Video Games are often at the cutting edge of technology. The latest innovation to sweep the game playing masses is the motion controller. This takes six tiny accelerometers and uses them to work out how the controller is moving in real space.

The first time you take hold of the Wii's TV remote styles control, or the Playstation 3's Sixaxis controller, and play a game just my tilting and waggling the experience is almost magical.

After the success of Wii-Sports and Warhawk PS3 a slew of similar games started hitting store shelves. However, these are often less successful as they imitate the real innovations, and lack the investment, of the system selling launch games. After trawling through these various titles the last year, I thought I might try and shed some light on what makes or breaks these gesture based games.

For me the joy of controlling a game by movement alone is the simplicity and directness of the experience. The cause and effect gap that usually separates me from the game starts to disappear. The ball is hit towards me in Wii-Sports, so I simply wait for it to arrive then swing my racket to return it. No buttons, no training, no thinking, just me and the game working together.

This is best delivered when the controller’s motion match real life. Their beauty is that they are flexible enough to be shaped to fit the game you are playing. If these gestures are also in sync with, performed at the same time as, the game world you have a pretty special experience on your hands. Even though the controller might struggle at times, if it generally matches the movements you make you can start to play the game more instinctively. No one has to tell you how or what to play, the freedom of the controls simply invites experimentation.

Games that haven’t had the time and money to develop these nuances usually revert to

using waggles in place of button presses and stick movements. For me this makes a mockery of having a motion controller. What’s more the game would usually be better without the motion controls. Waggling is a rough science, and one not suited for accurate schemes that have been designed for button presses.

Golf games on the Wii present an interesting dichotomy. Some, such as the recent (and by no means poor) We Love Golf from Capcom provide a swing that is based on the player matching their motion to the on screen guide. This takes the usual button presses and replaces them with movements. Others, such as Tiger Woods throw the old control schemes out and simply ask that you swing the Wii-mote like you would a club.

Both these games provide polished enjoyable experiences and have obviously thought carefully about their controls. But for me the joy of the Tiger Woods free swing mechanic simply eclipses any other golf game controls. So much so, that I ended up selling my graphically superior 360 version simply because I couldn't bear playing it without the instinctive motions. And this is in-spite of the 08 version of Tiger on Wii being a pretty ropey game. Playing with some friends through the winter, we often encountered bugs that resulted in miss-scored holes, inaccurate ball lie and the odd crash. But we were happy to persevere because it was such fun to hit the ball.

This one-to-one real life motion control is few and far between, and for good reason. To produce a game like this requires a team devoted to refining the controls over the life of the development. Many were worried about the added cost of PS3 and 360 high definition graphics and surround sound. Ironically then, it is getting those Wii controls right that will cost the savvy teams most dearly. But make the investment here and the game is simply easier and more enjoyable to play. For a family audience this is invaluable as we can all genuinely enjoy video games together.

You may have noticed that I like to make a bit of a song and dance about games get these controls right in my reviews. Of recent note has been the brush painting in Okami, the one-to-one block nudging wonders of Boom Blox, the well matched motions of Family Ski and the excellent badminton sensitivity of Sports Island. These games are a handful out of the hundreds on offer that simply wouldn’t be as much fun without motion controls. Although they often cost a little more than the movie tie in, or cross platform re-releases, their hand crafted controls create a whole different experience to the tick the box waggling of less devoted developers.

Video gaming however often seems to be almost the opposite. Such is the clamour for new, bigger and better experiences that many defining gaming moments are lost in the past. Bringing my family and my handheld gaming together has made me rethink all this. As I introduce my kids to their first handheld and mobile games, I instinctively want to share the experiences I remember from my younger years.

So, rather than starting my kids (and other half) off on the PSP, DS or high end Nokia N series phones, I handed them a grey and maroon Gameboy from the early 90's. The great thing about this was that with no frame of reference they happily played the games on their own merit, rather than worrying about the 4 grey-scale graphics or basic synth soundtracks.

