PC Games for 7 year olds which are totally inane?

[RemarkLima]

Hi all,

Thanks to the joys of lockdowns, daily screen time is now "a thing" in the Lima household rather than a occasional pasttime.

So on this basis, Master RL Jr has been playing a lot of Roblox - which I kinda get but mostly it's pretty pointless. He prefers this over among Us (at least has some skill and thinking involved).

So I was thinking if there are any games with a bit more plot or strategy to them... Something like Civilisation but for younger kids, the later Civ games are way too complex, and quite dull without some context and patience, plus isn't much of a pick up and play.

Miss RL Jr has control of the Switch, so Animal Crossing is a good one, as is Let's Go Pikachu. Is there something similar for Windows? Or do we just suck up and get another switch

Cheers!

[paul99]

My 8 year old loves Wobbly Life, big open world game with ragdoll physics. Idea is to earn money by doing various jobs so you can buy cars, clothes and eventually a house. Lots of things to discover and multiplayer looks great aswell. Reminds me a bit of Simpsons Hit and Run.

Also Planet Zoo and Coaster are good. The normal modes might be a bit complex but sandbox mode allows them to build whatever they like without all the management stuff getting frustrating.

[Wayoftheflower]

Depending on what appeals to him Terraria or Stardew valley are both great and can be enjoyed without delving into their complex parts.

FTL if he's into space but it can be teeth grindingly frustrating.

All the Lego Star Wars and Harry Potter have little puzzles to solve and are well made.

Freeciv is basically Civ2 redux.

Ultimate Chicken Horse is mad but better than Roblox.

[hyphen]

RemarkLima said:

Or do we just suck up and get another switch

Switch. You could get brownie points by upgrading your Mrs to an oled and giving the child the old one?

My son at similar age is loving playing Mario Odyssey with a Pro Controller. Rescuing the Princess from the bad dragon and all that. Has an assisted move where it shows arrows on screen so he knows where to head and I help out when stuck.

Mario kart also has a assist mode where acceleration is auto so just needs to steer.

Also has yours played on Minecraft on pc/tablet? As will likely love it and has the thinking element you seek.

I wouldn't obsess though about skill/thinking/plot/strategy. He is 7, let him have fun. Best he plays the same games that all his classmates are into too, as that will help him with his school friendships. He will ask for them as he hears about them.

Edited by hyphen on Saturday 1st January 02:31

[SwissJonese]

Minecraft surely? My kids love it, loads of worlds to build in, can get the educational version for free and ours play online with mates.

[conkerman]

Lego worlds?.

Like Minecraft but Lego. It's a fiver at the time of writing.

Lego city undercover is good fun also. GTA lite.

[JayRidesBikes]

Nothing like a strategy game, but Fall Guys keeps my daughter quite entertained. It's like jelly beans meets Takeshi's castle.

[RemarkLima]

Thanks for the suggestions! I don't mind a bit down time and just blob out but something a bit more start to end would be a good option.

A second switch is tempting but we've managed to keep ours connected to the TV, so it never leaves the house ;-)

I'll have a look through!

ETA: Mario Kart is a family favourite, but neither of my kids seem to get Minecraft... FTL, I've played with him, and it drives me as nuts as him, so an option but probably needs us both to be on it, which isn't always an option.

I found some more on Steam so will try and tempt him Maybe he can suggest to school friends!

Edited by RemarkLima on Saturday 1st January 14:45

[vindaloo79]

My eldest son is six now. Whilst on Covid lockdown we have played (on various platforms/emulators)

Splatoon 2 (switch)
Rocket Leauge (It’s on all platforms and 4 aside footy in nippy rocket powered cars)
Mine craft - he plays capture the flag/hide and seek etc
Puzzle fighter 2 on arcade emulator
Tetris
lego games galore
Sonic old and new
Mario Kart battle modes online (switch)
Pang/Pac-Man/puzzle bobble/bomber man

Gaming with him is getting quite fun now he has a grasp of it.

[emperorburger]

Another vote for Wobbly Life.

[Boobonman]

My kids (8 and 5) are obsessed with BeamNg (Known to them as Crash Cars) and Teardown.

[TREMAiNE]

Why not play Resident Evil: Village and scare the living st out of him?

[skinnyman]

My lad is 8, got a switch for Christmas, he plays the usual Mario Kart, Pokémon, Minecraft.

The things be can build and figure out on Minecraft is incredible

[dai1983]

Pikmin 3 Delux? Like Command and Conquer but you grow mental plant creatures to be your skivies and collect items.

ETA that there's a free trial on the switch store.

Edited by dai1983 on Friday 7th January 19:25

[Donbot]

Poly bridge for a bit of structural engineering fun.