Zoe Saldaña spoke about the unifying element that video games brought to her family life.
The actress tells PEOPLE that her interest in gaming is family-friendly, as she and husband Marco Perego began introducing the game to their three sons, Zen, 7, and twins Cy and Bowie, 9, this year. He said they were all having fun together.
“A big part of parenting is nurturing children's curiosity, nurturing children's opinions, and responding to their current situation. So when children start showing interest in video games, this can't be ignored. I thought it was something,” Saldaña said. .
“The boys are in school now and all their friends are playing the game, so every time I got home I was like, 'Why can't I do it? Why can't I?' They have specific needs. , If I don't meet them, they feel left out and feel isolated at school.”
“So it was important for my husband and I to find a way to make it not only a positive thing, but a family activity,” she added. “That's why we're all playing together. They're not just in the corner, sucked into a screen. We're all involved.”
The timing of the boys' new interest was “perfect” for Saldaña, who recently signed a partnership with gaming giant Nintendo. “It really was the best timing of my life,” Saldaña says.
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She admits to PEOPLE that raising three boys is “a workout,” but “a lot of fun” when the whole family plays together. “We're a very noisy family when we're playing on the weekends,” she says. “But that's the kind of noise I want to hear.”
Nintendo is particularly nostalgic for Saldaña, who remembers getting her first system when she was 10 or 11 years old. “We used to go over to our neighbor's house and I would watch her two friends and their older brother play, and by that time,” we had the system in hand. I put it in, but a year later I would have thought so. We were already experts because we played in their homes,” she recalls.
Of course, the first game Saldaña introduced to the boys was Super mario bros.
“I'm going back to play. Super mario bros. “Any kind of thing, I'm very happy,” Saldaña says. “The game looks better than ever, but it's still the same game, and I'm so happy to be able to share it with the boys and see how much fun it is” with them. It felt like a natural progression. ”
Saldaña will then teach the children to Princess Peach Showtime! It's Nintendo's latest game and the first standalone title for the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom in 19 years.
The game, released on March 22nd, tells the story of Princess Peach helping save the Sparkle Theater from the evil Grape and the Sour Bunch. Along the way, gamers can play as Princess Peach. Princess Peach transforms into different personas with different abilities, such as Swordsman Peach, Patissier Peach, Cowgirl Peach, Figure Skater Peach, and Ninja Peach.
“I love Princess Peach. She's so energetic and yet so feminine,” Saldaña tells PEOPLE. “I support the idea that women can be strong and resilient and at their most feminine. You don't have to give up your femininity to be tough. And she wears a lot of different hats in this game. “We are playing all these roles that girls should be interested in.” Participation is already increasing. This is just a celebration of women. ”
Celebrating women is something Saldaña also emphasizes to her sons.
“It's so important to show our children female role models,” Saldaña says. “When they turn on the television, even though I surround them with women – from their grandmothers to nannies to caretakers who help their husbands, they don’t know that. A lot of times they don't see it. When they're playing a game, they often don't see it. They don't get it. That's why we chose the Nintendo Switch. mario bros. Games introduce boys to strong female characters like Princess Peach early on. That's the future I want. There, it is celebrated that the boys choose a female hero to reincarnate for the game. ”
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As for family game nights, Saldaña encourages others to consider doing the same, even if they limit screen time with their children like Saldaña and Perego.
“People have extreme opinions when it comes to gaming, but I believe that if you approach everything in life in a balanced way, you can really benefit,” she says. “We're certainly seeing that. Nintendo is really popular in this house in terms of compensation. We're trying to play that to our advantage.”
Princess Peach: Showtime! Currently available.
