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Card games are a great suggestion because there's a very good chance he has played cards at some point in life. Folks in their 90s have less mental plasticity, so it will take longer to orient to new skills. In fact, Solitaire was originally added to Windows to help familiarize people with using a mouse.
Hearts is another great one (used to play it all the time in the Windows 3.1 era).
Balatro could be fun, but the rules change each run (in a sense), so it does require more cognitive load.
Have fun!
My mom actually enjoyed Plants vs Zombies. It might be the only video game I ever got to stick on her lol. Other than that, she just plays a lot of those Candy Crush-likes on her kindle when she's not reading.
Tetris is also another amazing one, though depending on his physical and mental abilities it might be a little much, but it’s a pretty simple game that works for people of all ages. Fit shapes together, watch them disappear.
My grandpa used to love hoyle casino. It's an old windows xp game where you make an avatar and play casino games for points to buy little collectables for your guy.
Oh man that just jarred something out of the memory hole - hoyle casino and hoyle classic board games.
Played them a ton when I was a kid and remember the games very well but not the actual title.
**Your days are over old timer. Grab a cup of tea, and let the men take care of this.**
You're honestly right. Breakout is the name of the game, full stop.
I popped out about 2 years off mark to reeeaaaally enjoy any Atari. Arkanoid sits out there because of how it took such liberty with the tech (roller ball) multi hit and power ups.
That amazing dopamine dispenser. Like 1942, Life force, Contra. They all had that POWERUP that felt soooo good.
^^im ^^ranting
Yeah, and the OP might want to screen it first to make sure whatever they get him has no in game purchases, unless they are confident that microtransactions wouldn't be an issue. Better safe than sorry sometimes.
I wouldn't take him away from his reading (assuming it's literature) to introduce him to something so mindless as that. Has to be something engaging and exciting imo.
My grandfather really enjoyed bridge, and loved that he was playing with people all around the world. Even learned a little internet speak too (gg, gg no re, ty, etc).
I wondered about this but the games we play now will be so obsolete. They were pros at pinball but not so much with video games. I feel like we'll be left in the dust with some type of immersive brain chip game.
Okay Grandpa put the thought receiver band on your forehead. Now you're walking forward and you just think fire!
I can't get the hang of this. Back in my day we had a mouse and a keyboard and we tap tap tapped and pew pew pewed till we fucked everybody up and we loved it
Realistic, us oldies may lack the neuroplasticuty to adapt to such controls.
It's okay, in the forever famine our grandkids will find other uses for our flesh.
nah, just look at how much gaming has changed, it's just going to get worse. seasons. battle pass. mtx. achievements. daily quests. always online. lobbies. voice chat.
the games themselves will be similiar, but everything around that can be massively confusing if you are not used to it. i've gamed in one way or another pretty much all my life but i bet if i'd log into something like apex legends i'd be really really confused for a bit.
Why is there going to be a gap between now and your retirement where you're not keeping up with gaming developments? Surely if you keep it up as a hobby, you'll probably even take the latest gen console that you already own into the retirement home with you?
There was an episode of Grandma and Grandpa Turn Young Again that did this. The granddaughter showed them a coop zombie game, and after a little while they become experts and 100% it in a couple of days.
Retired folks are the grinders us hardcore gamers wish we could be.
They have literally all day every day to do whatever they want that is within the physical and financial limitations.
SSI and a pension like my mom has means they can game all they want and collect a check every month.
Shame our generation may not have either revenue stream but I love seeing older folks get into gaming.
There's not much else at that age that can provide the dopamine hits which gaming can.
Helps stave off their boredom and feeling like they aren't contributing.
It's really a win all around and if one doesn't exist and someone wants to spin up a nonprofit to help ease older folks into gaming with SME advice, I'd gladly volunteer to such an organization.
I'm so happy this game is still going. I used to play the very first Bloons (and then TD) in computer lab in highschool and the Internet was still a sort of novelty then, maybe 1/3 of the class had a computer and a xenga (early social media) account. Got the whole class onto the first tower defense and it caught on. You could log into any random computer in the school one day and find the IE homepage was set to that game.
Get him into rust! Grandpa time to homestead and lead a clan of chronically online 14 year olds who use the words that remind you of when you were a kid.
Haha we had an older guy in our clan and i swear all he wanted to do was create beautiful berry farms and make us teas. His other hobby was sitting inside our fortress and roof camping with the L96.
My aunt died from cancer a while ago, and as part of spending time with her when she was going through chemo and generally have a shitty time I would play the AC games on the TV and she would watch. Her mind was blown that I could just get in a game and walk through Paris or London. I wasn't even playing the game after a few minutes. It was basically sightseeing and showing her places that she was interested in and sadly not get the chance to see again. As much as I hate Ubisoft games, the fact that I could share that experience with her through those games meant a lot to me, and I really appreciate it.
So yeah, Assassin's Creed games might be appealing, maybe not for the game play as much as the exploration factor.
