Help! Need videogame recommendations...

[algroth]

Hey guys! I'm looking for videogame recs that might work for the next two cases...

 

So, first, I have an 88-year-old grandmother who's been on her own since my grandfather died eight years ago. Since then she's taken up to using the computer and handles herself quite well with Netflix, DramaFever and so on, and I also visit her and take her to the movies whenever there's something we're interested in watching. Unfortunately she's undergoing surgery this month on her leg, which likely means that she won't be able to move for the next two or three months - and so I thought I could find some games that she could be interested in, to provide her with some more alternatives with how to pass the time.

 

For her I'm thinking of games that can fulfill the following criteria: they shouldn't be particularly complicated rules-wise and should be pretty easy from a skill/mechanics perspective (as of course her fingers won't have the kind of response a young person's would); I think she'd probably be more interested in the story that is told through the game as well as a depiction of a particular theme or setting than a sheer ludic experience, but they should also relate to fairly realistic settings as she isn't much into fantasy/sci-fi; and while she has no problem reading, it'd probably be best to avoid Obsidian-size text dumps as her eyes aren't what they used to be. With these points in mind, two games that come to mind are Valiant Hearts: the Great War and Papers Please, though I haven't played either just yet. Any others you would recommend?

 

The other case is the flip-side of the above: a friend of mine has a 7-year-old kid that is really into gaming, and being a former-M:tG-now-poker-pro he sees his son finding a vocation in gaming and eSports a good thing. At his young age he is already playing League of Legends to some degree of competence (of course he's still got a way to actually start ranking), which is pretty crazy considering how mechanically demanding a game it is, especially as a PvP. His dad is fine with him playing League but would want him to also broaden his scope over to other games at this age, and so I've been coming up with some games to show him so as to continue developing as a player; and we also both agree that League aside it'd be best for him to be playing games which aren't very violent either - more appropriate to his age overall. So I was looking at games like the Zeldas, Pokémon, Rayman, and Ori and the Blind Forest as examples for him to play - thing about this last one is that he's on a Mac, which further limits what games he's able to play.

 

Anyhow, any recommendations for either case would be very welcome!

[ShadySands]

I've got Bejeweled 3 and other casual type games in the free game thread. I know my aunts love those and before he passed my grandfather liked them too.

[algroth]

I've got Bejeweled 3 and other casual type games in the free game thread. I know my aunts love those and before he passed my grandfather liked them too.

 

I'll try showing her this, but what I meant with the above that I didn't want to show her many purely ludic games was more because I wanted to avoid this kind of game, as I'm quite certain a good story is bound to interest her more. Also partly because it's more interesting for me to discuss with her afterwards. But if these more narrative games fail I'll try these out.

[213374U]

Most of the great LucasArts point-and-click adventure games are a bit on the wacky side, so maybe something along the lines of Syberia? Broken Sword? A personal favorite of mine is KGB, which is abandonware by now, I think.

 

No idea about Mac games with a high skill ceiling that a kid would like, unfortunately. (people game on their Macs?)

[Orogun01]

Is Tyranny on the Mac? I get the feeling that a kid would love that game.

[algroth]

Most of the great LucasArts point-and-click adventure games are a bit on the wacky side, so maybe something along the lines of Syberia? Broken Sword? A personal favorite of mine is KGB, which is abandonware by now, I think.

 

No idea about Mac games with a high skill ceiling that a kid would like, unfortunately. (people game on their Macs?)

I wouldn't be surprised if the kid at some point gets a gaming PC for himself. The Mac is his mother's after all and was likely either used for a different purpose, or simply bought because of brand reputation and whatnot (I've seen a bunch of people gettting Macs simply because "they're better" and not for any actual understanding of what makes them a superior alternative and in what cases).

 

I'll have a look at the ones you mention.

Edited October 9, 2017 by algroth

[Katphood]

Grandma: Tetris

Kid: Breath of the Wild

[algroth]

Grandma: Tetris

Kid: Breath of the Wild

 

Same as I said to ShadySands applies to Tetris, and as I said I was looking for games that could be played on a Mac (via emulator too if need be). If you have a way of playing Breath of the Wild on Mac, I'd love to hear it (also because I would love to give it a go).

[Lexx]

Stardew Valley?

[Katphood]

 

Grandma: Tetris

Kid: Breath of the Wild

 

Same as I said to ShadySands applies to Tetris, and as I said I was looking for games that could be played on a Mac (via emulator too if need be). If you have a way of playing Breath of the Wild on Mac, I'd love to hear it (also because I would love to give it a go).

 

 

 

Her Story. 

Papers, Please!. 

A Hat in Time. 

[Nail]

Quake Champions should be a good choice.

