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Good Games to play with your kids?
dmalcom
Member Posts: 12
I have seen a lot of posts today dealing with children of gamers. The thread about the parents neglecting the kids while playing DDO, and the thread about Mattel releasing Barbiegirls. I guess It made me wonder are there any MMO's that anyone plays with there children. I have an eight year old daughter who loves the Wii, and guitar hero, and also plays webkinz and club penguin. She also really enjoys watching me play WoW but does not yet play it with me. It would be great to find an MMO that could entertain both of us allowing me to enjoy my games and still spend as much free time with my daughter as possible. If anyone has an MMO or any game that they play with their kids, please post it with the kids age, and the games you play together. Maybe even include the games you play after the kids are asleep as well. I am just curious about others thought on this. Thanks.
Comments
I play COH pretty regularly with my 8 year old son. He certainly is not the best player but it is still great fun. We also play some Planetside together.
Good luck!
that actually depends on your kids.
game night at our house is setting up an 8-10 system lan and playing everything from Call of Duty to Master of Orion. Board games are banned at my house as they always end in arguments. You can compete or play a CO Op game.
Basicly any CO OP/team game will do from diablo 2 to Sword of The New World.
For compeating, it depends on what lvl of competion is fair for eveyone.
An so it begins
Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.[/CENTER]
Depending on your kiddo's tastes I'd say cute RO style of games work perfect, I can get the 7 year old to play those types with me.
Flyff has been good, I just disable chat, basically anything cute.
Try toontown if you are willing to sacrifice yourself for a few hours a week, that one is great for youngsters and have a heavily moderated.
Actually I suggest 190% toon town, the mini games and such, it's like a mmo mario party.
I PLAY A LOT OF RACING GAMES WITH MY NEPHEW WHO IS 7 0R 8 ABOUT NOW. LATELY IT HAS BEEN DIRT BUT WE PLAY A LOT OF BURNOUT. HE ALSO ENJOYS STARWARS BATTLE FRONT 1 & 2 AND STARWARS LEGGO ORIGIONAL TRILOGY. SOMETIMES WE PLAY MONOPOLY STARWARS EDITION THE BORD GAME. HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND EVERY RULE TO MONOPOLY SO I MAKE UP RULES TO KEEP IT FUN.
Board games.
The Old Timers Guild
Laid back, not so serious, no drama.
All about the fun!
www.oldtimersguild.com
An opinion should be the result of thought, not a substitute for it. - Jef Mallett
A friend of mine plays Toontown with her kids... the girl is 8 and the other a bit younger, I think. She's had an account for ages, probably since the beginning. She also lets her daughter play WoW and CoH, of course she always plays with her. She said it's hard to get her daughter out of the CoH character creation. It's like an online Barbie doll.
I like to play "cut the grass", "wash the car", "rake the leaves", "wash the dishes", "clean the bathroom", etc kind of games with the kids.....
Playing "carpentry" is a no-no, never trust the little buggers with a nail gun......
Played so far: 9Dragons, AO, AC, AC2, CoX, DAoC, DF, DnL, DR, DDO, Ent, EvE, EQ, EQ2, FoMK, FFO, Fury, GW, HG:L, HZ, L1, L2, M59, MU, NC1, NC2, PS, PT, R:O, RF:O, RYL, Ryzom, SL, SB, SW:G, TR, TCoS, MX:O, UO, VG, WAR, WoW...
It all sucked.
Maplestory is a good game for kids I guess..
My son is 10 and my daughter is 8 today.. My son had been playing Everquest since he was 5 yrs old since he could only type not write anything at that age, online game was perfect for him to develop language. Suprisingly enough often the groups that he joined were completely unaware that they were playing with a 5 yr old.
as recently he plays other games, and my daughter plays the seldom few but doesnt get involved in too serious. My daughter will usually start complaining when she can't kill something but hey isnt that normal, I do that...
funny thing tho I was in a dungeon duo with my partner playing one evening and say a message pop up on the screen saying " Hi Mum " and then my son's character running past with a train of monsters chasing after him. It was quite hilarious.