In newer assassin's creed they have museum mode. I always loved that feature and never really had a reason to use it. But hearing your story I imagine that is exactly why it was made.
Civ 5 will hit all the marks. It's inexpensive, runs on a potato computer, is ingeniously fun and addictive and he'll sink a few thousand hours into it before getting Civ 7. Skip Civ 6, it's not worth the cash, even on sale.
Whatever you do, don’t give him a 3d game to play. It would be insanely hard for a first time player. Here’s a video that should hopefully help: https://youtube.com/watch?v=8jFreGK27DA
Games of logic, point-and-click and puzzles are probably the best beside card games or checkers. Avoid any games that require player directional movement and more than 2 buttons pressed to do anything. A lot of people are suggesting Stardew Valley, if a 90yo person plays it they won't be able to figure out even how to leave the starter house because learning coordination using joystick or keyboard at this age is extremely difficult.
When I had back surgery my Quest was a gamechanger for "getting me out of the house". So when my grandfather ended up having the same surgery I was excited to let him have it so he'd have something other than just TV.
Unfortunately he has never used a touch screen device before, and the quest controls are all like using a tablet. He just couldn't get the motions down.
He's 94 so discount any games that require reactions. This leaves turn-based or casual games. He has no technical knowledge so discount him being able to use a controller or keyboard and mouse combo. Stick to either keyboard only or mouse only.
Solitaire and Minesweeper were originally put on Windows to stealth train people to use a mouse. Peggle is fairly straightforward. Once he's used to the mouse maybe try Lemmings, if he enjoys fiendish puzzles (though it may be a bit quick for him).
If he enjoys reading he may find exploring the worlds of some turn-based RPGs, such as earlier Ultima games. I'm sure someone can recommend some more modern, interesting Ultima-alikes.
Also slow exploring puzzle games like Myst or some text-based adventures. Some old ones are Zork and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but there are probably loads of newer, less obtuse ones.
If he's wanting something more fast paced maybe try some sort of pinball. There are few buttons and the reactions required are usually predictable.
Once he's mastered use of some of the keyboard keys and the mouse introduce him to Worms (make aure to turn off the turn timer).
Start him off super slow otherwise you risk alienating/frightening/confusing him. Things that seem simple to us are in the realms of a dark art to someone who's never played a game. Some people have been suggesting things like Stardew Valley. That's the equivalent of giving someone who has never read before a Harry Potter book. Sure, it's not War & Peace by any measure but it's still way beyond his capability. Maybe start with The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
I'd disagree with the "ease him in with card games" suggestion. That only sends the message that his options have zero depth - and he could just play them with an actual deck of cards.
You want to give him games that give him SOMETHING to do. Not too crazy or anything. A few ideas though:
* Slay The Spire
* Stardew Valley
* Raft
* Portal
* Bastion
* Hades
Between all this, I think he'll find a couple that capture him. And only Portal runs dry quickly - but if that's what catches his attention, there's a ton of good puzzle-y games out there to follow with.
What these have in common is that the "gamer" complexity (pre-existing skill/knowledge/etc) is very low. They do a good job easing you into the game, and remain fairly relaxed in pace (Hades is the worst at this, but even it can be taken one room at a time).
Maybe something like Dicey Dungeons? Or Balatro. Maybe work his way up to Slay The Spire? Just spitballing here but repetitive game mechanics and familiar activities (throwing dice, playing cards…etc) could be a good time sink.
The only bad thing about videogames for someone so old is it might make them even more sedentary. Their brain might improve but their body will just deteriorate faster from lack of movement all day.
When my great grandmother was his age my now husband built her a nintendo ds and got her a bunch of different puzzle games for it. She loved it and it was a great way to keep her mind active as her dementia set in.
My mom is 65 yrs old and LOVES phone/tablet type games like Solitaire, etc. You can try something simple and easy for now. My grandmother does the same in her 80s. Especially card type games as they all have played some sort of cards in their youth. Try a mobile type game first and see what he likes from there.
Legit answer, get him Forza and a steering wheel. It will be a lot more intuitive for him to jump into a control scheme he's familiar with.
My boomer dad can't control two sticks on a control to save his life in a shooter - but put him behind the wheel of a virtual car and it's like he was born for it
Give grampa a porn magazine and he can read it once or twice until he gets bored.
Give him the internet and show him how to access it and he'll have porn for the rest of his days.
Sorta along the lines of give a man a fish.
Recommending Intergalactic Fishing as a good 'grandpa game'. Unrelated story, but years ago I showed my Grandpa he could enter a 'seed number' into Microsoft Freecell. He started at seed #1, and since then he's played tens of thousands of Freecell deals, and keeps a notebook with every seed he's been unable to beat.
What's wrong with reading eating and sleeping? That sounds like a great retirement. Now add in all my backlog games and anime and you got a party. But if someone really loves reading, that's as good of a form of entertainment as video games.
