About six months ago, I went through my closet and pulled out all the old computer components from the last few years, put them in a pile, and realized I had a very good computer sitting there. In the basement, I had an old tower frame with a solid power source and a bunch of fans. So I called up my buddy Gerald and asked him- “Is it time for Breyana to have a computer for herself?” And he thought on it for a while, and decided yes, they would clear a space for a desk downstairs in the family room and make room for a computer.
Today, after Breyana finishes her final, I am taking her out for a celebratory breakfast. We’re then going to hit a store and pick up a keyboard (I’m pretending it is for me but going to ask her which one she likes and get that one), then go to the tech guys who refurbished my old tower case and assembled everything (I didn’t have the time or energy), and then when we get back from the big city, instead of going to my house I am going to their house and dropping it off and surprising her. I am super excited.
I’m on the hunt now for age appropriate games, so if any of you have a teenage daughter/niece/granddaughter and have thought about this, please let me know what titles you would suggest.
This is my Christmas today!
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Mike Molloy
Nice!
seaninclt
Roblox. Hello Neighbor. Goat Simulator. Honestly, if you have a decent enough machine, get her an Xbox subscription for like $8/mo. They have a PC only option that she can download tons of games (~200ish) and play at her leisure. But don’t get her hooked on the crack that is dual screens. You can’t ever go back.
MelissaM
You are such a wonderful cranky old dude! Gerald and Breyana are fortunate to have you in their lives.
debbie
Lucky Breyana!
bbleh
Make sure to spring for a current OS if it doesn’t have one and won’t upgrade automatically, and load at least one anti-virus program (free ones tend to be good enough). Kids’ computers are like toddlers and disease: they’re virus factories.
SiubhanDuinne
You are such a good person, John.
mrmoshpotato
@seaninclt:
More information needed. Also, WTF? :)
WaterGirl
So the tech guys have already built the new computer?
I am not a big game person so I have no recommendations, but I bet Breyana would love this:
Jacque Lawson Advent Calendar
Every day from Dec 1 – Dec 25 you click on an ornament and you see a fun and beautiful animated scene, and there are several games in the “living room” where you can play the smash the ornaments game, etc. You can decorate your own tree, and then the tree shows up in the beautiful desktop scene.
In fact, after hearing Breyana’s voice and her charming laugh on the phone the other day, I think I will buy this for her myself. I’ll send it to your email and you will have to send it on to her. Not to worry, it’s only 5 dollars, but you can only buy it if you have a membership for sending cards, etc.
ArchTeryx
Be warned that right now decent graphics cards are IMPOSSIBLE to get even for repair and assembly shops. The only place to get one unless you blindly luck out or fight the mobs hovering over Best Buy are scalpers. Ask your shop what graphics card they put in and that will largely determine what games the thing will run.
The chip shortage hit graphics cards first and hardest.
John Cole
@ArchTeryx: I had my backup card I am giving to her.
ArchTeryx
@John Cole: Good! What kind of card is it?
wenchacha
You are a good human being, John Cole. Thank you.
Lacuna Synecdoche
John Cole @ Top:
How old is she? Also, do you know whether or not she has a genre preference – FPS, RPG, Strategy, Flight Sim, Social Sim, etc.?
mac8
Stardew Valley is a good game.
Chief Oshkosh
Great giving plan. Everyone will be happy. One potential concern, though. When you ask her which keyboard she likes, what if she answers thinking “now which one of these would Uncle John like?” I mean, will she be happy owning a mustard-colored keyboard?
Lacuna Synecdoche
@mrmoshpotato:
Pretty self-explanatory — it’s a goat simulator. Here’s a link to the Steam page.
Miserybob
Horizon Zero Dawn is out for PC now – don’t know if your PC will run it, though. I played it on PS4 and loved it. Set in far distant future, post apocalyptic, robot dinosaur infested Colorado.
Great young female protagonist, too.
seaninclt
@mrmoshpotato: Exactly what it sounds like lol. Best part – you can unlock a devil goat that has a quasi-satanic ritual thing going on.
billcinsd
@mrmoshpotato: It started as Mickey Kaus’ Goat Simulator, but then he ceased to matter.
I was going to recommend GTA but decided that was probably not that great an idea.
Maybe think about interactive games/novels like A Case of Distrust or the many Edgar Allen Poe story based video games
Joy in FL
That is so for you to do this.
John Cole
@ArchTeryx: 1080ti
very capable card.
