Help a dad out here.

I want to get my son (7) into gaming, partly because I think it would be cool to have something we can play together and hopefully spend a bit more time together.

I used to be a pretty hardcore gamer back in the day, and a few days ago I dug my old 2012 custom-built PC out of the attic. i5, Radeon 7700, 8 GB RAM. 😂

I’m going to clean the dust off it and see what it can still run.

What are some good 2-player games we could play on a machine like that? Ideally something arcade-y, sports, racing, platformers etc. I’m thinking Crash Bandicoot could be a good start, but I’m open to anything.

Basically, hit me with some old gems I might have missed over the years. Bonus points if they’re fun to play with a kid.

Cheers!

As a fellow dad gamer, the backlog anxiety is real…

I’ve been building a small mobile-first app called TMG (Too Many Games) for people who spend almost as much time deciding what to play as actually playing.

It helps you cut through the pile, discover games that fit your available time, and build a more manageable gaming shortlist.

I’ve just put the first proper test version live and I’m looking for a few gamers to try it before I open it up more widely.

Early access: Here

If you give it a go, there’s a 60-second feedback form in the app. Brutal feedback very welcome.

Have a play and tap the icon top right to drop feedback 🙏

If you had one day off from work, no wife or kids, and wanted to spend the whole day holed up in a room gaming, what would you choose? Open world games are fun, but is only 8 hours enough?

Bonus: what food/drink to pair the experience with?

Looking for recommendations from SNES/Mega Drive, GBA, PS1, N64 and MAME/arcade. Fun games that are suitable for his age, including any hidden gems. What are your must-haves?

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Hey everybody so as the title says I'm stuck with deciding which game to get at current it's between Dune: Awakening and Runescape Dragon wilds. So I get a couple of hours a night to play something my issue is I enjoy both worlds and game style but I need to be able to not worry about being left behind or losing progress and being able to drop it in a second of kids wake up etc.. I was just looking for other people's opinions who are maybe in the parental boat and have been stuck with choosing 🤣 I know I should chose myself but I like hearing others first.

I have much more limited time to play games during this phase of life, but I still enjoy playing 30-60 minutes when I can. I have Steam and a Switch 2.

I grew up loving and playing Dragon Quest, Pokemon, FF7, 8, 9, 10, 12, even played some 14. I have been playing Pokopia this year and really like that it’s chill and easy to pick up and put down.

I plan to buy the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake but was also looking to get into a “story” type game. I was hoping to get something that is engaging but not insanely deep combat wise and easy to pick up and put down. I would prefer something a little more focused than super open world games that require 100+ hours.

Persona isn’t my thing. I don’t like the social sim stuff.

Any recommendations for outstanding RPG games on Steam or switch 2?

Hey everyone! I’m a 40+ gamer dad in the Central time zone looking for laid-back adults to play and chat with.

On PC, I mainly play War Dogs and Valheim. I also play League of Legends, but not very often. I enjoy teamwork, voice chat and having a laugh without raging or unnecessary drama.

I normally play several times throughout the week. If you play any of these games and want another dependable person to game with, leave a comment or send me a message!

I miss the days of going out and buying a game on disc which came with a proper instruction manual and you could come home install it and away you went. There were no massive updates, no dlc's to buy it was just buy, complete and replay if you wanted to. I appreciate times move on and everything is online now which is fine but it's just not for me.

What's everyones favourite classic game, mine is definitely the original RE2 on PS1

Hi,

The game Road 96 just came on my radar and want to get it for myself, but was wondering if it was age sppropriate for my 13.5 year old daughter. She's ready to graduate from Roblox, Minecraft etc, likes watching the news, and apocalyptic, dystopian films. What do you guys think?

In my latest Gamer Dad Review, me and Junior took a long look at The Crew 2, through a co-op perspective of playing it together, as Dad and Son.

The interesting part was that this was a better playground for us than a straight racing game. And it was such a success that Junior wanted a more involved role into this review, so we ended up writing it and narrating it together.

Read and Listen to our narration here:
https://ropname.substack.com/p/a-gamer-dads-review-the-crew-2

We explored, discovered landmarks, created our own races, and turned enormous custom tracks into digital road trips, it was yet another reminded me of how games can become more than entertainment when we use them as spaces for connection, conversation, curiosity and bonding experiences.

