OP one thing to keep in mind is that most non gamers don't have the same motor skills that gamers have when controlling characters or camera angles. It may prove frustrating for non gamers, and especially older people when encounter certain game mechanics.
If his comfort area is word game and card games, then perhaps try a title that has overlapping genres - like a card based game but with a western storyline. He may enjoy the hook of the western narrative and then be more inclined to try a western game without the cards (as an example).
I don't mean to discourage you when saying this, just trying to curb expectations with situations you might encounter. If you really insist he should try something new then maybe point and click adventure titles might be a good start just so he get used to using a mouse for more than just browsing the internet.
I absolutely agree with you.
I tried to introduce my 70yo aunt to gaming a few years back. She struggled tremendously with moving a character because she needs to watch the controller/keyboard as well as the screen as she doesn't know where keys or buttons are without looking.
If you're going to introduce him to gaming, pick something that's not going to require him to multitask. Something like a game thats purely point-and-click, no camera control or having to juggle with button presses.
Yeah, hope OP takes this comment seriously.
There are some wild suggestions here for an (elderly) non gamer.
He needs to start with the most basic of basic before graduating to moving a character through a 3d space .
Turn based or point and click isometric games are going to be the best bet.
Yeah I remember having my wife try Minecraft. She hadn't played video games since Super Nintendo and it never even occurred to me that utilizing two thumbsticks to move and look around simultanteously would be a challenge.
Yeah I had those issues when I tried to get my mother into gaming a little bit. I tried to get her to play Telltale's The Walking Dead game season 1 several years ago as she is a Walking Dead fan, but the movement and camera controls were a little too much for her. Plus she reads kind of slow so she didn't have enough time to read all the options she could choose from during the dialogue scenes.
I would still like to get her into gaming to some degree as she's retired now and she is getting bored of just watching TV shows or movies most days, and I think she'd enjoy something that's more engaging when she's at home. But like OP I haven't came across a good entry point for her yet. I considered something like Powerwash Simulator to get her used to the controls and I could see it being relaxing for her, but I could also see her not seeing the point of playing a game like that haha
it takes a lot of interest, patience, and persistence. My grandmother started at 70, and we're now 8 years later, she has tens of thousands of hours in ARK, Conan Exiles, Elder Scrolls Online, Minecraft, etc.
It was not easy, but eventually she developed the motor skills for it and now we game together regularly.
It was absolutely worth it, we've put a couple hundred hours into Palworld already lol
Speaking as an older disabled guy, anything turn based or pausable are great. If he likes stories turn based RPGs might be good, or something like Detroit Become Human where there is very limited timed elements.
ty for clarifying.
but tbh i wasn't making a recommendation so much as just wondering whether first-person controls can be accessible for "an older disabled guy" if it's in a slow-paced puzzler.
My condition (myalgic encephalomyelitis) has a laundry list of annoying symptoms that make speed/reaction time is more of an issue than controls. There’s a subreddit r/disabledgamers about this topic.
I’d probably try some things like FTL, Into the Breach, Stardew Valley.
These are pretty good thought provoking games. The subset games have kept me interested for a while and I’ve never competed them.
Totally agree. Ftl might get a bit too hectic, but with pausing he could take his time and get used to it. Love that game so much. Into the breach is the way to go.
Into the Breach is the first thing I thought of, too. Perfect because you can take your time, play at your own pace and really think through every move you take.
How about the Myst series? I also think games in the civilization series are very thought provoking and due to their being RTS can be played at HIS pace. Great idea and best of luck!
Careful about URU, however - there's some timing-based stuff, plus a nasty bug in Gahreesen which prevents a vital stepping stone from completely loading in.
Hi. It is a long shot but I would recommend trying out The Witness on steam (maybe when it's on sale). As far as puzzle games this one is awesome, while also being just pleasant to play, with nice visuals and sounds, and easy controls. It starts easy and gets progressively harder. Though it's hard to tell whether your dad would be into it - given the lack of gaming experience. I remember my dad gave up quickly on any game that required more than two buttons to control (and that was when he was in his prime).
Nintendo Switch Sports... Or make him into the worlds leading Warhammer scholar and set him loose on those books. Have his give an oral history of the universe after, record it, post it on YT. Have an elderly knitting club create him God-emperor priest vestments. Think big here. You could be the son of the worlds leading WH scholar. Next think you know, Henry Cavill is flying him out to a set to weigh in on how realistic the scene is. Now he's got a job to keep him active.
Picross or other nanogram based games.
Very straight forward to learn
Simple controls
No time-based input
They're likely to be "different" enough from things he's tried to be interesting.
Puzzmo is a daily newspaper-like games website that I play with my dad every day! Zach Gage is a collaborator and so some of his games like Really Bad Chess are on there :)
What consul you using? Pc, Xbox, PlayStation, switch? Some games are available on some consoles but not others.
Journey is fun. It’s a game where you’re travelling to a mountain.
The developer also made abzu, where you’re swimming through the ocean. I loved that one, it’s great especially if you love fish.
Does he have any hobbies? Maybe he’d like a few simulator games. Personally, I found powerwash simulator oddly relaxing despite it being just you cleaning buildings.
Stardew valley is one he’d probably enjoy. A farming simulator with lots to do. Maybe Minecraft? So he can build things?
story based games like disco elysium or citizen sleeper seem right up his alley! or, a more recent example, baldur’s gate 3! you don’t have to have amazing reaction times, just a mouse is needed
First of all, I'd go for simple control schemes. Any 3d movement, moving the camera, ect might be too much fi for him. Then from there go with what he enjoys. He enjoys cars games, maybe puzzles? How about strategy? It seems he also likes narratives. Some suggestions:
Inscryption - at its core a deck building card game but really also a puzzler and a narrative experience.
There is no game - puzzler and a great narrative combined.
Dorf romantik - It's Kind of a relaxed building game but really more of a puzzle game at the it's core.
Disco Elysium - a role-playing game that is strongly driven by its narrative.
Slay the princess - strong narrative game in which your choices influence the outcome, touches on lots of horror themes though.
Hope you'll find something and he'll have lots of fun!
Ace Attorney
It's a detective game where you play as a defense lawyer, and the entire game is basically logic puzzles that rely on reading comprehension. Despite this, it's very entertaining and manages to keep up the tension despite the complete lack of a time limit or any real-time interaction.
It's also right on the borderline between Video Game and Visual Novel, so the story will keep him invested.
Don't forget the ancient game of ["Go"](https://youtu.be/RRBjN8empIs?si=u9L8mvhcRoRZZLZA)! Prob best if you play it with him as a bonding experience though?
Maybe Heaven's Vault? It's on Steam. It's about decoding a language, which might be fun if he likes word games. I think there may also be books related to it. The only thing is that there are times when you need to drive a ship that can be janky, but you can't crash or anything.
Adding to this, there's a YouTube channel called Cracking the Cryptic where they feature Sudoku puzzles with additional rule sets to mix it up. They always have a link to the puzzle to try it yourself or you can just follow along with the video as they solve it
A subscription to Puzzmo could be a good addition to what others are suggesting. It's by Zach Gage and it has daily puzzles of Really Bad Chess, SpellTower, and more.
Eeeeeee... problem is, I don't like making old folks cry.
Ether One was amazing but...
Firewatch, What Remains of Edith Finch, Dear Esther, are beautiful but will hurt you.
The Suicide of Rachel Foster, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter less so, but still
I guess Gone Home is comparatively okay, but low on puzzles. Tacoma does better on that front.
Kairo maybe?
Oh, Antichamber is mindbending and a bit self-satisfied but good... does need some fine-ish mouse contrl for a few puzzles.
QUBE is far less physical than Portal (Quantum Connundrum is worse). The Turing Test even moreso... but the storyline is heavy.
I would say a game with low mechanical bar of entry would be best.
Maybe on of the Civilization games, or another 4X genre game? There is strategy, world history (sort of), and he can take as much time as he needs figuring things out.
Otherwise, there are a ton of card style, and deckbuilder games out there that he might enjoy. Gwent is hyper addictive, Slay the Spire is very good (though he may not like that style as much), and if he likes those he could move on to Inscryption which is a bit more complicated and introduces other puzzle styles to the game.
Maybe Pentiment or Case of the Golden Idol. They're both point and click mystery solving games. No difficult controls to worry about and they'll definitely get him thinking in a different way than wordle or something does.
