Bought the kids (8 & 10 yo boys) gaming laptops with a committment to get them to move on from Minecraft and Roblox. Have just installed Fortnite.
We have done a bit of a Google and YouTube to see what's out there but a fair few game reviews are above their age rating (ie. 15 & 18 plus). What's some games that you or your kids have enjoyed post Minecraft and Roblox?
I'm ok with them playing PG & M rated under my supervision. I'm also ok paying Oz bargain prices for games, but good free recommendations are welcomed also. They weren't keen on my recommendations of the original Wolfenstein.
Recommended Games for Kids
Teamoryx on 25/06/2023 - 21:25
Comments
As a 30 something old , what’s wrong with Minecraft?
They've overplayed it, need something a bit more stimulating to move on to.
I can recommend satisfactory , if you can guide them in the more advanced aspects.
satisfactoryFactorio. The factory must grow…TBH, if they were into Minecraft and Roblox, they'd probably like Factorio (and Satisfactory)
In essence Satisfactory is FPV Factorio (yes, it's not just that, don't @ me…)
@Chandler: yeah it is haha, i just couldnt get into factorio… but clocked up a good 100 hours in satisfactory in the early days.
@Jimothy Wongingtons: Yeah if Satisfactory had been around a little earlier I could have seen myself getting into it - or Dyson Sphere Program even. Factorio was timed well for me in regards to interest and free time…
(added links for the lazy / curious)
@Chandler: I started playing factorio one night. Then I realised it was 3am and I needed to sleep. Then I played it during my lunch break the next day, then clocked off work that night and played it til midnight. Then I played it all weekend, probably 12 hours each day.
Then I uninstalled it and spent the next week thinking about factorio and using all my willpower to not install it again. +1 would recommend.
Theres a couple of issues. One is open servers which can cause issues with young children. Another is the accessibility - many school stupidly have Minecraft education on their devices or allow it through the firewalls. For kids that struggle with the infinite and timeless worlds (lack of boundaries and time constraints), it's an addiction they cant get away from.
I tried Minecraft with mine when it first came out and it was like putting him on crack. He plays now but only on a private server with mates in god mode creating buildings.
What is a good age for kiddos to be introduced to gaming?
Younger the better! I’ve been waiting for in-house and on-call team mates for many years !
lol - neither my husband or I got into gaming so when peeps here chat about supervising with appropriate games, I'm like - is there a course for parents that don't game to know what is what?
The ratings system is a pretty good guide but the internet is the Wild West these days and I have already come to terms that my kids will probably even outsmart me in accessing whatever material they want
Common Sense Media has some good info on popular games (as well as movies and books and things): https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
They provide ratings on a range of areas within the games such as "positive messages/role models", "violence and scariness" and "sex, romance and nudity" amongst other things. They also have recommended ages. Some of the material is crowd sourced, so always worth taking with a grain of salt, but it's a good starting point.
Part of the problem for parents (even those that game) is that things change so quickly! Games can take off overnight with the power of social media these days, and for time-poor adults, it can be hard to keep track of what's going on. Always be wary of games with online content/interaction though (which is lots of them these days). Make sure you talk with your kids about what's ok to say to people online, and what is not. And I would make sure gaming happens in public family areas (e.g. lounge), and regularly just checking what's happening in the game.
@moar bargains: Thanks for the advice - we're gonna need it!
Make sure you talk with your kids about what's ok to say to people online, and what is not.
lol - based upon my experience here at times, far be it for me to advise them in this regard ;)
Mine was playing wow pvp at 4. Never forget the bugger got a 3 cap in Warsong Gulch.
See your comment requires SBS subtitles in English for me!
Haha 😄
Old skool capture the flag map.
https://www.wowhead.com/zone=3277/warsong-gulch
I have found, for the most part, warcraft, overwatch etc to be pretty safe for kids. Plenty of parental controls available.
@Benoffie: I'm scared they'll be able to pull the wool over our eyes because we're not gamers & controls be damned.
