Quoting: Eike

Quoting: bekoOn PC they play mostly Minecraft because everybody at school does. You know. Peer group pressure.

I got hard times to come up with something better a peer group of today could pressure a child into playing, though...?

Mine are still small, but of course know all about creeper, whatever that is. I'd really hate to get them minecraft and a microsoft account though. Hopefully they'd be satisfied with my large steam library and resist the peer pressure.

Last edited by ShabbyX on 13 Nov 2023 at 3:19 pm UTC

Quoting: Eike

Quoting: bekoOn PC they play mostly Minecraft because everybody at school does. You know. Peer group pressure.

I got hard times to come up with something better a peer group of today could pressure a child into playing, though...?

Wasn't judging. Next is Roblox (Rainbow Friends) though, which is known to be hostile to Linux users. And now? Peer pressure at school _is_ a problem.

Quoting: bekoWasn't judging. Next is Roblox (Rainbow Friends) though, which is known to be hostile to Linux users. And now? Peer pressure at school _is_ a problem.

Of course it is, that's why I mentioned that Minecraft pressure is something I consider ok in result (and in result only) - while many others not at all.

For my children, I wouldn't care too much about Microsoft or Linux. (I even use Proton for them! :shock: :tongue: ) But Minecraft seem to be some solid, a bit Lego-like game. In the meanwhile, Roblox... please watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gXlauRB1EQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTMF6xEiAaY

Last edited by Eike on 13 Nov 2023 at 2:13 pm UTC

Quoting: ShabbyXMine are still small, but of course know all about creeper, whatever that is. If really hate to get them minecraft and a microsoft account though.

You might want to look into [MineClone2](https://content.minetest.net/packages/Wuzzy/mineclone2/) for the [Minetest](https://www.minetest.net/) engine - though it's never going to be a complete 1:1 match, it's a very good Minecraft clone, as the name suggests. :smile:

Last edited by Pengling on 13 Nov 2023 at 2:19 pm UTC

Quoting: ShabbyX

Quoting: Eike

Quoting: bekoOn PC they play mostly Minecraft because everybody at school does. You know. Peer group pressure.

I got hard times to come up with something better a peer group of today could pressure a child into playing, though...?

Mine are still small, but of course know all about creeper, whatever that is. I'd really hate to get them minecraft and a microsoft account though. Hopefully they'd be satisfied with my large steam library and resist the peer pressure.

Minecraft Classic can be played in a web browser for free, has invite-only multiplayer, and no account is needed: https://classic.minecraft.net. I didn't even know about it - my kid found it, and I found them playing it on their Chromebook.

Quoting: beko…and together with parents it's even World of Warcraft or Elite Dangerous ;-)

Straight up. Do they play this on thier own, like individual devices, or is this a group play thing where everyone watches while one person plays?

Mine both do Minecraft (they have since before they could read). It's a great game, really let's them explore their imagination. I will throw in the caveat that we don't do online multiplayer (just split screen).

Now the number of times they've asked about Roblox, Fortnite, etc (from hearing it at school)... It's alot, lol (and not gonna happen)

Last edited by denyasis on 14 Nov 2023 at 1:13 am UTC

Quoting: denyasisStraight up. Do they play this on thier own, like individual devices, or is this a group play thing where everyone watches while one person plays?

The answer is a clear: It depends. It's complicated:



I built various button boxes [for ME] that the kids love too, of course. So depending on what is played they can in fact play together even without split screen because there are enough buttons to press.

Quoting: denyasisMine both do Minecraft (they have since before they could read). It's a great game, really let's them explore their imagination. I will throw in the caveat that we don't do online multiplayer (just split screen).

Minecraft is usually played in split screen mode on the TV as well. They also have it on the Android tablets though. No Multiplayer so far. I'm going to setup a dedicated server at home though because a friend of theirs in school would also like to participate.

WoW is next to each other with dedicated Linux PCs. Also of course with parents and only the more… colourful parts.

Quoting: bekoThe answer is a clear: It depends. It's complicated:

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I built various button boxes [for ME] that the kids love too, of course. So depending on what is played they can in fact play together even without split screen because there are enough buttons to press.

:heart:

Happy new year!

Hope everyone's child filled gaming is going well.

For anyone that might be interested in SFF computing, I used my holiday payout and bought my oldest their first computer. It's a [System 76 Merkat](https://system76.com/desktops/meerkat). I paired it with a cheap 1080p Dell monitor with a Vesa mount in the back (where the computer is mounted).

I've never purchased a prebuilt/preconfigured system before and I must I'm very impressed. The build quality is good, and while I wasn't sure about Pop_OS, I'm very impressed with the default setup and frankly, how easy it is to get to settings and tweak things from the GUI (even "advanced" things like connecting to online accounts was stupid simple).

From the advice here, I setup up a Steam account with parental control and did family sharing with my Steam library. We also installed some OSS games (they are loving Super Tux Kart and Super Tux, ATM).

We also setup up some "educational" links. Mostly to the online learning stuff they do at school and I put a link to Scratch as it seems like a good intro to programming. We sat together and did a few tutorials on it and it was fun (although might be a little advanced for my kid).

I know I'm veering a bit away from gaming, but does anyone know of any other decent educational resources for teaching computing skills for younger kids?

I will throw a vote in for Scratch. It's very nice!

Quoting: denyasisI know I'm veering a bit away from gaming, but does anyone know of any other decent educational resources for teaching computing skills for younger kids?

That really depends on which skills. Work that out, and the rest is probably straightforward. They'll learn plenty from watching you do stuff and being allowed to try it.

