Games suitable for children - an IFDB Poll
by Mike Sousa
RSS FeedMy 10 year old twins recently "discovered" IF. They fell in love with Grunk and are asking for more games to play. I've searched BAF and have some ideas, but figured I would give this poll a shot since there are hundreds and hundreds of games not yet tagged there.
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| Snack Time!, by Hardy the Bulldog and Renee Choba 9 votes "This Game Goes to the Dogs!" [+]"This Game Goes to the Dogs!: A cute game where you are a dog trying to get a snack from your "pet." It's a dog's life." --WriterBob... "Fun game with easy puzzles and a lot of personality." [+]"Fun game with easy puzzles and a lot of personality." ( ) --Molly... "You have to play this one if you're a dog-lover! " [+]"You have to play this one if you're a dog-lover! " () --J'onn Roger... "My six year old loved it!" [+]"My six year old loved it!" --vvanhee... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Ron Newcomb... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --VK... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --DJ... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol...  Vote for this game | |
| The Sleeping Princess, by Molly Engelberg, Alex Engelberg, and Mark Engelberg 6 votes "quick and fun, everybody should enjoy it!" [+]"quick and fun, everybody should enjoy it!" ( ) --Otto... "Easy puzzles, fairytale setting. Not too long." [+]"Easy puzzles, fairytale setting. Not too long." () --Juhana... "Well liked by kids" [+]"Well liked by kids: I tested this game along with several others in an Interactive Fiction class I ran for middle school kids. I tried to keep the test as unbiased as possible, and Sleeping Princess ended up testing particularly well. Also, version 2.0 includes an interactive tutorial for newcomers to IF." --puzzler... "Written for..." [+]"Written for beginning IF players; by children in cooperation with an adult. It's small, simple, and playful." --Emily Short... "I've got positive..." [+]"I've got positive responses from the kids I've shown this one to. It's quick and easy, but charming." --Emily Boegheim... (No comment) [+](No comment) --IFforL2... Vote for this game | |
| To Hell in a Hamper, by J. J. Guest 5 votes "Kids love the silliness of it" [+]"Kids love the silliness of it: My daughters (9 and 12) both had a great time with this game. Only took a couple of hours to play, and all of the ridiculous things they got out of Hubert's coat kept them laughing throughout. Plus the fact that it's a one-room game means they can just focus on the puzzles and not worry about mapping." --Jeff Sonas... "short, easy, silly, rewarding" [+]"short, easy, silly, rewarding" ( ) --kba... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Otto... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --DJ... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| A Bear's Night Out, by David Dyte 5 votes "I played, beat, and enjoyed this game as a kid so I don't see why yours wouldn't." [+]"I played, beat, and enjoyed this game as a kid so I don't see why yours wouldn't." ( ) --Zoe Victoria... "Clearly structured environments and geography, both whimsical and logical" [+]"Clearly structured environments and geography, both whimsical and logical: Clearly structured environments and geography, both whimsical and logical. While it uses some advanced vocabulary, there's also plenty of context, and the subject matter is immediately relevant and appealing for children." --RandomExile... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Dave Chapeskie... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Sobol... "I first played..." [+]"I first played this game in 2011, really enjoyed it, I was in the 4th or 5th grade at the time, can't remember wich exactly." --jlvp1234... Vote for this game | |
| Aotearoa, by Matt Wigdahl 5 votes "A very polished..." [+]"A very polished game with a 8 year old protagonist. Tons of fun!" --baywoof... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Karl Ove Hufthammer... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Sam Kabo Ashwell... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Wade Clarke... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Kinetic Mouse Car... Vote for this game | |
| Bronze, by Emily Short 4 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) --redlimit... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Ron Newcomb... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Otto... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Ghalev... Vote for this game | |
