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DS8 has been playing Minecraft on the PC since around age 3. He still likes it but he is looking for other games. I would imagine that after 5 years the same game would get old (or at least I hope so!). One gave that he has been playing a lot for the last 9 months, is Settlers: Rise of an Empire. http://www.amazon.com/The-Settlers-Rise-Empire-PC/dp/B000Q56VHK
When he first started playing this he would plop buildings down randomly, his settlers were naked/starving half the time, etc. But he has become an expert and succeeded in all 15 campaigns on his own. I like how the game improves executive functioning ability--planning, organizing, focus, strategy, etc. I just ordered a copy of Stronghold/Crusader for him which looks similar. He loves history. Since we haven't tried it I can't recommend it but it looks interesting. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SKDIKE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Please post game suggestions for DS or just in general for other people to benefit.

I know there is another game thread, but this one is specific to computer games for kids that like Minecraft type games.

Basically you are exploring a map, and you discover other villages. Some of them are "enemy" and others are friendly (or become friendly if you cooperate with their requests). You can then buy certain resources from them. It does not teach complex economic principles by any means. The main thing about the game is that you have to produce enough food by building farms, hunting cabins, fishing shacks, etc. And then you need to produce clothing from the hides that are produced. You also end up building other structures like Taverns, Baths, Broom Makers, etc. as the game progresses and your settlement develops. DS would forget about all of this because he was so eager to run around the map and attack bandits or enemies with his armies. Then his settlers would go on strike. He would also forget to build a wall around his city. After the first few campaigns it can get repetitive, but DS was rather obsessed. I almost always see the game at Half Price Books for $5, it was well worth the money.
You can play against the computer, or you can set up a LAN game. We have played it where it was all 4 of us with our own cities on the same map, helping or attacking each other.

My ds12 still plays minecraft on his and other servers with his friends. He did not start at 3 though. He also likes Terraria and can get pretty involved in that. He also likes Kerbal Space Program. I think there is a pretty good learning curve to start but I am sure he will catch on quickly. You might even like Kerbal if you give it a shot.

StrongHold looks pretty good. The price is right too, it is $19.99 on steam.

Based on the interest in Settlers, I'd strongly recommend The Total War series. It checks all of the boxes:

- History
- Economy and resource management
- Negotiation
- Strategy
- ATTACK!

There are different versions of the game reflecting different historical periods. The battle simulation engine is AWESOME, and the units and tactics are well representative of the respective time periods and individual national characters. All of the units move simultaneously, and the user can only pause or accelerate the passage of time, so battles are quite demanding on executive function.

A favorite for me is Empire: Total War, which reflects the 1700s across three theaters (Americas, Europe/North Africa/Near East, India), and includes a campaign that simulates the American Revolution. This title has been around for a few years now, and can be found on the cheap.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll definitely check them out. I got a cheap copy of Age of Empires collector's edition today. Has anyone tried that? It says 12+ so I'm assuming it's not too complex.

We went through a Terraria phase a year or two ago. Both kids were really into it for a while and then shifted back to Minecraft.

What type of platforms for games do you want suggestions for?

DS went through a huge phase of loving Zelda (RPG Fantasy game) when he was a preteen. He started with the Wii version, and we ended up buying a used Playstation so he could play the older games. My biggest problem with this game is it's not set up to quit on a at any time, you need to move to a save location or you loose everything you have done recently.

The Settlers game sounds at least somewhat similar to Civilization, which I've always loved. I believe it's up to Civ V now, but I have always been partial to Civ II, myself. There are also other versions that branch out, like historical ones, and a new space one, that are not numbered. You can get all the old ones on Steam, as well as other places.

We have a Wii and a couple tablets but he seems to prefer the PC for whatever reason. DD has stolen my ipad. One game for the Wii that DS really loved a few years ago was "Dawn of Discovery"...I think it is Anno 1404 for the PC. You are also building cities. I tried Civilization (albeit not very hard) and couldn't figure out what was going on, although it's quite possible DS would figure it out if I left him to his own devices.


I think we have Zelda for the Wii and there wasn't much interest from either kid. They played it for a couple days.

Beware of Sid Meier's games like Civilisation - they are dangerously addictive.

My fav historically based PC games are Civ II and Pharaoh (and the other games in the series by Impressions covering Rome, Asia, and Greece). For fantasy stuff I like the Age of Wonders series as well as Knights and Merchants, Lords of the Realm 2, Banished, Master of Magic, and Heroes of Might and Magic 3. Other great games that are fun and require thought include Roller Coaster Tycoon games and Tropico (they get progressively easier, like most games, so for a kid I'd start with Tropico 3 or 4). Those games are all strategy/building type games. Most have combat, Banished, Tropico, and Roller Coaster Tycoon do not. I get my digital games on GOG.com. Everything there is DRM free and goes on sale often.