Lacuna Synecdoche
@bbleh:
Or install Linux, so she can learn it while she’s young instead of developing a lot of bad MS Windows habits.
I usually recommend Kubuntu for laypeople (i.e., intelligent non-techies). Maybe convert it to Rolling Rhino, so you don’t have to worry upgrades.
seaninclt
@mac8: No Man’s Sky also… personally, I adored What Remains of Edith Finch. Far and away one of the most clever, original games I’ve seen in a while (all ages btw).
rumpole
Every kid’s different, but civilization (pick a number) would seem like a good one.
seaninclt
Oh and ofc Minecraft
Lacuna Synecdoche
@John Cole: Nice. That’ll do the trick.
stinger
What a great gift for a deserving person. Good luck to Breyana on her final! Also you must enjoy having an emptier closet (for however long that emptierness lasts/lasted).
Wvng
It is a measure of your quality as a human being that you are so excited to be doing something nice for someone else. Good for you.
Jerry
My kid loooves Roblox/Royale High on the computer. She spends all of her time watching Roblox Youtubers and playing Roblox at the same time. She plays other games, but those are on either her phone or Switch.
Oh, and she just discovered Genshin Impact on the computer. She’s been loving that one as well.
Dave
steam250.com lists the top 250 games available on Steam. Not all of those are age-appropriate, but off the top of my head, these are probably fine: Terraria, Portal 2, Stardew Valley, Factorio, Slay the Spire, Slime Rancher, A Hat in Time, Celeste, Civ 5, Shovel Knight…
matt the somewhat reasonable
Steam has a pretty comprehensive selection of games for Windows PC.
Lacuna Synecdoche
@matt the somewhat reasonable:
And most Steam games will run on Linux too now, via Steam Play aka Proton.
Dave
Oh, and if you can wait a few days to buy games, Steam is inevitably going to running their annual winter sale. Most of their catalogue will be on sale, much of it for 50-75% off.
Kristine
You’re the best, Cole.
Nicole
This makes me really happy. Thanks for sharing, Cole. Our home is entirely Minecraft these days, so other than that I don’t know what these kids are playing on their machines.
Tom Levenson
Good man, you are.
Lacuna Synecdoche
Okay, game recs:
_____
The first five games have a female protagonist, the last can be configured to have one.
Emma
As an ex-teenaged girl, I loved (and still do) Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
However, if you want something gore-free…
Visual novels: The Confines of the Crown, Magical Diary: Horse Hall, Magical Diary: Wolf Hall, Long Live the Queen
Text adventures: anything by Choice of Games
Relaxing, decorate your place kind of games: Stardew Valley, Cozy Grove, anything that the Wholesome Games Twitter account suggests. (Also, download Sims 2 with all the expansions for free from one of those game archive sites. It’s clearly the best Sims game, but EA has scrubbed its official existence off the face of the earth.)
More challenging stuff: anything by Klei Entertainment (personal faves are Invisible Inc. and Griftlands), West of Loathing, Wildermyth, Two Point Hospital, Recettear: and Item Shop’s Tale.
endaround
PC game pass. Has Spiritfarer, Unpacking, Sea of Thieves, etc. You may also want to make sure you get an Epic Games account set up to get the weekly free games there. There are also free games with Amazon Prime through Twitch but that might be a bit more work to get setup.
Also don’t forget to pick up an Xbox controller
Edmund Dantes
@mac8: yep. Stardew Valley is a great one.
lowtechcyclist
I’m surprised you need to buy a keyboard, John. Every time I buy a new desktop computer, it comes with a keyboard and a mouse, and they just pile up in my closet. (I don’t buy a new desktop that often, but I got my first one back in 1995 so I have several retired or unused keyboards.)
Edmund Dantes
@Emma: two point hospital is another fun silly one.
BethanyAnne
I love the Mass Effect remastered trilogy, tho the first one is maybe too boring for her. Spyro Reignited is great, as is Katamari Damacy Reroll.
lurker dean
great idea, she will be so happy!
Bruce K in ATH-GR
Portal and Portal 2 are very age-appropriate, forgiving of older computer hardware, and awesome on many levels.
TaMara (HFG)
I don’t know about anyone else, but Imma gonna need an update on her reaction.
Watergirl – awesome that you got her the Advent calendar – a friend gets me one every year and I’m really enjoying London this year. Lots of fun stuff.
