|
In this thread we discuss video games for children. So, my daughter just turned 5, and she loves video games like Minecraft, the Lego series, and Roblox. Her motor skills are getting better, and she’s able to suss out the meaning of a lot of the text thanks to some coaching. Games have even helped her practice her reading skills. However, she has a hard time with “high-stress” situations like timers, brain eating zombies, explosions, etc. Hey, pressure is a part of life right? I’ll feed her stuff like that slowly to show her that losing isn’t necessarily a world ending event. Over the course of the last year or so, I’ve tried to introduce her to a wider array of gaming, but it’s tough to find actual good games for kids that aren’t just cash grabs based on the latest Disney movie or TV show. So I thought to myself: Who would know the most about games made for kids? Goons, obviously. :pedobear: No, really. Some of you guys are parents now and most of you are just plain well informed about games as an art form. This thread can serve a repository of  Good Games for KidsI you have a title or info to add to the list, post it in the thread along with why it’s good and what age group you think it’s good for. Don’t worry about the ESRB rating since they rate the whole game while you don’t have to play the whole game. Of course you are the final arbiter of what games and features are appropriate for your kid and what’s not. Post entries like so:  Minecraft: Dad Rating: S+ Build death machines e’ryday Lily Rating: S+ Build pony castles and tame wolves e’ryday Age: 4+ Multiplayer: Yes Platform: PC, Xbox360, XboxOne, and PS3&4 Minecraft is a survival/building game that hits all the right buttons for kids that like to be creative. It’s simple enough to understand, with every item and material taking up one “block” of the world, but can be complex enough to entertain anyone. Creative Mode is great for younger kids, letting them build and destroy anything they want in a randomly generated world, leaving out more complicated mechanics like crafting, hunger, hostile monsters, etc. The pictures are descriptive enough navigate the game without being able to read, while the search bar is pretty great for practicing spelling to find materials (and there’s a bajillion materials). For older kids, survival mode is challenging and fun while complicated blocks like Redstone let them build simple circuits and machines. My daughter started on this game (creative mode) when she turned four, and she could not put it down. Together, we’ve built a Roman colosseum complete with rival gladiators, an ice palace befitting her favorite Disney princess, a deathcoaster, a bunny apocalypse machine, a working pirate ship, and a bunch of other stuff. The game is great to play together, but it’s simple enough for kids to play alone as well. It also gets them used to thinking in three-dimensional space.  Lego series games Dad Rating: Varies from C to A. Buy with caution Lily Rating: A all around. Dad takes care of all the frustrating bits for me, and everything is so shiny. Yay! Age: 5+ Multiplayer: Yes Platform: PC, Xbox360, XboxOne, PS3&4 The Lego series video games are generally pretty fun for kids and entertaining for adults. The early entries in the Star Wars series were interesting and simple enough to play that anyone that could push buttons could have a hand in the game. There’s a lot of collectibles to appeal to the obsessive side of your family as well. The quality of the Lego games has varied as of late (cash grabs ahoy), but you can’t really go wrong picking up one of the superhero or Star Wars titles. Younger kids will need someone competent to get them through the puzzles, but it’s doable with some patience.  Scribblenauts Franchise: quote:is great for kids learning to read and write, or for younger kids if you play it with them. There's not really any challenge to it other than what you impose on yourself it's just about creativity. Lily Rating: S - Unicorns solve all my problems! How do you spell unicorn again? Age: Soon as kids knows their letters Multiplayer: No. Just play it like it’s a hotseat. Platform: WiiU, Gameboy, PC Get the star. That’s all you need to do. Scribblenauts is an easy game. So easy that every puzzle can be solved in a few steps. The fun, however, comes when you get creative with solutions to your problems. The game can pretty much insert anything your heart desires into the game world. What happens to the star if you strap a jetpack to a cow? Well, go ahead and find out. Make mistakes. Odds are good that you and your kid will laugh at what this game lets you do. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This thread is partially for my benefit. I’ve hit a wall as to what kind of games I can get my little girl into while not buying a whole library of movie tie-ins. As I said before, she loves playing slow-paced, creative games. The twitchier games freak her out, but they are also the titles she wants to play. Any suggestions put forth here will probably make it into our queue, finances withstanding. I’m about to try some Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2 with her, and I’ll have a good idea where that game rates maybe after this weekend. Elpato fucked around with this message at 01:11 on Mar 4, 2017 |
#
?
Mar 2, 2017 22:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 2, 2024 20:54 |
|
|
Plants vs Zombies 2 is very cutesy and kid-friendly but a big aspect of the mode is the multiplayer and that's not for kids. It's quite a brutal team-based shooter IMO.
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2017 23:08
|
|
|
Megaman's Jockstrap posted:Plants vs Zombies 2 is very cutesy and kid-friendly but a big aspect of the mode is the multiplayer and that's not for kids. It's quite a brutal team-based shooter IMO. I was thinking more the cooperative defense modes for her. Seems a pretty good transition to shooters.
