Help an old guy out - recommend a game for kids for Christmas

[boredDad]

Hi everyone
I've been wading through site after site after looking for a good game to buy for our family, kids in various countries, around 12 years old. Getting nowhere as there are SO MANY OPTIONS!

Can anyone recommend a good game please? It has to be:
1 PC based
2 Multiplayer, online.
3 No gore or first person shooters. It's for 12 year olds, boys and girls.

Whats the best ones out there? I thought Rayman Legends might be perfect but the online gaming feature is not available, turned off according to the Ubisoft site! Grrr!

Please help, I'm loosing the will to live over this! ;-)

Many thanks and Merry Christmas!

 

[Brian Boru]

I have no clue personally, but this might help until our parental members drop by

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piMbd00REOE

PS: What about Minecraft, as far as I know that's the #1 kids' game.

 

[boredDad]

Thanks for the vid link!
I had looked at the Goose Game, looked perfect, but, and there always seems to be a 'but' it's only 2 players max and we need 3 or 4 players. Man this is complicated!

 

[Zloth]

So everybody is playing together over the network. But just those people. Maybe Overcooked? That might be better off with two than four, but maybe...

Save 75% on Overcooked! 2 on Steam

Overcooked returns with a brand-new helping of chaotic cooking action! Journey back to the Onion Kingdom and assemble your team of chefs in classic couch co-op or online play for up to four players. Hold onto your aprons… it’s time to save the world again!

store.steampowered.com

 

[Mazer]

Human Fall Flat might be a good option.

Save 70% on Human Fall Flat on Steam

Human Fall Flat is a hilarious, light-hearted platformer set in floating dreamscapes that can be played solo or with up to 8 players online. Free new levels keep its vibrant community rewarded.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Pifanjr]

PS: What about Minecraft, as far as I know that's the #1 kids' game.

My wife's 12-year old niece plays Minecraft, Fortnite and Roblox. We bought her Fortnite V-bucks for her birthday on her request.

But at 12 years old, if they already have some video game experience, they can play pretty much any game without too much violence.

I made a list of some good multiplayer games that have decent play time and are relatively cheap right now, as you'll have to multiple of them. Prices may vary because of regional pricing, but it'll give you an idea.

Co-operative
Terraria: $14 for a 4-pack while it's on sale. A 2D game where you can build, explore, mine and craft.
Starbound: $14 a piece. Similar to Terraria but you can build a spaceship and go to different planets.
Magicka: $10 a piece. Top down action game of a group of wizards flinging spells around, often (accidentially?) at each other.
Space Engineers is $17 a piece. A 3D game about mining, crafting and building space ships/stations/colonies.
Torchlight II: $19 a piece. A top down action game of a group of adventurers delving into dungeons, defeating enemies and getting shiny new loot.
Stardew Valley: $14 a piece. A game about simple farm life, with a few combat mechanics when going into the mine. There are some topics that can come up when befriending your neighbours, like alcoholism, that are a bit more mature, but I don't think there's anything a twelve year old won't be able to handle.

Co-operative or competitive
Tabletop Simulator: $55 for a 4-pack. A game that allows you to play hundreds of different board games digitally. It does require some work to learn the controls and of course to find board games to play and learn.
Stellaris: $10 a piece while on sale. A grand-strategy science fiction game about building your own spacefaring empire. It has a fairly steep learning curve, but also a ton of content.
Anno 1404: History Edition: $15 a piece. A building-management game in which you have to manage your finances while colonizing new islands and setting up production chains to provide your citizens with all of their needs.

That's all of the ones I can think of right now. If the kids all share a common interest, maybe we can help find a game that incorporates that as well.

 

[ZedClampet]

Hi everyone
I've been wading through site after site after looking for a good game to buy for our family, kids in various countries, around 12 years old. Getting nowhere as there are SO MANY OPTIONS!

Can anyone recommend a good game please? It has to be:
1 PC based
2 Multiplayer, online.
3 No gore or first person shooters. It's for 12 year olds, boys and girls.

Whats the best ones out there? I thought Rayman Legends might be perfect but the online gaming feature is not available, turned off according to the Ubisoft site! Grrr!