BethanyAnne
And there’s always the re-re-release of Skyrim :D
Blue Galangal
I’d recommend a Steam account (if she doesn’t already have one).
Stardew Valley
Wingspan
Depending on her interests, Rimworld is infinitely absorbing and configurable with a great community.
Of these, Wingspan probably has the highest graphics requirement but it runs on my 6 yo Mac laptop so…
gvg
Speaking of keyboards, back when I was working from home, my cat was getting in the way and sitting on mine. I googled for suggestions and a good one was a dummy/sacrifice keyboard on your desk, with your actually hooked up keyboard underneath in the keyboard tray. It seemed like a good idea and I passed it on to my sister when she applied for a work from home job. Its a good reason to keep a spare keyboard. Not 5 spares though(Dad).
What I actually did that worked for my cat was the cat trap method. Place a box with some papers in it in front of your computer. When can inevitably sits in it, scratch chin and pet frequently while continuing to work. Over the next few days, gradually move box to the side but keep petting frequently. Eventually I had it behind the monitor but easy to pet. She loved that box. Slept in it even after I left the “office” each night. Still sometimes sleeps in it even though I have not been working from home for over a year. My sister liked this idea. Hasn’t heard about the job though.
Emma
@Edmund Dantes: yes, I bought it mainly because the archival download of the original Theme Hospital crashed once I got to the higher levels. LOVED the humor and was not disappointed in the spiritual successor.
Brachiator
Son of a butch! There is an AWS outage.
This one is affecting me.
Steeplejack (phone)
Is there a test you can run on a (Windows) computer to see if it can handle a certain game, or “current” games in general? Or what’s a general rule of thumb?
Central Planning
It was mentioned, but my daughter plays Minecraft a ton so Breyana might like that as well.
Another one that is age appropriate that my kids like is Factorio.
I would ask your daughter what games her friends are playing.
Also, make sure she has a headset with a mic so she can chat with friends on the multi-player games.
Bobby Thomson
Yes, Steam, and specifically Portal and Portal 2. You can search for other games based on genre, reviews, etc.
Central Planning
@Central Planning: Doh! I know she’s not your daughter. In paragraph 3, have her ask her friends what games they are playing.
guachi
If she is already willing to hang out with you in person why not give her a gift subscription to WoW and have her hang out with you online, too?
MisterForkbeard
@John Cole: That’ll work for anything that’s not really really new. And even for brand new games, it’ll run them fine. Good card.
I’d agree that Stardew Valley is a great choice. If you ever want to play something with her, “Earth Defense Force: World Brothers” is basically a minecraft-looking game where up to 4 players blow up giant monsters in cities.
If she’s got experience gaming, Subnautica is really good as a story-based survival/crafting game that’s just beautiful.
As noted by others, Goat Simulator is a super silly game that can be a lot of fun.
I know a lot of teenagers who really like “Slime Rancher”, so that might also be a good choice for her.
@Lacuna Synecdoche: Horizon Zero Dawn is one of my favorite games for past couple years, though if she hasn’t played a lot of games it might be too dense for her. But it’s such a great suggestion I can’t believe I forgot it.
Geo Wilcox
I get my games from bigfish.com They have thousands of games from solitaire to mahjong to role playing to time management as well as a ton of hidden object games. They also have coloring games and board games as well
You buy them and they are yours forever to download on as many computers as you want. So if a current computer dies, you can easily down load them onto a new one at no extra cost.
rikyrah
You are good people, Cole :)
PaulWartenberg
City of Heroes: Homecoming (underground MMO for superhero alts, would need to install Tequila and download the game that way.
Edmund Dantes
@Emma: yeah I loved that. But even my gog.com version was rough to play and they usually have done a decent job getting stuff to play nice.
Brachiator
Very big hearted, John Cole.
creezles
Along with the Portal series, Horizon Zero Dawn, Stardew Valley, Undertale and Deltarune, I’d throw in:
Rich Webb
@seaninclt: I’ll second No Man’s Sky. Suggest dropping by the subreddit r/NoMansSkyTheGame to get an idea of what it’s like.
wu ming
untitled goose game is a fantastic silly game, you get to be an obnoxious goose harassing all the people in a quaint french village.
mrmoshpotato
@Lacuna Synecdoche: Thanks. ?
Disclaimer
Goat Simulator is a completely stupid game and, to be honest, you should probably spend your money on something else, such as a hula hoop, a pile of bricks, or maybe pool your money together with your friends and buy a real goat ?.
