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We need a thread about gaming with your kids. The video game landscape today is more accessible and diverse than when you wore out your NES paddle playing the one game your parents bought you (probably Super Mario Bros 3). Video games aren't just a babysitter anymore. Most modern parents want to be more involved with their kids playing games but don't always know how to start or what to play. Video games are no longer the scary, murderer-makers of the early 90s, but instead are a way to engage and bond with your children. Let's chat about gaming with our kids! Do you want to talk about parenting in general? Go check out the Parenting Thread! Do you want to talk about a specific video game in-depth? There may be an existing thread or make your own! Resources on video games for kids
* As I was writing this OP, I discovered that Common Sense Media introduced a subscription model. They paywall you after looking at 3 reviews. If anyone has another similar resource, I'm all ears, but I'll keep using CSM for now. Game recommendations There are more video games than stars in the sky (citation needed), but here are some that have been recommended by the thread to play with your kids. I have loosely organized them by thread-suggested age ranges. However, children, as you may know, span a wide range of skills and emotional maturity levels. A game that works for one 5yo may not be appropriate for a different 8yo. Some games work great for a younger crowd with co-op / supervision but aren't great as solo ventures until much later. And eventually, a kid gets to a level where the recommendation is "any game that they're into." I've linked to the game's review in Common Sense Media (if it exists), so you can read about it yourself and make your own decision. Ages 2+
Ages 4+
Ages 6+
Ages 8+
Ages 10+
Games to avoid There are too many games out there designed to cause addiction and provide little value to anyone. These games should be avoided at all costs (or at the very least, researched heavily before introducing your kid to it).
Gaming without kids As a parent (especially as a new parent), you may suddenly find that you don't have freedom to play video games all day on a Saturday while chugging Mtn Dew Game Fuel and gorging on Cool Ranch Doritos. This is a list of games that are easy to pick up and put down between diaper changes or during late-night feeds.
Good-Natured Filth fucked around with this message at 00:53 on Mar 10, 2024 |
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May 9, 2023 03:22
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Kicked my kids rear end in Mario Kart today (he’s 6 months)
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May 9, 2023 03:27
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I'm trying to get my 7yo daughter to play platformers because they're my favorite type of game, but she gets frustrated quickly. Even with something as beginner friendly as Kirby. I'm not sure if there are other games to potentially try ("baby's first platformer" type) or just be resigned to the fact that I won't be able to introduce her to the Celeste C-sides in the future. She loves life sims (Animal Crossing, etc.), so she probably just likes to play games to relax and not to have throw-controller-at-the-wall rage at a precision platformer like me. Edit: Skeezy posted:Kicked my kids rear end in Mario Kart today (he’s 6 months) Pro move. Assert your dominance early. Never let your kid win.
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May 9, 2023 03:30
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Just want to add that Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective is a great game. I have it on PC and play it on the TV with the kid. The game is based on a series of books which are well with a purchase or borrow from the library.
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May 9, 2023 03:38
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Good-Natured Filth posted:I'm trying to get my 7yo daughter to play platformers because they're my favorite type of game, but she gets frustrated quickly. Even with something as beginner friendly as Kirby.
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May 9, 2023 03:44
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Want to add another one my daughter likes. Donut County. She will see the icon on the PS5 and demand daddy play Donut (Dowan). She likes to dance to the music after you beat a stage.
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May 9, 2023 03:47
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I might be a bad parent but I'm letting my kid play the Fatal Frame game on the Switch She whupped my rear end at Mario 3d and I can't play Fortnight to save my life so this is the compromise We have family night and take turns playing 1 player games.
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May 9, 2023 04:02
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When my kid becomes a preteen I'm gonna make him play a survival game with me for a whole weekend. Gonna treat it serious like the camping trip I had as a kid "If you ever find yourself in a situation like this, the first thing you should do is punch a tree."
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May 9, 2023 11:57
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Just wanted to say switch list is perfect for young kids, but would add untitled goose back in and maybe katamari depending on the kid, and the switch sports game (if they wear the wrist strap). Absolutely wii fit for kids, so they can run around/hop and stuff too. As they grow and tastes change, then other games come in. I had my daughter (now 8) introduced to tales of vesperia and it's expanding her grammar/introducing a form of jrpgs and has an easy mode setting so that kids aren't screwed by gameplay mechanics. I'm doing all the equipment/skills management but so far she enjoys the story+ excessive amount of animated cutscenes. But she's an extremely avid reader and I couldn't imagine this on a kid who doesn't love to read, even if they have a ton of audio narrative alongside the text.