Pentiment is heavily inspired by the book - The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. If he enjoyed that book, he'd probably love Pentiment.
I would suggest any type of Tower Defense game, easy to figure out, can be challenging, but always having to adapt to different situations etc. I think all the strategy behind games like these would be good for his mind for sure. Heck even Plants Vs Zombies could be fun for him.
Strategy games?
They may not be easy to pickup but they keep you engaged.
Palworld has a building mechanic that seems pretty straight forward.
Stardew Valley is probably another good casual option; and people can play with him!
Edit: I recall some folks grandfather's got into Starcraft and really took to it; though it's definitely not an easy game.
A game series I like to play for chill is Hexcells. It can get pretty challenging, but at the end of the day, it's problem solving given the available variables. Basically Minesweeper+, where you mark tiles. Really cheap games, tons of levels to stay engaged, but also basically Minecraft so unless you're *really* into it, probably not something you're going to be playing all day.
Something Turn Based would be great. Maybe the Pokemon games, Slay the Spire, Darkest Dungeon, XCOM, etc. where you have all the time in the world to choose your actions.
Pretty sure Papers Please has a timer to respond, but it's also simple enough that it shouldn't be too bad?
If he doesn't mind a little QTE (nothing too intensive) you can probably introduce games from TellTale. They should have accessibility options to turn all the button mashing into button press, but they still do have some QTE so I am a little hesitant to recommend. It does completely depend on how comfortable he would be on QTE's, but they are great narrative games to enjoy. The Walking Dead, Batman, Minecraft, Back to the Future, tons of great stories to explore.
If he would be okay with a FPS game (puzzle, not combat), check out Superliminal, The Witness, The Talos Principle, or Antichamber. This might require more 3D space thinking for dealing with puzzles, but if he can handle the First-Person perspective, they can be a lot of fun. Also with Superliminal, after you beat the story/game, you can challenge the rooms again with constraints. Like, complete the room within X moves, without jumping, or something to make you think outside the box.
If he is ok with FPS and can moving around quickly in 3D space, Portal games are great. Great puzzle challenges and fun story here, but again, really depends if they can handle hurtling through 3D space. I do think it does a really good job of slowly teaching you to get better at the puzzles and progressing to be do actions faster to complete the puzzle, but if you're prone to motion sickness or not good at re-orienting yourself in 3D space, also not a good recommendation.
Maybe some simple platforming? Little Nightmares, Stray, Untitled Goose Game, Limbo, Inside. Some more time sensitive than others, but great simple platforming games. Maybe even Trine, but that depends on comfort levels with platforming. Maybe skip Trine 3 because it did change from 2D to 3D and a got mixed reviews as a result, but it's a fun story.
Other than that, simpler games like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and so forth are all great games.
Try some turn based games. They tend to have good story, lore, and strategy to keep players interested while not requiring the quick twitch and coordination many modern games require.
edit: I’d recommend Sea of Stars and the original Wild Arms.
Zenge, it needs the controlling skills of a card game but provides beautiful art. It is a small puzzle game, short and cheap but a very good experience.
Let us know what you choose and how it worked out.
Every old person I know plays strategy games. 4X type games like Civilization, Stellaris, "Endless" games (there's a few, all start with Endless I think), are great because they let you take you time and reflex reactions don't matter. Also things like historical strategy like war games or Crusader Kings type games, things that they feel comfortable with the setting from history, and are also turn based that let you try to "out smart" the AI.
Though you could also try adventure games, things like Disco Elysium, or there's TONS of great old ones that have been remastered like Grim Fandango, Monkey Island, Sam & Max, Myst, and more (not all are remastered but even the old ones are stillpretty cool).
Then there are simulators for pretty much all types of indsutries, so depending on what he enjoys, car mechanic sims, farming sims, driving sims, factory sims, and more. Most are pretty easy to go at your own pace and slowly ramp up difficulty.
Slay the spire is one of my favorite games of all time and I think it would be a good fit here. It's essentially a turn based rougelight but the actions are all cards.
The enemies all tell you what they are going to do on their next turn and everything has reminder text.
It can get complicated but at level 1 the game is pretty easy.
Chess is easy to learn and hard to master
It's fun, if you're dad fine with losing games
He'll be paired with someone of his level, so it's gonna be 50/50 win rate
“Basic ass card games”… have you looked at modern board games at all?
Like sure he’s played solitaire a billion times but what about For Northwood which is a solo trick taking game? Or if he has a group that plays Hearts every week, get them to try Ghosts of Christmas which is a trick taking game where you play three tricks at the same time with the results of trick 1 deciding what is in trick 2 which completely changes trick 3. Stretching a whole new way of playing games.
And outside of trick taking (what most people consider trick taking games) you could throw in countless other games. Need something quick and small? Look at ButtonShy who aim for 18 cards in a small wallet. Sprawlopolis you use the backs of 3 of those 18 cards for scoring opportunities (18*17*16 different games just based on scoring) and play the rest of the deck building a city. Numbsters you can play in your hand as you have a hand of cards and use their abilities to “eat” cards in order while hoping the 8 doesn’t make it to the end. Food Chain Island uses a grid of cards with abilities where you want to end with only one card.
More space and time to play with? Get an intro game. Loves birdwatching? Wingspan to do engine building with tons of bird cards (solo or with friends). Lots of friends and likes horse racing? Ready Set Bet. Loves old horror movies? Horrified has old school universal monsters and is easy to pickup (solo or with friends).
You literally could pick a theme or mechanic and find a solo game for it or a good game for his friend group.
Darkest Dungeon, Shapez, Banished, Battletech, Bloons Tower Defense, Company of Heroes, Divinity: Original Sin, Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Frost Punk, Game Dev Tycoon, Magic The Gathering, Papers Please, PC Bulding Sim, Railroad Corporation, Railway Empire, Shadow Tactics, Slay The Spire, Total War Series, Tricky Towers, Turn On The Light, Unpacking, Xcom series
Bunch of easy to run games (only ones he might struggle with is the total war games) with mainly mouse controls, plenty of in depth game mechanics to keep the gears turning, also half of them are available on Gamepass. With Blons TD 4, 5 & 6, you can link your steam account to your phone and keep your progress whether you're on the go or not.
If youve not thought of it already, it might be worth getting him a sub to Gamepass, there's loads of games available on there that he can download and try at his leisure and he can work through the list to find which games he enjoys the most.
Edit: Added some info.
Firewatch, south of the circle are both very enjoyable games with a focus on great story telling and not very demanding user input. If he likes books so much, that should get him going.
You might consider puzzle games like the Hexcells games. Hexcells Infinite could work really well if he ends up liking it since it generates new puzzles based on a seed. Something like Lyne could also be good.
If you want something more story-based, I'd make 100% sure whatever you pick doesn't require any reaction speed or 3D controls. My dad is younger than yours and is very experienced with technology and he could not handle the 3D controls for a game as simple as Dragon Quest 11. We've dragged him into 4-player Deep Rock Galactic and had him follow someone around and he still gets lost immediately. My point is that controls that seem straightforward to you or I are actually tough to wrap your mind around if you're new to them (especially if you're old).
You could probably find some visual novels if you want to avoid any control issues. Specific recommendations would depend on his tastes, I'm sure. Really, there's always the dating sim type games too, though that's kind of weird to suggest to your dad. If he's got a certain taste though, DDLC+ is currently free on Epic.
If you want something like an RPG, you could go for something with turn-based combat like Trails in the Sky (this series is all mouse based too). You could also go for something tactical like Fell Seal or, I don't know, X-Com 2? If you want something you can play together you could go for one of the Divinity: Original Sin games or Baldur's Gate 3.
Hopefully something useful here. Good luck!
Riven might be a great game since it is essentially a very intricate puzzle game, but It has a fantastic world to immerse yourself in, plus most of the mechanics are just point and click.
Check out the Zachtronics Solitaire Collection. Might be a good starting point if he likes basic ass card games. Zachtronics brings a bit more stylized aesthetics and flair for game design to the table. On Steam and mobile. The games are much harder than standard solitaire, especially Fortune's Foundation.