Jerzy Russian
I guess the assumption is that Breyana does not read this top 10,000 blog?
It would be good if there was a way to install programs/applications that would help her develop an interest in coding. I don’t know of any myself, but I would hope such things exist.
mrmoshpotato
@Brachiator:
Maybe it’s because you are Canad-i-an.
laura
Every kid should have a non-relative adult who cares in their lives. Just imagine knowing there was somebody you could count on for fun stuff and not fun stuff. Better worlds are possible and good on ya Blogfather for being ‘that guy.’
Leto
@Steeplejack (phone): pc games will recommend a minimum system setup that can run their game. Minimum graphics card needed, minimum RAM, hard drive storage space, as well as operating system. As long as someone follows that, they should be good.
mrmoshpotato
Geraldo! – yup, still an assclown!
Lyrebird
@mac8: Yes I couldn’t comment earlier, but I was logging on to suggest Stardew Valley, too. And I think with a Steam account you can play Minecraft as well? They have a Game of Life 2 that doesn’t need physical board game.
I don’t think you need a computer to play That Sky Game, but it is beautiful and fun.
I don’t recommend Cookie Clicker unless she wants her machine to crash a lot.
Brantl
@ArchTeryx: The bitcoin / bitconn weasels hit it harder.
Chris Sherbak
I have no direct info but I see a lot of Minecraft and Roblox mentioned in connection with kids. Stardew is very popular as well. Steam is a great resource for games but there’s a ton of adult stuff there too. Linux is wonderful but it’s best for new people to have the same OS/setup as people they know (or use at school) to get help/answers.
WRT to coding, I’d like to plug https://girlswhocode.com/ as someplace to check out if she has any interest at all in that stuff.
Edmund Dantes
@Jerzy Russian: there are a bunch of games that are programming logic.
when:[] learn as an example (not sure if I got the symbols right)
rhetormorrison
My teenage daughter has become hooked on a game for the first time: Genshin Impact.
https://genshin.mihoyo.com/en/
guachi
My news feed says BBB is dead and the Senate has moved on to not doing anything about voting rights for the next six months.
Roger Moore
Get a mechanical keyboard. There’s really no substitute. If you get a good one, it will far outlast the computer and keep going for the next several PCs. She can choose which one she likes and which key action is good, but mechanical or GTFO.
jeffreyw
@Brachiator:
I have some Wyze light bulbs that aren’t working, I hope it’s the AWS outage else I have networking problems. I would rather they fix it. Not sure why they want to know when I turn the lights off/on but I’ve noticed some devices are dependent on the internets being up. I had a router that wouldn’t let me see my devices unless it was hooked up to my internet feed.
anonymous expat
Autonauts. Resource management game built around the Scratch programming language: programming robots to do all the things turns learning how to program into an actually fun game
ETA:
And it’s half price for the next few days, to boot: https://store.steampowered.com/app/979120/Autonauts/
Tim Ellis
Add another vote for Stardew Valley here; excellent game that can be played in many ways and styles, at any pace, fully age appropriate and equally good single player as it is co-op.
Tim Ellis
And if she is into factory games, Dyson Sphere Program is gorgeous and clever and can also be played at any pace. There’s no enemies and really no way to lose, you just keep building bigger and bigger space factories and I’ve never seen a more beautiful game.
Roger Moore
@jeffreyw:
Yet another reason why IOT is a terrible idea. Having random stuff in your house stop working right if you lose internet connectivity is really bad.
realbtl
I’d suggest asking Breyana what she wants when you give her the computer.
Mel
Final Fantasy X remaster is a win: 3 female protagonists.
Add an additional vote for Stardew Valley and for the Portal series, as well.
HRA
You are making a beautiful memory for her that she will always remember all her life. I know this from my remembrance of my Uncle Pete who was my Mom’s cousin. You are a good man John.
Almost Retired
@mrmoshpotato: Oh my, I misread that as “Goat Stimulator,” which would be a very disturbing video game for a child.
MisterForkbeard
@Mel: You mean FFX-2, right? I think the original FFX had… Yuna and the lady who wears 12 belts. Lulu. And then 4 male characters.
FFX-2 is a direct sequel and has 3 female protagonists. Whose power is that they can (evidently) change their clothes in combat to change their combat capabilities.