@[Deactivated]: Rules should always be:
Computer in a public space - lounge, study with parents
Supervision. This can include playing with them.
Activate parental controls in the account and do not give them access.In Blizzard, the parental controls are located in the main blizzard account, not the game, so you cane lock it down tight and they cant unfo it.
Since you said more stimulating, then Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation /s.
In all seriousness though, if they enjoyed the open world (I guess?) aspect then racing games like Forza Horizon etc. could be good and are pretty safe age-wise.
overwatch 2. just make sure that they don't take "kys" literally.
Had to look that up - (not-quite-profanity) yourself, for those wondering.
I had to look it up too when I first started playing Overwatch. I thought people were saying "kiss".
Yeah my exact thought process too. What happened to Kiithing like a good Sobani :P
Age of Empires
Age of Mythology was a big love of mine as a kid. Loved AOE, but something about the myth units in AOM made me a happy kiddo
The games my son has got any hours in are Rocket League (free on Epic/75 hours of play on Steam but a lot more now he's moved to the Epic client) and Team Fortress 2 (also free, Steam/300 hours of play).
After that he put 60 hours into Star Wars Battlefront II, 60 hours into War Thunder (free, Steam) and 40 hours into Euro Truck Simulator 2 (as well as a random selection of racing games, which he likes, most particularly Grid 2 at 21 hours), and a fair bit of Torchlight II (hours not tracked because we're mainly using a GoG DRM-free downloadable).
World of Tanks (free, Steam, 26 hours) got a reasonable run, and he quite liked Portal.
We have picked up a half a dozen games directly, some of which he used his own money for (eg ARK: Survival Evolved/9 hours), but other than Star Wars Battlefront none have really ended up grabbing him - the advertising always makes things look easier and more exciting than they actually are.
His Steam account has 784 games with a good selection of quality options I've either had spare keys for, or picked up in a bundle or in Humble Choice, but mainly he just plays Fortnight and Roblox.
Despite my half-hearted efforts, the two obvious choices Terraria and Starbound have not ended up grabbing him, however they are both hugely popular with that age group so might be worth a go.
Minecraft Dungeons I know is also popular with this age group (another action RPG like Torchlight) but I haven't splashed cash on it and he hasn't asked.
thanks for the detailed response!
It takes two is a brilliant stimulating game. Needs two players to work together or you can’t go through. I don’t have two kids but play with my 8 year old and we both enjoy it very much. You only need to buy it for one pc and other plays for free.
Ori and the will of the wisps is also one of the other game that my 8 year old enjoys although it’s a single player.
Halo series is also good.
Alll suggestions above are either paid or are free as part of Microsoft pc game pass.
Chasing the soccer ball in the backyard
I am personally enjoyed Stardew Valley very much. Highly recommended it
Not a multiplayer game but I think Starlink: Battle For Atlas is an enjoyable game, and more suited for kids.
It's a big space adventure where you fly a ship, and can seamlessly fly from the surface of a planet into space, and fly to other planets. On the ground, while you never leave your ship, it plays more like a 3rd person shooter game, with your ship hovering over the surface.
You collect things on the planets, complete side-quests and help out the locals and fight off the baddies. The characters are aimed at younger kids, and the content - aside from shooting bad monsters - is very light and fun.
It's regularly on sale (like right now) > https://store.steampowered.com/app/950050/Starlink_Battle_fo…
While it's perfectly functional these days without them, it was originally a "Toys to life" game - where you buy real toys and that unlocks things in the game. That's not important, but something to be aware of.
Any of the Blizzard offerings are sterile enough.
Also look at indie games on Steam and pick up the freebies off of GOG and Prime Gaming etc.
If they're just making that transition but you dont want them playing Battlefield/COD style fps, there's heaps out there.
Fwiw, mines been playing Overwatch since it started and once he ranks up, he flicks across to other games. Currently on Apex atm. Teenager.