| Mrs. Pepper's Nasty Secret, by Jim Aikin and Eric Eve 4 votes "Great little story, perfect for a beginner!" [+]"Great little story, perfect for a beginner!: Clever puzzles, but impossible to make unwinnable. An interesting story that teaches many IF conventions." --Nathan... "Written for young..." [+]"Written for young players new to IF; introduces a lot of standard puzzle styles, with a storyline involving a rather quirky form of magic." --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Merk... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Rob Maule... Vote for this game | |
| Tales of the Traveling Swordsman, by Mike Snyder 4 votes "Perfect for kids" [+]"Perfect for kids: As the author I'm far from unbiased, but the game is probably the right challenge level for kids that age, and without any content that's only suitable to adults. No cursing, no dying, and an ending that should appeal." --Merk... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --DJ... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --IFforL2... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| Lost Pig, by Admiral Jota 4 votes "Kid Appropriate. Not super difficult." [+]"Kid Appropriate. Not super difficult.: This game is not very frustrating, especially once you find the Gnome. He helps out a lot. The humor and content are kid-friendly. You might possibly find the pants joke offensive, "Ok, Grunk take off pants."" ( ) --IFforL2... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Karl Ove Hufthammer... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Kinetic Mouse Car... Vote for this game | |
| Earth and Sky, by Paul O'Brian 4 votes "Great fun for kids" [+]"Great fun for kids: Awesome, particularly for comic book fans. I also recommend the rest of the trilogy." ( ) --Rose... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Otto... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --DJ... Vote for this game | |
| Wishbringer, by Brian Moriarty 4 votes "Fun and imaginative, not too hard." [+]"Fun and imaginative, not too hard.: Very forgiving puzzles, with alternative solutions. Hard to lose permanently. Light and entertaining." ( ) --Nathan... "Originally..." [+]"Originally written for younger players, and lots of fun." () --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --shornet... Vote for this game | |
| The Lost Islands of Alabaz, by Michael Gentry 3 votes "This has some..." [+]"This has some surface problems with old-school frustration, and might make some kids feel a little too packed in cotton-wool. But it's extensive, child-targeted, does a lot of work on hinting and has a generally high level of craft." ( - Full review) --Sam Kabo Ashwell... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --OtisTDog... Vote for this game | |
| Nellan is Thirsty, by Furman H. Smith 3 votes "Easy enough, one main puzzle, simple map. Targeted at children." [+]"Easy enough, one main puzzle, simple map. Targeted at children.: Also note that there is a modern version called Thirsty Nellan, with graphics: http://www.mobygames.com/game/thirsty-nellan" --Fredrik Ramsberg... "Simple, user-friendly, and yet makes you think." [+]"Simple, user-friendly, and yet makes you think." --roboman... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Anthony Hope... Vote for this game | |
| Winter Wonderland, by Laura Knauth 3 votes "You play as a kid in this one with a fairytale setting. If your kids enjoy the classics they'll like this one." [+]"You play as a kid in this one with a fairytale setting. If your kids enjoy the classics they'll like this one." ( ) --Zoe Victoria... "Christmas/Solstice-themed..." [+]"Christmas/Solstice-themed adventure with some charming imagery, although a couple of puzzles might prove tricky." --Gemma Bristow... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --DJ... Vote for this game | |
| Mother Loose, by Irene Callaci 2 votes "The puzzles are..." [+]"The puzzles are tricky, so may require adult help, but the game pulls together several different Mother Goose rhymes." --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| Seastalker, by Stu Galley, Jim Lawrence 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) --shornet... Vote for this game | |
| Santa's Sleigh Ride, by Molly Geene 2 votes "Good for the younger of the younglings." [+]"Good for the younger of the younglings." ( - Full review) --Ghalev... "Disclaimer: I..." [+]"Disclaimer: I wrote this game. I wrote it with children in mind and the game shouldn't be too hard." --Molly... Vote for this game | |
| Six, by Wade Clarke 2 votes "I played this as a kid, and I absolutely loved it!" [+]"I played this as a kid, and I absolutely loved it!" --Xylah... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Karl Ove Hufthammer... Vote for this game | |