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May 9, 2023 14:42
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Awesome thread! I'm gonna repost a question I put in the recs thread a few months ago: External Organs posted:Not a "game" per se, but are there any programs that run on a modern PC that are similar to Kid Pix, the graphic program for kids that was on Mac OS back in the 90s?
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May 9, 2023 15:01
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notwithoutmyanus posted:Just wanted to say switch list is perfect for young kids, but would add untitled goose back in and maybe katamari depending on the kid, and the switch sports game (if they wear the wrist strap). Absolutely wii fit for kids, so they can run around/hop and stuff too. Untitled Goose Game is in the multi platform list, since it's released to more than just the Switch now. I'll add the others, though. Good recs. My initial list is younger kid focused because that's what I have currently.  Though, as kids get older, the recommendation list will just become "any game", so I don't know how to determine a cutoff.External Organs posted:Awesome thread! I'm gonna repost a question I put in the recs thread a few months ago: I loved Kid Pix when I was younger. Used to mess around with that during computer class. I'm not sure of a modern equivalent, though.
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May 9, 2023 15:11
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I like sitting my toddler on my lap to read out Frog Detective series to him. We are up to the late-game of Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard in Warlock Woods. It's just a wholesome and cute lil detective story that teaches children to bring food to people who are hungry, but not the floor pies because A) they do not belong to you and B) floor pies are not desirable. Give all the floor pies to the fashion witch (like she asked) and she'll give you a fresh pie to give to the elk in the hot tub. He has the attention span for like 20 minutes of reading at a time and I can press the forward button with my foot by putting controller on the floor leaving me with two arms to hold two babies while we do froggy story time.
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May 9, 2023 15:20
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Good-Natured Filth posted:
Right?? It seems like something in that vein would be a total slam dunk, especially with some share to social media buttons / make an easy gif. Dammit. It needs to exist!
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May 9, 2023 15:33
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External Organs posted:Right?? It seems like something in that vein would be a total slam dunk, especially with some share to social media buttons / make an easy gif. Dammit. It needs to exist! It looks like it still might? 90's rear end website, but you can buy it still.  https://www.mackiev.com/kidpix/
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May 9, 2023 15:42
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Good-Natured Filth posted:Untitled Goose Game is in the multi platform list, since it's released to more than just the Switch now. I'll add the others, though. Good recs. maybe breakout list by age for minimum as an idea? Animal crossing: 2-4 Kirby: 4-6 mario kart: 4 mario world: 4, bowser addon: 5/6 Luigi's haunted mansion 3: 5/6 (I didn't mention this one before but would say 6 so ghosts don't scare the kids) switch sports: 6-8 tales of vesperia: 8-10 Untitled goose: ??? probably 4 etc notwithoutmyanus fucked around with this message at 15:58 on May 9, 2023 |
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May 9, 2023 15:55
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Can we add a “avoid this predatory hellscape” list to the op? Going to nominate Roblox if so. There’s plenty of reporting on Roblox but if some other goon has found something equally awful, might as well warn each other. To add some recommends, Kiddo and I have gotten an insane amount of fun out of puzzle games like The Witness (pc), Portal (pc), Gorogoa (mobile). Even simpler just puzzle stuff like a sudoku app (we like cracking the cryptic) make for good coop experiences. Stardew valley and Minecraft are pretty easy to host local multiplayer for the family, and we’ve all had fun with that. Pokémon will probably happen eventually and if you introduce your kid to the earlier Grindy versions they are less likely to be enthralled by the somewhat more gacha like modern takes. Also every parent should have the joy of their child reacting to their inevitable failure at some task by piping up “looks like papa is blasting off again!”
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May 9, 2023 16:10
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External Organs posted:Awesome thread! I'm gonna repost a question I put in the recs thread a few months ago: I also spent a million hours messing around on kidpix. it looks like someone ported it to a website? https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2021/8/4/22610448/kid-pix-html-port-web-art-drawing-memories edit: I feel like this must be an earlier version than what I had. I remember having a big more functionality and fun music you could add. CherryCola fucked around with this message at 16:45 on May 9, 2023 |
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May 9, 2023 16:39
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Anias posted:Pokémon will probably happen eventually and if you introduce your kid to the earlier Grindy versions they are less likely to be enthralled by the somewhat more gacha like modern takes. Also every parent should have the joy of their child reacting to their inevitable failure at some task by piping up “looks like papa is blasting off again!” Idk about that, my 10 year old tanked my ELO rating and just wants me to trade away my team to them. Red/Blue is "too boring and old" for them Minecraft hurts my eyes in muliplayer so we can't play that together Boot up the Super Nintendo app? Nope, too old and boring. Nobody wants a history lesson MOM
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May 9, 2023 17:16
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Treecko posted:Idk about that, my 10 year old tanked my ELO rating and just wants me to trade away my team to them. Ymmv. Kiddo’s favorite color is green so leaf green was a hit.
