goose_ooc | OOC CHATTER POST #9

I'm gonna pick the collective game brain here.

My brother is looking for video game recommendations that aren't straight up ~educational~ games, but are more productive usages of time than, oh, shooting up dudes all day in Call of Duty. Games that involve elements of problem-solving, physics, coding, etc. (If anyone knows of a game to enjoyably teach children vlookups, he's interested in that??? lmao) Doesn't necessarily need to be a straight-up game for things like coding/design/what not. Basically, they're accepting they have a kid (age 12) who really enjoys being in front of his screen so they want to shift his library into something that will build his skill set beyond button mashing.

Any recommendations are super appreciated! ♥

Crusader Kings is almost Spreadsheets: the Game 😎
Garry's Mod is just kind of a physics sandbox that you can build computers in.
The Portal games are all physics puzzle games. Mirror's Edge is pushing it, but is also a low combat problem solve-y game.
Tactical games like FTL are a little more thinky than CoD.
Planet Coaster allows you to get extremely fiddley with the fine details of physics/numbers while building custom coasters and is all around just a fantastic successor to Rollercoaster Tycoon.
Something like RPG Maker, where he can make his own game?
Also there's like Minecraft or whatever it's got circuits/wiring. once my bf made a music box that played such great heights while you rode on a minecart it was very romantic

There's some cute phone games like Alphabears, I know, which could be considered educational. You could make an argument for Minecraft, though I know most parents are tired of minecraft (though still probably better than like CoD).

I LOVE ALPHABEARS.

protip: alphabears lets you type "shitty"

The Stanley Parable is fun and..... not really a puzzle game, per se, but way more intellectually stimulating than a shooter. I could see a 12 year old getting a kick out of messing with the narrator.

keep talking and no one explodes - requires two people but it's memory, logic, deductive reasoning - a ton of good 21st century skills

factorio - basically you have to make factories and stuff to try and build a spaceship so you can return to your home planet

papers please - kind of a memory game. mildly violent 8 bit game. you're a border control person who is trying to find out who's good and who's like smuggling bad things etc. might not be totally appropriateness

tiny bang story - puzzle game! super fun and cute, pretty difficult

toki tori - another puzzle game.

opus magnum - might be too complicated, but its code writing and building like an engine with parts

poly bridge - bridge building puzzle game that involves money / budgeting!

besieged - building game with missions (build catapults etc)

minecraft feed the beast edition - minecraft on steroids. bee husbandry, computer coding, engine building. the coding get is java, the bee stuff is genetics etc very cool version

kerbal space program - basically teaches you astronomy and the science behind spaceshuttles etc apparently it's so much fun you don't even know you're learning

hope this helped <3

ooo kerbal yeah! that's a good one!

but omg please no papers please for a 12yo it gave me NIGHTMARES :(

ROFL thank you!!! I had put together an email to my brother with everyone's recommendations so I will ADD THAT NOTE.

I know you've played CK2, have you ever played Europa Universalis IV??? The more I thought about CK2, I liked it as a non-science suggestion, but it's so complex and a little on the mature side, so I'm wondering if EU4 is more appropriate. :|a

What's MATURE about marrying yourself to yourself and putting your horse on the throne

i'm mostly thinking of the popup artwork of the lady that's like "hey you got a booty call and now you have a bastard that you might need to kill" but if he manages to figure out how to get a horse on the throne, then props to him

#GLITTERHOOF1417

i AM susceptible to nightmares and i had played it for 8 hours straight before going to bed, i'm just on the "idk if it's too mature" side.

i haven't played it, i'm sorry! :( i've always meant to but never got around to it. that reminds me, though -- i'm not sure how educational it is, but civ 5 is an RTS with some history?

Yeah I played papers please and got the ""best"" ending and was still like fuck I need an alcohol

i mean, they were already playing COD. at least you feel guilty in papers pls x.x

I mean, true, you do murder people in CoD, but you're generally supposed to be the Hero fighting the Bad Guys. Papers Please exists in a lot grayer sort of place where you decide, do I let this person with falsified papers through, even if they might be a terrorist, so I can take a bribe and feed my family. That's probably got some educational merit in a moral way, but it's pretty dark tonally. It probably depends on the kid. Plus, I may be in the minority, but I actually found the gameplay pretty tedious. Like, it was an interesting game conceptually, but the actual task of looking over papers to see if they had all the right stamps and numbers and whatever, was kind of boring. I know some people have played it so much they've memorized it all and never even need to consult the in game guide, but after one playthrough I was like well that was an experience, and I never played it again. It might not be the kind of thing a lot of kids have the patience for, though that still depends a lot on the kid and what kind of games they prefer.

Whenever I have parents who don't play games asking me about games, I always just tell them, when in doubt, to watch a few minutes from a few different lets plays on youtube and decide from there.

Definitely agreed. I thought Papers Please was boring as well but my fiance thought it was a blast??? He likes those kind of games though.

Right, like, I really enjoyed... what it was trying to do? And I wanted to finish it to see what was going on and everything, and see how it played out. But the actual mechanic was not a blast, which surprised me, because honestly I usually love kinda tedious stuff. I sit down to play Banished and four hours later I'm like, "Fuck what year is it?"

My favorite are those really REALLY highlights-type lame hidden object adventure games? With the static 2-d storyboard and really bad voice acting x.x

OOC CHATTER POST #9

"Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?

Re: "Educational" Game Recs?