Fun and great mechanically, but I never though the “dress sphere” job changing mechanic was particularly feminist. Though my female friends loved it, so maybe I should shut up. :)
frosty
You need a better news feed. This is not what I’ve read on TPM or any other source.
MisterForkbeard
@frosty: BBB is dead for 2021, since Manchin has slow-rolled it and literally says we should wait despite the obvious problems that’s causing.
But it’s still planned to continue. Though really, at this point Manchin is just blowing shit up. I don’t think anyone actually knows what he wants to accomplish
schrodingers_cat
B^3 is not dead it just has been shelved for this year. Senate is taking up voting rights legislation first. There is no need to amplify anti-Democratic party talking points.
billcinsd
@wu ming: I was going to post this, and the Mitten Squad try to get through it without honking
Can You Beat Untitled Goose Game Without Honking? – YouTube
Mary G
My housemate teen has been a joy to watch except when it was terrifying. He’s been here since he was eleven and has now turned 18. His current boss is teaching him how to tile and giving him lots of encouragement. He told me yesterday that his boss and I are the most patient people he knows. It’s nice to make a difference.
trollhattan
My teen-for-two-more-weeks-and-don’t-you-dare-remind-her loves Animal Crossing and its gateway drug “Minecraft.” She likes building things and lording over others.
JAFD
Re keyboards: If any of you are Big People with Big Hands and Big Fingers, check out the More Keyboard – morekeyboard.com
I’ve had one for a couple of years now. Won’t say it was the best $69 (plus shipping) I ever spent, but it’s in top ten.
RobertB
@Roger Moore: I second that. If she wants a cool feature, find one with buckling switches in it. If you don’t want to dig that hard, buy a Razer.
I’m using this as my daily driver: https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/product/UB40416 , which I’ve owned since before there were such a thing as Windows keys. Can also be used as a field-expedient entrenching tool and self-defense softball bat.
BethanyAnne
@JAFD: Oh, that looks wonderful. Thanks!
gratuitous
Edmund Dantes mentioned Gog.com. It’s got a wide variety of down-loadable games to choose from, and if memory serves, there isn’t a sign up fee or monthly subscription charge.
That being said, I’d suggest Myst, a good game with an absorbing storyline that challenges the player on many levels, doesn’t require killing everything that moves, and several satisfactory puzzles and mini-games that don’t always solve the first time. It’s available on Gog.com.
Lyrebird
@anonymous expat: Ooh thanks for the tip!
For younger kids, in case anyone else here is reading for additional people, Kodable has done well by us.
not_a_cylon
Echoing the rest: definitely Stardew Valley, Portal 1+2 for the puzzles and story and female protagonist, and Minecraft.
Josh R
My daughter loved ‘My Time at Portia’ which is a light rpg with crafting. Should be on Steam.
Grover Gardner
My daughter is 18 and still loves Feral. You select an animal avatar and create an environment, play games, win prizes, etc. It’s an interactive game but is closely monitored. (I think National Geographic still runs it.) The graphics are very cute but sophisticated enough for older players. If she likes animals it’s a lot of fun.
fer.al
eclare
Do you know if Breyana likes computer games?
WaterGirl
@eclare: How will she know unless she tries them? :-)
Ukai
I’m enjoying Dicey Dungeons. It’s a combination of deck-building (e.g., Magic the Gathering, Dominion) and rogue-like (i.e., randomly-generated dungeons) games, wherein you’re an anthropomorphic die battling enemies via dice rolls, with the end goal of defeating Lady Luck to have your greatest wish granted. The gameplay is fun and accessible, the writing is witty, and the soundtrack is catchy as hell.
LeftCoastYankee
I’ll second @Josh R:’s recommendation.
I played way too much of My Time at Portia during the early parts of the pandemic. It’s a similar concept to Stardew Valley but with 3D graphics and more depth of experience (IMO).
Lacuna Synecdoche
@Jerzy Russian:
Yep. Thus my recommendation of Linux above.
Martin
So, my daughter (now 20) likes Horizon, Dragon Age, FF, etc. Also Stardew, Minecraft, (pretending to be an adult) games. Also moe JRPGs. She likes games with character creators, games where she can dress up, etc. Now, that would include Cyberpunk 2077, Code Vein, etc. Generally games where you are forced to play as a male protagonist she dislikes (though she loves Witcher). But JRPGs in general – Persona 5, Legend of Heroes, Fire Emblem, Nier Automata.
If young teenage, check a review of the JRPG – Witcher has nudity. Some of the JRPGs also do, or run very close to the line.
