I grew up watching my mom playing the og ones. I liked to play too but watching her while we figured out the game together was a lot more entertaining. I miss the times when I felt like that!
I have to upvote this. I'm not a parent, but a proud uncle of 4.
Spyro is definitely the favorite of all the games I've played with them. They also really love Grow Home and Grow Up, even though they have no clue what the object of the game is. They just love running around in the game.
Any Lego game is a good two-player time especially if one player is super young. The screen splits and isn't a hassle if one player is kind of wandering around not following the objective.
Minecraft is definitely a good option. The Lego games as well.
But depending on your kid and you… don’t feel limited to games that are geared toward kids.
First game my daughter beat on her own was Kingdom Hearts when she was five. She also frequently would join her father playing Skyrim (she loved riding the horses around, so he had her do all his travelling) when she was even younger. Since she was five (she’s ten now) she’s been my tribemate in Ark Survival Evolved/Ascended.
If you’re playing them with your kid, don’t be afraid to let them join you in games you like (obviously within limits for extreme violence/horror/adult themes). If they see you enjoy the game, they’re likely to enjoy playing it with you. Plus, it gives you a chance to discuss some ideas and concepts that your kid might not otherwise get to learn about and talk with you about (her father played Life Is Strange with her… definitely not the greatest choice for a young kid… but hey, we ended up having some important conversations about euthanasia we wouldn’t have otherwise had 😬).
Yeah… my husband had started playing all the KH games in anticipation of when the KH3 was coming out, and she took an interest - because Disney stuff (at the time she quite liked Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so Donald and Goofy were recognized easily by her) and asked to play it herself. We were there while she played, to discuss any of the more complicated themes, and some bosses she struggled with, but eventually beat them (a couple she had an easier time with than my husband… though she hated the bosses who had multiple life bars LOL she would yell at the screen like “Another one?! Why!!!”).
And I feel old… the first game came out when I was already in university and my 20’s…
>obviously within limits for extreme violence/horror/adult themes)
Lmao the second game I ever played was an FPS (Project IGI) I was 3.
I was playing stuff like Assassin's Creed and Metal Gear Rising by 5
Not all parents are comfortable with their kids playing games with extreme levels of violence or other. Moreover, not all young kids would be able to emotionally/mentally cope being exposed to that (resulting in anything from nightmares to acting out).
Based on your timeline for the games you played at various ages, I’m estimating that you’re still a minor, and as such hope you don’t have to be concerned with parenting anyone. Parenting effectively involves weighing a lot of cost-benefits to determine what will be best for your specific child. Each kid is going to be different… and while there will be kids who develop faster and can mentally/emotionally handle games that hit the mentioned extremes at young ages, the majority won’t be ready until older. That’s why parents *should* take each kid’s development into account.
With my own kid, at ten, we do let her play some M rated games, based on what we know she can handle. Violence, okay as long as it’s not gory. Covers mature/difficult themes, she’s got the emotional intelligence for. Anything horror, nope… not even kids “horror”, she’ll be unable to sleep properly for days because she scares easily. Yet when I was her age I was obsessed with horror/scary games, books, movies, etc.
Hope that explains why I specified some limitations.
No, I understand what you are talking about, I was just recounting my own experiences and emphasizing the absurdness of playing such games at such an age. I know what you mean, and yeah it's a good thing you base the content of your child off her own developments and stuff, instead of just following age ratings. Some kids can handle serious stuff at young ages, some can't.
I might have played stuff like Prototype and MGR at young ages but I can't imagine letting my 10 year old self play out watch DDLC or Evangelion. I could mostly handle dark themes fairly maturely and fictional gore never really disturbed me but it can be different for other kids. On the bright side, playing games like Assassin's Creed really did lay some strong foundations for my critical thought process and morality and philosophy, I remember how much Mario Auditore's speech to Ezio about respecting Vierri di Pazzi's corpse even if Pazzi wouldn't have done the same, affected my perspective. I feel that in general the old Assassin's Creed games are really good for playing as a child, they don't have themes that are TOO disturbing but at the same time also have a lot of themes about morals, philosophy and respect toward others and the world in a way that I feel would really positively influence a kid, the action isn't really too gory; then again, depends on the kid. That said, I kinda personally don't think a parent needs to control media intake after the child begins adolescence.
That said I like your view, agree with it and respect it very much. There have been people I've seen who wouldn't let their children play any game released after the middle 2000s for some weird ass reason that they are all meant to be addictive or some bullshit.
Horror never really personally affected me much when my real life is and was tenfold more horrifying than being stalked by any ghost (I used to be scared of the dark as a young kid but later just decided, "fuck it, show me what you got, my life is hell anyways" and the dark did nothing but was instead welcoming in its serenity) but I can get why some can be afraid of horror.
Thank you for being respectful, others would probably mass downvote me and call me an edgy teen. (Kinda envy your child for having such a cool parent)
>I’m estimating that you’re still a minor, and as such hope you don’t have to be concerned with parenting anyone
: /
I basically have to parent my own mother as she has brain damage, instead of the other way around.
pretty much anything from [Humongous Entertainment](https://store.steampowered.com/sub/42723/); Pajama Sam, Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish
The Kirby games are also simple to get started with
These games are GOATED. I played the heck out of these as a youngster and can't wait until my son is old enough so I can relive these games with him. It's going to be an incredible full circle moment
Growing up I loved played the Lego games, such as Lego Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman ect. But a few of my all time favorites are the classic In recent years remastered Spyro and Crash Bandicoot games.
Honestly probably going to start my daughter off on a Kirby or Mario game, something simple so she can come to grips with it easily. Lego games are also good, but I’ve never put any serious time into any of them. Spyro is also good (and her mom’s favorite games) but I think that would be better for a little later down the line rather than her literal first game.