Please help, I'm loosing the will to live over this! ;-)

Many thanks and Merry Christmas!

Get them all gift cards to Wizard101. Great game for kids of all ages and can play in groups of up to 4 players. The only downside is that it's something like $5.99/mo (with family discount) after the gift cards expire. Gift cards give you one month plus other goodies, like player houses and mounts.

 

[Brian Boru]

I made a list

You sure did, wonderful!

 

[JCgames]

The Sim's 4 is pretty awesome. It has a huge list of DLC's to choose from to tweak it to their likes. Everything from little cottages, to vampires, magic and aliens. If they like to "doll house" It's fantastic. decorating and creative types will love it. (i could swear the base game is free, but when not free i've seen it for 10 bucks) the DLC does cost a decent amount but it hits 50% sales, and you don't need it all. It's the kind of game that just a couple things can lead to hundreds of hours of fun.

Jurassic world, Build your very own Jurassic park! Sure the dinos might get out and eat some people, (not really they just fall over and disappear) but it's a darn fun game if you like dinos. the first one has a great story and Jeff goldbloom does a great job on the voice acting. there is a new one, but the first is still solid and great for kids. Again if they are super into dinos then go for it. This one is not Multiplayer, but it's just to fantastic not to list.

Stardew valley, It's a happy world that you just sorta do your own thing, farming, fishing, mining and killing little monsters with a single click. Of course getting to know all your neighbors. It's an MP game that can co-op with 4


Grounded, It's an FPS, but not what you think,. Ever see the movie honey i shrunk the kids? Well this is it. You get shrunk down in a back yard and have to survive the insects, building your base, making your weapons and armor from leaves and twigs and hoping you don't stumble across a deadly spider! An absolutely fantastic game though i would set it up so they can just play with their friends you, aka don't go into the online world of random match making.

Grounded on Steam

The world is a vast, beautiful and dangerous place – especially when you have been shrunk to the size of an ant. Can you thrive alongside the hordes of giant insects, fighting to survive the perils of the backyard?

store.steampowered.com

Microsoft Flight simulator, while not an MP game, why not learn something while you play and in this case learn to fly! the game uses google earth data and real world weather so it could be a blast flying around the world and seeing where everyone lives!



My top pics are the sim's and stardew, with grounded a close second, the others are more If your kid is into those sorts of things, but all are fantastic. PS, i just listed 1k's of hours worth of content in my short list, so gaming value time/dollar is huge.

 

[boredDad]

So many great tips here guys, can't tell you how much I appreciate the help!
Busy going through them all over the next few days. If/ when I get the time!

A couple of questions though:
1 What is a DLC?
2 Is Steam a platform of some kind? Do you pay for an account there and then also pay for the games to run on it?

Thanks for taking the time to help us out everyone. JCgames and Pifanjr you are legends!
We have some favorites out of the lists above but it depends on how and if we can use Steam!

Thanks guys!

 

[boredDad]

If possible I wont to pay a one-off cost and not a monthly fee! These kids know how to spend!

 

[Brian Boru]

What is a DLC?

Downloadable Content—extra add-ons for a game, mostly a cash grab.

Downloadable content - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Is Steam a platform of some kind?

Yes, it's the platform of the main games retailer of the same name.

Steam Store

Steam is the ultimate destination for playing, discussing, and creating games.

store.steampowered.com

Steam (service) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Do you pay for an account there and then also pay for the games to run on it?

No, it's all free—of course, you pay for the games!

 

[McStabStab]

I just purchased Hot Wheels Unleashed to play with my 3 year old son. It's competitive enough that adults play it but my son, despite being terrible at using the controller, has a blast with it.

 

[Hitobat]

Fall Guys

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1097150/Fall_Guys_Ultimate_Knockout

It Takes Two (2 player only I think?)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1426210/It_Takes_Two

Most of the lego games, eg. Lego Star Wars

https://store.steampowered.com/app/32440/LEGO_Star_Wars__The_Complete_Saga

 

[Lutfij]

This thread's going to come in handy for my niece!

I actually introduced my little brother when he was 11 years old to Lego Star Wars: The Video game on the PC! So I'd vote a big yes for that title, hours of fun and even more trying to collect all bricks for the sweet unlocks. Yes I grew up with Lego in my life since I was a kid. Was glad to share that joy with my little brother.