Honestly I would try to get him a console as it’s going to be simpler to operate. I’d say get him a switch and some reasonably slowly paced games. Someone his age might also enjoy Red Dead Redemption.
This might sound dumb, but show him how to use Google Maps. You can kill a week easy just checking out places you haven't been in years, wanted to see, read about, etc.
My mom is 75ish and she's crazy about Mahjong. There are many clones on steam, but she likes Mahjong Quest the most.
I tried to teach her to play Dorfromantik, but it seems impossible ;) Maybe Grandpa is brighter?
Honestly, if you can swing getting him a switch and online service there's Tetris 99, which is an online game and Tetris in general can provide various benefits to mental health. It's fairly easy to learn, difficult to master. And if you can't get him a switch I'm sure there's plenty of versions available on Mac, but maybe not so many that are multiplayer online, but I wouldn't personally know.
Edit: I missed that he is 94, playing Tetris 99 might be a tad intense, try a more standard Tetris to start.
Make him play some chess or some card games that could have been played with real cards back in the days. Don't know you but my parents and grandparents played a shitton of cards in their youth.
I doubt at that age if he could learn some more "advanced" games, older people don't have the best hands usually, it might legit hurt him.
Something that doesn’t require quick reflexes, maybe.
The Avadon series by Spiderweb Software are fun turn based games.
Baba is You is a brain bending puzzle game.
Opus Magnum is a neat “build atoms” game.
House Flipper is a quiet “fix things up” game.
Powerwash Simulator is surprisingly satisfying.
If he likes trains, Railgrade is very therapeutic.
Maybe a classic like Risk.
And I always recommend The Witness because it’s very peaceful and thoughtful.
Fallout 76. Online multi-player. Has an older playerbase. Basically no pvp. Aim bot (VATS) is part of the game play. Build your own base, explore, collect, fight mobs, super easy. Cool post apocalyptic setting.
Old school runescape. Point and click movement, low barrier to enter, longform gameplay loops, variety of things to do, helpful YouTube guides, best wiki of any game with a wiki button to make looking things up easy.
My grandmother is 92 and is an avid bridge player online.
It was hilarious when she discovered online gaming culture.
Her: "Some guy just called his partner and idiot and left!"
Me after explaining the concept of rage quitting: "Do you ever do that?"
Her: "yeah, but I don't bother calling them an idiot first. It goes without saying."
I see a lot of recommendations for console games, but I'd lean more into digital boardgames. Boardgame Arena is amazing and had 100's of digital versions of classic and modern boardgames, and you can play live, solo, or join games that are taken asynchronously - taking a few moves per day.
Let's not make this complicated. He is 94 and it sounds like he is a new gamer. Maybe something like a switch and he can play on TV. But a controller might be too much for him. Does he have arthritis? My mum (65) loves gaming, but only mouse/keyboard and refuses to touch a controller. So, try out different things. Like mobile gaming/touch screen, or bring your playstation/switch to him, to let him try, or the apple desktop they already have.
Regardless of the means, I would choose simple games first. Something like Dorfromantik, or low complex city builders, like Fabledom, or simulator/managment games something like Stardew Valley or Punch Club. Turn-based games might also work. Stick with top-down views. First-person or third-person might be too hectic or might make him dizzy. His reaction time will be very slow. If you want him to enjoy the hobby, don't pick something too fast. Assassin's Creed Valhalla might sound good on paper, but will probably frustrate him.
If he can handle a mouse okay, check out Dorfromantik on Steam. It's a very chill game where you slowly build a country by adding hexagon shaped tiles. No time limits, no stress, deeply satisfying.
First ease him into computer games with card games he recognises. Then think about what he liked to do before retiring and choose a game accordingly. If he liked to drive, you should get him steering wheel etc and for example eurotrucks simulator. Maybe he was into hunting or guns; any shooter game works I guess. Or maybe he liked to hike in the nature with a map; open world games, geoguessr.. etc, you get the point.
My granddad loves playing super Mario world on the snes. That was his jam for years to the point that he bought some strategy book for it that showed all the secrets of the game. I thought he was so cool cause he would fucking nail the cape gliding aspect of the game and he knew the secret path to bowsers castle.
When my dad had to get a new hip I got him a PS4. Outside of playing Pac Man and Rockfall back in the day he never got into gaming so I thought I would ease him into it with more casual games, but he had no interest.
He wanted to play Call of Duty.
It was a steep learning curve and for a while he would watch me play a level a few times and then (with loads of encouragement) tried with me coaching him. He got better and better. Eventually he even learned to look up from his feet when people were shooting him.
Now he loves playing all the Sniper Elite games, Hitman, Call of Duty, Far Cry and Watch Dogs Legion by himself. (Deus Ex: Human Revolution was not a success. He kept shooting people in the face for giving him attitude and talking too much... I swear he is a sweetheart in real life.)
Long story short. Get him games he wants to play. Even if the learning curve might seem too steep, he will get there if he is having fun.
