Recommend some Steam games for an 8 year old?

Zarathustra[H]

Zarathustra[H]

Extremely [H]
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Oct 29, 2000
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Hey all,

When my stepson turned 7 about a year ago, I picked up a new case, and turned some old parts I had kicking around into a custom gaming rig for him. About the only parts I had to buy were mouse, keyboard, speakers, and a clearance 23" 1080p monitor.

He wound up with an AMD FX-8350, Gigabyte GA-990FX-UD3 motherboard, and 8GB of DDR3 RAM all from my old server. I also set it up with a GeForce GTX 460 (768mb), and installed Linux Mint as his first OS.

This year I figured it was time for an upgrade. I plan on installing a 2013 Geforce GTX Titan I am no longer using, and getting him a copy of Windows installed there, to expand the number of compatible games. I'm also going to install a new CPU cooler, to give it a little bit of an overclock.

I figured I'd use this as an opportunity to sit down with him an dteach him about computers and how they go together.

Question is, what games on Steam are good for an 8 year old?

Thus far the biggest hit was Goat Simulator :p

He also enjoyed Portal 1 and 2.

I tried to teach him Civ 5, but I think he is still a little too young for it.

I'd appreciate any suggestions on other good games that are age appropriate, both in content and in comprehensibility for an 8 year old boy.

He has shown a strong interest in online FPS:es like Counter-Strike, but I am not quite ready to expose him to the foul-mouthed 13 year olds of online gaming, yet.

Appreciate any suggestions!
 
my 8yo has started playing Oddworld with me. admittedly he is not too good on reaction times so he hands it over to me for the tricky timing jump stuff .


Otherwise the likes of Planetary Annihilation (with a modified econ so he isn't swamped by the bots) or minecraft.
 
naib said:
my 8yo has started playing Oddworld with me. admittedly he is not too good on reaction times so he hands it over to me for the tricky timing jump stuff .


Otherwise the likes of Planetary Annihilation (with a modified econ so he isn't swamped by the bots) or minecraft.
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Thank you. Appreciate the recommendations. I have never heard of either of these titles, so I will definitely look into them.

Yeah, I forgot about Minecraft. He is definitely a Minecraft fan.

Krazyxazn said:
Minecraft, not a Steam game.
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True. I should say I have a strong preference for Steam, as it is easy for me to manage it all in the same place, but it's not a 100% requirement. As long as I don't have to install Origin, I am probably going to be happy :p

Skillz said:
I'm sure he would love Skyrim.
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Interesting. Hand't thought of this one as a kids game. Will check it out, thanks!
 
If he's into platformers check out Giana Sisters.

Ori and the Blind Forest

Maybe an adventure game like Grim Fandango, Stacking, or Broken Age.

Jet Set Radio perhaps.

I loved racing games at that age so maybe something like F1 Race Stars or the Sonic All-Stars games.

Scribblenaughts is another option. It's fun and it could teach him how to spell new words.

NiGHTS Into Dreams

Max and the Magic Marker

Any of the 20 or so Lego games. All of those have local co-op so you can play along with him.

Sonic Generations. It's one of the few good Sonic games on Steam.
 
Ori and the Blind Forest
http://store.steampowered.com/app/261570/
Grow Home
http://store.steampowered.com/app/323320/
Trine (also 2, and 3 are out)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/35700/
BEEP
http://store.steampowered.com/app/104200/
Child of Light (heard good things, haven't gotten around to playing my copy yet)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/256290/
Darwinia (RTS pretty fun back in the day)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/1500/
Reus
http://store.steampowered.com/app/222730/
Strike Suit Zero
http://store.steampowered.com/app/209540/

and maybe some of these
Cradle (have yet to try it, it's an first-person exploration puzzle thing)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/361550/
The Talos Principle (another first-person exploration puzzle thing)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/257510/
Mirror's Edge (does have people shooting at you)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/17410/
Planet Explorers (has MP, most people are nice, but it's still in EA)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/237870/
SPINTIRES (if you'd like to frustrate him)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/263280/
No Time To Explain (also frustrating)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/368730/

and probably any of the jedi knight series (though they're a bit old in the tooth)


Edit: see I got beaten to the Ori suggestion (be forewarned, not the easiest platformer so expect to help him out)

also monkey island 1 and 2
 
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The 9 year old boy in my house likes the following: I realize you mention you didn't want to expose him to FPS, but these are the ones our 9 year old likes, and I've bought him countless games. Most of them are under 2 hours played and hasn't interested him.