 

[Pifanjr]

Most of the lego games, eg. Lego Star Wars

https://store.steampowered.com/app/32440/LEGO_Star_Wars__The_Complete_Saga

As far as I'm aware the LEGO games are only for two players as well. Do some allow for 4 players to play together?

 

[Pifanjr]

Is Steam a platform of some kind?

@Brian Boru already gave some links with information, but there are a few things to take into account.

First, each child will need their own account. According to Steam's Terms and Agreements, you have to be 13+ to get an account, so the parents will probably have to make an account for them. It's also quite possible they already have an account.

If they already have an account, you can either give them a Steam gift card to buy the game themselves, give money to them or the parents and have them buy the game for their account or you can make your own account and buy the games as a gift. For the last option, you will need to add each child as a friend first, so you'll need their usernames.

If they don't already have an account, the best course of action is to have them or the parents buy the game directly. Steam limits new accounts to prevent spam and the only way to unlock these accounts is to spend $5 (or an equivalent). Being gifted a game or a gift card does not count for this purpose.

Some extra features of Steam that might be interesting:
Remote Play: this allows you to stream your game to other people and they can use their controllers as if they were sitting next to you. This can allow you to buy only one copy of a game and still play with multiple people. This does depend heavily on the quality and speed of your internet connection though and is not very well suited for games that require quick reflexes.

Family Sharing: this allows you to play games your friends own. It requires both of you to log into Steam on the same computer (so over long distances, this means sharing your password. Only do this with people you trust.) You can only share your games with 5 other people and you can only play a game from a friend if that friend isn't playing a game themselves.

 

[pathospades]

I know this is a PC Gaming forum, but I'd like to recommend a website for board games. I feel like board games are much better for the multiplayer experience because it takes out the hand-coordination aspect.

Play board games online from your browser

The world's #1 platform for playing board games online. Play hundreds of board games from your browser for free.

boardgamearena.com

And on top of that, try out "Solo". It's like Uno.

As far as actually playing a video game with your family, Age of Empires II has always been my family game when I was growing up. I don't think you can go wrong with Overcooked 2.

 

[Pifanjr]

I know this is a PC Gaming forum, but I'd like to recommend a website for board games. I feel like board games are much better for the multiplayer experience because it takes out the hand-coordination aspect.

Play board games online from your browser

The world's #1 platform for playing board games online. Play hundreds of board games from your browser for free.

boardgamearena.com

And on top of that, try out "Solo". It's like Uno.

As far as actually playing a video game with your family, Age of Empires II has always been my family game when I was growing up. I don't think you can go wrong with Overcooked 2.

There's another thread that mentions a couple of websites where you can play free versions of board games here: https://forums.pcgamer.com/threads/play-board-games-online-for-free.24764/

 

[JCgames]

Downloadable Content—extra add-ons for a game, mostly a cash grab.

Downloadable content - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

That is kind of harsh.. I've never spent a dime on a single DLC that i didn't enjoy. DLC's for the most part are for the hard core fans of a game. The ones that love them are who they are made for. They are not made for the person that is going to spend 10 hours playing a game that others spend 500.

The problem isn't DLC, the problem is people thinking they have to own everything to enjoy a game, which lets face it.. Most games people play well under 50 hours, or even just simple 1 and dones




OP, The DLC for the sims 4 is crazy. You could spend 500 bucks easy. the thing is it's not needed. Pick a couple things and then play for 100's of hours. If you find yourself at 400-500-1k hours.. Spending a few bucks is hardly a big deal because you are more than getting your money worth.

Just don't fall into that thinking, you must Have DLC. Only buy the DLC for things you absolutely love and you will never be sorry.


Grounded and stardew valley, neither have DLC

Another game you and the kids might like is a game called No man's sky. It's a game about exploration and you can group up and explore the worlds together. Build bases, and even kill an alien or too. It's a fun game for sci-fi fans or explorers.

You could also check out a game called Abzu. it's an underwater exploration game. I dunno if this one is MP though.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I think Rocket League would be perfect for this situation.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riilLCDgf-s