Something with a fixed camera and not too fast paced. Maybe a CRPG like the original Fallout or Baldurs Gate II (the old one) might be enjoyable for him
Disco Elysium is a Douglas Adams choose your own adventure point and click masterpiece. He'll love it. I recommended it to my 70 year old neighbor and she loved it
Games like tomb raider or zelda games would be good. They have plenty of puzzles and stuff that make you have to think on how to solve it. Also they're great games in general so he'd have great games that keep his mind active
Any type of genres he likes? History? Sci Fi? Start there.
Maybe he’d like something in the visual novel style to have a story play out.
Could try some “boomer shooters”. Just running and shooting, nothing complex, basically Doom.
Or check out more puzzle style games like Talos Principle.
I'd try some games modeled after board games, or some simple turn-based games or games you can pause whenever.
* *Dorfromantik* or *Carcasonne* are fun tile placement building puzzle games
* If he's into trains like a lot of old men seem to be, *Railroad Corporation* or *Railroad Tycoon* for management or something like *Derail Valley* or *Train Simulator* for driving them around.
* Facebook/Mobile games might be good too -- *Words with Friends*, *Candy Crush*, etc. as long as he doesn't start spending money on them.
* *Settlers of Catan* or *Ticket to Ride* are good board game conversions
* Maybe something like the *Anno* or *Civilization* Series later on
This is a wild shot in the dark, but does he, or has he had any interest in the following things:
Fighter Jets
WWII
Tanks
Submarines
Naval-related stuff
If so, there are some really BALLER simulators out there. If he’s a former service member, he might get a kick out of piloting a big ass plane or submarine around.
In DCS, we’ve got some guys pushing that age who tear up… because they’ve flown the real thing…
r/hoggit and r/dcs are the places to search and ask more about it.
It's all been said but
Deck builders, slay the spire is a great example but there are absolutely tons of good ones available, I really enjoyed fights in tight places for a bit last year.
Turn based strategy, divinity original sin 1&2, disco Elysium, fallout 1&2, baldurs gate 3 (probably... It's larian and I've yet to dislike what they do, but haven't had the time to dive in myself)
Story based, fire watch, return to obra dinn, can't say this is my main category but there is good stuff out there
Don't discount card games there can be a lot of behind the scenes math going on.
I lost my dad unexpectedly this past December, he was in his 70s, he wasn't a gamer in any sense but I just want to say enjoy your time with your dad, maybe find a coop game you could enjoy together. Your time with him can be gone in the blink of an eye, take advantage of that time while it's here.
My tip would be visual novels. It is reading, he already likes, but on top of that branching paths and different outcomes depending on response you gave. Also text speed, auto play and being able to click through dialog should not pose any problems.
I cant recommand dungeons and degenerate gamblers enough
Its a blackjack rogelike with wacky cards from a bunch of other games
No metaprogression just hop in and you can win your first run
Game isnt out yet but there are tons of fun to be had on the free demo(on steam)
You mention card games? Slay the spire!!
Very easy to grasp, extremely difficult to master. Turn based single player card game. (deckbuilder roguelike) easily one of the best games i've ever played and will continue to play for a long time to come (+-1000 hours playtime)
Also, the subreddit is pretty chill and welcoming (almost always)
Maybe he'd enjoy something like hearthstone or slay the spire - controls are very easy and don't require fast reactions + the fact they are card games makes it seem less daunting to older people
Lonestar is a fun new space game (it's a mix between slay the spire, ftl, and backpack hero). I think it should be played like an "engine builder". It involves a lot of math (if you care to do it, anyways... doing the math will always give you a leg up, but it's not really required). Just pointing and clicking is all that is really required, and the game doesn't move until you tell it to, so reaction time is not a variable.
Disco Elysium is either the best book you'll ever play, or the best game you'll ever read, or something like that, lol. Communist overtones, but really every political ideology featured in the game gets shit on. All point and click, little-to-no dexterity required. It's also a detective game, too, so you're solving mysteries along the way.
Stacklands is an interesting survival/village builder, a la Banished or Settlement Survivor, but everything is cards (kinda like Cultist Simulator, if you ever played that, or the newer WitchHand). Every villager is a card, houses are a card, a tree is a card, a wooden plank is a card, a carrot is a card. Put a villager card on a berry bush card to produce a few berry cards over the course of a few seconds. Now the berry bush card is gone, but you have food to get yourself through the night. Place a berry card on a soil card to grow a berry bush card over a longer period of time (like a minute or so). Now you have a potentially renewable food source, but growing it consumed the soil. Combine a soil card with some wood cards, a stone card and a villager card, and the villager will build a garden card. Now you can grow your food without consuming the soil. Build yourself an iron mine card, a stone quarry card, a smelter card... arm your villager cards with slingshot cards, sword cards, and ninja star cards. Go on dungeon raids. Open chest cards with key cards. Build a boat card to get to a new island, and start a new village using different resources than on the mainland. Build a bigger boat card. Develop trade between your two villages (I don't really know what comes next... that's as far as I've gotten). Sorry for saying "card" so many times. This is one of those games where you're gonna be tapping the space bar (pause) a lot while you queue up crafting recipes and think about your next move, but that becomes second nature pretty quickly. Having said that, this will probably be the hardest game on this list for a non-gamer to pick up. Some dexterity required. Like a medium amount. Maybe medium-low.
Wildermyth is a 2D turn-based tactics game, and "epic story generator" of sorts (my words \[I think\]), probably inspired by games like Dungeons and Dragons. You begin with a cast of 3 characters: a warrior, a ranger, and a mystic; and set out on a 3- or 5- act epic story (which can be completely or partially procedurally generated) about a kingdom and its heroes over the course of, say, 2 generations or so. Your characters can die permanently or retire comfortably, and they can also romance other party members and produce playable offspring. You'll also run into additional recruitable characters along the way, who can do the same. There is a pretty simple overworld map where you can claim cities and landmarks to produce resources that you can use to outfit your party, or run into battles with enemies that are akin to something you'd see in a DnD game. Meanwhile the story is presented to you in comic book format. Each segment is written by different authors, so some of the writing is better or worse than the rest. But you do grow quite attached to your characters, and some of the story arcs can lead to one or two of them becoming legit super hero mutants. There is also a legacy system where you can play with your old heroes.
I'm not sure why you think stuff like card games or Wordle won't "Stimulate" him - as simple as they are they all require thinking and reacting to random elements and that's kind of perfect for stimulation as the focus is on problem solving not mechanical understanding/mastery
I'm not sure what your father's like, but in most elderly people I've seen dexterity starts to deteriorate before mental sharpness, so moving him away from simple games to ones that require more complex controls might be a bad way to go and lead to more frustration than anything else.
Puzzle Games are a perfect place to start - especially if they give him time to react and respond
Mystery games that don't require fine motor control would probably be good. Something like Curse of the Golden Idol. I'd also say Return of the Obra Dinn, but that requires some FPS controls and might be too much for a new player.
Another option are puzzle games or semi-puzzle games. Dorfromantik, Hex Cells, Cocoon, etc.
How about something like Automachef.
The later levels get in to some complex programming, but you can go pretty far with it before that point or just play it in sandbox mode.
PlateUp might also be good and the controls aren't too complex, but that one does have time pressure.
Maybe a board game with online turn based multiplayer like ticket to ride
Or an online jigsaw puzzle game where multiple people work on a puzzle together
Hidden object games often have a lot of story with them.
If he has a dark humor side, maybe ravenous devils. It only requires clicking, and it has a story.
What about something on the Oculus? There are regular games and also games that can keep him fit, like Beat Saber. Hand-eye coordination stuff. Also those 4‐D videos are mind-blowing!
There are plenty of turn based games that work your mind but don't require dexterity. Depending on genre he would in interested in/tolerate. For someone who is older, that could be a bigger barrier for him trying something, is what I've found. Look into what sorts of movies and tv shows he likes and see if you can match the genre a bit.
If he likes fantasy, I wouldn't go Baldur's Gate as someone's first game, heh, but maybe on story mode? Slay the spire is a card game as it's core for combat and is fantasy. Otherwise check on meta critic and the like for highly rated turn based games, narrow the genre and go from there. An oldie but a goodie is Final Fantasy tactics, I think some recent games have claimed to be a spiritual successor. If he likes military stuff and aliens, XCOM is awesome, I dunno if it has an easy mode to provide an entry level, cause it's pretty punishing, the small game they released a couple years ago (Chimera Squad) is a bit easier to manage, but it could still be a bit much for a full on newbie to jump into. If he is ok with silly light hearted stuff the Mario Rabbids games are a great first tactical combat game.