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2017 00:16
|
|
|
Goon-made roguelike Sproggiwood is cute as hell and, while quite difficult at higher settings, very light on dialogue and probably doable by larger small children (and it's cute as hell) - at least one goon in the roguelike thread had a kid who was playing it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2017 00:27
|
|
|
Just let them play anything good, don't worry about its kid friendliness. My first game was Driver, or rather my first tutorial mission. Then I went onto Time Crisis, then Max Payne and the original Devil May Cry. Time Crisis and other light gun games are probably the best gateway into harder games. Also don't be afraid of mature content (though probably go for older games or games that are obviously rather un-real), I was 5 when I got into Max Payne and Devil May Cry and turned out alright. And if they're getting frustrated, make sure to point out their achievements compared to their losses (e.g. yeah you got killed by that guy but you got like, 50 demons so good job!) E: Oh, put them through the classics too! OG Mario and Super Mario World is a given, but if they want to do shooters put them into classic Doom or Wolfenstein. HerpicleOmnicron5 fucked around with this message at 00:34 on Mar 3, 2017 |
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2017 00:27
|
|
|
Edutainment game The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis was one of my favorites when I was a kid, and a remake of it made its way onto Steam last year.
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2017 00:36
|
|
|
Journey of a Roach is a point-and-click adventure game where all the characters are cute bugs. The puzzles are pretty easy and the characters communicate in pictures, so there's no reading either. Goat Simulator is a dumb but amusing game that probably won't hold anyone's attention for long but is enjoyable while it lasts and very accessible. Trine (and its sequels) might be a bit challenging for younger kids, but is a fun, cartoony adventure with some light puzzle-solving elements. Toki Tori is probably a bit hard for younger kids but is a decent puzzle game with a cute theme and (IIRC) no quick reflexes required. Quantum Conundrum I haven't played much of, but it seems like it might be appropriate. Contrast is another that might be a bit challenging for younger kids, but is a decent puzzle platformer. Scribblenauts is great for kids learning to read and write, or for younger kids if you play it with them. There's not really any challenge to it other than what you impose on yourself it's just about creativity. edit: Accidentally hit "post" before I was done. Tiggum fucked around with this message at 03:27 on Mar 3, 2017 |
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2017 03:21
|
|
|
The newest King's Quest game is pretty good. It's mostly an adventure game with some QTE action beats, good writing, and a solid cast of voice actors (Christopher Lloyd, Wallace Shawn).
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2017 05:51
|
|
|
Tiggum posted:Scribblenauts is great for kids learning to read and write, or for younger kids if you play it with them. There's not really any challenge to it other than what you impose on yourself it's just about creativity. Added Scribblenauts to the OP because I just picked it up and tried it with her based on your suggestion. Good stuff. All of these suggestions are great, Goons. Thanks. I can't try them all at once, but I also can't add them all to the OP without some kind of "this is why it's good; this is why it's good for kids; this is how I played it with a kid in X age group." I would try them all, but my tax return only goes so far.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2017 01:15
|
|
|
The original, NES Super Mario Brothers. As a kid, once I was aware of the presence of the bean stalks and warp zones, it was incredibly rewarding to find more of them. Kids love discovering those sorts of secrets.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2017 01:30
|
|
|
every kirby
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2017 01:37
|
|
|
Has anyone said "all of them" yet? When I was six I was really into Realmz. The first thing I did was walk into a brothel, which I assumed was some sort of soup restaurant.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2017 02:02
|
|
|
Story of Seasons/older Harvest Moon and Rune Factory 3, 4 and Frontier are pretty much perfect, super relaxed games with light objectives to go for with only Rune Factory having any real way to lose, which even games after RF3 do away with in favor of losing money for getting defeated by monsters. All the games are really colorful and have really goofy, fun casts, and they will make your child actively want to grow turnips. Frontier might be a bit much because of its runey system, but if you know how to and are ok with using cheats for Wii games you can just use cheats to turn the runeys into pretty lights that nobody has to think about managing again. Chibi-Robo is a really charming game in a sort of similar vein of gameplay that manages to actually wrap some pretty serious stuff into its story without losing its lighthearted tone, and is similarly lenient on failure. It's also full of collectables and secrets to find, and lots of cute little side stories that are all pretty simple to solve. Also, you can find frog rings and then make Chibi-Robo look like a tiny frog robot. Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga are eternally good, simple introductions to JRPGs and the power of love and friendship and throwing bomb friends at people. They can get a bit tough, but they're easy enough for anyone to jump into and have fun with, especially Paper Mario, whether you're a little kid or an old, old person. Well, outside of some boss fights, where you're probably gonna have to lend a hand. Summon Night: Swordcraft Story is a similarly good introduction to action RPGs, mainly in the vein of Tales. The first game gets a bit grindy, but both games in the series are really funny, lighthearted stories of love and friendship with combat that's simple, but satisfying, and enough tools at the player's disposal to make harder fights more manageable. It'll probably be harder to play than Mario if reading is an issue, though. Pikmin is a good game to helping not just children, but people in general become used to losing everything in mere seconds and then resetting the GameCube. The Colonel fucked around with this message at 02:22 on Mar 4, 2017 |