[Bartimaeus]

For your grandma, I think Papers, Please will be much too difficult, I'm afraid. You have to be pretty quick in that game, both in using your controls as well as looking over and comparing different bits of text on characters' passports and such...and the game gets harder and harder as it progresses.

[algroth]

For your grandma, I think Papers, Please will be much too difficult, I'm afraid. You have to be pretty quick in that game, both in using your controls as well as looking over and comparing different bits of text on characters' passports and such...and the game gets harder and harder as it progresses.

Alright, thanks for the heads up. I haven't played it yet but it's good to know, I'll have to look at it and see how I find it.

Edited October 9, 2017 by algroth

[Bartimaeus]

I mean, unless she doesn't mind her family starving/freezing to death, I guess. :D

 

Sadly, I can't think of a lot of not heavily-gameplay mechanic-driven games that are also neither fantasy or sci-fi. The former eliminates most all games, and the latter eliminates almost all of what's left. Ignoring the latter, my recommendation would be Broken Age. Maybe Amnesia or Penumbra if she's into horror, as they really don't have too demanding gameplay mechanics besides occasional hiding and puzzle-solving...but if she's not into horror, probably don't do that. Undertale might also be an O.K. idea...

[majestic]

I second the Lucas Arts adventure motion - anything after and including Monkey Island is both fun and funny and most importantly made with Lucas Art's adventure philosophy of not being able to break the game or die by your actions. ScummVM runs under MacOS and a host of other platforms, all you need are the original game files.

 

The remastered version of Monkey Island is available at the Mac Store, so that should be a nice starting point, assuming having ghost pirates in the game isn't an issue. It's also rather mild on the riddles and while some of them are a bit weird they're not outright ludicrous like the monkey wrench one in MI 2 or most of the riddles in Myst or Riven.

[ShadySands]

Deponia games?

 

I've never played them so it's just a shot in the dark

[HoonDing]

ELEX will be great, believe me

[Orogun01]

I for one would have loved to play Deus Ex as a kid.

[Blarghagh]

+1 on what Barti said about paper's please. That game is tough!

[mkreku]

How about Life Is Strange for grandma? From what I've seen you basically walk around and talk to people in that game and the story is what keeps people interested. 

[Bartimaeus]

I could maybe see that working...but I could also see it being utterly dreadful for someone in their 80s - and most people in general, actually. You play as a modern teenager...and the character dialogue and problems very much reflect that. Not only that, but the setting is unusually hipster-ish/preppy...definitely a game you have to go into with a specific mindset to enjoy, otherwise you'll probably end up hating it. The game draws ire in much the same way Undertale did, I think. I went into it thinking I was gonna play as a teenage girl, and that's exactly what I got.

Edited October 14, 2017 by Bartimaeus

[Lexx]

Heh, I would like to see how old people react to Life is Strange. I mean, even I find it cheesy and embarrassing at times, and I'm barely in the 30s. So for someone being 80+, this must be a true alien experience.

[Gizmo]

• Unrest

  It's a refreshing kind of lite RPG. It has a fantasy India setting. It's not about elves and warriors. You start the game as a young girl facing an arranged marriage.  Later in the game you play the tense role of a non-human ambassador, trying to make an alliance with a human kingdom.  The game is mostly conversation.

   

   

  http://store.steampowered.com/app/292400

   

  https://www.gog.com/game/unrest

   

   

• Spore

  Start the game as a cell, develop into an animal; further develop into a tribe; then a city... eventually space travel.

   

   

  http://store.steampowered.com/app/17390/SPORE/

   

  https://www.gog.com/game/spore_collection

   

   

• Machenarium

  A point & click adventure about a robot city, where the main character (Josef) is trying to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend.

  Cute, well drawn —almost certainly hand drawn.  Mostly simple logic puzzles.

   

   

  http://store.steampowered.com/app/40700/Machinarium/

   

  https://www.gog.com/game/machinarium_collectors_edition

   

   

• Broken Sword

  Another point & click; reminiscent of Lucas Arts adventures; and a very good one. 

   

   

  http://store.steampowered.com/app/57640/Broken_Sword_Directors_Cut/

   

  https://www.gog.com/game/broken_sword_directors_cut

Edited October 14, 2017 by Gizmo

[Bartimaeus]

Heh, I would like to see how old people react to Life is Strange. I mean, even I find it cheesy and embarrassing at times, and I'm barely in the 30s. So for someone being 80+, this must be a true alien experience.

 

Definitely cheesy and cringey at times, and it has other flaws besides that...but if you go in with the right mindset, it's a "greater than the sum of its parts"-type deal.

[mkreku]

Heh, I would like to see how old people react to Life is Strange. I mean, even I find it cheesy and embarrassing at times, and I'm barely in the 30s. So for someone being 80+, this must be a true alien experience.

 

My mother (who is 65) loved it.

 

Basically that means she's cooler than you.