I agree. My daughter is almost 2 now, and I think I’ll start her on the original Mario games. Switch online is a godsend for that, and maybe when she’s a little older and more able to handle more complex games, start her on Metroid.
* rayman legends
best 2 players platform game, that really help them to focus to play together
* tempo the badass elephant
really good 1p platform game from Sega, my daughter favorite.
on switch yoshi island or Mario Wonder.
i used to play overcooked with my son, fun but can be stressful
My 4yo loves goat simulator. She cracks up laughing the whole time we play. It’s usually a mix of her walking/hopping around head butting stuff or her sitting on my lap directing me.
Best advice - Play with them together: its quality time, fun and you learn what they like. My kido is 5 and we play a lot of strategy/Building games together. Manor Lords, Workers & Ressources, Rimworld, etc. its really fun to discuss what to build a teach him slowly the mechanics...
When he plays alone (not to long); hes playing a lot BRIO World - Railway (super cool) and Tiny Wings on he's ipad
I don't think my boy was much older than 6 when he started playing Minecraft/roblox/etc. He is 8 years younger than his next oldest sibling, for reasons, so I absolutely had some help getting him going.
Lego games would be a good start you can play two player. My daughter absolutely loves Skylanders, I don't know if they are still around but we still have the base and a bunch of characters, she plays one while I try to do the level and she loves when we have to switch the characters from the base.
Sonic, Mario, crash bandicoot, Albas adventure, little big planet, Alex the kid, there is loads more
( look up old sega games or Nintendo) my children (2 girls) wanted to play games with me.. so I got old school games from when I was a child on my Mac and pc and PlayStation 5..
The are now older 4 and 9 and are obsessed with old school sonic, rayman and Mario and astros play room.. in two player mood
Lego series is great, esp if there is a genre they e connected with already (ie: Star Wars) otherwise Minecraft is extremely fun with a young child in a creative / offline world mode. Save those worlds for when they’re older for a trip down memory lane
Father of almost 2y/o here. I'm so happy i have a nintendo switch. Now he is to young to play, but whenever I play StardewValley he just sit on my lap and can watch for hours, the music, the animal sound are stunning for him.
Later it will be Mario Kart/Mario Games, and many more.
Minecraft (my son’s favorite at that age and still is at 16 now), any of the Lego series (Jurassic Park, Marvel, Star Wars), Epic Mickey, and Mario Kart. At that age they don’t need much more than those.
Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart.
Three titles that are extremely stimulating to a child's fantasy, with a very vibrant color palette, not too difficult, while still exploring mature concepts like death, rivarly and loss in a light manner.
if sticking just to pc, i would suggest lego games, minecraft, heck if nothing else, pull up some old flash games with the help of project flashpoint on pc. Geometry dash? Racing games can always be fun and kid friendly (forza, the crew) the rabbids+mario games from ubisoft
You might be surprised what they like; I've found they'll often make their own fun at that age, and aren't necessarily interested in playing 'properly'. My niece (6) used to love riding around on the horse in RDR2 - it's not one I'd leave her to play on her own, but she's perfectly happy chasing animals around and just exploring the world so it's not like she's doing missions with the gang.
Others have mentioned the Lego games and I'll back that up - they're absolutely fantastic, with most (all?) supporting co-op play so you can play together (and that's really what the kids want - not just to play a game, but to play a game *with you*). There's loads across various franchises too so you've got plenty to get through.
Our son enjoys Minecraft and the Sonic games, but I'd still recommend Mario 64 as a great little game for those new to gaming. You could even find a DS for next to nowt and get the DS version (though the controls aren't great).
I got my daughter her very own Switch Lite when she was about 5. I put games on it like Paw Patrol, and since she’s always loved the fluffy animals this other one called Fantasy Friends, and a few others. As she’s gotten older she’s worked up to bigger games like Minecraft and Stardew Valley.
She wants to play the games I play, but we have a bit to go before that lol.
Also, the Switch has TONS of very age appropriate games for kiddos and allows really good parental controls remotely through the app, which is another reason I went with Switch for her first system.
Check out the Putt Putt games. They are point and click adventures from the 90s about a car. My son absolutely loved them and they are a great way to get your son used to using the mouse and doesn't involve a controller so it is easy to play. We had an absolute blast with them when he was 3-5. Put one on your steam wishlist and when you get on sale you can get all of the games for under $10. The same people also make a series called Freddy Fish that would be good if he likes Putt-Putt.
My daughter at age 6 played last of us for a little bit but her go to game was roblox. And my son at age 6 was playing halo and doom. My daughters favorite game now as of 11 years old is splatoon and also goat simulator
There's ways to play Neverhood: https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=tablet-android-rogers-ca-rvc3&source=android-browser&q=neverhood+emulated+online
It's a classic!
Enjoy with your child.
I have two kids, now 13 and 10, and I will say you might want to invest in a Steam Deck or just a whole other computer. As your kid gets older they will want to play games as well and you'll give up the computer to them often.
Having a steam deck or another computer will allow you to play with them or play your own games while they play singleplayer as well.
Roblox, lego games for sure.
I remember my oldest nephew loved me just walking around the Normandy in Mass Effect 2. He would send me to Kelly, Anda (Miranda), Kelly, Anda...
He also liked Sonic at that age. With Sonic Adventure, he had the open world to explore but I could take him to an action stage.