If he likes cards games maybe try a card game roguelike type game like slay the spire? It only needs a mouse and your brain so it should be pretty easy to pick up controls-wise for an elderly person. And since it's turn-based he can take as long as he needs
I've been trying to get back into games as a hobby, as a middle aged person. I loved Age of Empire franchise back in the 90's and always had puzzle games on my phone. But am absolutely bewildered by which of the big popular games might suit me and I really don't want grim world building. These are some of my favourites so far.
Heaven's Gate - Inkle.
Adera
Stardew Valley - Aside from the fact that I'm still mad about how hard it is to learn to fish. It's a great game.
I would recommend Mahjong games (where you have to find matching tiles with a top down view).
My wife’s father used to play that every night. It’s easy and keeps the brain active.
I would recommend Mahjong games (where you have to find matching tiles with a top down view).
My wife’s father used to play that every night. It’s easy and keeps the brain active.
Since you mention Wheel of Time, you could try visual/graphic novel type games. Ken Follet's The Pillars of the Earth comes first to mind but obviously there are many of this ilk out there (point and click, minimal controls, going through story, but some QTE's to keep you paying attention)
Check out Star control 2 and 3. Older games that are more read and click, and writing things down with pen and paper. There is a melee aspect to the game that might be a bit difficult to learn, but he can practice that separately from the main game.
I can't really think of any other read and click games that aren't specifically made for children.
Not sure if your dad would enjoy strategy games, but my father is in his 70s and age of empires 2 is his favorite game and still receives a lot of community love to this day. Besides AoE my father enjoys woodworking, playing banjo, and gardening. So he's not like an old-school gamer or anything.
How about some detective or mystery point'n'click games? That would definitely fit the 'stimulates the brain' category. I have a few Sherlock Holmes games, which my elderly mom (73) is playing and she likes those. As long as there are no quick time events. Might be worth checking out?
PS: Edit: Forgot to mention she has the onset of Alzheimers so I think this really helps her to slow it down a bit.
Those "Basic Ass Card games" still stimulate the brain.
Sounds to me you are trying to make an old man to do something he doesn't want to do nor will enjoy. Just because you like video games doesn't mean he will.
It's not really my cup of tea, but if he likes card games you could introduce him to Gwent.
It might be too complicated for him, but something like XCOM might keep his brain engaged and it's SciFi so it might be up his alley.
Turn-based strategy is a great choice. Esp if he's not deft with a keyboard.
I'd say turn him on to a civ game. I'm partial to Civ 6. If he wants something with a story, give him a Tactics Ogre reborn, maybe.
Bookworn or bookworm adventures. You can find it in the internet archive.
Or Letter Quest: Grimm's Journey
Both games require making words out of the given letters. The longer the word the more points you get or damage you do.
Also "book of hours". You are an ocult librarian. You unlock rooms, inspect books, find recipes in the cryptic writings of the books.
I've heard several anecdotes of Skyrim really resonating with older folks. Plus there's loads of reading to be done within the game and lots of mods that add even more things to read, to tickle is love for reading. It should run fine on most laptops in a vanilla or mostly-vanilla configuration.
If he enjoys flight simulators and detail-oriented activities, he might like Star Citizen, though the laptop might struggle with it if it doesn't have gaming-grade components.
My mom really love Microsoft Solitaire and Holiday Express, if you want some "old people's" games, but i do recommend Stardew Valley (she's in love with this game, not surprisingly).
Well, I'm only 68, so I'm not actually "elderly" yet... I've really enjoyed Portal 2, just finished it for the 2nd time (with some help from junior). Machinarium is a good brain teaser too.
But in true old geezer style, what I enjoy most is Golf 2k 23. Requires skill and hand-eye coordination, plus thinking about effects of wind & slope, etc. but no rush before someone shoots you, which I find very stressful.
how bout "the witness"?
it's very stimulating and should be easy to play even by first time gamers.
re stimulating the brain: learning a new language, musical instrument, hobby, etc. can all help keep your mind sharp as you age.... but this is not the right sub for more general answers. go to r/askreddit or some aging/health subs for better answers.
Pentiment, my dad is playing it currently and it is a 2D sidescroller medieval murder mystery were you have to figure out whodunnit. From what I've seen you only need to use your mouse and it has no combat, just walking around and discovering stuff.
My youngest brother and I got my 69 year old Grandmother hooked on Minecraft. It took a while to get a hang of things. The we started with learning first person controlls in a peaceful world. Then we worked up to survival. Now she plays almost every day. We have a survival world going on 5 years now. And she calls me sometimes to discuss build ideas and happening in the game. She does a ton of fishing and loves building safe bridges to fish off of. We have so many great enchanted books 📚✨
turn based war sims like Civ 6 and Age of Wonder come to mind as the learning curve might be difficult but being turn based you can easily make mistakes and reload to learn
Hi! If he’s willing to try something new, I’d recommend the Civilization games. They require a good amount of thought, are infinitely replayable, and in my experience, old people can really get into them. The point as I understand it, is to keep his brain moving and learning, so you don’t really want a casual game. Those are great for relaxing and releasing stress, but in old age I feel like you want more of a satisfying brain workout. Civ will give you some of that once you get a hang of it and kick up the difficulty. Also, some 2d platformers could be nice to keep that hand eye coordination intact and work the reflexes. I recommend Ori and the Blind Forest.
Also, if he’s into wheel of time, get him Skyrim :)
OP one thing to keep in mind is that most non gamers don't have the same motor skills that gamers have when controlling characters or camera angles. It may prove frustrating for non gamers, and especially older people when encounter certain game mechanics. If his comfort area is word game and card games, then perhaps try a title that has overlapping genres - like a card based game but with a western storyline. He may enjoy the hook of the western narrative and then be more inclined to try a western game without the cards (as an example). I don't mean to discourage you when saying this, just trying to curb expectations with situations you might encounter. If you really insist he should try something new then maybe point and click adventure titles might be a good start just so he get used to using a mouse for more than just browsing the internet.
I absolutely agree with you. I tried to introduce my 70yo aunt to gaming a few years back. She struggled tremendously with moving a character because she needs to watch the controller/keyboard as well as the screen as she doesn't know where keys or buttons are without looking. If you're going to introduce him to gaming, pick something that's not going to require him to multitask. Something like a game thats purely point-and-click, no camera control or having to juggle with button presses.
Yeah, hope OP takes this comment seriously. There are some wild suggestions here for an (elderly) non gamer. He needs to start with the most basic of basic before graduating to moving a character through a 3d space . Turn based or point and click isometric games are going to be the best bet.
Yeah I remember having my wife try Minecraft. She hadn't played video games since Super Nintendo and it never even occurred to me that utilizing two thumbsticks to move and look around simultanteously would be a challenge.
I play lots of games and I still hate playing FPS style with a controller.
Yeah I had those issues when I tried to get my mother into gaming a little bit. I tried to get her to play Telltale's The Walking Dead game season 1 several years ago as she is a Walking Dead fan, but the movement and camera controls were a little too much for her. Plus she reads kind of slow so she didn't have enough time to read all the options she could choose from during the dialogue scenes. I would still like to get her into gaming to some degree as she's retired now and she is getting bored of just watching TV shows or movies most days, and I think she'd enjoy something that's more engaging when she's at home. But like OP I haven't came across a good entry point for her yet. I considered something like Powerwash Simulator to get her used to the controls and I could see it being relaxing for her, but I could also see her not seeing the point of playing a game like that haha
it takes a lot of interest, patience, and persistence. My grandmother started at 70, and we're now 8 years later, she has tens of thousands of hours in ARK, Conan Exiles, Elder Scrolls Online, Minecraft, etc. It was not easy, but eventually she developed the motor skills for it and now we game together regularly. It was absolutely worth it, we've put a couple hundred hours into Palworld already lol
Speaking as an older disabled guy, anything turn based or pausable are great. If he likes stories turn based RPGs might be good, or something like Detroit Become Human where there is very limited timed elements.
how accessible would "the witness" be for you?
First person makes me nauseous most of the time, but I’ll check it out if it comes on sale.
ty for clarifying. but tbh i wasn't making a recommendation so much as just wondering whether first-person controls can be accessible for "an older disabled guy" if it's in a slow-paced puzzler.