My Daughter is 5yo, she mostly enjoys the Barbie/Princess type games and such in terms of "real" games, she also really likes the little flash games on kid websites like Nickjr, noggin, sprout etc. As far as MMO's go she's just starting to play them on her own, she's been sitting with me watching me play since she was a wee babe and she's always wanted to play. It's just now that she's starting to be able to grasp everything and actually play and control the game. Now sheis starting to enjoy making her own character(s) and playing WoW (at least she did before I canceled my sub a few months ago), EQ2 and LoTRO. But her favorite MMO, hands down, is CoX....she LOVES to make a new Heroine or Villainess (mostly heroes, she enjoys being the good guy) and take them around and beat up the bad guys trying to mug someone or steal a ladies purse. I think her enjoyment of CoX is two-fold, she really enjoys playing the Super Heroine and stopping crime on the street, but she really likes playing around w/ the Character Creator. The amazing character creation is like a game within a game and allows her to make any type of Heroine her little heart desires, and I must say she has made some pretty damned good ones (of course that's a totally unbiased opinion
) .
My son is 2yo and he hasn't really gotten into playing an MMO with me at all. He really, really enjoys playing the flash games on the kids sites, but when it comes to MMOs he just enjoys sitting on my lap and watching me play. He always likes to ask questions about what's going on, who's who and so on. He seems to really enjoy and appreciate the fantasy worlds b/c he can, through me, interact w/ the creatures, monsters, heroes and villains that he hears in his fairy tales and sees on TV. He just isn't old enough yet to play one, but he's getting there
I would have to agree with other replies, ragnarok and flyff are good choices.
Maybe try WoW?
One I have enjoyed for myself, and is a great game for the youngin's is Puzzle Pirates!
It's a little advanced maybe for an 8 year old, but the games you play are bright and colorful and mostly simple, and a blast! You can have your own ship and house and buy gold with real life money. There are actually alot of adults that play, being that the game is simple and silly but really complex.
Also, I enjoyed Toon Town online. This is a Disney game thats free to play. It's really kiddy friendly, and seriously is a blast!
You can have a house and decorate it, and the chat is set up so that kids dont just out right type to other players, but use a set of pre made sentences. This helps to prevent any uhm, strange adults from gathering delicate info from your kiddies. It's a really fun game to play!
Those are just some of the "kiddie" games I have played, but are my two fave. Hope you have a good time with your kid!
Beau
Listen to the Spouse Aggro podcast at spouseaggro.com. Twitter: spouseaggro
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and consciencious stupidity.
C
I am going to skip the bulk of the thread and answer the topic directly. If you are trying enjoy time with your children who are obviously young you shouldn't play an MMORPG. There is no real benefit. Meanwhile, there are many games which not only offer interesting gameplay for children, but help them learn.
I know, for one, that the math blaster series is pretty awesome for kids.
I'm rather sure your daughter is trying to tell you something by sitting and watching you play WoW. I highly doubt it is that she wants to play. She probably just wants to spend time with her dad. I think the best thing you can do for her is to either log off and just play with her eight year old toys or play an educational game with her.
World of Warcraft is not a good game for children. The amount of time spent on your butt is just another outlet that create fat and unhealthy kids.
Instead just play with her. I know that I would have much rather sat around and built legos with my dad than played Ninja Turtles 2 on NES. Sadly, we did the latter.
Doktar - 70 Troll Priest - Perenolde
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and consciencious stupidity.
City of Heroes/Villains
- Stay clear of the uber channels, as even if the game is nice, a game can only the sums of it components. Unless you want to join them...
- The character generation might appeal to your daughter...even the geek that I am find it nice at moment and can spent 1 hour designing a costume...never did that in the past in any game...some friend of mine have created 12 characters on 2 servers before starting playing any beyond the intro!