(Here are the games with his highest time played -- pretty much in this order)

1) Team Fortress 2. (Free to Play)
2) Geometry Dash.
3) Gary's Mod.
4) Just Cause 2 and the Multiplayer mod.
5) Borderlands 2.
6) War Thunder. (Free to Play)

Granted their all FPS mostly. But he gets bored if there isn't a ton of action going on.
 
I play with my 8yr son on the following

Team Fortress 2 (private server)
some Borderlands 2
Factorio (not a steam game, but a great game none the less)
He plays a lot of Plants vs Zombies on his own.
Lego Worlds and Minecraft he plays a bit on his own too.

Every now and then we'll get into an MMO, but most are still just a bit too complicated for him to follow without it just being "playing with Dad" yet. His real passion is on the WiiU - Skylanders, Mario Party and Mario Kart he could play for days. The PC he isn't into that much.
 
My kids (8 yrs and 7 yrs) love playing the Lego games. They recently finished Lego LotR and started Lego The Hobbit. Also, they love playing racing games with each other (Sonic Racing Transformed, Super Toy Cars, etc.).
 
I'm not thinking maturity so much as what 8 year old me would be into so take it with a grain of salt. I'm also sticking to cheap games that are on sale frequently

FPS
Serious Sam HD
Singularity - If he liked Portal this should be right up his alley. Its a little scary at points so its up to you, not quite Stalker or Metro 2033, more of a mix of HL2 and Portal honestly.
Hard Reset - Doom with robots, no blood or gore.
Payday: The heist - There still a lot of people playing the original and I never heard anyone foulmouth. Its a team PVE game.
Killing Floor - Team game gore PVE, Think a better more in depth Left4Dead.
Far Cry® 3 Blood Dragon

Action/Adventure
Torchlight
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Bastion
Valdis Story: Abyssal City
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Ultimate Edition
Darksiders
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD
Beyond Good & Evil
Dust: An Elysian Tai

Time killers/Puzzlers/learning games

Puzzle quest - just read the reviews I loved it
Anomally Warzone Earth
Defense Grid: The Awakening
Beat Hazard
Before the Echo
Braid
Super Meat Boy
Orcs Must Die!
King's Bounty

Racing
Burnout Paradise - Best...racing...game...ever

Thats it from me I don't want to hog the thread thats just all the Steam games 8 year old me would have the attention span and maturity for.
 
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Lego games are good and co-op.

Like someone said, Rayman Origins then Rayman Legends. Rayman is one of the best platformers out there.
 
Terraria is a good kid-friendly one. Basically a side-scrolling version of Minecraft, but with tons more crafting options & enemies, and less awesome infinitely generated terrain.
 
Thanks guys, some good suggestions here I will read up on!

I'm hoping to find something I can really stun him with the graphics on in addition to having good game play. The Titan is a bit older now, but it should still hold its own at 1080p

Scoobydo said:
I realize you mention you didn't want to expose him to FPS <snip>
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I don't have an issue with FPS:es per se. Sure, violence and all that, but he's an 8 year old boy. Every stick he picks up off the ground is either a gun or a sword. Trying to keep them away from violent content is a losing battle. It's just a matter of moderating it more, and trying to avoid gory senseless violence.

My biggest concern is giving him something he can easily find his way onto an online community with. Years on online games, I know there are a ton of knuckleheads out there I don't want to expose him to. I don't know what age is appropriate to be exposed to online gaming communities, but 8 isn't old enough IMHO.