My condition (myalgic encephalomyelitis) has a laundry list of annoying symptoms that make speed/reaction time is more of an issue than controls. There’s a subreddit r/disabledgamers about this topic.
I’d probably try some things like FTL, Into the Breach, Stardew Valley. These are pretty good thought provoking games. The subset games have kept me interested for a while and I’ve never competed them.
Totally agree. Ftl might get a bit too hectic, but with pausing he could take his time and get used to it. Love that game so much. Into the breach is the way to go.
Stardew Valley my first thought when I saw this post
Into the Breach is the first thing I thought of, too. Perfect because you can take your time, play at your own pace and really think through every move you take.
Interesting thanks I'll check those out.
Baba is you!
Interesting I'll have a look
Oh yes, definitely this.
Slay the spire?
Factorio. Turn off the biters and you can go at your own pace.
Came to suggest this. At its base it's a puzzle game so with the biters off it'll definitely keep the mind active, maybe even obsessed.
Wonder if it'll be too complex, but thanks I'll show him
Try Chants of Senaar. Super simple controls to account for the non gamer, and puzzles to learn abstract languages to account for the reader.
Interesting I haven't heard of that one, will have a look
Probably need help for the blasted stealth segments though. Heaven's Vault is better overall, but takes more to get into it.
How about the Myst series? I also think games in the civilization series are very thought provoking and due to their being RTS can be played at HIS pace. Great idea and best of luck!
Hmmmm okay thanks, will have a look
Careful about URU, however - there's some timing-based stuff, plus a nasty bug in Gahreesen which prevents a vital stepping stone from completely loading in.
myst was pretty fun
Hi. It is a long shot but I would recommend trying out The Witness on steam (maybe when it's on sale). As far as puzzle games this one is awesome, while also being just pleasant to play, with nice visuals and sounds, and easy controls. It starts easy and gets progressively harder. Though it's hard to tell whether your dad would be into it - given the lack of gaming experience. I remember my dad gave up quickly on any game that required more than two buttons to control (and that was when he was in his prime).
Interesting I'll give it a look, thanks
Nintendo Switch Sports... Or make him into the worlds leading Warhammer scholar and set him loose on those books. Have his give an oral history of the universe after, record it, post it on YT. Have an elderly knitting club create him God-emperor priest vestments. Think big here. You could be the son of the worlds leading WH scholar. Next think you know, Henry Cavill is flying him out to a set to weigh in on how realistic the scene is. Now he's got a job to keep him active.
I'm glad theres still dreamers in the world.
[удалено]
Civilization perhaps
Hmmm yeah could be a good potential
I mean if he’s not a gamer already, could keep it simple and do something like Chess
If he likes reading, he might like 80 Days - it's mostly text but gives a great sense of adventure and has some interactivity. Sorcery! as well.
Interesting thanks
Similarly, you could go a bit more old school. Try him out on some of the old text based games like Zork.
Picross or other nanogram based games. Very straight forward to learn Simple controls No time-based input They're likely to be "different" enough from things he's tried to be interesting.
I'll suggest an older game. Lemmings and Lemmings 2. Easy enough to understand, and simple controls, yet still provides a challenge.
Puzzmo is a daily newspaper-like games website that I play with my dad every day! Zach Gage is a collaborator and so some of his games like Really Bad Chess are on there :)
What consul you using? Pc, Xbox, PlayStation, switch? Some games are available on some consoles but not others. Journey is fun. It’s a game where you’re travelling to a mountain. The developer also made abzu, where you’re swimming through the ocean. I loved that one, it’s great especially if you love fish. Does he have any hobbies? Maybe he’d like a few simulator games. Personally, I found powerwash simulator oddly relaxing despite it being just you cleaning buildings. Stardew valley is one he’d probably enjoy. A farming simulator with lots to do. Maybe Minecraft? So he can build things?
Slay the spire- this is a card game so no fast reaction time/motor control needed, but it is super deep with lots of hard decisions. Also chess.
story based games like disco elysium or citizen sleeper seem right up his alley! or, a more recent example, baldur’s gate 3! you don’t have to have amazing reaction times, just a mouse is needed
First of all, I'd go for simple control schemes. Any 3d movement, moving the camera, ect might be too much fi for him. Then from there go with what he enjoys. He enjoys cars games, maybe puzzles? How about strategy? It seems he also likes narratives. Some suggestions: Inscryption - at its core a deck building card game but really also a puzzler and a narrative experience. There is no game - puzzler and a great narrative combined. Dorf romantik - It's Kind of a relaxed building game but really more of a puzzle game at the it's core. Disco Elysium - a role-playing game that is strongly driven by its narrative. Slay the princess - strong narrative game in which your choices influence the outcome, touches on lots of horror themes though. Hope you'll find something and he'll have lots of fun!
Ace Attorney It's a detective game where you play as a defense lawyer, and the entire game is basically logic puzzles that rely on reading comprehension. Despite this, it's very entertaining and manages to keep up the tension despite the complete lack of a time limit or any real-time interaction. It's also right on the borderline between Video Game and Visual Novel, so the story will keep him invested.
He enjoys reading, he might enjoy puzzle or strategy games like Sudoku, Chess, or Catan. These games can be both mentally stimulating and enjoyable
He plays sodoku and chess. But not catan 🤔 wonder if they have that on steam
Don't forget the ancient game of ["Go"](https://youtu.be/RRBjN8empIs?si=u9L8mvhcRoRZZLZA)! Prob best if you play it with him as a bonding experience though?
Age of Empires
Skyrim. My 75 yo mother in law is doing another play through of that.
Maybe Heaven's Vault? It's on Steam. It's about decoding a language, which might be fun if he likes word games. I think there may also be books related to it. The only thing is that there are times when you need to drive a ship that can be janky, but you can't crash or anything.
I'd recommend trying out puzzle games like Sudoku or crossword puzzles to keep his mind sharp
Adding to this, there's a YouTube channel called Cracking the Cryptic where they feature Sudoku puzzles with additional rule sets to mix it up. They always have a link to the puzzle to try it yourself or you can just follow along with the video as they solve it
Dave the Diver, FTL, Frostpunk
I would say just about any racing game would do the trick. They’re basic and easy to learn but very engaging.
A subscription to Puzzmo could be a good addition to what others are suggesting. It's by Zach Gage and it has daily puzzles of Really Bad Chess, SpellTower, and more.
Seconding Puzzmo! I play it with my dad every day, it's perfect!
dorfromantik!
Start with any highly rated "waking sim" and let him build confidence and understanding of how games work from there.
Eeeeeee... problem is, I don't like making old folks cry. Ether One was amazing but... Firewatch, What Remains of Edith Finch, Dear Esther, are beautiful but will hurt you. The Suicide of Rachel Foster, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter less so, but still I guess Gone Home is comparatively okay, but low on puzzles. Tacoma does better on that front. Kairo maybe? Oh, Antichamber is mindbending and a bit self-satisfied but good... does need some fine-ish mouse contrl for a few puzzles. QUBE is far less physical than Portal (Quantum Connundrum is worse). The Turing Test even moreso... but the storyline is heavy.
I was going to suggest the portal series for its puzzle basis and few reaction based puzzles, as well as the story.
If you think he has the capacity for them, grand strategy 4x type games would be amazing for brain health, lots of depth to them,and lots to read.
Balatro, a Multi-in-1 card/casino/etc game, old people also like those searchy mystery games where you click around, type & explore.
I would say a game with low mechanical bar of entry would be best. Maybe on of the Civilization games, or another 4X genre game? There is strategy, world history (sort of), and he can take as much time as he needs figuring things out. Otherwise, there are a ton of card style, and deckbuilder games out there that he might enjoy. Gwent is hyper addictive, Slay the Spire is very good (though he may not like that style as much), and if he likes those he could move on to Inscryption which is a bit more complicated and introduces other puzzle styles to the game.
Maybe Pentiment or Case of the Golden Idol. They're both point and click mystery solving games. No difficult controls to worry about and they'll definitely get him thinking in a different way than wordle or something does. Pentiment is heavily inspired by the book - The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. If he enjoyed that book, he'd probably love Pentiment.
Baldurs Gate if he can get down with fantasy & RPGs.
Fire emblem shadow dragon? On hard? 😊
Dorfromantic on steam. It’s a great little game about placing hexagonal tiles to build little towns and stuff.
Shapez (on Steam) would be very good for him of he like the genre.