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May 9, 2023 18:23
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I do not have kids. But I do know a boy who loves trucks. So I am here to give you a list of games with trucks and cars. These may be games that you need to help them play, or let them watch you play, depending on the kid's age and ability. Euro Truck Simulator and friends. This game has big trucks, you get to hook and unhook a truck to a trailer, you can adjust the camera to feel like you're riding in the cab, and it has environments that feel like real life. Mudrunner, Snowrunner, etc. Here is another game with trucks where you can attach a truck to a trailer. This series is fun because it has varied trucks, equipment, and trailers/loads to operate. It's fun when you can see you're hauling a load of logs for example. And it has mud to drive in. It is fun to drive in mud. Monster Jam Steel Titans 2. This is a game made for children that is not a great game. The physics are better than the first game in the series, but they are still a bit wonky. It has lots of loading screens and the loading is slow. The modes and challenges are workmanlike and by the numbers. BUT! It is an officially licensed Monster Jam product and thus has many many Monster Jam monster trucks. If a young kid likes monster trucks, they will not care about the shortcomings of this video game. Hot Wheels Unleashed. This game on the other hand, is a game made for children that is actually pretty good. At least, the racing physics and controls are good, I haven't played the story mode for 10 hours or anything like that. It has loads of Hot Wheels cars and trucks and vehicles in it. The graphics and art of the in-game cars look very true to life, to the point where my childhood memories of looking at my toy cars came back to me as I was browsing through the in-game car collection. The controls, like I said above, are quite good, and my little buddy actually navigated some tricky race track sections even though he is just getting his motor skills together well enough to play racing games. It has several modes, but I'm not an expert on them so I suggest looking them up if you know a kid who might enjoy it. I believe it has a track builder as well. Mario Kart 8. It's fun. It has Mario characters if the kid likes Mario characters. The levels are fun. You can customize the car that you drive. And the game has assist functions you can turn on for steering and acceleration, which might be the difference between a kid having a blast or a kid getting frustrated.
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May 14, 2023 07:00
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I updated the OP to be more age-range focused. If anyone wants to discuss where I placed games, let's do it. I have a sample size of 2 kids in my life that I really know what they'd be able to play and when, and as my OP says, kids are very different. I also (per suggestion from Anias) added a "Games to avoid" section if anyone wants to add any there. I was thinking to list games that are predatory and targeted towards kids, not games that are Rated M and aren't meant for children. It's pretty obvious that your 4 year old shouldn't play Outlast, but it's not so obvious that Roblox is built in an addictive and exploitative way to make your kid want to strip your wallet of money. Good-Natured Filth fucked around with this message at 03:39 on May 16, 2023 |
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May 16, 2023 03:37
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Kiddo reminded me that islanders exists and is quite chill and she enjoyed it from the time she could make it work. Call it 6+. Sago mini forest flyer was a huge hit when kiddo was doing doctor visits around 2-4. Haven’t looked at it recently, but cannot recommend it enough if you want the option to let the toddler drool on your device. It’s honestly cute enough that adult goons wouldn’t be remiss looking at it the same way the beads on rails toys draw the eye of parents.
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May 16, 2023 20:36
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Anias posted:Sago mini forest flyer was a huge hit when kiddo was doing doctor visits around 2-4. Haven’t looked at it recently, but cannot recommend it enough if you want the option to let the toddler drool on your device. It’s honestly cute enough that adult goons wouldn’t be remiss looking at it the same way the beads on rails toys draw the eye of parents. Heck yeah. My kids loved the various Sago Mini apps as toddlers.
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May 17, 2023 15:12
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Okay so TMNT Shredder’s Revenge for Switch is awesome if you are playing with them. My partner and I did most of the fighting and the four year old played splinter and just kinda walked around and jumped occasionally or picked up pizzas. (He got the zen award for doing nothing lol) In arcade mode, you can turn on infinite lives so it’s pretty low stakes.