- In CoX, there will be no nasty suprises. You get what you work for...so you won't be trap, neither will be your daughter, into playing another aspect of the game, an aspect you may dislike. Nope, you can buy/purchase (with millions of in-game currencies), group or raid in order to acquire everything in the game.
You may want to ask your daughter what she likes and what she want to end with...see, the glame is easy to start on, but hard to master, and your insight might be a good thing so she picks a set she prefers...if she want everyone to group her, then a kinetic, a radiation or a stone is the best guess...although an empath, a sonic, a thermal, a dark buffer, an ice buffer would always be welcome as well, in any group. Otherwise, you may just want to know what the sets does...some interesting combos to be done by 2 players...for example, the rains powers are usually discarded by most players, it does damage in an area and make the mobs scatter and run outiside of it...with a movement impairment power activated by another player just before, it become exponentially stronger as they run unefficiently longer (doing nothing else), they take damage longer...Also, if your daughter play something squishy, you may want to consider taking provoke if your set doesn't have taunt or confront. I know, you may be a blaster or whatever and not supposed to take aggro from her, but you are also her dad (unless she wants aggro
)! And provoke can be interesting in many other way, again usually overlooked.
I definitely suggest you would create a character that complement her well and that really needs her. Your daughter would prolly like a lot that your toon is good at helping her and that you actually needs her.
*********************************************
I also read other replies, and I think retrospectiv is right on spot. However, he disregards another aspect...you. See, ideally, you should play with her on real kid games. However, if you just do it 1 hour or 2, then loses interest and "abandon" her, it's a lot better for the kiddy to join you in a MMO.
A MMO might be better in the sense that it is no more a chore for you...and your daughter will KNOWS if you are doing a chore or having a good time, she is 8. Kid wants a good time with dad, and if it is only in some of your games, well, let's it be. Some kids are fan of baseball to spent time with their dad, they learn much about baseball, but...watching baseball isn't exactly interactive, so the MMOs isn't that bad...a lot better then many other alternatives.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
I play some SWG and Lineage II with my 2 boys ages 9 and 10. I also let them play Oblivion as they really love The Elder Scrolls series and enjoy playing them a lot. Say what you want about kids and video games but my 9 year old's reading comprehension has about doubled since I started letting him play these games. He was having trouble with reading in school and playing these RPG style video games has taught him more than the public school ever has. Says a lot about the state of education in public schools today doesn't it?
Bren
while(horse==dead)
{
beat();
}
I don't have kids, but I suspect Gunbound would be a fun game for the younger ones - and a decent prep for MMOs if you are hoping to get them into one later. If you don't know Gunbound, basically it's free to download, free to play. You make a character, choose a "mobile" (which is basically a little car with various weapons), and enter a Mario-type screen where you and your teammates lob shots at the opposing team - choosing weapon, angle, power, and taking note of the wind and few rotating events that affect the path of a shot. Each game is pretty quick - maybe 10 minutes - so you don't have to commit many hours to really have a good time. As you win, you get to go shopping with your gold to buy new clothes/toys and such to boost your character's style and stats. You have a rank that steadily goes up the more you win. Seems the kids who enjoy the character creation would get into this - very much a cute paperdoll-type thing. Gameplay is fun and addictive. The only drawback is that occasionally there can be some pretty serious brats on there who are abusive. If you played with your kid(s), you could just leave the room if you found an poorly behaved player and start over - not much lost. I think the download site is: gunbound.net
The nice thing about CoX, is that you can set up the chat the way you like. You can remove local, tells, broadcast, etc. and still leave the combat, error, reward and other channels that give you information. I don't see anything wrong with playing MMOs or video games with your young children. I'm sure most of these people are also doing other things with them... playing other games, going to the park, reading, outdoor games. If people are plopping their kids in front of the computer so it can babysit them, then they'd do the same with the TV or something else. It's all about time spent together and doing things you both enjoy.
