What's the best video games that senior citizens can play?

[foton24]

Been more than 20 years since I am out of loop. My gaming was as good as playing Contra, Mario, Roadrunner, Popeye in late 90s.

Now I know Nintendo Wii, XBox etc. I don't play anymore, but I am trying to help my parents who are senior citizens. They like simple games like car racing, bowling, tennis, tetris type of mentality - not war games.

Any recommendation for them to get a console suitable for them?

Thanks.

[redwudz]

Try this site for PC games, most slow paced and good for 8 hours of play. They are free to try for an hour. www.bigfishgames.com

Or you can pick up a used Xbox from Amazon fairly cheap. No idea about what Xbox games seniors might like.

[lordsmurf]

The current senior generation didn't grow up with games, but was forced to learn computers for work. So they're often open to doing fun simple things with mouse and keyboard, not consoles.

Hand-eye coordination games like Zuma are great. My mom plays it all the time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuma_(video_game)

Or classic Wii for sports/active games. That console is unique enough, makes them get up and move around.

[foton24]

Thank you.

I see gamestop will have a deal this week on Xbox 360. Will look for that and other options.

[beyonslay]

Forza Motosport 7 it's a racing game where you can drive more and more powerful vehicles in the career mode which is divided into five sections.

[lordsmurf]

Seniors don't want to race cars. Yeah, sure, a tiny % will, there's always exceptions to rules. But in general, they want puzzle games, maybe activity-like sports (bowling, not football), the end. I'm not a senior, and I don't want to play car games either. Car games are mostly for teens, maybe 20s. Especially those that can't drive, can't afford a nice car (yet have enough free time to sit around and play games).

There's demographic data online that can break down a lot of this.
Here's one study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5637547

Racing is way down the list, only above online multi-player, RPG, and shooter.

[KarMa]

I would think Nintendo would offer the best consoles for more casual (older) gamers. Can go for the older 2008 Nintendo Wii or the latest Nintendo Switch. With the Wii being a decade old, there are some great deals to be had on ebay. For Example Mario Kart and Mario Galaxy are great casual games, with Mario Kart not being a serious racing game and more about random chance and giving those in last place every advantage (Blue Shell Effect).

If your parents don't care much about HD resolution (Wii is 16:9/4:3 480p only), you can get a large selection of quality games on the cheap by buying someone's Wii collection on ebay.

[Winnston]

There are lots of indie games copying both retro-graphics and classic game mechanics. You should browse it on steam.

[lingyi]

I would think a lot of the old Atari 2600 games would be a good choice. A lot of games like Air Sea Battle and Canyon Bomber don't require twitch reflexes. Also the joystick is easy to grip and only one fire button. Plus, it's easy on the eyes and are pickup and play for a quick game. Personally, I sometimes get overwhelmed even with the (now) limited resolution and visuals of my XBox 360.

My limit on gamepads are the six buttons on the SNES. Any more and I get really confused and frustrated.

BTW, only a couple more years before I get those sweet senior discounts!

[lingyi]

Hope I'm not treading on forbidden grounds here, but you could get a Raspberry Pi and add a bunch of old game emulators on it.

You mention of Tetris reminded me of one of my favorite games, Peggle. Easy to play, yet difficult to master, especially a the higher levels. I've managed to ace (i.e. clear all the pegs on every level) of the original version, but still struggling with the sequels.

[JVRaines]

Go retro! This is at Walmart and eBay.

[Rain26]

monopoly on nintendo