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Geek Culture / games for kids

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Phaelax
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Posted: 16th Feb 2011 06:06
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I've been thinking about making some simple games for my niece and nephew, they're 5 and 6. Any thoughts on types of games or specific aspects I should focus on? I figured big cartoony characters, easy to see and easier to recognize/identify with and lots of goofy sounds. But not sure about what style or genre of game to go with. Initially, I wouldn't think a platformer would be good, but my nephew manages to get to the Casino map on Sonic2 for sega. Fighting games just make him frustrated, the controls require too quick a reaction for him yet and either he throws the controller or punches his sister.

"Only the educated are free" ~Epictetus
"Imagination is more important than knowledge..." ~Einstein
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Herakles
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Posted: 16th Feb 2011 06:20
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A puzzle game? A point-and-click adventure game?

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Virtual Nomad
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Posted: 16th Feb 2011 06:43
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my 5 & 7 yo nephews play platformers and fighting games all the time. they've also discovered the physics puzzle games, too, which surprised me when they took to them. yes, apparently, 2 young boys don't need to blast or smash something to have fun. who knew?! i'm going to turn 'em on to mini-golf next and see how they like that.

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PrimalBeans
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Posted: 16th Feb 2011 10:01
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I have a five yr old and a two yr old.... I think that games that dont require much skill are the best... definately with kids think "instant satisfaction"... that means they dont have to really accomplish anything extrodinary to get cool results. I would even think that a game with characters that interact with simple objects would work. My kids are still getting used to gamepads so really make a game were they cant go wrong no matter what they do... as long as their not smashing eachother over the head with the controllers.

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Van B
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Posted: 16th Feb 2011 10:03
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Youngsters tend to enjoy games with controlled destruction - so physics puzzle games are ideal, maybe grab Box2D and make a game they can relate to. What about a 2 player stack and smash game... each player takes turns to position an item at their own side of the screen, trying to build a structure bigger than the other player. Then after they position their piece, they fire a cannon at the other players pile, trying to bring it down. The player with the tallest structure at the end wins. That would allow for different game types as well though, challenges to see who can make the biggest tower. Maybe the objects that are stacked could be toys, building blocks, balls etc. I know my nephews would go crazy over a game like that.

2 player games save a lot of arguments (and cause a lot too!).

Health, Ammo, and bacon and eggs!
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Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 16th Feb 2011 10:03
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Counter Strike for Kids!

--
On a more serious note, i used to love games like super mario and point-and-click adventure games.



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TheComet
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Posted: 16th Feb 2011 12:24
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Ever heard of Cosmo Bots? That was a really addicting game when I was 8 years old, and it is fairly simple

TheComet

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Phaelax
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Posted: 16th Feb 2011 21:55
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downloaded cosmo bots, its like jezzball or qix.

I like that idea Van.

"Only the educated are free" ~Epictetus
"Imagination is more important than knowledge..." ~Einstein
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Ocho Geek
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Posted: 17th Feb 2011 23:18
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honestlty, when I was six I was addicted to Half life

had no affect on me... but I also enjoyed point-and-click adventure games

my tips are keep its in the dimension you can make look best. Kids will struggle to play a game with untidy graphics

Ocho Geek - Pretending to be a useful contribution to the forums since 2005
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Phaelax
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Posted: 18th Feb 2011 00:44
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Quote: "honestlty, when I was six I was addicted to Half life"

When I was 6 it was still the 80s.

"Only the educated are free" ~Epictetus
"Imagination is more important than knowledge..." ~Einstein
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PrimalBeans
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Posted: 18th Feb 2011 01:18
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old timer... im not too much behind you though.

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TheComet
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Posted: 18th Feb 2011 08:46
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Ruff's bone

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Van B
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Posted: 18th Feb 2011 09:26
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Child of the 80's myself, the only generation left who still remember Horace...


That's what we used to call a videogame star - I think Hungry Horace and Horace Goes Skiing were the first games I could beat my parents at . It's kinda sad that we tend not to get any new heroes these days, it's sonic, mario, rayman... back in the 80's every game had it's own little hero. Thing is, I don't feel any sympathy for modern game heroes, not like Miner Willy, or Horace - maybe it's because modern heroes tend not to die, or be in much risk of death.

You should make a game with a hero, and if he dies, they have to start from the beginning. And, only let the game load 10% of the time. And make it possible to die in the first 3 seconds of gameplay. And don't bother with an end game sequence, just loop the whole game - tell the kids they have to get the score counter to 000000 again.

Health, Ammo, and bacon and eggs!
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BatVink
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Posted: 18th Feb 2011 12:09
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Quote: "the only generation left who still remember Horace..."


those were the days. Did you ever realise that in the Park, you could just touch the bell and ramp you score up to the 100'000s?

As for kids games, these have worked for me, kept my kids entertained for hours and worked really well in groups too...

Splat the Rat style game. Put in pics of their favourite cartoons, or photos of family and friends.

Physics - I created a game where you threw burgers at lunch boxes in a Fast Food Takeaway. It was just stacks of boxes, and things like the overhead signs all physics enabled too to add to the fun.

Box2D - A really simple game where you bounce falling balls to the right hand side of the screen with a paddle. Lots of blur and bright colours, extra points for lots of balls in the air and banging them against each other.

Simple games work best, and there's no need for violence

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