For some examples - my little one can find his online homework, can play around with Scratch (they use that at school, too, as an extra-curricular activity), and can find YouTube. He can create things in Tux Paint and print them off. He's been able to circle-strafe since he was two because he'd seen me do that, and he's released his own music because he'd seen my other half do that. He can open Steam and pick a game to play, and he can run server commands in Minecraft. If a particular child is interested in creating digital artwork, animations, long-form writing, or whatever, it's only really a case of pointing them towards the appropriate tool and letting them go, with maybe finding some specific resources if they need to solve a particular problem.

Quoting: denyasisI know I'm veering a bit away from gaming, but does anyone know of any other decent educational resources for teaching computing skills for younger kids?

I place myself behind CatKiller, but since you used the general term I suspect you heard it somewhere.
The normal place to hear it in a childs' education is in advertisement for extra- curricular "computing courses".
I've a information about that.
If schools sell "computer skills" on top of the normal curriculum they, in my experience, always mean blind typing.
Blind typing is a useful, but not a deciding tool to have in your toolbox.
There is a giant array of tools available for it(parents are a really profitable target audience).
My advice if you want to teach your kids this: buy stickers and/or post-its in the local store stick them on the key caps and start training with KTouch.

That's a good point, guys! My apologies for being a little too general. I'm, unfortunately, entirely self/family taught, so im very aware I'm missing a lot of fundamentals (even proper terminology). Even worse, when I sat down to show my kid, I realized I couldn't really explain how or why I was doing what I was doing *facepalm*. Hence my question.

The kids use computers at school for quite a bit of learning, including typing, math, reading, even presentations (my 6yo had to do a digital presentation last year). I was kinda thinking resources in the intro to programming realm. That seems to be the main thing lacking from school.

On the plus side, I *tried* to explain a bit of the terminal to my oldest.... Now They will only turn off the computer using terminal commands, lol!!

Thanks for the advice, I'll do more "co-computing" (is that the right term?). I really like that idea especially since we can talk through frustrations (and hopefully set the stage for talking about online interactions once we get there)

Thank you friends!!

Ps - throwing a vote in for Besiege! My now 10yo really enjoys the building part and the challenges of the puzzles. I got the idea of having them try it after watching them build all sorts of contraptions in Zelda.

Quoting: denyasisI was kinda thinking resources in the intro to programming realm. That seems to be the main thing lacking from school.

There are resources like [Kids Can Code](https://kidscancode.org/) for tutorials end examples and things, but also [Human Resource Machine](https://store.steampowered.com/app/375820/Human_Resource_Machine/). If the fundamentals of working out how to instruct a computer to do your bidding and coming up with your own algorithms are things that appeal to them then they're likely to enjoy Human Resource Machine; if not, then they probably won't enjoy programming.

Quoting: CatKiller

Quoting: denyasisI was kinda thinking resources in the intro to programming realm. That seems to be the main thing lacking from school.

There are resources like [Kids Can Code](https://kidscancode.org/) for tutorials end examples and things, but also [Human Resource Machine](https://store.steampowered.com/app/375820/Human_Resource_Machine/). If the fundamentals of working out how to instruct a computer to do your bidding and coming up with your own algorithms are things that appeal to them then they're likely to enjoy Human Resource Machine; if not, then they probably won't enjoy programming.

That's the very game with which I tried to show my 6yos some weeks ago what strange stuff daddy is doing all the day in front of the computer when working. :D

My son and I had lots of fun with the frog detective games lately ([Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/28689/Frog_Detective_1__2__3/) / [itch.io](https://fisho.itch.io/))). Every game has a case to solve and all three together have an overarching storyline.

Quoting: pentadragoMy son and I had lots of fun with the frog detective games lately (Steam / itch.io). Every game has a case to solve and all three together have an overarching storyline.

Frog Detective is love!

I have also enjoyed [Later Alligator](https://store.steampowered.com/app/966320/Later_Alligator/) which is equally silly, but with gameplay more focused on mini-games.

This just occurred to me last night: [Thomas Was Alone](https://store.steampowered.com/app/220780/Thomas_Was_Alone/). It's got a very gentle progression of mechanics, an excellent narrator, and the characters are all rectangles of various colors. It's not too long, not too hard, and very good. It should also run on nearly anything at this point, it's over a decade old.

Quoting: ChuckaluphagusThis just occurred to me last night: [Thomas Was Alone](https://store.steampowered.com/app/220780/Thomas_Was_Alone/). It's got a very gentle progression of mechanics, an excellent narrator, and the characters are all rectangles of various colors. It's not too long, not too hard, and very good. It should also run on nearly anything at this point, it's over a decade old.

My kid did, in fact, start playing Thomas Was Alone in the intervening year since this post.

Also, my children and their relatives have discovered [Heave Ho!](https://www.heavehogame.com/), which is very silly and offers 4-player co-operative play. Everyone plays a cartoon face with wiggly arms and sticky hands. Players must cooperate to get from a starting point to an end point, navigating gaps and spikes and the like. Unlimited lives, very fun, and the game will throw players an easier route if it's taking too long. Rewards cooperation and good communication.

Forum is back!

My twins liked the little free co-op game [With You](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1860570/With_You/).

To celebrate the forum resurrection I'm posting the updated list for my kids&friends favorites (all of them on Steam) 😀:

Stardew Valley
House Flipper 2
House Flipper
Hogsward Legacy
Dave The Diver
Tiny Glade
AER
Spirit City
Little Kitty Big City
Mark Of The Ninja Remastered
Lara Croft GO
Feather