around as an invincible force of evil in this multiplayer killing spree. The game follows the story of the horror film — in this asymmetrical, multiplayer game, Jason is up against seven teenagers: He’s hunting them, and they’re working together to try to escape.
Alien: Isolation
Discover the true meaning of fear in Alien: Isolation, a horror survival, set in an atmosphere of constant dread and mortal danger. From wisps of smoke that billow out of air vents, to the panic that sets in as you rewire an area’s life-support system, Isolation certainly looks and sounds like a part of the Alien universe.
Book Your Scariest Party Yet With GameTruck Atlanta!
Whether you want a Video Game Party or your own spooky LaserTag Arena, GameTruck’s unique mobile video gaming theaters and arenas can make your ultimate party wishes come true! Call us today at (770) 629-8762, or visit our website for more information.
The Best Open-World Games of All-Time
Do you love subverting the status quo in gaming? Do you skip every tutorial, only to look it up later? Do you love immersive worlds and plots, but hate linear game mechanics? Well then, you must be a fan of open-world games. Open-world is a type of game where the player can roam freely, usually to complete sidequests that are adjacent to the main story. In some of these games, the main story is optional, meaning that every player’s experience is different, and players usually have to replay the game several times before unlocking every secret. These games are well regarded as some of the best open-world games and, while this list is not all-encompassing, it does include many fan favorites.
Fallout 4
If you’re familiar with console gaming at all, you knew this was coming. Fallout 4 is a blockbuster success and a fan favorite, with highly customizable gameplay and enough side quests to keep even the most thorough players happy. You are dropped into a post-apocalyptic version of Earth, and it is your job to find your missing son, surviving the harsh world around you with your loyal attack dog, Dogmeat. Vault Boy is an instructor with the best intentions, and the balance of humor and fighting weaved throughout the game makes for a thrilling experience.
Grand Theft Auto V
Another highly successful fan-favorite is Rockstar Games’ GTA V, an open world concept unlike any other. The player explores the fictional city of Los Santos, San Andreas, free to do whatever he or she pleases. There is a running system of heist-centered gameplay that makes up most of the essential storyline, but the real fun is in the side quests and NPCs (non-playable characters). Every single NPC (and there are a lot of them) has their own unique set of dialogue that is so in-depth that in each gameplay the player can potentially hear a different part of a dialogue that they haven’t before, just by being in the right place at the right time. This mountainous amount of dialogue, coupled with the true open-world dynamics of this game (along with all the raunchy fun it involves) makes this game one with very high replay value.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda is one of those game franchises that have taken over the world in popularity. Any Nintendo veteran remembers staying up late after school to binge on fruit loops and play Majora’s Mask on GameCube, and now with Breath of the Wild becoming a bonafide success on the Nintendo Switch, the franchise is doing anything but slowing down. This new installment features an open world where almost everything is climbable. See that gigantic mountain over on the horizon? Yep. Climbable. A boulder in the middle of the road? You betcha. A gigantic tower that doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the scenery so it must be part of the story? Heck yeah. Players have spent a lot of time figuring out the extent of this game’s possibilities, including how to make flying machines that are supposed to make travel easier, but usually end up being a clunky mess. But by messing with character abilities, like Link’s rune power, players can do some pretty amazing things, like making trees fly.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Another huge gaming success is Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, where players are immersed in the world of Tamriel, a medieval-inspired continent with more dragons, magic, and spider-filled caves (unfortunately) than they can handle. The incredible success of this game is due in part to the complex and lore-filled storyline, and the ample amount of side-quests, ranging from silly to life-threatening. Fans of this game are not regular fans, they have a unique obsession with the game’s lore and world, making this 2011 game still at the top of most gamers’ lists.
Subnautica
A favorite of Markiplier and other YouTubers, Subnautica has stolen fan’s hearts and proved how truly terrifying the ocean can be. Stranded in an alien ocean, the player must fight to survive and collect different artifacts to rebuild their broken spaceship. With a seemingly endless ocean to discover and bone-chilling aquatic creatures like the Reaper Leviathan, a colossal foe as horrifying as its name, it’s no wonder that this game is a favorite of thrill-seekers and horror-fanatics alike.
If one of these games tickled your fancy, give GameTruck Charlotte a call at (704) 900-7798. They can hook you and your best buddies up with the newest consoles and the best games – open-world or not.