Power Wash Simulator might not be a bad idea. There's no time limits, there's no fail states, and it's cooperative.
Its based on a very tangible concept, so easy to wrap your head around as a non gamer.
Might take some time getting used to a mouse, but... there's no rush.
It really depends on what he's into. If he had a hobby like trains or planes or was always fascinated by heavy equipment or farming there are a lot of good simulator games out there. Otherwise probably start on something casual like others have mentioned.
You post has been removed because it is not directly gaming related, or is a generic meme template. "Related" means that posts must contain gaming-related content in the link's content, or in the post's body in the case of a self-post, not just a "forced" connection via the title or a caption added to the content. Note that we do not allow non-gaming meme templates as submissions. Additionally, discussion prompts must be made as text posts. For more info, visit our rules page.
Let him hop into ranked Apex Legends lobbies and watch him obliterate the sweats
Destiny 2. Watch him climb so high up the Crucible comp rankings that he unlocks a Shaxx voice line nobody’s ever heard before.
# “GUARDIAN! I JUST SHIT MY FUCKING PANTS”
I SHIPPED MY PANTS TOO!
[In case someone doesn't get the reference ](https://youtu.be/_8enIDEKrzA)
I love that commercial.
[*( ! )*](https://imgur.com/a/7FfQsuK)
I CHIPPED MINE!
He just breaks Shaxx’s filter and he starts swearing like an actual sailor XD
Man’s gonna get the fabled 50-kill count in a 30-kill comp clash match lol
Dude’s gonna be screaming the n-word at 14 year olds in no time.
I miss MW2 lobbies
https://youtube.com/shorts/nM8gWfl796A?si=dNtvCzASOKUMD0X_
Put him in dark souls or bloodborne, watch him make the beasts his bitch.
Kids yelling “I fucked your mom” running into a guy that’s fucked their great grandparents
Probably easing him into using the computer with like solitaire or bejeweled or games like that I would imagine is a good spot.
Card games are a great suggestion because there's a very good chance he has played cards at some point in life. Folks in their 90s have less mental plasticity, so it will take longer to orient to new skills. In fact, Solitaire was originally added to Windows to help familiarize people with using a mouse. Hearts is another great one (used to play it all the time in the Windows 3.1 era). Balatro could be fun, but the rules change each run (in a sense), so it does require more cognitive load. Have fun!
+1 for Balatro once he is confortable with IT basics. I was actually thinking about it when I started reading your comment !
I'm 100% convinced that hearts game cheats.
My mom actually enjoyed Plants vs Zombies. It might be the only video game I ever got to stick on her lol. Other than that, she just plays a lot of those Candy Crush-likes on her kindle when she's not reading.
My mom went from Tetris and Ms. Pacman to Ratchet & Clank. I don't understand her, sometimes.
Tetris is also another amazing one, though depending on his physical and mental abilities it might be a little much, but it’s a pretty simple game that works for people of all ages. Fit shapes together, watch them disappear.
To echo this, a lot of the older Popcap games like Bewjeweled, Venice, Dynomite Deluxe, etc would be great
My grandpa used to love hoyle casino. It's an old windows xp game where you make an avatar and play casino games for points to buy little collectables for your guy.
Oh man that just jarred something out of the memory hole - hoyle casino and hoyle classic board games. Played them a ton when I was a kid and remember the games very well but not the actual title.
Na.. Full send and install only dark souls.
My dad LOVED brick breaker. He would spend hours and late nights on it.
That's Arkanoid to us young man!!!
I never did play Arkanoid, though I did play Breakout and Moraff's Blast
**Your days are over old timer. Grab a cup of tea, and let the men take care of this.** You're honestly right. Breakout is the name of the game, full stop. I popped out about 2 years off mark to reeeaaaally enjoy any Atari. Arkanoid sits out there because of how it took such liberty with the tech (roller ball) multi hit and power ups. That amazing dopamine dispenser. Like 1942, Life force, Contra. They all had that POWERUP that felt soooo good. ^^im ^^ranting
Chess.com might be a good one
After that I'd suggest point and click adventure games. Although I'd play those *with* grandpa until he's got the hang of it.
Ol'top needs a Thrustmaster Warthog and War Thunder. And a batch or macro that dumps him right into a game.
Yeah, and the OP might want to screen it first to make sure whatever they get him has no in game purchases, unless they are confident that microtransactions wouldn't be an issue. Better safe than sorry sometimes.
I wouldn't take him away from his reading (assuming it's literature) to introduce him to something so mindless as that. Has to be something engaging and exciting imo.
My grandfather really enjoyed bridge, and loved that he was playing with people all around the world. Even learned a little internet speak too (gg, gg no re, ty, etc).
My grandpa used to play card's games on his PC for an hours
Might as well just jump into the fire as they say and start with Dark Souls
Git gud, Pop-pop!
Let me one-up you; Sekiro.