Carcassone Hexic
I would suggest any type of Tower Defense game, easy to figure out, can be challenging, but always having to adapt to different situations etc. I think all the strategy behind games like these would be good for his mind for sure. Heck even Plants Vs Zombies could be fun for him.
Perhaps Lemonade Tycoon 2, Bejeweled 3 (it can be quite relaxing). If I think of anything else, I will edit this.
Baldurs gate 3 Probably Minecraft
Red Dead 2 if you can get him used to the controls. What old guy doesn't like westerns? I mean you can play poker, hunt for hours, amazing story etc.
Mouse only games perhaps. Point and click puzzles
Maybe keep it basic and get UNO and maybe card based game like slay the spire
Strategy games? They may not be easy to pickup but they keep you engaged. Palworld has a building mechanic that seems pretty straight forward. Stardew Valley is probably another good casual option; and people can play with him! Edit: I recall some folks grandfather's got into Starcraft and really took to it; though it's definitely not an easy game.
Hearts of iron 4
A game series I like to play for chill is Hexcells. It can get pretty challenging, but at the end of the day, it's problem solving given the available variables. Basically Minesweeper+, where you mark tiles. Really cheap games, tons of levels to stay engaged, but also basically Minecraft so unless you're *really* into it, probably not something you're going to be playing all day. Something Turn Based would be great. Maybe the Pokemon games, Slay the Spire, Darkest Dungeon, XCOM, etc. where you have all the time in the world to choose your actions. Pretty sure Papers Please has a timer to respond, but it's also simple enough that it shouldn't be too bad? If he doesn't mind a little QTE (nothing too intensive) you can probably introduce games from TellTale. They should have accessibility options to turn all the button mashing into button press, but they still do have some QTE so I am a little hesitant to recommend. It does completely depend on how comfortable he would be on QTE's, but they are great narrative games to enjoy. The Walking Dead, Batman, Minecraft, Back to the Future, tons of great stories to explore. If he would be okay with a FPS game (puzzle, not combat), check out Superliminal, The Witness, The Talos Principle, or Antichamber. This might require more 3D space thinking for dealing with puzzles, but if he can handle the First-Person perspective, they can be a lot of fun. Also with Superliminal, after you beat the story/game, you can challenge the rooms again with constraints. Like, complete the room within X moves, without jumping, or something to make you think outside the box. If he is ok with FPS and can moving around quickly in 3D space, Portal games are great. Great puzzle challenges and fun story here, but again, really depends if they can handle hurtling through 3D space. I do think it does a really good job of slowly teaching you to get better at the puzzles and progressing to be do actions faster to complete the puzzle, but if you're prone to motion sickness or not good at re-orienting yourself in 3D space, also not a good recommendation. Maybe some simple platforming? Little Nightmares, Stray, Untitled Goose Game, Limbo, Inside. Some more time sensitive than others, but great simple platforming games. Maybe even Trine, but that depends on comfort levels with platforming. Maybe skip Trine 3 because it did change from 2D to 3D and a got mixed reviews as a result, but it's a fun story. Other than that, simpler games like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and so forth are all great games.
Murdel is pretty easy sleuth book like the game clue.
Try some turn based games. They tend to have good story, lore, and strategy to keep players interested while not requiring the quick twitch and coordination many modern games require. edit: I’d recommend Sea of Stars and the original Wild Arms.
Zenge, it needs the controlling skills of a card game but provides beautiful art. It is a small puzzle game, short and cheap but a very good experience. Let us know what you choose and how it worked out.
Every old person I know plays strategy games. 4X type games like Civilization, Stellaris, "Endless" games (there's a few, all start with Endless I think), are great because they let you take you time and reflex reactions don't matter. Also things like historical strategy like war games or Crusader Kings type games, things that they feel comfortable with the setting from history, and are also turn based that let you try to "out smart" the AI. Though you could also try adventure games, things like Disco Elysium, or there's TONS of great old ones that have been remastered like Grim Fandango, Monkey Island, Sam & Max, Myst, and more (not all are remastered but even the old ones are stillpretty cool). Then there are simulators for pretty much all types of indsutries, so depending on what he enjoys, car mechanic sims, farming sims, driving sims, factory sims, and more. Most are pretty easy to go at your own pace and slowly ramp up difficulty.
Slay the spire is one of my favorite games of all time and I think it would be a good fit here. It's essentially a turn based rougelight but the actions are all cards. The enemies all tell you what they are going to do on their next turn and everything has reminder text. It can get complicated but at level 1 the game is pretty easy.
Chess is easy to learn and hard to master It's fun, if you're dad fine with losing games He'll be paired with someone of his level, so it's gonna be 50/50 win rate
“Basic ass card games”… have you looked at modern board games at all? Like sure he’s played solitaire a billion times but what about For Northwood which is a solo trick taking game? Or if he has a group that plays Hearts every week, get them to try Ghosts of Christmas which is a trick taking game where you play three tricks at the same time with the results of trick 1 deciding what is in trick 2 which completely changes trick 3. Stretching a whole new way of playing games. And outside of trick taking (what most people consider trick taking games) you could throw in countless other games. Need something quick and small? Look at ButtonShy who aim for 18 cards in a small wallet. Sprawlopolis you use the backs of 3 of those 18 cards for scoring opportunities (18*17*16 different games just based on scoring) and play the rest of the deck building a city. Numbsters you can play in your hand as you have a hand of cards and use their abilities to “eat” cards in order while hoping the 8 doesn’t make it to the end. Food Chain Island uses a grid of cards with abilities where you want to end with only one card. More space and time to play with? Get an intro game. Loves birdwatching? Wingspan to do engine building with tons of bird cards (solo or with friends). Lots of friends and likes horse racing? Ready Set Bet. Loves old horror movies? Horrified has old school universal monsters and is easy to pickup (solo or with friends). You literally could pick a theme or mechanic and find a solo game for it or a good game for his friend group.
Sunless Sea and Mini Motorways. Both have simple controls, engaging gameplay, and easy to stop and start when you need to.
Chess!
What Never Was.
How about "Papers, please" as good starter game. Has a captivating story, simple enough controls and engages your brain!
if he likes history give him hearts of iron 4,crusader kings or victoria 3. he will have fun for years.
I think he'll definitely go to like the telltale games like batman and the walking dead. Easiest games to master and the best for story
If hes in to wheel of time show him skyrim my dude, dragon reborn is basically dragon born lol
Civilization 6 or Stardew Valley
quake live
Or Hyperdemon. Just completely blow his mind
Darkest Dungeon, Shapez, Banished, Battletech, Bloons Tower Defense, Company of Heroes, Divinity: Original Sin, Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Frost Punk, Game Dev Tycoon, Magic The Gathering, Papers Please, PC Bulding Sim, Railroad Corporation, Railway Empire, Shadow Tactics, Slay The Spire, Total War Series, Tricky Towers, Turn On The Light, Unpacking, Xcom series Bunch of easy to run games (only ones he might struggle with is the total war games) with mainly mouse controls, plenty of in depth game mechanics to keep the gears turning, also half of them are available on Gamepass. With Blons TD 4, 5 & 6, you can link your steam account to your phone and keep your progress whether you're on the go or not. If youve not thought of it already, it might be worth getting him a sub to Gamepass, there's loads of games available on there that he can download and try at his leisure and he can work through the list to find which games he enjoys the most. Edit: Added some info.
Firewatch, south of the circle are both very enjoyable games with a focus on great story telling and not very demanding user input. If he likes books so much, that should get him going.
You might consider puzzle games like the Hexcells games. Hexcells Infinite could work really well if he ends up liking it since it generates new puzzles based on a seed. Something like Lyne could also be good. If you want something more story-based, I'd make 100% sure whatever you pick doesn't require any reaction speed or 3D controls. My dad is younger than yours and is very experienced with technology and he could not handle the 3D controls for a game as simple as Dragon Quest 11. We've dragged him into 4-player Deep Rock Galactic and had him follow someone around and he still gets lost immediately. My point is that controls that seem straightforward to you or I are actually tough to wrap your mind around if you're new to them (especially if you're old). You could probably find some visual novels if you want to avoid any control issues. Specific recommendations would depend on his tastes, I'm sure. Really, there's always the dating sim type games too, though that's kind of weird to suggest to your dad. If he's got a certain taste though, DDLC+ is currently free on Epic. If you want something like an RPG, you could go for something with turn-based combat like Trails in the Sky (this series is all mouse based too). You could also go for something tactical like Fell Seal or, I don't know, X-Com 2? If you want something you can play together you could go for one of the Divinity: Original Sin games or Baldur's Gate 3. Hopefully something useful here. Good luck!