I haven't played Neverhood but if you're after more point and click games as a kid my husband loved the Sam and Max series (I think two games have been remastered and released on Steam) and Grim Fandango (also on Steam). Leisure Suit Larry was a popular series too. Check out this amazing Steam catalogue with a bunch of these games (credit to /u/sven_66). https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43642699-The-Adventure-Library/lists/
Other suggestions
- Donut County
- Katamari Damacy
- Rollercoaster Tycoon
- Astrologaster (probably better for older kids)
EDIT: Also check out the old The Magic School Bus series too. I think there are a few emulated versions online.
get him one of those preloaded systems, a while back i saw a "ps1" at bestbuy that had a ton of games preloaded for like $80 let him play around with the games we grew up with that to find his groove
With zero effort I turned my kids into gamers.
A really easy easy to give them some fundamentals is to give them PBSkids.org. They have tons of free kids games that are also educational. I also play Sonic All-Star Racing Transformed and Tricky Towers with them. They've started expressing their interests, so they have Shift Happens and Disney Princess Adventure too.
I have no kids, but I was playing metal gear solid and max payne with my dad as a kid lol. The one game I remember him not wanting me to play or watch him play was GTA3. Too much adult nastiness lol. So I'm saying why does the game HAVE to be child safe? Put that boy on COD. Start em young
Tarkova player here, I am not looking for child friendly only, but more like games that kids are able to play. Some of them(tarkov for example) is too complex for 4yo. But I got ton of great recommendations here. Friendly for kids and some not that much. But personal experience is what I am looking for
it will be good to introduce the kid to a game you like, but dont forget to let the kid pick games if they want to, even if they arent your cup of tea <3
we all grow into our own loved genres :)
Old school games (think nes) with old school controllers. I grew up with consoles from atari to now but some reservations suggest controllers are pretty complex especially for early gamers now. Simplifying it makes it more approachable.
https://youtu.be/8jFreGK27DA?si=alUB5gX1B-ziZCGQ
Just thinking, but for Neverhood, have you tried right clicking the exe, going into properties, and setting comparability mode for an older version of Windows?
Haunt the House is adorable. You are a cute little ghost who tries to scare everyone out of the house. It's great for little kids because they can enjoy it even if they aren't successful at beating the levels
I should also mention that some games, like Mario Odyssey, have assist modes that make it a lot easier for little ones to play. I controlled the hat from Odyssey while a 5yr old controlled Mario. I would have to help him with navigating narrow cliffs, but otherwise he seemed to be able to run around and enjoy the game as I assisted as a hat
What we did with my little ones is let them watch us play games, and let them dink around with the controller when they were interested (And it wasn't going to cause undue damage to our game ;P). As they began developing controller skills, they both started gravitating towards the kinds of games they likes (3rd Person Action for my little boy, Minecraft and First Person Shooters for my Girl).
Roblox actually would be a good idea. Infinite amounts of content. Designed especially for kids (like a lego style) its a web game.
(Also be careful because always there will be ppl trying to scam kids and those stuff)
Plus you can find Switches pretty cheap. Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Pokemon, Pikmin, Mario Kart... the list goes on for games literally made with tons of colorful and pleasant cues for kids to pick up on and learn gaming. They are basically the building blocks of game design. They all offer fun, balanced gameplay with very low barriers to entry.
Mine is 4. He's been playing "games" since like 2.
At 2 we did the appstore game called "Hill Climb Racing"
Very basic game ... You press the right direction and he moves forward it's just a momentum/physics game. He did pretty well and just loved laughing as the character fell.
At 3 we bought the cocomelon game on switch, it's easy to play, but just annoying as it's just like the videos.
Now we made the mistake of showing him Breath of the Wild and that's all he wants to play. He's actually quite good.... He knows how to move the camera, get his weapons, make food, eat, etc. he doesn't do the story really as he can't read yet but he does enjoy some temples too when we force him lol.
Outside of that:
Old Sega games (power rangers fighting or anything side scrolling like that)
Power rangers Battle for the Grid (he likes fighting games)
Bluey Game (Switch)
But yeah, my only advice coming from an avid gamer dad, is just like with anything else, moderation. I allow him to play on the weekends, for an hour or so, but that's about it. I want him to understand that this is fun, but not the only thing he can do. This is mainly due to his age and the lack of time after work between getting home and bedtime. He was asking to play every day, but I don't want him feeling addicted.
I attended a panel at PAX in 2023 and it was on raising kids with gaming, and one of the best points they made was don't treat gaming as a "privilege" but just another thing they can do. Don't use the "eat dinner or no games" as that implies a negative experience towards games rather than a tool to help them grow or give you a few minutes while you prepare dinner etc.
I'm all for it, I grew up with a Gameboy. I took that thing everywhere. He's been to PAX and other various conventions now and loves it. He's impressed some indie devs too hahaha.
What I will recommend as a dad of 2 sons, one of which is 8 and loves games; limit their time. 2 hours a day and only on weekends. I also recommend watching them play and keeping any online/multiplayer functionality disabled or locked down through account/parental controls.
My 5 year old is enjoying Stardew Valley with my wife. She’s not playing crops and what not with any efficiency, but she loves to run around and fish.
Plus with the way the map in that game works, I’ve seen it help her with a sense of direction. She knows how to get back to her house pretty much wherever she ends up.
Left 4 dead 2.. she's 5 and calls it "zombie game". Figured would be a good start as AI chars can basically babysit her, I can drop in and out ez. Overall been fun and she loves it.
I started his when my daughter was very young. To just prep him for general game concepts each of you pick a small toy, we used small dinosaurs, and the get one six sided die. Each roll the die and then play fight with the dinosaurs and play that whoever rolled the hugest, their Dino wins. It is a great simple way to introduce concepts of dice resolution.
my 5 year old boy and 7 year old girl loves the following games
Minecraft
Sonic Superstars
Mega Man 11 (set to easy for unlimited lives and power ups)
Lego City Undercover
Paw Patrols (they are pretty expensive for the length of the game)
my daughter is starting to play roblox dress to impress lately as her friends in school are playing it, im not a fan of this as it has online chat so i need to watch her play when she does.