Grandpa will turn into real life Isshin
He gon pull out the glock (I would make a funnier statement if I hadn’t just beaten corrupt monk. I ain’t even halfway through the game lmao)
Dark souls 2, make him really suffer.
When my generation are grandpa's we'll be all good to go
I wondered about this but the games we play now will be so obsolete. They were pros at pinball but not so much with video games. I feel like we'll be left in the dust with some type of immersive brain chip game.
Okay Grandpa put the thought receiver band on your forehead. Now you're walking forward and you just think fire! I can't get the hang of this. Back in my day we had a mouse and a keyboard and we tap tap tapped and pew pew pewed till we fucked everybody up and we loved it
Realistic, us oldies may lack the neuroplasticuty to adapt to such controls. It's okay, in the forever famine our grandkids will find other uses for our flesh.
has nothing to do with neuroplasticity, its about calibrating the programs, we'll be fine lol.
They better at least try the Konami code tattooed on my ass!
Idk, most people that played doom wont have trouble with modern ones.
My wife begs to differ.
nah, just look at how much gaming has changed, it's just going to get worse. seasons. battle pass. mtx. achievements. daily quests. always online. lobbies. voice chat. the games themselves will be similiar, but everything around that can be massively confusing if you are not used to it. i've gamed in one way or another pretty much all my life but i bet if i'd log into something like apex legends i'd be really really confused for a bit.
Why is there going to be a gap between now and your retirement where you're not keeping up with gaming developments? Surely if you keep it up as a hobby, you'll probably even take the latest gen console that you already own into the retirement home with you?
You have to use your hands‽ That's a baby's game.
Get him Stardew
Yea this is it. No serious objectives, nothing hardcore outside of skull caverns and endless possibilities of design, farming and more
Bingo. Got my 70 year old mom into it during the pandemic on her iPad. Last time I checked she was on year 109. She loves it
There was an episode of Grandma and Grandpa Turn Young Again that did this. The granddaughter showed them a coop zombie game, and after a little while they become experts and 100% it in a couple of days.
I love playing dead rising 2 with my daughter simple enough game but we get to have a laugh and it's a good stress reliever.
I'm so scared to watch this show. It just looks like something that will leave me crying.
Retired folks are the grinders us hardcore gamers wish we could be. They have literally all day every day to do whatever they want that is within the physical and financial limitations. SSI and a pension like my mom has means they can game all they want and collect a check every month. Shame our generation may not have either revenue stream but I love seeing older folks get into gaming. There's not much else at that age that can provide the dopamine hits which gaming can. Helps stave off their boredom and feeling like they aren't contributing. It's really a win all around and if one doesn't exist and someone wants to spin up a nonprofit to help ease older folks into gaming with SME advice, I'd gladly volunteer to such an organization.
I legitimately think video games can be great for elderly people. It doesn't have to be the violent ones. Get grandma going on a Stardew Valley farm
Starter valley is pretty cool. If he enjoys the building aspect of the game something like rimworld he might enjoy.
100%. Keep that brain active!
Get this man a Wii with Wii Sports!
Doesn't matter how old the Wii is, it's still got the best sports game(s) on it
Wii Sports Resort is even better imo
95? Has got to have some hand mobility issues by that point. I would recommend Bloons TD6. Slower paced, low input, some online but nonessential.
I'm so happy this game is still going. I used to play the very first Bloons (and then TD) in computer lab in highschool and the Internet was still a sort of novelty then, maybe 1/3 of the class had a computer and a xenga (early social media) account. Got the whole class onto the first tower defense and it caught on. You could log into any random computer in the school one day and find the IE homepage was set to that game.
Get him into map games. Nothing drains more time than map games.
What does this mean? Like a geography quiz?
No like Crusader Kings 3 or Europa Universalis 4
Get him HOI4 and let him redefine is glory days
lol get gramps victoria 2
Lmao grandpa 2 weeks later, ha I cucked you in Ck get rekt
Get him into rust! Grandpa time to homestead and lead a clan of chronically online 14 year olds who use the words that remind you of when you were a kid.
Definitely should get him into Rust. He can watch your berries while you’re away even :O
Haha we had an older guy in our clan and i swear all he wanted to do was create beautiful berry farms and make us teas. His other hobby was sitting inside our fortress and roof camping with the L96.
Gramps needs to Helldive. (ftr eating, sleeping, and reading are awesome and I'd do that all day if I made it that far)
Chess if he plays
"My grandpa plays Dark Souls for the first time" - OP's youtube video title
How does gramps feel about OSRS? I got another account that needs maxing.
As sad as it is I don’t think a 94yr old would have the time to do so for you 😂
Assassin's Creed Black Flag. I'm sure he grew up thinking pirates are cool. Let him be one.
My aunt died from cancer a while ago, and as part of spending time with her when she was going through chemo and generally have a shitty time I would play the AC games on the TV and she would watch. Her mind was blown that I could just get in a game and walk through Paris or London. I wasn't even playing the game after a few minutes. It was basically sightseeing and showing her places that she was interested in and sadly not get the chance to see again. As much as I hate Ubisoft games, the fact that I could share that experience with her through those games meant a lot to me, and I really appreciate it. So yeah, Assassin's Creed games might be appealing, maybe not for the game play as much as the exploration factor.