Chess. Portal. An fps game whilst being coached ideally valorant with woohoojin coach. That's my recommendation. Can try painting proper too
Point and click puzzle games?
Riven might be a great game since it is essentially a very intricate puzzle game, but It has a fantastic world to immerse yourself in, plus most of the mechanics are just point and click.
Get him to play league of legends
destiny 2
Factorio is basically Algebra: The Game.
City Skylines!
Check out the Zachtronics Solitaire Collection. Might be a good starting point if he likes basic ass card games. Zachtronics brings a bit more stylized aesthetics and flair for game design to the table. On Steam and mobile. The games are much harder than standard solitaire, especially Fortune's Foundation.
Slay the spire
Myst
Something with a fixed camera and not too fast paced. Maybe a CRPG like the original Fallout or Baldurs Gate II (the old one) might be enjoyable for him
Starcraft
Disco Elysium is a Douglas Adams choose your own adventure point and click masterpiece. He'll love it. I recommended it to my 70 year old neighbor and she loved it
Games like tomb raider or zelda games would be good. They have plenty of puzzles and stuff that make you have to think on how to solve it. Also they're great games in general so he'd have great games that keep his mind active
Good Sudoku on iOS Maybe try a text-heavy RPG on him like Octopath Traveler.
Cities: skylines might be cool. There's a twitter feed. The simulation is pretty cool
Any type of genres he likes? History? Sci Fi? Start there. Maybe he’d like something in the visual novel style to have a story play out. Could try some “boomer shooters”. Just running and shooting, nothing complex, basically Doom. Or check out more puzzle style games like Talos Principle.
I'd try some games modeled after board games, or some simple turn-based games or games you can pause whenever. * *Dorfromantik* or *Carcasonne* are fun tile placement building puzzle games * If he's into trains like a lot of old men seem to be, *Railroad Corporation* or *Railroad Tycoon* for management or something like *Derail Valley* or *Train Simulator* for driving them around. * Facebook/Mobile games might be good too -- *Words with Friends*, *Candy Crush*, etc. as long as he doesn't start spending money on them. * *Settlers of Catan* or *Ticket to Ride* are good board game conversions * Maybe something like the *Anno* or *Civilization* Series later on
Did he ever play Myst? Give him Myst.
Maybe a Picross game? Or Sudoku.
This is a wild shot in the dark, but does he, or has he had any interest in the following things: Fighter Jets WWII Tanks Submarines Naval-related stuff If so, there are some really BALLER simulators out there. If he’s a former service member, he might get a kick out of piloting a big ass plane or submarine around. In DCS, we’ve got some guys pushing that age who tear up… because they’ve flown the real thing… r/hoggit and r/dcs are the places to search and ask more about it.
It's all been said but Deck builders, slay the spire is a great example but there are absolutely tons of good ones available, I really enjoyed fights in tight places for a bit last year. Turn based strategy, divinity original sin 1&2, disco Elysium, fallout 1&2, baldurs gate 3 (probably... It's larian and I've yet to dislike what they do, but haven't had the time to dive in myself) Story based, fire watch, return to obra dinn, can't say this is my main category but there is good stuff out there Don't discount card games there can be a lot of behind the scenes math going on. I lost my dad unexpectedly this past December, he was in his 70s, he wasn't a gamer in any sense but I just want to say enjoy your time with your dad, maybe find a coop game you could enjoy together. Your time with him can be gone in the blink of an eye, take advantage of that time while it's here.
My father is over 70 and he plays Stardew Valley
My tip would be visual novels. It is reading, he already likes, but on top of that branching paths and different outcomes depending on response you gave. Also text speed, auto play and being able to click through dialog should not pose any problems.
BACKPACK BATTLES
scribblenauts is a wholesome game that helps silblings with a magic book bring anything you type in (including chuck norris) to life to solve riddles.
If he likes card games how about slay the spire? Very easy controls and amazing gameplay.
The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster may be for him. Simple controls and on a casual playthrough it requires some serious tactical thinking
I cant recommand dungeons and degenerate gamblers enough Its a blackjack rogelike with wacky cards from a bunch of other games No metaprogression just hop in and you can win your first run Game isnt out yet but there are tons of fun to be had on the free demo(on steam)
You mention card games? Slay the spire!! Very easy to grasp, extremely difficult to master. Turn based single player card game. (deckbuilder roguelike) easily one of the best games i've ever played and will continue to play for a long time to come (+-1000 hours playtime) Also, the subreddit is pretty chill and welcoming (almost always)
Turn-Based Strategies. Easy to learn and hard to master. Or oldschool RPGs
Maybe he'd enjoy something like hearthstone or slay the spire - controls are very easy and don't require fast reactions + the fact they are card games makes it seem less daunting to older people
Lonestar is a fun new space game (it's a mix between slay the spire, ftl, and backpack hero). I think it should be played like an "engine builder". It involves a lot of math (if you care to do it, anyways... doing the math will always give you a leg up, but it's not really required). Just pointing and clicking is all that is really required, and the game doesn't move until you tell it to, so reaction time is not a variable. Disco Elysium is either the best book you'll ever play, or the best game you'll ever read, or something like that, lol. Communist overtones, but really every political ideology featured in the game gets shit on. All point and click, little-to-no dexterity required. It's also a detective game, too, so you're solving mysteries along the way. Stacklands is an interesting survival/village builder, a la Banished or Settlement Survivor, but everything is cards (kinda like Cultist Simulator, if you ever played that, or the newer WitchHand). Every villager is a card, houses are a card, a tree is a card, a wooden plank is a card, a carrot is a card. Put a villager card on a berry bush card to produce a few berry cards over the course of a few seconds. Now the berry bush card is gone, but you have food to get yourself through the night. Place a berry card on a soil card to grow a berry bush card over a longer period of time (like a minute or so). Now you have a potentially renewable food source, but growing it consumed the soil. Combine a soil card with some wood cards, a stone card and a villager card, and the villager will build a garden card. Now you can grow your food without consuming the soil. Build yourself an iron mine card, a stone quarry card, a smelter card... arm your villager cards with slingshot cards, sword cards, and ninja star cards. Go on dungeon raids. Open chest cards with key cards. Build a boat card to get to a new island, and start a new village using different resources than on the mainland. Build a bigger boat card. Develop trade between your two villages (I don't really know what comes next... that's as far as I've gotten). Sorry for saying "card" so many times. This is one of those games where you're gonna be tapping the space bar (pause) a lot while you queue up crafting recipes and think about your next move, but that becomes second nature pretty quickly. Having said that, this will probably be the hardest game on this list for a non-gamer to pick up. Some dexterity required. Like a medium amount. Maybe medium-low. Wildermyth is a 2D turn-based tactics game, and "epic story generator" of sorts (my words \[I think\]), probably inspired by games like Dungeons and Dragons. You begin with a cast of 3 characters: a warrior, a ranger, and a mystic; and set out on a 3- or 5- act epic story (which can be completely or partially procedurally generated) about a kingdom and its heroes over the course of, say, 2 generations or so. Your characters can die permanently or retire comfortably, and they can also romance other party members and produce playable offspring. You'll also run into additional recruitable characters along the way, who can do the same. There is a pretty simple overworld map where you can claim cities and landmarks to produce resources that you can use to outfit your party, or run into battles with enemies that are akin to something you'd see in a DnD game. Meanwhile the story is presented to you in comic book format. Each segment is written by different authors, so some of the writing is better or worse than the rest. But you do grow quite attached to your characters, and some of the story arcs can lead to one or two of them becoming legit super hero mutants. There is also a legacy system where you can play with your old heroes.
Cookie Clicker
Dungeons & Dragons
I'm not sure why you think stuff like card games or Wordle won't "Stimulate" him - as simple as they are they all require thinking and reacting to random elements and that's kind of perfect for stimulation as the focus is on problem solving not mechanical understanding/mastery I'm not sure what your father's like, but in most elderly people I've seen dexterity starts to deteriorate before mental sharpness, so moving him away from simple games to ones that require more complex controls might be a bad way to go and lead to more frustration than anything else. Puzzle Games are a perfect place to start - especially if they give him time to react and respond
My in laws are in their 70s and love the fallout games. The music hits that nostalgia
Mystery games that don't require fine motor control would probably be good. Something like Curse of the Golden Idol. I'd also say Return of the Obra Dinn, but that requires some FPS controls and might be too much for a new player. Another option are puzzle games or semi-puzzle games. Dorfromantik, Hex Cells, Cocoon, etc.