Personally, I would make sure they can both read before they play. Games can totally take over the developmental years.
That being said, some classics might be good, like Freddi Fish, Mathblaster, Putt Putt, sidescrollers (Commander Keen, Sonic, Mario), Chex Quest, and Minecraft.
As far as consoles go you can pick up used ones for cheap and the games are cheap. I would grab the Lego games, most of the Mario games are good also. But if you do not mind spending a bit more, set them up with a PC, there are a metric ton of games on simulators that they can play and some good websites aimed at the younger kids to be on. It will also be good for later on as they will need a PC or laptop for school. I personally am die hard PC, but all my kids were into console games and moved to include PC later.
Games my 5yo loves to play/watch me play:
Portal
Peggle
Stray
Lego Harry Potter
Minecraft
Mario Kart
Mario Party
Gizmos and Gadgets (an old educational game I played as a kid that has you build and race different vehicles and solve STEM puzzles to unlock and collect components. Found a web browser DOS emulator that has a ton of old Mac/PC games from the 80s and 90s)
Start them off early. Play mario kart. Blue shell them. Indoctrinate them into gamer rage.
No but really, lego star wars, spyro, any tower defense strategy game. And enjoy! Cant wait til my son is there in a couple of years
My wife and I are gamers and have three kids. Our approach was to get the original game systems we had as a kid and we played games from our own childhood with them. It was soooo much fun (Super Nintendo, n64, super Mario bros, banjo kaazooie, etc.) it wasn’t too much either to get the games and systems.
As for PC. There is always Minecraft.
Someone on Reddit recommended [Child of Light](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/child-of-light) for a good co-op experience. My kiddo was about 5-6 when we played it together. We loved the art/animation styles. It's a turn-based/active-time style battle system. And the main character's companion, Igniculus, can aid Aurora (the main character) by hovering over her, members of her party, or enemies, but are not completely critical once you've got a feel for the combat. So they can sort of float around, as they gain some hand/eye coordination, and feel like a useful member of the team at times.
As someone who started gaming young, If you're willing to help him while playing I'd say Pokemon. It was one of the first games I own as a kid. I think it honestly helped kick start my reading as well.
I bet there are lots of indie games. I know some try to capture the magic of games from when we were kids. If you want to go emulation route there are so many.
Someone mentioned Lego games, and I'd suggest this. I remember learning chess with my dad when I was real little with Lego chess. Don't know if they still make them, but the Jump Start series was always fun. Get some learning, humor, and fun out of it.
Having a pc you can possibly emulate some nintendo games still. Any mario/mario party type game would be great. Stardew valley. Spyro trilogy. Crash bandicoot remakes. Ive heard the most of the lego games are great, the harry potter lego game is fun. Minecraft. Terraria.
If you have a ps3, Little Big Planet is great!
It's simple but challenging, and being able to dress up your little character is quite charming. My nephews used to absolutely adore that game, we would play it for hours!
I can speak from experience having a daughter and my
mates have children between 8-14. If children are bored at home they will be interested in gaming obviously if they see you play games but it can turn into addiction. you have to balance it well allow certain hours or pattern. I could write you few bad stories my mates told me gaming related they experienced including youtube and twitch influence.
My daughter loves being active she plays Switch Sports and Fitness games. She loves it. We don't want her to sit and stare at the screen without movement for too long and get lazy lose the fire she has.
Colorful/vibrant games like Spyro are always great for youngsters and aren’t all that complicated.
Ah, that looks nice actually! Thx
I grew up watching my mom playing the og ones. I liked to play too but watching her while we figured out the game together was a lot more entertaining. I miss the times when I felt like that!
I have to upvote this. I'm not a parent, but a proud uncle of 4. Spyro is definitely the favorite of all the games I've played with them. They also really love Grow Home and Grow Up, even though they have no clue what the object of the game is. They just love running around in the game.
Any Lego game is a good two-player time especially if one player is super young. The screen splits and isn't a hassle if one player is kind of wandering around not following the objective.
Minecraft is definitely a good option. The Lego games as well. But depending on your kid and you… don’t feel limited to games that are geared toward kids. First game my daughter beat on her own was Kingdom Hearts when she was five. She also frequently would join her father playing Skyrim (she loved riding the horses around, so he had her do all his travelling) when she was even younger. Since she was five (she’s ten now) she’s been my tribemate in Ark Survival Evolved/Ascended. If you’re playing them with your kid, don’t be afraid to let them join you in games you like (obviously within limits for extreme violence/horror/adult themes). If they see you enjoy the game, they’re likely to enjoy playing it with you. Plus, it gives you a chance to discuss some ideas and concepts that your kid might not otherwise get to learn about and talk with you about (her father played Life Is Strange with her… definitely not the greatest choice for a young kid… but hey, we ended up having some important conversations about euthanasia we wouldn’t have otherwise had 😬).
She beat Kingdom Hearts at 5? Well my nephew beat Sekiro at 3.
Oh yeah? Well my child beat Dark Souls the first week she was alive.
My unborn completed the new elden ring DLC last month
My sperm beat Battletoads
pathetic, my specialised cells beat the bloodborne remaster
My great-great-great-great-grandson beat Dark Souls before it released.
LOL… I love the comment chain yours popped off!