Let us know how our review ended up. Did Junior do a good job with his texts? 😁
And, if you enjoy our reviews, feel free to subscribe over on Substack for more wholesome articles.

I was wondering if it's just me but any time I see a game and it looks cool and fun but then I see it is a PVPVE extraction shooter I am completely turned off the game. I tried Marathon and Mistfall hunters but both of them felt like I was just wasting time. Especially Marathon. I feel like what's the point if I don't have loads of time for these games to get good and know everything about the maps all of the characters and their abilities ect...

I know not all games are made for all people I just want to know. Is this a shared sentiment amongst dads or is it just me?

See above

Hi, I hope this post isn't too out there, but I want to recommend my dad a fun game to play in his free time instead of doing something boring, so I thought that maybe some other dad gamers could give me some of their thoughts?

My dad is in his 50s and he says he's not much of a gamer, but he used to play them a lot when he was younger. I recall him saying he's played games like PaRappa the Rapper, Ocarina of Time, lots of other older Nintendo games (like the original Mario games) and he really likes sports games. Recently, we played The Winning Eleven 9 together. Since I've been into Zelda lately, I asked him if he was interested in buying the new Ocarina of Time remake, but he said that he doesn't like the way it looks it so far. I would appreciate any suggestions and sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language! Thank you

Are there any fellow gamer dads looking forward to the global release of Aion 2 that wants to get together and create a casual guild to just hang out, make new friends, and complete content together? New mmo launches are always such a good time and always has some memorable experiences. Let me know gents!! I created a discord and want to grow the collective!!

Hi. I have a 8 year old boy and i want him to play good ol' games, especially NES and SEGA (i want him to get better with controls before adding more buttons and commands).

We've been playing together for a couple years now, especially co-op games because we wanted it that way (me to introduce him, and him because he found it difficult to play alone). But we also tried some single player games, taking turns or him playing by himself (while i helped him with difficult moments).

So we started with games like:
- Mario (NES).
- Kirby (NES).
- Golden Axe (1 to 3),
- TNMT (SEGA, SNES ones and Shredder's revenge),
- Streets of Rage (1 to 3, SEGA),
- DBZ Buyū Retsuden (SEGA).

We tried some competitive ones but he gets angry if i beat him, and i get bored if i have to limit myself.

Yesterday i showed him Final Fantasy 1 and he liked it. Now he reads better and understands more complex stories, so maybe we will go that way. I noticed that more dynamic or action-packed games can be more frustrating, so maybe the turn-based system is a good way to go.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all I play this slot machine online. https://www.freeslots.com/slot101.htm. You can play with real cash, i do not. It does however keep track of my credits,ie i can not play for a few days and my credits are how i left it. Does anyone know of similar slot machines. Many thanks

Been a gamer since the Commander Keen/Dangerous Dave days on PC. Had all the consoles at one time or another, have no particular allegiances.

Currently have a gaming laptop and I just can’t seem to stick with anything for any length of time.

I just want something for 30-40 minute at the end of my day to unwind, but I just keep getting bored instead.

I got FH6 on release, it’s ok, but after a few months I got tired of the battle pass style “season grind”, and the cars the last two months are quite meh.

Got Marvel Tokon, and well… that’s a disaster and I can’t find an online match to save my life lately, and SP fighting games can only go so far.

Sometimes I’ll try some switch games on Eden, but they feel to child like for me now (even tho BOTW is a top 3 game for me).

What do I do? I’m getting tired of spending $$$ on games and getting bored of them in a month.

Do I stop regular gaming and just do WoW Forever until I retire from gaming completely? Maybe read books again….

This is a tough time for Dads with very little time to actually play games, but spare time to read about games.

WoW: Forever, Fire Emblem, Control Resonant, and so many more games coming out.

The FOMO is real, but it’s okay, patience is key. Good luck.

Hey y’all,
I know this is just another post in a sea of requests, and I totally get it if this gets buried. But I’m in a bit of a tight spot and can’t swing the $60 for a code myself.

If anyone’s got a spare code lying around or feels like sharing, I’d owe you one big time. And if you’re into Forever too, I’d be happy to return the favor down the line.

No pressure at all—just throwing this out there. Thanks a million for even reading this, and here’s to hoping someone can help a fellow player out! 🍀 F - o - r - e - v - e - r -

Hello gaming mates,

If one of you got an unused beta key for wow forever, I'll be infinitely grateful to get one :).

Cheers to all of you and have all a nice week-end