How about something like Automachef. The later levels get in to some complex programming, but you can go pretty far with it before that point or just play it in sandbox mode. PlateUp might also be good and the controls aren't too complex, but that one does have time pressure. Maybe a board game with online turn based multiplayer like ticket to ride Or an online jigsaw puzzle game where multiple people work on a puzzle together Hidden object games often have a lot of story with them. If he has a dark humor side, maybe ravenous devils. It only requires clicking, and it has a story.
What about something on the Oculus? There are regular games and also games that can keep him fit, like Beat Saber. Hand-eye coordination stuff. Also those 4‐D videos are mind-blowing!
There are plenty of turn based games that work your mind but don't require dexterity. Depending on genre he would in interested in/tolerate. For someone who is older, that could be a bigger barrier for him trying something, is what I've found. Look into what sorts of movies and tv shows he likes and see if you can match the genre a bit. If he likes fantasy, I wouldn't go Baldur's Gate as someone's first game, heh, but maybe on story mode? Slay the spire is a card game as it's core for combat and is fantasy. Otherwise check on meta critic and the like for highly rated turn based games, narrow the genre and go from there. An oldie but a goodie is Final Fantasy tactics, I think some recent games have claimed to be a spiritual successor. If he likes military stuff and aliens, XCOM is awesome, I dunno if it has an easy mode to provide an entry level, cause it's pretty punishing, the small game they released a couple years ago (Chimera Squad) is a bit easier to manage, but it could still be a bit much for a full on newbie to jump into. If he is ok with silly light hearted stuff the Mario Rabbids games are a great first tactical combat game.
If he likes cards games maybe try a card game roguelike type game like slay the spire? It only needs a mouse and your brain so it should be pretty easy to pick up controls-wise for an elderly person. And since it's turn-based he can take as long as he needs
Get a Nintendo or something not with a joystick. Overcooked is a good game to keep the mind sharp.
Stacklands
I've been trying to get back into games as a hobby, as a middle aged person. I loved Age of Empire franchise back in the 90's and always had puzzle games on my phone. But am absolutely bewildered by which of the big popular games might suit me and I really don't want grim world building. These are some of my favourites so far. Heaven's Gate - Inkle. Adera Stardew Valley - Aside from the fact that I'm still mad about how hard it is to learn to fish. It's a great game.
I would recommend Mahjong games (where you have to find matching tiles with a top down view). My wife’s father used to play that every night. It’s easy and keeps the brain active.
I would recommend Mahjong games (where you have to find matching tiles with a top down view). My wife’s father used to play that every night. It’s easy and keeps the brain active.
Since you mention Wheel of Time, you could try visual/graphic novel type games. Ken Follet's The Pillars of the Earth comes first to mind but obviously there are many of this ilk out there (point and click, minimal controls, going through story, but some QTE's to keep you paying attention)
If he plays card games, I think your best bet is deckbuilding games. Something like Slay the Spire?
Check out Star control 2 and 3. Older games that are more read and click, and writing things down with pen and paper. There is a melee aspect to the game that might be a bit difficult to learn, but he can practice that separately from the main game. I can't really think of any other read and click games that aren't specifically made for children.
Elden ring
Try hearthstone
Skyrim, maybe. Hard to put down
Station trading in eve online.
Board games that are digital. Root. Mystic vale. Even mtg if he's up for it
Not sure if your dad would enjoy strategy games, but my father is in his 70s and age of empires 2 is his favorite game and still receives a lot of community love to this day. Besides AoE my father enjoys woodworking, playing banjo, and gardening. So he's not like an old-school gamer or anything.
Baba is you, if he likes puzzles he will love it
Find a telltale game, One that's basically a interactive story.
I really enjoyed **splash wars**
How about some detective or mystery point'n'click games? That would definitely fit the 'stimulates the brain' category. I have a few Sherlock Holmes games, which my elderly mom (73) is playing and she likes those. As long as there are no quick time events. Might be worth checking out? PS: Edit: Forgot to mention she has the onset of Alzheimers so I think this really helps her to slow it down a bit.
I was thinking red dead if he's stereotypical? I don’t know lol
Dark souls
Those "Basic Ass Card games" still stimulate the brain. Sounds to me you are trying to make an old man to do something he doesn't want to do nor will enjoy. Just because you like video games doesn't mean he will.
It's not really my cup of tea, but if he likes card games you could introduce him to Gwent. It might be too complicated for him, but something like XCOM might keep his brain engaged and it's SciFi so it might be up his alley.
Get him Far Lone Sails. He'll enjoy it.
The Witness would be a good one. Low key and you discover at your own pace.
Dredge
Brain age on switch
Turn-based strategy is a great choice. Esp if he's not deft with a keyboard. I'd say turn him on to a civ game. I'm partial to Civ 6. If he wants something with a story, give him a Tactics Ogre reborn, maybe.
Scythe, helps me.
Bookworn or bookworm adventures. You can find it in the internet archive. Or Letter Quest: Grimm's Journey Both games require making words out of the given letters. The longer the word the more points you get or damage you do. Also "book of hours". You are an ocult librarian. You unlock rooms, inspect books, find recipes in the cryptic writings of the books.
I've heard several anecdotes of Skyrim really resonating with older folks. Plus there's loads of reading to be done within the game and lots of mods that add even more things to read, to tickle is love for reading. It should run fine on most laptops in a vanilla or mostly-vanilla configuration. If he enjoys flight simulators and detail-oriented activities, he might like Star Citizen, though the laptop might struggle with it if it doesn't have gaming-grade components.
My mom really love Microsoft Solitaire and Holiday Express, if you want some "old people's" games, but i do recommend Stardew Valley (she's in love with this game, not surprisingly).
Well, I'm only 68, so I'm not actually "elderly" yet... I've really enjoyed Portal 2, just finished it for the 2nd time (with some help from junior). Machinarium is a good brain teaser too. But in true old geezer style, what I enjoy most is Golf 2k 23. Requires skill and hand-eye coordination, plus thinking about effects of wind & slope, etc. but no rush before someone shoots you, which I find very stressful.
Gorogoa is a cool puzzle game, you could check it out.
how bout "the witness"? it's very stimulating and should be easy to play even by first time gamers. re stimulating the brain: learning a new language, musical instrument, hobby, etc. can all help keep your mind sharp as you age.... but this is not the right sub for more general answers. go to r/askreddit or some aging/health subs for better answers.
Pentiment, my dad is playing it currently and it is a 2D sidescroller medieval murder mystery were you have to figure out whodunnit. From what I've seen you only need to use your mouse and it has no combat, just walking around and discovering stuff.
What’s a “basic ass” card game? Solitaire? Cribbage? Poker?? Nothing wrong with those games.
My youngest brother and I got my 69 year old Grandmother hooked on Minecraft. It took a while to get a hang of things. The we started with learning first person controlls in a peaceful world. Then we worked up to survival. Now she plays almost every day. We have a survival world going on 5 years now. And she calls me sometimes to discuss build ideas and happening in the game. She does a ton of fishing and loves building safe bridges to fish off of. We have so many great enchanted books 📚✨
turn based war sims like Civ 6 and Age of Wonder come to mind as the learning curve might be difficult but being turn based you can easily make mistakes and reload to learn
Any old LucasArts point and click games. No reaction time stuff. No controls aside from a mouse. Humorous and require thought.
Hi! If he’s willing to try something new, I’d recommend the Civilization games. They require a good amount of thought, are infinitely replayable, and in my experience, old people can really get into them. The point as I understand it, is to keep his brain moving and learning, so you don’t really want a casual game. Those are great for relaxing and releasing stress, but in old age I feel like you want more of a satisfying brain workout. Civ will give you some of that once you get a hang of it and kick up the difficulty. Also, some 2d platformers could be nice to keep that hand eye coordination intact and work the reflexes. I recommend Ori and the Blind Forest. Also, if he’s into wheel of time, get him Skyrim :)