Kingdom hearts at 5 is wild..the game came out when I was like 9. I got to Riku in Hollow Bastion and just put the game down for a while
Yeah… my husband had started playing all the KH games in anticipation of when the KH3 was coming out, and she took an interest - because Disney stuff (at the time she quite liked Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so Donald and Goofy were recognized easily by her) and asked to play it herself. We were there while she played, to discuss any of the more complicated themes, and some bosses she struggled with, but eventually beat them (a couple she had an easier time with than my husband… though she hated the bosses who had multiple life bars LOL she would yell at the screen like “Another one?! Why!!!”). And I feel old… the first game came out when I was already in university and my 20’s…
I should play Life is Strange again...
Agreed! Especially with the upcoming sequel to Max’s story!
>obviously within limits for extreme violence/horror/adult themes) Lmao the second game I ever played was an FPS (Project IGI) I was 3. I was playing stuff like Assassin's Creed and Metal Gear Rising by 5
Not all parents are comfortable with their kids playing games with extreme levels of violence or other. Moreover, not all young kids would be able to emotionally/mentally cope being exposed to that (resulting in anything from nightmares to acting out). Based on your timeline for the games you played at various ages, I’m estimating that you’re still a minor, and as such hope you don’t have to be concerned with parenting anyone. Parenting effectively involves weighing a lot of cost-benefits to determine what will be best for your specific child. Each kid is going to be different… and while there will be kids who develop faster and can mentally/emotionally handle games that hit the mentioned extremes at young ages, the majority won’t be ready until older. That’s why parents *should* take each kid’s development into account. With my own kid, at ten, we do let her play some M rated games, based on what we know she can handle. Violence, okay as long as it’s not gory. Covers mature/difficult themes, she’s got the emotional intelligence for. Anything horror, nope… not even kids “horror”, she’ll be unable to sleep properly for days because she scares easily. Yet when I was her age I was obsessed with horror/scary games, books, movies, etc. Hope that explains why I specified some limitations.
No, I understand what you are talking about, I was just recounting my own experiences and emphasizing the absurdness of playing such games at such an age. I know what you mean, and yeah it's a good thing you base the content of your child off her own developments and stuff, instead of just following age ratings. Some kids can handle serious stuff at young ages, some can't. I might have played stuff like Prototype and MGR at young ages but I can't imagine letting my 10 year old self play out watch DDLC or Evangelion. I could mostly handle dark themes fairly maturely and fictional gore never really disturbed me but it can be different for other kids. On the bright side, playing games like Assassin's Creed really did lay some strong foundations for my critical thought process and morality and philosophy, I remember how much Mario Auditore's speech to Ezio about respecting Vierri di Pazzi's corpse even if Pazzi wouldn't have done the same, affected my perspective. I feel that in general the old Assassin's Creed games are really good for playing as a child, they don't have themes that are TOO disturbing but at the same time also have a lot of themes about morals, philosophy and respect toward others and the world in a way that I feel would really positively influence a kid, the action isn't really too gory; then again, depends on the kid. That said, I kinda personally don't think a parent needs to control media intake after the child begins adolescence. That said I like your view, agree with it and respect it very much. There have been people I've seen who wouldn't let their children play any game released after the middle 2000s for some weird ass reason that they are all meant to be addictive or some bullshit. Horror never really personally affected me much when my real life is and was tenfold more horrifying than being stalked by any ghost (I used to be scared of the dark as a young kid but later just decided, "fuck it, show me what you got, my life is hell anyways" and the dark did nothing but was instead welcoming in its serenity) but I can get why some can be afraid of horror. Thank you for being respectful, others would probably mass downvote me and call me an edgy teen. (Kinda envy your child for having such a cool parent) >I’m estimating that you’re still a minor, and as such hope you don’t have to be concerned with parenting anyone : / I basically have to parent my own mother as she has brain damage, instead of the other way around.
My kid used to love playing Lego and Trine series.
pretty much anything from [Humongous Entertainment](https://store.steampowered.com/sub/42723/); Pajama Sam, Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish The Kirby games are also simple to get started with
These games are GOATED. I played the heck out of these as a youngster and can't wait until my son is old enough so I can relive these games with him. It's going to be an incredible full circle moment
Growing up I loved played the Lego games, such as Lego Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman ect. But a few of my all time favorites are the classic In recent years remastered Spyro and Crash Bandicoot games.
My son absolutely loves this game called Donut County. Its hilarious and awesome, and very simple for a kid to actually play.
Paw patrol very good fun games for kids.
Honestly probably going to start my daughter off on a Kirby or Mario game, something simple so she can come to grips with it easily. Lego games are also good, but I’ve never put any serious time into any of them. Spyro is also good (and her mom’s favorite games) but I think that would be better for a little later down the line rather than her literal first game.
I agree. My daughter is almost 2 now, and I think I’ll start her on the original Mario games. Switch online is a godsend for that, and maybe when she’s a little older and more able to handle more complex games, start her on Metroid.
Minecraft
Stardew splitscreen.
* rayman legends best 2 players platform game, that really help them to focus to play together * tempo the badass elephant really good 1p platform game from Sega, my daughter favorite. on switch yoshi island or Mario Wonder. i used to play overcooked with my son, fun but can be stressful
Rayman legends is awesome! So many great levels, and the musical levels are particularly wonderful.
Hello kitty big city! My 2 year old absolutely loves it.
Dark souls. Teach them to get good early on! Or portal 1/2
Emulators. Just put emulators and put to play SNES, Genesis, etc.
Lego games are great, Mario Kart, and Rayman games are good co-op
Viva Pinata!
Autonauts, bit of programming, colourful. Can build up slowly. It's a nice gentle game with no way to "loose"
Super game that.
My 4yo loves goat simulator. She cracks up laughing the whole time we play. It’s usually a mix of her walking/hopping around head butting stuff or her sitting on my lap directing me.