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2017 02:18
|
|
|
Trip report on Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 Daughter loves it. She started out being pretty afraid that zombies would eat her brains, but a few coop missions later her confidence seemed to be up. Once I showed her that we get paid for killing zombies by the hundreds, she was completely down for zombie holocaust. Right now she splits her time between checking on the "baby" plants she's put in pots around the base and conducting sorties into zombie territory for that sweet, sweet coinage. I'm always logged in with her on the other computer, directing her to certain landmarks and picking off the more dangerous zombies before they can overwhelm her. Dad rating: A. Fun for kids around 5, but they'll need help unless they have a very good attitude about dying to zombies. Lily Rating: A. Everything is so shiny and the flowers are all so pretty! Do I have enough money for a sticker pack, Daddy? Platform: Consoles, PC Multiplayer: Yes, nearly required for younger kids.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2017 00:11
|
|
|
Tarezax posted:Edutainment game The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis was one of my favorites when I was a kid, and a remake of it made its way onto Steam last year. Came here to post this. Zoombinis utterly owns, teaches set theory, graph theory, algebra, A/B logic and way more in a way that is fun, attractive, and scales from accessible to anyone to challenging even for adults who didn't have good math teachers. The one summer I played it in a summer camp my math literacy went up 3 years per standardized testing. And I had a huge blast doing it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2017 18:25
|
|
|
Number/Word Munchers was the poo poo back in the IBM PC days.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2017 18:46
|
|
|
Anybody hear about this Super Mario World game?
|
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2017 18:49
|
|
|
quote:Anybody hear about this Super Mario World game? You say it mockingly, but it's a truth. Indeed, most of Nintendo's direct offerings are made to appeal to all tastes and all ages. Splatoon is technically a shooter. But it's paintball! Pikmin. Any Zelda. If you've managed to introduce her to MineCraft(Which I'd regard as pretty durn complicated given it's a survival game), why not a Simcity? Seems to me the styling of either the SNES(Throw down Bowser on a city, Dr.Wright giving you help) or 3000(The various advisors and petitioners all have their charm and art style) are good to muck around. Put down the stuff and watch it grow. That also drags me to Sim Ant(Manage an ant colony). The age is probably wrong, though. Maybe when they're 8 or so? But I might be downplaying the child, here. My childhood had the Atari 2600, the ZX Spectrum and the Atari ST, with the PC showing up later. It's...actually weird and possibly concerning. The industry's 'grown up' and all. But there's been less provision for 'children gaming' beyond the cash-ins. I'm thinking about my own childhood, and thing I played, and I'm uncertain. Like, Monkey Island 2 is fun, assuming you don't get stuck. And you can't die like Sierra. But it's not like I'd not recommend Sierra or any of the King's Quest/Space Quest games, exactly, despite their problems. My memory of earliest days is shoddy. I'd want to recommend Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim, if you can get a hold of it. Watch the little guys go; just give them what they need. You can just keep to the less-hard stages, and they'd easily keep the child occupied. And she can move up to the harder, more stressful stages later in life. The only questionable part is the Priestesses of Krypta(Death Goddess-skulls feature prominently). Lemmings/Lemmings 2. Puzzle solving. Need to think. Colour, things happening. I know I never turned down my nose at a game, even if it was a text adventure(During both primary and secondary school, the computers were old and weird things.). Bloodly fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Apr 30, 2017 |
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2017 19:09
|
|
|
I remember in the mid 90s Humongous entertainment made a bunch of adventure games, and they've been put onto steam in the last few years. Things like Putt-Putt and Pajama Sam. They are pretty good for kids. Puzzles are at kid level, so less obtuse and subject to developer logic. Lots of things for kids to click on for goofy little jokes and cute animations. And most importantly, Putt-Putt is a car with a pet dog in the glove compartment.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2017 19:46
|
|
|
Pokemon, my guy.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2017 20:49
|
|
|
i remember a few years ago someone posted that his daughter watched him play Oblivion but got very upset when the horses died, so he made a mod that gave the horses thousands of HP and regeneration my personal experience (i have a sister) is that Animal Crossing has universal appeal. so does the Sims
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2017 21:02
|
|
|
Bogart posted:Pokemon, my guy. Prob best answer right here.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2017 21:49
|
|
|
Tarezax posted:Edutainment game The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis was one of my favorites when I was a kid, and a remake of it made its way onto Steam last year. I have to third this one. It's an excellent choice for an edutainment game. It's really good at teaching pretty high level math concepts for kids in a fun way. And there's a bit of creativity involved in creating your own Zoombinis. And the higher difficulties will definitely give adults a run for their money so you could try solving the puzzles together with your kid. If they get to that point, anyway.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2017 23:12
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 2, 2024 20:54 |
|
|
Tarezax posted:Edutainment game The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis was one of my favorites when I was a kid, and a remake of it made its way onto Steam last year. Nthing this, played it when i was six or seven and still remember it fondly.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2017 23:15
|
|