Weekends and evenings were spent trawling through my old Gameboy cartridges. They marvelled at each new discovery and I had my memory jogged as I reacquainted myself with my old games. I had forgotten how much enjoyment had been squeezed out of these 64 and 128k carts. No saving, no loading, no customisation, no multiplayer - just pure unadulterated fun. The jewel in the crown for me was laying my hands on Top Rank Tennis, a game I had all but forgotten. Just five minutes later I had again become addicted to this surprisingly flexible tennis game.

Top Rank Tennis from Nintendo doesn’t look like anything special. In fact it trots out that well worn forced isometric rendering of tennis court and players that has graced many handheld systems. I was soon reminded why I loved it so much.

Firstly, it accurately simulated the connection between player and ball. The trajectory of your shot depended on your shot selection combined with your relative position to the ball and button timing. These factors combined in miniature pixel precision to produce true nuanced ball control. I often found myself running round a back hand so I could drive a dipping forehand down the line, or backing up to smash away a dipping lob.

Secondly, it squeezed every last drop of control out of the old Gameboy. Not only did you have the standard top spin and flat shot on the A and B buttons, but it also used the Start and Select buttons in game to provide slices and lobs. (To pause the game you had to tap up twice before your serve). This flexibility combined with the believable physics to encourage real imaginative play. It sounds slightly absurd to say it, but I genuinely felt as in control of my game here as ever I did in Virtua Tennis on the 360.

Finally, although not impressive these days, back in the 90's Top Rank Tennis wowed gamers with real voice synthesized umpire commentary. The score and break/match points were enunciated for all to hear. All this from such a small cartridge, and less memory than my washing machine, still impresses me today.

I’ve been in the element over the last few weeks as the family vied for position, seeing who could climb highest up the Top Rank Tennis ladder. Breakfast conversations often turned to the merits of serve/volley versus a back court game, or the success of using chip and charge against different computer opponents. Admittedly some of the younger members of the family still prefer the simpler Gameboy games, but there is also plenty for them to play there as well.

In the weeks to come it will be interesting to see what they make of the newer handheld machines, and whether improved graphics and controls really make the games better. Top Rank Tennis on the Gameboy has certainly set the bar high.

But also, so I'm told, when you have parents it is just as obvious that they are not going to enjoy the same games as you. Everything from their available time, to their gaming history to their faltering senses means that they want something tailored to their needs.

Our families bring these varying expectations and desires together in the same pot. When these different people spend their free time together they can so easily pull in different directions and end up enjoying entertainment in different rooms of the house. But as I've discovered writing my regular Family Gaming article, there are some games that tend to unite rather than fragment the family unit. More interestingly for us pocket gamers, many of these games are played on handheld and mobile devices. Something about the low cost, simplicity of design and accessibility means that a wider variety of family members are happy to pick then up and play together.

I had a Eureka moment the other day when my four year old daughter wanted to have a go on my DS. Being a modern Dad, I handed her Mario Kart DS and sat back to see how she'd do. Needless to say about 15 minutes later the DS was flying across the room and Ellen was somewhat frustrated. Not the ideal introduction to my childhood hobby I had imagined.

Thinking the best thing to do would be to get back on the horse, I had a little chat with her about 'not throwing Daddy's toys across the room' and thumbed through my games collection with her. 'That one Dad, with the moon man', she had picked out Pac N Roll. I'm not sure whether it was something familiar about the Pac Man or if she just liked the bright colours, either way the choice was inspired.

It turns out that while the D-Pad and buttons required for Mario Kart DS were beyond her, the simple stylus interface of Pac N Roll went down a treat. The direct mechanic of stroking the bottom screen to control Pac's rolling, combined with the absence of other buttons, led to many hours of happy gameplay for Ellen. She had made the crossing into the weird and wonderful land of games.

But this got me thinking, why no-one had told me about this game's suitability before. And what other games might I be missing out on that would be great to play with her, or the rest of the family. With this in mind I thought it was time to a column that collected together a little bunch of like minded family gamers to share these valuable stories.

'Small Hands' is a guest post from Paul Govan at Game People