Computer Games for kids

[Paladin]

I'm wondering if you guys have any recommendations for 3D type action games for kids. My son, 4 years old, loves the action 3D shooter types, but obviously he's too young to be playing UT2K3 or Ghost Recon. I had to tell him that the games were broken, and I removed the icons from my desktop. The scary part is that he actually got OK at UT2K3 (for the short time we let him try it, bad on our part).

The only thing that I found on Amazon is some nerf shooter game.

Thoughts?

 

[igowerf]

Maybe you can still find a copy of Chex Quest somewhere online. It was a modified version of Doom that was supposedly non-violent and it came free in boxes of Chex. Instead of killing the bad guys, you zapped them away (back into their own dimension?)

 

[Paladin]

Found some links for it, but looks to be too old to buy (1996). Thanks though

Any other ideas?

 

[DaveSimmons]

Maybe you can distract him with The Incredible Machine - Contraptions until he forgets about UT

Isn't there a paintball shooter that's technically less violent? I wasn't interested and have forgotten any other details.

 

[Spyro]

Try simcity or something. A four year old that likes shooters!! :Q

 

[igowerf]

Originally posted by: KevinC
Found some links for it, but looks to be too old to buy (1996). Thanks though

Any other ideas?

It was given away for free in boxes of Chex so I thought that some sites might have it for download. That can't be illegal, can it?

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: KevinC
I'm wondering if you guys have any recommendations for 3D type action games for kids. My son, 4 years old, loves the action 3D shooter types, but obviously he's too young to be playing UT2K3 or Ghost Recon. I had to tell him that the games were broken, and I removed the icons from my desktop. The scary part is that he actually got OK at UT2K3 (for the short time we let him try it, bad on our part).

The only thing that I found on Amazon is some nerf shooter game.

Thoughts?

Nerf Arena Blast is good *yes I said is!* there is no voilence, you shoot the people with nerf guns and get points (not frags) I loved the graphics, they're dated now, but it's based on the Unreal engine, so it's still pretty decent. The levels were kick-ass and the sound was good. I know this was a kiddie game (and you mentioned it already) but it would be perfect for your son. Get him training on it and when he gets older, he can jump into CS 5 or whatever is out when he's a teen.

not 3d shooters, but you could get him on the "Worms" games, they have guns and bombs and such, but I'd let me child play em (if I had one) very cartoony, with funny sounds/speech. If he was ok at ut2k3 he could probably figure out worms, a little harder imo, but fun fun fun! I love Worms World Party. They have an Army Men 3d game, it's a shootem up but I wouldn't consider it voilence. All kids love the green army men any ways.

but man that Nerf game is a blast!

 

[edro]

Postal 2

 

[Smilin]

there's a lasertag game out there somewhere based on the quake 1 engine that's pretty cool.

You could maybe try serious sam and turn the blood setting to hippie where flowers and fruit and stuff come out of enemies insted of blood and gibs.

 

[Vonkhan]

Get him one of the SimCity games ... and make his allowance proportional to his funds & popularity in the game!

Ghost Recon isnt actually that bad ... its involves planning, strategy and patience and there isnt too much blood in it.

 

[vash]

GTA3? Cmon now, who doesn't like that?

But if your child is 4, I would suggest more educational kinds of games. The kind that reward for listening and clicking on the correct picture, versus just being able to proceed after clicking all over the page.

And what's wrong with shooting game? Can't start early enough for the hand-eye-rocketlauncher-sniperrifle-strafejumping coordination.

vash

 

[MainFramed]

FREDDIE THE FISH!!!!

 

[ROTC1983]

I know this is kinda not PC, but if you own a gamecube, get him some games for it. Like Zelda or Smash Brothers

 

[igowerf]

Originally posted by: MainFramed
FREDDIE THE FISH!!!!

My brother has most of those!

 

[human2k]

Word and number munchers.

 

[alm4rr]

Bump for WORMS!

GREAT game series. You and he will have hours of fun. all you need are arrow keys, space bar and a good eye. There are also single player puzzle type missions

=)

Worms also made WORMS PAINTBALL, tho I think its 3d view, not FPS.

 

[tenoc]

Leggoland games offer a variety of activities including riding and driving things.

 

[Paladin]

Thanks all.

I actually downloaded the demo for Nerf Arena blast and he has been playing it non stop!!
I'll have to check out Worms.

He already has all of the jumpstarts up to Kindergarten, and Lego Stunt Rally racing game, and some others. Nerf in the mean time should satisfy his 3D fps needs.

btw, I have Serious Sam 1 +2, haven't played it in a year, is the 'hippie' setting on the menu, or is it something you have to do in the console?

 

[Ichinisan]

Chex Quest 2 was a free download. I remember how funny it was, after all the assurances about it being "certified non-violent" and "kid-friendly" I found an offensive remnant of DooM that was revealed through a simple bug in the menu...

Because the game bypasses the "Select Episode" part of the DooM menu, you trick it by pressing Backspace or Right-Clicking the mouse on the "Select Difficulty" screen. You will see the bloody-letter font from DooM with the somewhat-offensive title of the first episode: "Knee-Deep in the Dead"

This works on both CQ 1 and 2. Awesome!

 

[Ichinisan]

Originally posted by: igowerf
Maybe you can still find a copy of Chex Quest somewhere online. It was a modified version of Doom that was supposedly non-violent and it came free in boxes of Chex. Instead of killing the bad guys, you zapped them away (back into their own dimension?)

Not zap, "Zorch" the soggies.

 

[VicodiN]

You know you can turn the 'gore' off of UT right, thru settings?

 

[Pretty Cool]

3d shooters? I was going to suggest the Putt Putt series.

 

[Slogun]

The Starwars Episode I game is a neat, bloodless FPS that, though perhaps somewhat difficult for kids, would be appropriate violence-wise. (Not talking about Episode I Racer)

It's fairly old now, but hardly see how that matters, you could probably get it cheap and/or second hand.

 

[BenSkywalker]

The Harry Potter games seem to do well with my kids. Not a FPS, but the kids still have all enjoyed it quite a bit.

JediKnightII lacks the blood and guts of UT, and is a real entertaining game, however the difficulty is likely a bit much for a four year old. Overall I'd say the best FPS that is good for kids that I've seen is MetroidPrime, although that won't be coming to the PC ever.