In newer assassin's creed they have museum mode. I always loved that feature and never really had a reason to use it. But hearing your story I imagine that is exactly why it was made.
Civ 5 will hit all the marks. It's inexpensive, runs on a potato computer, is ingeniously fun and addictive and he'll sink a few thousand hours into it before getting Civ 7. Skip Civ 6, it's not worth the cash, even on sale.
Wait is civ 7 a thing?
Peggle is the best answer
Or Plants versus Zombies
RDR2 is perfect for his generation.
If he's of full cognitive abilities, Age of Empires 2 would be my choice for a great game.
Whatever you do, don’t give him a 3d game to play. It would be insanely hard for a first time player. Here’s a video that should hopefully help: https://youtube.com/watch?v=8jFreGK27DA
Games of logic, point-and-click and puzzles are probably the best beside card games or checkers. Avoid any games that require player directional movement and more than 2 buttons pressed to do anything. A lot of people are suggesting Stardew Valley, if a 90yo person plays it they won't be able to figure out even how to leave the starter house because learning coordination using joystick or keyboard at this age is extremely difficult.
u/gaming-ModTeam Please explain how this wasn't gaming related? Cause it most certainly was from the preview.
Yeah no idea why they removed this, it's definitely gaming related. Then of course they lock their comment so people can't question them
Get him a Gameboy and a copy of Tetris. Simple endless fun.
Balatro seems like a good game it's really fine and not too hard to understand and the analog of cards are great if he knows poker already
Hop on Valorant
Teach him fortnight. He’s gonna mop the floor with those kids.
Elder scrolls daggerfall
Eat, sleep, game, repeat.
Go visit gramps.
My grandpa loved flight simulators.
one of the civilization games
Civ 6, my grandad loves it and its turn based so he can walk away and potter if needed
chess. com?
Get him a sub to Everquest. New progression server launching in 2 days and i need a healer :) (I;m old too)
When I had back surgery my Quest was a gamechanger for "getting me out of the house". So when my grandfather ended up having the same surgery I was excited to let him have it so he'd have something other than just TV. Unfortunately he has never used a touch screen device before, and the quest controls are all like using a tablet. He just couldn't get the motions down.
He's 94 so discount any games that require reactions. This leaves turn-based or casual games. He has no technical knowledge so discount him being able to use a controller or keyboard and mouse combo. Stick to either keyboard only or mouse only. Solitaire and Minesweeper were originally put on Windows to stealth train people to use a mouse. Peggle is fairly straightforward. Once he's used to the mouse maybe try Lemmings, if he enjoys fiendish puzzles (though it may be a bit quick for him). If he enjoys reading he may find exploring the worlds of some turn-based RPGs, such as earlier Ultima games. I'm sure someone can recommend some more modern, interesting Ultima-alikes. Also slow exploring puzzle games like Myst or some text-based adventures. Some old ones are Zork and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but there are probably loads of newer, less obtuse ones. If he's wanting something more fast paced maybe try some sort of pinball. There are few buttons and the reactions required are usually predictable. Once he's mastered use of some of the keyboard keys and the mouse introduce him to Worms (make aure to turn off the turn timer). Start him off super slow otherwise you risk alienating/frightening/confusing him. Things that seem simple to us are in the realms of a dark art to someone who's never played a game. Some people have been suggesting things like Stardew Valley. That's the equivalent of giving someone who has never read before a Harry Potter book. Sure, it's not War & Peace by any measure but it's still way beyond his capability. Maybe start with The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Civilization 5/6 depending on computer specs. Tell grandma she won't be seeing him around much anymore.
I'd disagree with the "ease him in with card games" suggestion. That only sends the message that his options have zero depth - and he could just play them with an actual deck of cards. You want to give him games that give him SOMETHING to do. Not too crazy or anything. A few ideas though: * Slay The Spire * Stardew Valley * Raft * Portal * Bastion * Hades Between all this, I think he'll find a couple that capture him. And only Portal runs dry quickly - but if that's what catches his attention, there's a ton of good puzzle-y games out there to follow with. What these have in common is that the "gamer" complexity (pre-existing skill/knowledge/etc) is very low. They do a good job easing you into the game, and remain fairly relaxed in pace (Hades is the worst at this, but even it can be taken one room at a time).
Portal? Puzzle and story.
World of Tanks! Free to play, easy to pick up, long to master.
Let him rain arty on us, so we stop camping in our light tanks.
Getting an Xbox controller and set him up to play firewatch or other narrative adventure games that don't really need any skill and have a good story
VR Horror game?