I used to play computer games with my nephews when they were young and they loved it. It didn't mean we didn't go to the zoo or swimming or playing in the park. One lives in Japan and teaches Chinese to the American Air Force (hehe) and the other is a budding musician. They are wonderful people. Neither play MMOs anymore.
world of warcraft on a pve server! trust me, ull have a ball and not many people swearing etc..
While I appreciate what I see as concern for the welfare of my child, I think you may be wrong about me. I did not start this topic because I want to make my daughter into a Lazy gamer. We still do a great deal of other activities together, some of which even involve going outdoors and getting exercise. She has just shown a very strong interest in video games, and while I only play about 4 hours a week while she is awake or home, it seems that a lot of that time she is either playing with webkinz or nicktoons, or watching me play. I was simply looking for suggestions that could allow us to spend our video game time together, and both enjoy it. I agree completely that excessive amounts of video game time will not be good for her, but she already spends some time playing video games, and I would like to use that time to bring us closer.
Another thing I would like to explain about myself. While I do have an 8 year old I am somewhat new to parenting. I recently Married my wife, and adopted her daughter. I am the only father she has ever known, and I am taking my new responsibilities as a family man very seriously. I missed a lot of bonding opportunities before I met her, and know I want to make sure we spend as much time together as possible before she is to cool to hang out with her dad. I have actually built a lot of Lego's with her, and will even occasionally lower myself to playing with Barbie, and Bratz just so we can spend time together. If she shows an interest in doing things with me that I enjoy I am going to encourage it. Anyway I appreciate all of the suggestions, and I even appreciate the concern retrospectic has shown for my child's health. This topic has gotten a lot more replies than I expected, and I hope others will find the information useful as well.
Sigh, why on earth would you have your kids playing freaking MMO's geez
Take her out on a dang hike, or something
Currently waiting for - Perfect World English, Age of Conan
How to play Perfect World in english
Currently messing with - Requiem Online
While I appreciate what I see as concern for the welfare of my child, I think you may be wrong about me. I did not start this topic because I want to make my daughter into a Lazy gamer. We still do a great deal of other activities together, some of which even involve going outdoors and getting exercise. She has just shown a very strong interest in video games, and while I only play about 4 hours a week while she is awake or home, it seems that a lot of that time she is either playing with webkinz or nicktoons, or watching me play. I was simply looking for suggestions that could allow us to spend our video game time together, and both enjoy it. I agree completely that excessive amounts of video game time will not be good for her, but she already spends some time playing video games, and I would like to use that time to bring us closer.
I still don't suggest MMORPGs. The genre is not geared towards young children and has no benefit for them, or anyone really. Like I said before, try some sort of educational video game. You can make it into something a lot more fun than it appears by showing enthusiasm towards it during the time you play. It can really help considering what the educational system we live under is nowadays.
Another thing I would like to explain about myself. While I do have an 8 year old I am somewhat new to parenting. I recently Married my wife, and adopted her daughter. I am the only father she has ever known, and I am taking my new responsibilities as a family man very seriously. I missed a lot of bonding opportunities before I met her, and know I want to make sure we spend as much time together as possible before she is to cool to hang out with her dad. I have actually built a lot of Lego's with her, and will even occasionally lower myself to playing with Barbie, and Bratz just so we can spend time together. If she shows an interest in doing things with me that I enjoy I am going to encourage it. Anyway I appreciate all of the suggestions, and I even appreciate the concern retrospectic has shown for my child's health. This topic has gotten a lot more replies than I expected, and I hope others will find the information useful as well.
I am always concerned with the development of children. I am in the education field and I grew up in a household that did not promote activities outside of television and video games. I was a latch key kid, in other words. Any time I see someone speak about children and video games I get a bit nervous. The activities you encourage now are the ones that are going to stick. I know that my love for video games stems from the lifestyle my parents allowed me to lead during those years.
Also, you might want to invest in some sort of DDR game. I know that may sound silly but it gets kids active and helps with coordination.
Doktar - 70 Troll Priest - Perenolde