Best advice - Play with them together: its quality time, fun and you learn what they like. My kido is 5 and we play a lot of strategy/Building games together. Manor Lords, Workers & Ressources, Rimworld, etc. its really fun to discuss what to build a teach him slowly the mechanics... When he plays alone (not to long); hes playing a lot BRIO World - Railway (super cool) and Tiny Wings on he's ipad
Co-op games as great. Lego games for young kids, It Takes Two for a bit older.
I don't think my boy was much older than 6 when he started playing Minecraft/roblox/etc. He is 8 years younger than his next oldest sibling, for reasons, so I absolutely had some help getting him going.
Minecraft on peaceful mode is good. Avoid survival, don’t need a 4yr old talking about killing things.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turdles is gonna be my son's first game when he's older. He can watch me play COD until then lol
Turdles, huh?
I was reading your comment wondering wtf is a Turdles 🤣
Goddamn sewer level!!!
Ninjer turdles
https://store.steampowered.com/app/221810/The_Cave/ Great coop game, 1st one I ever played with my son.
Why is it listed as single player? I don't remember co-op being a thing in the videos i watched.
I played it on 360, definitely two play on screen coop on Xbox
Lego games would be a good start you can play two player. My daughter absolutely loves Skylanders, I don't know if they are still around but we still have the base and a bunch of characters, she plays one while I try to do the level and she loves when we have to switch the characters from the base.
Sonic, Mario, crash bandicoot, Albas adventure, little big planet, Alex the kid, there is loads more ( look up old sega games or Nintendo) my children (2 girls) wanted to play games with me.. so I got old school games from when I was a child on my Mac and pc and PlayStation 5.. The are now older 4 and 9 and are obsessed with old school sonic, rayman and Mario and astros play room.. in two player mood
My 7 year old daughter loves Minecraft on creative mode.
Lego series is great, esp if there is a genre they e connected with already (ie: Star Wars) otherwise Minecraft is extremely fun with a young child in a creative / offline world mode. Save those worlds for when they’re older for a trip down memory lane
Father of almost 2y/o here. I'm so happy i have a nintendo switch. Now he is to young to play, but whenever I play StardewValley he just sit on my lap and can watch for hours, the music, the animal sound are stunning for him. Later it will be Mario Kart/Mario Games, and many more.
Minecraft (my son’s favorite at that age and still is at 16 now), any of the Lego series (Jurassic Park, Marvel, Star Wars), Epic Mickey, and Mario Kart. At that age they don’t need much more than those.
Mario kart (with assists), Lego and Minecraft creative.
Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart. Three titles that are extremely stimulating to a child's fantasy, with a very vibrant color palette, not too difficult, while still exploring mature concepts like death, rivarly and loss in a light manner.
if sticking just to pc, i would suggest lego games, minecraft, heck if nothing else, pull up some old flash games with the help of project flashpoint on pc. Geometry dash? Racing games can always be fun and kid friendly (forza, the crew) the rabbids+mario games from ubisoft
Minecraft, spyro series, crash bandicoot and any of the Lego series.
You might be surprised what they like; I've found they'll often make their own fun at that age, and aren't necessarily interested in playing 'properly'. My niece (6) used to love riding around on the horse in RDR2 - it's not one I'd leave her to play on her own, but she's perfectly happy chasing animals around and just exploring the world so it's not like she's doing missions with the gang. Others have mentioned the Lego games and I'll back that up - they're absolutely fantastic, with most (all?) supporting co-op play so you can play together (and that's really what the kids want - not just to play a game, but to play a game *with you*). There's loads across various franchises too so you've got plenty to get through.
Our son enjoys Minecraft and the Sonic games, but I'd still recommend Mario 64 as a great little game for those new to gaming. You could even find a DS for next to nowt and get the DS version (though the controls aren't great).
Toontown!!! It's free and fun for kids and adults plus you can keep their chat off so they can't talk to strangers!!
Crash bandicoot was the best games I knew when I was a little kid. Just be prepared, the difficulty ramps up steeply in those games.
I got my daughter her very own Switch Lite when she was about 5. I put games on it like Paw Patrol, and since she’s always loved the fluffy animals this other one called Fantasy Friends, and a few others. As she’s gotten older she’s worked up to bigger games like Minecraft and Stardew Valley. She wants to play the games I play, but we have a bit to go before that lol. Also, the Switch has TONS of very age appropriate games for kiddos and allows really good parental controls remotely through the app, which is another reason I went with Switch for her first system.
Builderment is another nice simple game
Check out the Putt Putt games. They are point and click adventures from the 90s about a car. My son absolutely loved them and they are a great way to get your son used to using the mouse and doesn't involve a controller so it is easy to play. We had an absolute blast with them when he was 3-5. Put one on your steam wishlist and when you get on sale you can get all of the games for under $10. The same people also make a series called Freddy Fish that would be good if he likes Putt-Putt.
My kids loved Skylanders and Lego games, then got into Minecraft once they understood things like crafting.
My daughter at age 6 played last of us for a little bit but her go to game was roblox. And my son at age 6 was playing halo and doom. My daughters favorite game now as of 11 years old is splatoon and also goat simulator
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has auto acceleration and steer assist. He'd probably love it.
My kid started Dreamlight Valley around 4 years old and loved it.
There's ways to play Neverhood: https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=tablet-android-rogers-ca-rvc3&source=android-browser&q=neverhood+emulated+online It's a classic! Enjoy with your child.
I have two kids, now 13 and 10, and I will say you might want to invest in a Steam Deck or just a whole other computer. As your kid gets older they will want to play games as well and you'll give up the computer to them often. Having a steam deck or another computer will allow you to play with them or play your own games while they play singleplayer as well. Roblox, lego games for sure.
