Games for older people

[jfrost]

I should've phrased better the title. I wanted to ask about games for older and non-English speaking people.

Anyway, my mother is 66. She's always playing Solitaire on the computer and I honestly think that's a wasted potential.

I've been toying with the idea of buying a DS and one of the reasons is that people say it's very friendly to older people. However, there's the bigger problem that my mother doesn't speak English.

So, are there games on the system she would enjoy? I thought of the Brain Age series, but is there anything else?

[benderx]

That DS book

[Octopod]

What about games like Tetris, Puzzle Bobble or Puyo Puyo? Language does not matter on those. You are from Brazil right? It might be hard to find games in Portuguese if that is what your mother speaks. Do you guys have local developers?

There is a version of Puzzle Bobble for DS, I am not sure what other puzzle games they have.

Edit: I thought I would add to your comment about the DS being friendly to older people. My wife's grandmother who is in her 80's has a DS and loves it. I am not sure what games she plays though, I think it is the Brain Age stuff.

[CRTGAMER]

If she winces looking at the cell phone screen, may be put off by DS screen with the touch screen setup. A lot different then comfortable use of Mouse and much larger screen.

Perhaps a trial run of say an easy to get into game: BEJEWELED 2 for the PC. The stepping stone out of playing just Solitaire only. If comfortable with that and willing to try portable gaming with touchscreen, then maybe BEJEWELED TWIST?

[jfrost]

What about games like Tetris, Puzzle Bobble or Puyo Puyo? Language does not matter on those. You are from Brazil right? It might be hard to find games in Portuguese if that is what your mother speaks. Do you guys have local developers?

There is a version of Puzzle Bobble for DS, I am not sure what other puzzle games they have.

Edit: I thought I would add to your comment about the DS being friendly to older people. My wife's grandmother who is in her 80's has a DS and loves it. I am not sure what games she plays though, I think it is the Brain Age stuff.

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, mom only speaks Portuguese. I think I'll eventually buy a DS and just see what I can find for her. It's a shame, I think she would love adventure games like the Ace Attorney series, but the level of English is too high, even if she considered learning the language - which she never did.

About local game development:

There are local game developers, but they only make games for cell phones. That was even one of the themes of my graduation project. I covered local game development; most businesses here are focused on advergames, "serious" games (that is, games that teach, say, entrepreneurship) and cell phone development. (Ironically, I don't think my mother would enjoy any of the games they make, even though they're translated.)

The only company in Brazil that focuses on high-end development is Playlore. I visited their office once when I was working on my graduation project. They are actually more of an "art company". They make concept and in-game art for big names in the industry (IIRC, they worked on some MMO Star Wars games and stuff). Now they say they are developing their own triple-A title, which could be the first ever in this country.

Most people whom I talked to from the game development community say they're very hindered by the taxes on gaming. Consoles and games in Brazil are taxed in upwards 85%. A new Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 game here costs R$250, which amounts to 140 dollars. There's even a dude garnering support for a project called "Fair Game", which aims to slash game taxes to both fight piracy and foster the internal gaming industry. It's an uphill battle, unfortunately.

The only way to escape taxes on gaming is with digital distribution. There's still no taxes on internet financial transfers and hence no taxes on games either. But I'm hoping no bureaucrat reads this and notice there's a loophole to their perfect (legal) gaming-free land.

TecToy days are far behind us.

(Sorry for the rant. I guess I'll just take any opportunity to talk about this shameful state of things.)

[jfrost]

If she winces looking at the cell phone screen, may be put off by DS screen with the touch screen setup. A lot different then comfortable use of Mouse and much larger screen.

Perhaps a trial run of say an easy to get into game: BEJEWELED 2 for the PC. The stepping stone out of playing just Solitaire only. If comfortable with that and willing to try portable gaming with touchscreen, then maybe BEJEWELED TWIST?

Yeah, you're right, she might not be too comfortable with such a small screen. But I hadn't considered that because she doesn't use her cell phone too much and the DS screen is bigger anyway.

I'll try putting Bejeweled here, thanks!

[Josh]

In all honesty, my 62 year old Grandmother with Arthritis is able to play New Super Mario Bros. and absolutely love it.

Also, my grandmother loved to play Slingo on the computer as well. When I found out there was a Slingo on the DS I picked that up for her and she hasn't put it down.

I do have to say, it is a really good idea for her to have a larger handheld. Either the original DS or the DSiXL would probably be good. My grandmother uses the original DS just for the GBA slot and Super Mario World.

Another good choice is Legendary Starfy, though that is rather text heavy.

[GSZX1337]

Peggle. /thread

[Jrecee]

In all honesty, my 62 year old Grandmother with Arthritis is able to play New Super Mario Bros. and absolutely love it.

Also, my grandmother loved to play Slingo on the computer as well. When I found out there was a Slingo on the DS I picked that up for her and she hasn't put it down.

I do have to say, it is a really good idea for her to have a larger handheld. Either the original DS or the DSiXL would probably be good. My grandmother uses the original DS just for the GBA slot and Super Mario World.

Another good choice is Legendary Starfy, though that is rather text heavy.

Jesus, my grandma can't even double click.

[Erik_Twice]

Consoles and games in Brazil are taxed in upwards 85%.

What the? Explain, please.