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May 20, 2023 20:54
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CherryCola posted:Okay so TMNT Shredder’s Revenge for Switch is awesome if you are playing with them. My partner and I did most of the fighting and the four year old played splinter and just kinda walked around and jumped occasionally or picked up pizzas. (He got the zen award for doing nothing lol) In arcade mode, you can turn on infinite lives so it’s pretty low stakes. Was actually going to suggest this one with a similar story. Although your kid apparently doesn't fling their dude down pits repeatedly because they say a funny line when you do.
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May 20, 2023 23:14
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FoolyCharged posted:Was actually going to suggest this one with a similar story. Although your kid apparently doesn't fling their dude down pits repeatedly because they say a funny line when you do. Oh he does that. Yes. Also getting him to keep walking instead of standing in the corner and repeatedly pressing the taunt button is a struggle, but you know…
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May 20, 2023 23:24
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Trip report on games totally not good for the average kid gamer: starlink (switch). Split screen co-op causes massive confusion plus the control scheme. I do imagine some sort of side scrolling streets of rage ala tmnt would work much better.
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May 20, 2023 23:31
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Last thing kid asked before sleep tonight? "Dad, can you promise me we won't play video games again?" Sigh. We have had maybe 4 gaming sessions all together, over 5-6 weeks. I apparently messed up in letting her watch me play Zelda: A Link to the Past. My impression was she loved it, at the time. She liked mowing the grass and bushes. But then I was struggling a bit with one of the early bosses and died a lot. Then finally triumphed and got the amulet. She said nothing about it at the time but now 5 weeks later she apparently "can't stop thinking about Zelda" because it's a scary game. For context, she's 4 ½. Other trip reports: * Super Mario World and Super Mario Brothers both waaay too steep learning curve. * Super Mario Bros 2, surprisingly a lot more engaging for some reason? At least, wanted to watch me play. * We did play Untitled Goose Game in coop the other day and it was fine. Fun was had. * Katamari Damacy Re-roll was a bit too intense with the camera movement, I think. She took to the wonky control scheme a lot better than my wife did, but that's not saying a lot. Rolled over a fair bit of stuff in the tutorial but the time limits are way too harsh for a kid, even on level 1. * Boulderdash on the NES emulator was OK up until you meet the first enemies, on stage 4. Digging! We talked a bit more and then she asked me if there were any games "where nothing moves except the one you're playing as". I guess let's look into even more laid-back games? We have a Steam Link for playing on the TV but could try PC gaming with a mouse as well. She does OK at the "coloring with the bucket in MS Paint" game. Maybe we'll try Townscaper? Hippie Hedgehog fucked around with this message at 22:22 on May 30, 2023 |
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May 30, 2023 22:20
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A surprisingly good game for younger (6+) kids is No Man's Sky. Put it in Creative mode, find a nice paradise planet with no hostile stuff or too weird aliens, and let them build and explore. Total chillout game with minimal bad stuff; about the only thing negative they can get into is killing the local alien lifeforms (they can also befriend them, though) and finding abandoned buildings (which have a bit of a scary atmosphere and hostile aliens, if you tell them to avoid that stuff it eliminates any possibility of a jumpscare). They'll see cool spaceships and other stuff flying around which gives it a nice sense of wonder and atmosphere for them.
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May 30, 2023 22:45
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Hippie Hedgehog posted:We talked a bit more and then she asked me if there were any games "where nothing moves except the one you're playing as". I guess let's look into even more laid-back games? We have a Steam Link for playing on the TV but could try PC gaming with a mouse as well. She does OK at the "coloring with the bucket in MS Paint" game. Maybe we'll try Townscaper? My daughter didn't really come into her own with gaming until 6 or so. Even now, she's more interested in laid-back games where you build / collect stuff (Animal Crossing and Garden Paws) or open world games where enemies aren't challenging (Lego games). I've introduced her to a lot of different games, but nothing else has piqued her interest quite as much. My son is 5 and will only play games with his older sister; or Townscaper, he loves that "game" (watch a video first, it's hardly a game). There's a ton of games out there, maybe something will click for your kid. And if it does, report back so I can update the OP!
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May 31, 2023 02:28
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An unexpected hit for the 4 year old in our house has been Snipperclips on Switch. She's rarely interested in actually solving the puzzles, it seems to just be fun for us to chase each other around the little levels. New Super Mario Bros. U has also been a lot of fun, it's a really good intro to platforming since it's 2D and has the bunny character that doesn't take damage from any enemies, so you can practice jumping and running in peace.