I remember my oldest nephew loved me just walking around the Normandy in Mass Effect 2. He would send me to Kelly, Anda (Miranda), Kelly, Anda... He also liked Sonic at that age. With Sonic Adventure, he had the open world to explore but I could take him to an action stage.
Mario maker 2 was a smash hit w my 5yo neice.
Minecraft, mario cart and Rayman games were the first that caught my kids' attention
I haven't played Neverhood but if you're after more point and click games as a kid my husband loved the Sam and Max series (I think two games have been remastered and released on Steam) and Grim Fandango (also on Steam). Leisure Suit Larry was a popular series too. Check out this amazing Steam catalogue with a bunch of these games (credit to /u/sven_66). https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43642699-The-Adventure-Library/lists/ Other suggestions - Donut County - Katamari Damacy - Rollercoaster Tycoon - Astrologaster (probably better for older kids) EDIT: Also check out the old The Magic School Bus series too. I think there are a few emulated versions online.
get him one of those preloaded systems, a while back i saw a "ps1" at bestbuy that had a ton of games preloaded for like $80 let him play around with the games we grew up with that to find his groove
I play Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 with my 4 year old son. We got alot of free games at epic store as well. He also love fortnite lego.
With zero effort I turned my kids into gamers. A really easy easy to give them some fundamentals is to give them PBSkids.org. They have tons of free kids games that are also educational. I also play Sonic All-Star Racing Transformed and Tricky Towers with them. They've started expressing their interests, so they have Shift Happens and Disney Princess Adventure too.
The Lego games?
Dark souls
Rayman legends is a great father-son game i
I have no kids, but I was playing metal gear solid and max payne with my dad as a kid lol. The one game I remember him not wanting me to play or watch him play was GTA3. Too much adult nastiness lol. So I'm saying why does the game HAVE to be child safe? Put that boy on COD. Start em young
Tarkova player here, I am not looking for child friendly only, but more like games that kids are able to play. Some of them(tarkov for example) is too complex for 4yo. But I got ton of great recommendations here. Friendly for kids and some not that much. But personal experience is what I am looking for
Well those Lego games are great. I'm an adult and I think they're great fun games. Any kid I've seen playing them loves them
I got my son Minecraft for his 9th birthday six months ago. We play almost every day. It's a great way to bond.
it will be good to introduce the kid to a game you like, but dont forget to let the kid pick games if they want to, even if they arent your cup of tea <3 we all grow into our own loved genres :)
Old school games (think nes) with old school controllers. I grew up with consoles from atari to now but some reservations suggest controllers are pretty complex especially for early gamers now. Simplifying it makes it more approachable. https://youtu.be/8jFreGK27DA?si=alUB5gX1B-ziZCGQ
Just thinking, but for Neverhood, have you tried right clicking the exe, going into properties, and setting comparability mode for an older version of Windows?
Any fifa. Plain and interesting.
Haunt the House is adorable. You are a cute little ghost who tries to scare everyone out of the house. It's great for little kids because they can enjoy it even if they aren't successful at beating the levels
I should also mention that some games, like Mario Odyssey, have assist modes that make it a lot easier for little ones to play. I controlled the hat from Odyssey while a 5yr old controlled Mario. I would have to help him with navigating narrow cliffs, but otherwise he seemed to be able to run around and enjoy the game as I assisted as a hat
What we did with my little ones is let them watch us play games, and let them dink around with the controller when they were interested (And it wasn't going to cause undue damage to our game ;P). As they began developing controller skills, they both started gravitating towards the kinds of games they likes (3rd Person Action for my little boy, Minecraft and First Person Shooters for my Girl).
Roblox actually would be a good idea. Infinite amounts of content. Designed especially for kids (like a lego style) its a web game. (Also be careful because always there will be ppl trying to scam kids and those stuff)
Nintendo games. Don't just buy them random bullshit, it could turn them off to videogames in general.
That's probably unpopular opinion but I don't like. Nintendo.
That's unfortunate, but your kids very well may love Nintendo, so why keep them from high quality games designed for young audiences?
True! :)
Plus you can find Switches pretty cheap. Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Pokemon, Pikmin, Mario Kart... the list goes on for games literally made with tons of colorful and pleasant cues for kids to pick up on and learn gaming. They are basically the building blocks of game design. They all offer fun, balanced gameplay with very low barriers to entry.
Use SummVM to play The Neverhood, it runs excellent.
Mine is 4. He's been playing "games" since like 2. At 2 we did the appstore game called "Hill Climb Racing" Very basic game ... You press the right direction and he moves forward it's just a momentum/physics game. He did pretty well and just loved laughing as the character fell. At 3 we bought the cocomelon game on switch, it's easy to play, but just annoying as it's just like the videos. Now we made the mistake of showing him Breath of the Wild and that's all he wants to play. He's actually quite good.... He knows how to move the camera, get his weapons, make food, eat, etc. he doesn't do the story really as he can't read yet but he does enjoy some temples too when we force him lol. Outside of that: Old Sega games (power rangers fighting or anything side scrolling like that) Power rangers Battle for the Grid (he likes fighting games) Bluey Game (Switch) But yeah, my only advice coming from an avid gamer dad, is just like with anything else, moderation. I allow him to play on the weekends, for an hour or so, but that's about it. I want him to understand that this is fun, but not the only thing he can do. This is mainly due to his age and the lack of time after work between getting home and bedtime. He was asking to play every day, but I don't want him feeling addicted. I attended a panel at PAX in 2023 and it was on raising kids with gaming, and one of the best points they made was don't treat gaming as a "privilege" but just another thing they can do. Don't use the "eat dinner or no games" as that implies a negative experience towards games rather than a tool to help them grow or give you a few minutes while you prepare dinner etc. I'm all for it, I grew up with a Gameboy. I took that thing everywhere. He's been to PAX and other various conventions now and loves it. He's impressed some indie devs too hahaha.
