Why it is impossible to make a good Bluey game

I’m aware that many will take it as a joke, but for me, one of the games of the year was ‘Bluey’, which has been released on every imaginable platform. It’s not a joke at all: it’s the best children’s series of the last decade that, furthermore, makes both parents (and even me, without offspring or plans for any) laugh and feel emotional. A perfect TV cocktail served in ten-minute episodes that blend its elements with a lot of class… And that is impossible to adapt into a video game.

Bluey: Let's play DOWNLOAD

Bingo!

And that’s what happened: gamers are disappointed with the ‘Bluey’ video game because it’s turned out to be a kind of ‘Teletubbies’: much more childish than the series itself despite having the original voices and its own stories. In times when young children are more accustomed to playing complex games thanks to their parents’ mobile devices and tablets, reverting to the most basic simplicity is a recipe for failure (at least artistically).

It hurts more precisely because of what it’s an adaptation of—the series itself. Nobody is asking for an incredible game with a gigantic open world and online options, but neither something so bland, based on searching for objects going back and forth. Perhaps what they should have considered is whether, beyond the profits it would generate, a ‘Bluey’ video game was really necessary. What could it bring? Can it capture the original spirit? What’s the differentiating factor?

We’ve long left behind the terrible world of franchised games for kids that treated them like clueless beings, and it’s a shame to return to them using the good name of ‘Bluey.’ In itself, the idea of turning it into a video game goes against the spirit of the series, which always highlights analog play, the need to spend more time outdoors, and interacting with your family.

Bandit would never park his daughters in front of the television to do just anything (or he’d be scolded by Chilli). If you can’t create anything original, fun, and unique, no matter how much you have a million-dollar IP, maybe you shouldn’t bring it to consoles. It’s okay. We have plenty of games to have fun with; there’s no need to tarnish Bluey’s image.

Bluey: Let's play DOWNLOAD