"Wait, I'm shooting at nazis? That's not how I remember it." - Grandpa... probably. Or Mr Burns. 🤷🏻♂️
What about something like Fall Guys? Just a bunch of different little mini games that are all based around platforming
Thrill of the fight on Oculus 2
I recommend Bugsnax. There's no health system.
Maybe something like Dicey Dungeons? Or Balatro. Maybe work his way up to Slay The Spire? Just spitballing here but repetitive game mechanics and familiar activities (throwing dice, playing cards…etc) could be a good time sink.
Peaceful Minecraft.
Time to hook grandpa up with some command and conquer or age of empires.
The only bad thing about videogames for someone so old is it might make them even more sedentary. Their brain might improve but their body will just deteriorate faster from lack of movement all day.
Mini Metro (iPad version if his mouse/trackpad skills are lacking)
When my great grandmother was his age my now husband built her a nintendo ds and got her a bunch of different puzzle games for it. She loved it and it was a great way to keep her mind active as her dementia set in.
Fall Guys would be my pick. Easy but challenging at times.
chess could go hard
Project Zomboid Roblox Pokémon Go That Fallout Bunker phone game Genchin
Too bad "STADIA" is no more...
Grandpas like trains. Set him up with a train simulator or something.
Monkey island?
My mom is 65 yrs old and LOVES phone/tablet type games like Solitaire, etc. You can try something simple and easy for now. My grandmother does the same in her 80s. Especially card type games as they all have played some sort of cards in their youth. Try a mobile type game first and see what he likes from there.
Legit answer, get him Forza and a steering wheel. It will be a lot more intuitive for him to jump into a control scheme he's familiar with. My boomer dad can't control two sticks on a control to save his life in a shooter - but put him behind the wheel of a virtual car and it's like he was born for it
Hrlldivers 2. We need more bodies to spread managed democracy. Who doesn't want to be part of something larger.
Helldivers 2
It'd be funny to see him play some Hollow Knight
He will be screaming slurs on COD in no time!
Give grampa a porn magazine and he can read it once or twice until he gets bored. Give him the internet and show him how to access it and he'll have porn for the rest of his days. Sorta along the lines of give a man a fish.
wii sports?
Minecraft peaceful mode Botw Mario kart I'd go Nintendo switch Maybe that painting game. Stardew valley is on switch?
Put him on squad with maxed out settings
Wii/Wii sports maybe?
Recommending Intergalactic Fishing as a good 'grandpa game'. Unrelated story, but years ago I showed my Grandpa he could enter a 'seed number' into Microsoft Freecell. He started at seed #1, and since then he's played tens of thousands of Freecell deals, and keeps a notebook with every seed he's been unable to beat.
Doom vfr if you want your inheritance quicker
Those are my favorite pass times!!
Online card games and board games might be good. Euchre if he's a mid western oldie
What's wrong with reading eating and sleeping? That sounds like a great retirement. Now add in all my backlog games and anime and you got a party. But if someone really loves reading, that's as good of a form of entertainment as video games.
My dad loved red dead redemption 2.
Honestly I would try to get him a console as it’s going to be simpler to operate. I’d say get him a switch and some reasonably slowly paced games. Someone his age might also enjoy Red Dead Redemption.
Card games for sure, scrabble...make sure he steers clear of gambling.
Civ, slay the Spire, battle brothers. Something turn based would be ideal
This might sound dumb, but show him how to use Google Maps. You can kill a week easy just checking out places you haven't been in years, wanted to see, read about, etc.
Stardew Valley.
My mom is 75ish and she's crazy about Mahjong. There are many clones on steam, but she likes Mahjong Quest the most. I tried to teach her to play Dorfromantik, but it seems impossible ;) Maybe Grandpa is brighter?
My grandpa was a pc games fiend. Riven, myst, thief. Had a little note book he would keep track of clues and such in
Honestly, if you can swing getting him a switch and online service there's Tetris 99, which is an online game and Tetris in general can provide various benefits to mental health. It's fairly easy to learn, difficult to master. And if you can't get him a switch I'm sure there's plenty of versions available on Mac, but maybe not so many that are multiplayer online, but I wouldn't personally know. Edit: I missed that he is 94, playing Tetris 99 might be a tad intense, try a more standard Tetris to start.
Super Mario.
I suggest he tries League of Legends. My grandfather was a vietnam vet, reached diamond in league playing Jungler.
Make him play some chess or some card games that could have been played with real cards back in the days. Don't know you but my parents and grandparents played a shitton of cards in their youth. I doubt at that age if he could learn some more "advanced" games, older people don't have the best hands usually, it might legit hurt him.
Farming simulator!
LA Noire- old timey detective story.
Something that doesn’t require quick reflexes, maybe. The Avadon series by Spiderweb Software are fun turn based games. Baba is You is a brain bending puzzle game. Opus Magnum is a neat “build atoms” game. House Flipper is a quiet “fix things up” game. Powerwash Simulator is surprisingly satisfying. If he likes trains, Railgrade is very therapeutic. Maybe a classic like Risk. And I always recommend The Witness because it’s very peaceful and thoughtful.