I'd be open to a good, age appropriate, story driven single player FPS. (or one with a local co-op mode)
 
Secret of Monkey Island!!! Any of them! The Lucasarts Point and Clicks were some of my favorite games when I was kid. They aren't nearly as hard as King's Quest. Loved those too...even if I found them impossible.
 
NiGHTS Into Dreams

header.jpg


http://store.steampowered.com/app/219950/
 
I have a 6 year old son and he plays Steam Games. Some of them have very cartoon violence. I will try to list in his order of preference

1. Spelunky
2. downwell
3. Zombie Grinder
4. Oceanhorn
5. Castle Crashers
6. Rampage Knights
7. Rogue Legacy
8. Secret of Monkey Island(both)
9. Broforce
10. Axiom Verge
 
madFive said:
Terraria is a good kid-friendly one. Basically a side-scrolling version of Minecraft, but with tons more crafting options & enemies, and less awesome infinitely generated terrain.
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Me and the wife have been playing this Co-Op on Xbox One. Fun game once you get into it. We have probably spent 10-12 hours on it so far.......and still not sure what my goal is :cool:
 
Zarathustra[H];1041932273 said:
My biggest concern is giving him something he can easily find his way onto an online community with. Years on online games, I know there are a ton of knuckleheads out there I don't want to expose him to. I don't know what age is appropriate to be exposed to online gaming communities, but 8 isn't old enough IMHO.
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The worst thing that can happen to him while playing online? Running into other 8 year old boys....man they are awful with the language and shrill voice.
 
As others have said, Orcs Must Die! and the The Talos Principle would be possibilities. Also recommend Thomas was Alone, Stanley Parable, Quantum Conundrum (spelling)
 
serious sam. coop is great, just turn on infinite ammo and join others. you can play through the entire game this way
 
mnewxcv said:
postal 2
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lol

Can't remember the name but that RC car soccer game is pretty fun. I'll second the mentioned Age of Empires series maybe even Age of Mythology or Dawn of War pack.

Get him to play some of the older classics like Free Lancer and such.
 
Magicka / Magicka 2 - this has been my sons favorite game since he was 7 (eh's now 11).. it has local couch co-op, easy to play - tough to master
Castle Crashers - same thing, loves the game, couch coop
 
Not sure if he's into creative / sandbox games or not but here's a couple:

Space Engineers?

This one's not Steam but: Minecraft? If one gets bored of vanilla there's a whole world of mods and specific themed mod packs out there.
 
My daughter is 8. She's into:

Stardew Valley
Lego Worlds
Borderlands and Borderlands 2
Blade Kitten
Axiom Verge
Nidhogg
Black & White Bushido
Portal
Trine Trilogy
Ori
Street Fighter IV and V
Scribblenauts
Shovel Knight
Day of the Tentacle
Sam and Max Hit the Road
Terraria (all of my kids and I have hundreds of hours in this... I just leave a server up 24/7, and we hop in and out at will)
Wheelman (funny, but it really is fun in a different sort of way... like B racing movie sorta way...)

(Off the top of my head.)

She'd play other shooters, but so far Borderlands is all I've let her play. She's caught a glimpse of Doom 3 and RAGE a few times, and wanted to play. I'll hold off a bit longer though before I let her play things like that. Borederlands is a bit more comical, cartoony, etc. and she actually reacts to it in a similar way to me, so I figure that's fine.

She's also into Minecraft, Zelda, Mario, etc. but those are obviously not Steam games.

As far as online communities, I will only let me kids interact with certain Minecraft servers, and have set up one for our house that their friends can connect to. I let them play a few tightly governed web games too, but otherwise, nothing online really. I really don't feel like it will do anything positive for them at this point.
 
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Lego games for sure
Toki Tori
Spelunky
Burnout Paradise
Scribblenauts
Portal 1 and 2
5 nights at freddy's
Also Turbo Dismount
 
I hear there's this crazy game called "go outside!".

576 megapixel graphics, true-to-life physics, and amazing A.I.
 
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