Guess which games 3 year olds are best at :O

My son who is 3 has been playing through my old cartridge rom collection with me and I have come up with some interesting insights into how youngsters adapt to playing games.

Strangely the games I thought he might be able to play like thomas the tank engine (4+) were too complex with the need for reading and moving a mouse-style pointer around.

The simple classics like space invaders and pac-man i thought would be a winner were also too hard. The precision needed in moving the defender left and right to fire/dodge and the planning required to get all the dots was a bit of an advanced concept. Basic platformers were also difficult for him to get a grip on too.

I eventually found the style of game 3 year olds are best at...
Scrolling Beat em ups! Im not kidding. I let him try some of the less violent cartoony ones like spiderman, superman, dynamite dux etc...
Being a huge spiderman fan, he can clear out (on 'easy' mode) the first level of spiderman and dynamite dux on his own, except the bosses at the end.

Not very educational, but if anyone is writing any educational games for this age group, it appears the simple concept repeatedly hitting buttons really fast and the direct concept of up-down-left-right is far more amusing and productive than any kind of accuracy devices like pointers
(at least where console controls are concerned as he is quite good with a mouse).

Thus proving that beath-em-ups really are nothing more than random button-mashing. :-)

OIh, striking a nerve there :o) Some like street fighter are. If you play soul calibur or vitual fighter, you'll get your ass handed to you on a plater for button bashing.

I would have thought the slightly more advanced games would benefit 3 years, in helping them gain the abilities needed to play them games. Sort of head start?

I'll just need to wait till i got kids and experiment on one of 'em :D Stick them in a room with some games till he masters them.

Lol, i only said "best at" not "best for" ;)

Our 3 1/2 year old is very good at picture matching games. The ones where you need to remember what images are hidden in each grid location.
Also the 'catch falling objects into a basket' type of game

Next up, "Call of Duty 4" (hehe)

My little boy is able to play hidden object games. Oh and Lego Star wars now :-)

I first played Pole Position nand Space Invaders and Tanks when I was 3, I remember playing them, was alright!

Actually, I got Pole Position on my 4th birthday. I remember i was even able to get the hang of the hi/low gears too.

I'd say racing games

Hmm, only tried him on mario cart and fzero. They were a disaster.

Prehaps something where you kind of stay on the track more easily :/

I would have gone with Manhunt 2.

When my sone was 4 he liked to play games like the blue's Clues preschool game. Now he's 5 he likes the putt-putt graphical adventure games, zuma and mah-jong

Lol! :D
Then you would get a phone call from the daycare saying "your son has just embedded a plastic hammer in another child.. please come and remove him asap." (..not a good monday afternoon call:) or worse, be visited in the night, many many times, for many many weeks with the old "theres monsters under my bed"

I was pretty good at SkiFree when I was three.

I just recently bought Grand Theft Auto 3, and the only thing I enjoy is wrecking cars and catching them on fire. The missions are pretty dull and stupid, so I play the game with a three year old mentality: WRECK THINGS AND GO BOOM!!.

Just tell him he's "borrowing" cars and don't let him get a hold of the uzi :)

Or pick up hookers in San Andreas, then run them over after a 'rumble'! :)