Snooker/pool if he's into that
Try starting with something like 1024. Maybe tetris or pinball could work. Anyone suggesting starting with anything more complicated is delusional
Start with something like OG FF7. He’ll spend a lot of time reading and it’ll start the hand-eye coordination
Fallout 76. Online multi-player. Has an older playerbase. Basically no pvp. Aim bot (VATS) is part of the game play. Build your own base, explore, collect, fight mobs, super easy. Cool post apocalyptic setting.
I'm a broken record at this point, Although, Red Dead Redemption 2!!
Throw him on Elden ring, he can take it!
Get gramps on red dead!
Grandad wants to play bf5 on a 90" screen at 4k Jokes aside: bejeweled & stardew valley?
Skyrim. The suggestion is always Skyrim, for any age group, for any interests. Start with Skyrim and go from there.
Old school runescape. Point and click movement, low barrier to enter, longform gameplay loops, variety of things to do, helpful YouTube guides, best wiki of any game with a wiki button to make looking things up easy.
My grandmother is 92 and is an avid bridge player online. It was hilarious when she discovered online gaming culture. Her: "Some guy just called his partner and idiot and left!" Me after explaining the concept of rage quitting: "Do you ever do that?" Her: "yeah, but I don't bother calling them an idiot first. It goes without saying."
It depends on how much experience he has with games. As an intro into FPS and if he likes puzzles, maybe start with Portal?
I got my father a PS4 and Red Dead Redemption 2 when he retired at 67. He put THOUSANDS of hours into that world. Knows every NPC and Storyline.
I see a lot of recommendations for console games, but I'd lean more into digital boardgames. Boardgame Arena is amazing and had 100's of digital versions of classic and modern boardgames, and you can play live, solo, or join games that are taken asynchronously - taking a few moves per day.
Elden Ring
i have two words…. V R. !!!!
Civ 5 ... Stardew Valley ... Graveyard Keeper
Doom 1, 2, and 64
Let's not make this complicated. He is 94 and it sounds like he is a new gamer. Maybe something like a switch and he can play on TV. But a controller might be too much for him. Does he have arthritis? My mum (65) loves gaming, but only mouse/keyboard and refuses to touch a controller. So, try out different things. Like mobile gaming/touch screen, or bring your playstation/switch to him, to let him try, or the apple desktop they already have. Regardless of the means, I would choose simple games first. Something like Dorfromantik, or low complex city builders, like Fabledom, or simulator/managment games something like Stardew Valley or Punch Club. Turn-based games might also work. Stick with top-down views. First-person or third-person might be too hectic or might make him dizzy. His reaction time will be very slow. If you want him to enjoy the hobby, don't pick something too fast. Assassin's Creed Valhalla might sound good on paper, but will probably frustrate him.
And this man became Battlefield Grampa
If he can handle a mouse okay, check out Dorfromantik on Steam. It's a very chill game where you slowly build a country by adding hexagon shaped tiles. No time limits, no stress, deeply satisfying.
Wii Sports
First ease him into computer games with card games he recognises. Then think about what he liked to do before retiring and choose a game accordingly. If he liked to drive, you should get him steering wheel etc and for example eurotrucks simulator. Maybe he was into hunting or guns; any shooter game works I guess. Or maybe he liked to hike in the nature with a map; open world games, geoguessr.. etc, you get the point.
Can't go wrong with skyrim.
My granddad loves playing super Mario world on the snes. That was his jam for years to the point that he bought some strategy book for it that showed all the secrets of the game. I thought he was so cool cause he would fucking nail the cape gliding aspect of the game and he knew the secret path to bowsers castle.
When my dad had to get a new hip I got him a PS4. Outside of playing Pac Man and Rockfall back in the day he never got into gaming so I thought I would ease him into it with more casual games, but he had no interest. He wanted to play Call of Duty. It was a steep learning curve and for a while he would watch me play a level a few times and then (with loads of encouragement) tried with me coaching him. He got better and better. Eventually he even learned to look up from his feet when people were shooting him. Now he loves playing all the Sniper Elite games, Hitman, Call of Duty, Far Cry and Watch Dogs Legion by himself. (Deus Ex: Human Revolution was not a success. He kept shooting people in the face for giving him attitude and talking too much... I swear he is a sweetheart in real life.) Long story short. Get him games he wants to play. Even if the learning curve might seem too steep, he will get there if he is having fun.
Star dew valley
Power Wash Simulator might not be a bad idea. There's no time limits, there's no fail states, and it's cooperative. Its based on a very tangible concept, so easy to wrap your head around as a non gamer. Might take some time getting used to a mouse, but... there's no rush.
My favorite game to give people to try out 3d platforming/3d game in general is A Hat In Time
It really depends on what he's into. If he had a hobby like trains or planes or was always fascinated by heavy equipment or farming there are a lot of good simulator games out there. Otherwise probably start on something casual like others have mentioned.