| The Tin Mug, by Alice E. Wells, Sia See and Jkj Yuio 2 votes "The adventures of..." [+]"The adventures of a tin mug in a kitchen. If I were to place this game, it is definitely reserved for younger elementary school aged kids. It occurred to me that toddlers are probably not going to be playing interactive fiction, but one idea I had was almost to use it a bedtime story. Perhaps read it out loud. It has a few storybook-like illustrations. Nothing fancy but they work well with the game's theme. And it may resonate with older elementary school kids. It's up to them whether this game is their cup of tea. " ( - Full review) --Kinetic Mouse Car... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Karl Ove Hufthammer... Vote for this game | |
| The Chasing, by Anssi Räisänen 2 votes "Your seven white horses have escaped from the stable!" [+]"Your seven white horses have escaped from the stable!: I reviewed this in full on the game's own page." ( - Full review) --Ron Newcomb... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Eric Mayer... Vote for this game | |
| Guess the Verb!, by Leonard Richardson 1 vote "Fun for all ages..." [+]"Fun for all ages (I know, I know, but this time that cliché is actually true), has a kid protagonist, and the puzzles are probably the right difficulty." ( ) --Christina Nordlander... Vote for this game | |
| Journey from an Islet, by Mario Becroft 1 vote "Magical, short and enchanting." [+]"Magical, short and enchanting.: The puzzles rely on blissful imagination and playful experimentation. Reads like a bedtime story. " ( ) --Audiart... Vote for this game | |
| Mortlake Manor, by Ben Chenoweth 1 vote "Can't die, but with mazes and a ghost!" [+]"Can't die, but with mazes and a ghost!: This was written with pre-teens in mind: you cannot die and you cannot get to a point where you can't win. But there are mazes and a ghost..." --Ben Chenoweth... Vote for this game | |
| Captain Verdeterre's Plunder, by Ryan Veeder 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --CMG... Vote for this game | |
| Molly and the Butter Thieves, by Alice Grove (as Cosmic Hamster) 1 vote "Easy, very well written fairytale. Great locations." [+]"Easy, very well written fairytale. Great locations." ( - Full review) --Rovarsson... Vote for this game | |
| Arrival, or Attack of the B-Movie Clichés, by Stephen Granade 1 vote "The B-movie..." [+]"The B-movie references will probably go over their heads, but there's plenty more jokes that will be funny to everyone." --Molly... Vote for this game | |
| The Lonely Troll, by Amanda Walker 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Kinetic Mouse Car... Vote for this game | |
| Llama Adventure, by John Cooney 1 vote "Hilarious, short and easy. Also nice is how keywords are highlighted/colored, to give you an idea of what you can/should type." [+]"Hilarious, short and easy. Also nice is how keywords are highlighted/colored, to give you an idea of what you can/should type." --J'onn Roger... Vote for this game | |
| The Enterprise Incidents, by Brian Desilets 1 vote "A fun, successful example of a game written especially for kids" [+]"A fun, successful example of a game written especially for kids" --Merk... Vote for this game | |
| mr. leg needs some milk, by amelia tsukum 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Kinetic Mouse Car... Vote for this game | |
| Dragon Adventure, by William Stott 1 vote "Aimed at 9 years and up, delightful at any age." [+]"Aimed at 9 years and up, delightful at any age." ( ) --Ghalev... Vote for this game | |
| Thingimijig, by Neil James Brown 1 vote "Short and sweet" [+]"Short and sweet: A cute game about finishing a school project. Reasonably easy if you are familiar with IF." ( - Full review) --Rose... Vote for this game | |
| Stranded, by Jim Bayers 1 vote "Educational game..." [+]"Educational game written for kids." --David Welbourn... Vote for this game | |
| SPACE FROG!, by npckc 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Kinetic Mouse Car... Vote for this game | |
| El libro que se aburría, by Antonia Visiedo (Jenesis) 1 vote "The only Spanish..." [+]"The only Spanish game for kids that I know of. Great for learning how to use a standard Spanish parser." --IFforL2... Vote for this game | |
| Draculaland, by Robin Johnson 1 vote "I've played this..." [+]"I've played this game with my 8 year old nephew no fewer than 3 times. He loves it. It gave him a taste for parser games, and we went on to play many more with more traditional interfaces." ( - Full review) --J. J. Guest... Vote for this game | |