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May 31, 2023 06:21
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Hippie Hedgehog posted:Last thing kid asked before sleep tonight? I stopped playing BOTW because the mummies scared the hell out of my daughter and gave her nightmares for weeks. Imagery means a lot to kids, so darkness/dark themes/roaring can spook them a lot. Fighting in general (even just the overworld crawl of zelda) can be too much depending on the kid. It's easier to understand if you imagine a 4 year old looking at five nights at Freddy's or whatever that title is with the jump scares and imagine your kid doesn't have a 90% chance of meltdowns/nightmares/new phobias.
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Jun 1, 2023 14:05
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Hippie Hedgehog posted:We have had maybe 4 gaming sessions all together, over 5-6 weeks. I apparently messed up in letting her watch me play Zelda: A Link to the Past. My impression was she loved it, at the time. She liked mowing the grass and bushes. But then I was struggling a bit with one of the early bosses and died a lot. Then finally triumphed and got the amulet. She said nothing about it at the time but now 5 weeks later she apparently "can't stop thinking about Zelda" because it's a scary game. Ya know, as a kid I refused to play this game past the 1st dungeon because the 2nd one scared the poo poo out of me. But I'd want to keep going so I'd always bug the poo poo out of my brother to play instead. So I guess I can see that. Right now my kid is obsessed with Mario Odyssey. The movement's still too hard for him so we take turns between daddy collecting moons and kiddo running off of ledges. Still, for a 4 year old I think he's catching on quick.
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Jun 2, 2023 13:54
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Yesterday my daughter begged me to play "the space prince game" (Katamari) again. We couldn't yesterday, but tonight was a perfect opportunity after her swimming lesson. Physically tired yet raring to go with the digital rolling. I'm gonna have to show her mother how to use the Steam Link. (I already tried to get her into Katamari but she can't handle neither the default controls or the "simplified".) Daugher had a blast rolling around the tutorial level again, and then watching me "make the moon" on the last level. The giant squid were a hit! (Cue talk over dessert of what would happen if our house was rolled up, etc.)
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Jun 19, 2023 20:53
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Hippie Hedgehog posted:Yesterday my daughter begged me to play "the space prince game" (Katamari) again. We couldn't yesterday, but tonight was a perfect opportunity after her swimming lesson. Physically tired yet raring to go with the digital rolling. If I recall correctly, when you beat katamari you unlock a no time limit mode. https://katamari.fandom.com/wiki/Eternal_Mode
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Jun 25, 2023 00:30
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c355n4 posted:If I recall correctly, when you beat katamari you unlock a no time limit mode. Aha! Not by beating it, but by exceeding expectations. Make the Moon requires 300 m, but to unlock Eternal Mode, I need to get to 800 m. Looks like I'm in for some practice? (What a weird thing to have an unlock for! Why not just make it a menu option, but turn off level progression when it's enabled? Maybe it's because the game is actually kind of ancient and developers didn't worry about difficulty back then.) Thanks for the pointer!
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Jun 25, 2023 20:04
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I figured out my new go-to for the kids playing games together.
They use Lego games as a virtual dollhouse. Running around, exploring, and making up stories with the dozens of characters they have access to (plus character customization in the newer ones). They aren't gated by any story progression that they don't care about going through. It's pretty great seeing them play together in that virtual sandbox.
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Jul 21, 2023 15:55
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Lil guy took the remote control and started systematically pressing buttons with intention. He looped through the home button and kinda got that the bottom 4 buttons are traps (yes even the Disney button, that account is loaded on other remote). He kept resetting back to "home" when he saw a service intro that he didn't recognize the shape and color of. systematically pressing them to try and navigate to a video, any video that he would want to watch. Got to HBO Max and saw and Elmo and got hype. I uh... Helped him find the next three buttons to get there. Roku is like a videogame
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Jul 21, 2023 16:54
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Just wanted to say that my 2YO bounced hard off Sago Mini games for whatever reason, but was pretty into stuff by Bimi Boo. It seems kinda similar (chill, cute, no ads, some educational value in shape/colour/etc matching).
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Jul 24, 2023 04:15
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My 8 year old alternates between Tales of Vesperia, animal crossing and Sago mini style games (my city and all the other kindle fire stuff). Vesperia had advanced her reading so much (she was very predisposed to this as an avid reader) she actually reads faster than I do, and I took speed reading classes growing up. I believe I've created a monster.
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Jul 26, 2023 03:36
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