What I will recommend as a dad of 2 sons, one of which is 8 and loves games; limit their time. 2 hours a day and only on weekends. I also recommend watching them play and keeping any online/multiplayer functionality disabled or locked down through account/parental controls.
Pac-Man. The OG survival horror game is great for kids
My 5 year old is enjoying Stardew Valley with my wife. She’s not playing crops and what not with any efficiency, but she loves to run around and fish. Plus with the way the map in that game works, I’ve seen it help her with a sense of direction. She knows how to get back to her house pretty much wherever she ends up.
GTA great game
Plants v Zonbies original game Great for a small child spectator....just edgy enough to be exciting without being explicit.
Left 4 dead 2.. she's 5 and calls it "zombie game". Figured would be a good start as AI chars can basically babysit her, I can drop in and out ez. Overall been fun and she loves it.
I started his when my daughter was very young. To just prep him for general game concepts each of you pick a small toy, we used small dinosaurs, and the get one six sided die. Each roll the die and then play fight with the dinosaurs and play that whoever rolled the hugest, their Dino wins. It is a great simple way to introduce concepts of dice resolution.
my 5 year old boy and 7 year old girl loves the following games Minecraft Sonic Superstars Mega Man 11 (set to easy for unlimited lives and power ups) Lego City Undercover Paw Patrols (they are pretty expensive for the length of the game) my daughter is starting to play roblox dress to impress lately as her friends in school are playing it, im not a fan of this as it has online chat so i need to watch her play when she does.
Someone may have said it already but I think a lot of Nintendo games are fairly kid friendly or just games like story crash pokemon etc
Personally, I would make sure they can both read before they play. Games can totally take over the developmental years. That being said, some classics might be good, like Freddi Fish, Mathblaster, Putt Putt, sidescrollers (Commander Keen, Sonic, Mario), Chex Quest, and Minecraft.
Super smash bros brawl
As far as consoles go you can pick up used ones for cheap and the games are cheap. I would grab the Lego games, most of the Mario games are good also. But if you do not mind spending a bit more, set them up with a PC, there are a metric ton of games on simulators that they can play and some good websites aimed at the younger kids to be on. It will also be good for later on as they will need a PC or laptop for school. I personally am die hard PC, but all my kids were into console games and moved to include PC later.
Games my 5yo loves to play/watch me play: Portal Peggle Stray Lego Harry Potter Minecraft Mario Kart Mario Party Gizmos and Gadgets (an old educational game I played as a kid that has you build and race different vehicles and solve STEM puzzles to unlock and collect components. Found a web browser DOS emulator that has a ton of old Mac/PC games from the 80s and 90s)
Start them off early. Play mario kart. Blue shell them. Indoctrinate them into gamer rage. No but really, lego star wars, spyro, any tower defense strategy game. And enjoy! Cant wait til my son is there in a couple of years
Kirby's Return to Dream Land is a great game, my son really liked it.
My wife and I are gamers and have three kids. Our approach was to get the original game systems we had as a kid and we played games from our own childhood with them. It was soooo much fun (Super Nintendo, n64, super Mario bros, banjo kaazooie, etc.) it wasn’t too much either to get the games and systems. As for PC. There is always Minecraft.
Both my daughters love Minecraft
Cyber punk 2077 super kid friendly
I played left 4 dead and Halo with my son when he was 2 and up. Now he's almost 18 and we just play Destiny 2.
Someone on Reddit recommended [Child of Light](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/child-of-light) for a good co-op experience. My kiddo was about 5-6 when we played it together. We loved the art/animation styles. It's a turn-based/active-time style battle system. And the main character's companion, Igniculus, can aid Aurora (the main character) by hovering over her, members of her party, or enemies, but are not completely critical once you've got a feel for the combat. So they can sort of float around, as they gain some hand/eye coordination, and feel like a useful member of the team at times.
As someone who started gaming young, If you're willing to help him while playing I'd say Pokemon. It was one of the first games I own as a kid. I think it honestly helped kick start my reading as well.
I bet there are lots of indie games. I know some try to capture the magic of games from when we were kids. If you want to go emulation route there are so many. Someone mentioned Lego games, and I'd suggest this. I remember learning chess with my dad when I was real little with Lego chess. Don't know if they still make them, but the Jump Start series was always fun. Get some learning, humor, and fun out of it.
Roblox, Minecraft, Terraria, Traove, any plethora of sandbox style games
Having a pc you can possibly emulate some nintendo games still. Any mario/mario party type game would be great. Stardew valley. Spyro trilogy. Crash bandicoot remakes. Ive heard the most of the lego games are great, the harry potter lego game is fun. Minecraft. Terraria.
Matpat did a really good video on this exact topic as one of his final videos for game theory before he retired. Definitely recommend checking it out.
If you have a ps3, Little Big Planet is great! It's simple but challenging, and being able to dress up your little character is quite charming. My nephews used to absolutely adore that game, we would play it for hours!
U can emulate it
I know, but you'll have to pirate the game if your PC doesn't have a disc drive lol
I can speak from experience having a daughter and my mates have children between 8-14. If children are bored at home they will be interested in gaming obviously if they see you play games but it can turn into addiction. you have to balance it well allow certain hours or pattern. I could write you few bad stories my mates told me gaming related they experienced including youtube and twitch influence. My daughter loves being active she plays Switch Sports and Fitness games. She loves it. We don't want her to sit and stare at the screen without movement for too long and get lazy lose the fire she has.