Lacuna Synecdoche
@Chris Sherbak:
Yes, that’s generally true, and it’s why I have my parents running Windows, but … with kids and computers, I think it’s better to challenge them, and point them in the right direction rather than set them up to do things the same way everyone else does.
That said, it’s just a suggestion. I could be wrong.
@Roger Moore:
And this is why I’m moving to Linux from Windows. Win 11 is going to require an internet connection to operate, and setting up my system such that it won’t start if the internet is down is a deal-breaker to me. I can’t understand why it isn’t a deal-breaker for more people.
As it is, I’m still running Win 10 about half the time while I figure out how to set some things up in Wine, and Garuda Linux (KDE Barebones spin) the rest of the time.
Anon in NC
Video games are so diverse and you didn’t say what sub-group she’s into. She might like Zelda Breath of the Wild (it’s a console game but it’s the best game ever made), Stardew Valley (7+ farming simulator, super chill), Sid Meier’s Civilization VI (10+ a great 4X game), Terraria (12+ action adventure), Hades (12+ rogue-like with excellent dialogue). Perhaps Dragon Age (rated Mature 17+) series with its excellent storytelling, but that purposefully allows you to make dubious moral decisions and goes heavy on the gore.
Emerald
@MisterForkbeard: I wonder if Manchin thinks he can win again without Democratic votes. Yeah, I know WV is bright red, but he’s a Democrat and he needs at least some votes from Democrats.
Were I a citizen of West by God Virginia, I’m not sure I could force myself to do that. Spend money and time instead getting a different red state Dem elected.
Emerald
Games! I tend to be an adventure gamer. If she likes What Remains of Edith Finch (fantastic game!) she might like some other adventures. I’m kinda sorta internet friends with a couple of guys in Cornwall, UK, who make really imaginative adventures as a sideline. So I will recommend a couple of theirs, all available on Steam: Darkfall: the Journal (award winner) and Barrow Hill: Curse of the Ancient Circle. Both are easy to play slideshow presentations with good puzzles and are excellent starter games for the genre. Also they are excellent games. Then, The Lost Crown, which has a sequel looming. Much longer but highly immersive. (It’s 15 years old and has primitive tech, but the imagination and the world it creates will make you forget that.)
And if she has a sweet tooth, To The Moon and A Bird Story. Very simple and induce happy tears.
Have fun!
Nutmeg again
(Being late to my daily blog reading) I’ll be the last to add, you are an awesome uncle! Mexican food, and a computer. Fantastic.
GregMulka
@MisterForkbeard: Did a Ctrl-F to make sure someone mentioned Subnautica.
WeimarGerman
Just one more turn til 3am has to be Civilization 6. Lots of mods, lots of pseudo-history in the talents of the various Civs. I like these turn based games because I can always stop ‘right now’ and save if need be, there’s no real-time hurry to it.
I’ll also add a vote for Dragon Age, but I had it on a console so unsure of it on a PC.
There is still a playable version of netHack for those of us who remember ASCII screen, single player D&D from the pre-PC days. It’s a great lesson in how far RPG games have evolved.
NotMax
One older title have not yet seen brought up is The Vanishing of Ethan Carter.
In a minority but regardless still a fan of ‘choices matter’ FMV* games when they’re well produced, such as
The Shapeshifting Detective
Late Shift (judgment call – some might find it borderline unsuitable for younger teens).
.
*Full-motion video
JAFD
@BethanyAnne: You’re welcome !
BTW, Computer versions of the card game Race for the Galaxy are available at
http://www.keldon.net/rftg/ and
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/438698/race-galaxy-ai/page/68 (I think that’s the latest version)
If any of you are looking for way to waste ten minutes, would recommend this game. But, as always, YMMV.
The original rules to the physical game (you’ll probably want them) are at
https://www.riograndegames.com/games/race-for-the-galaxy/ (and the pages for the expansions)
and commentary at
https://github.com/bnordli/rftg/wiki
(Hope all these URLs don’t send me to limbo)
El-Man
Another plug for Subnautica, and it’s sequel Subnautica: Below Zero. Building/survival/exploration with scary underwater monsters.
If she likes building, then maybe Cities: Skylines. Tons of DLC, too.
SteverinoCT
Heh. Right now I am reading the blog on my iPad while my old PC resets to factory-default Win10. I copied all I need to my new PC and this one is going to the neighbor’s 7.5 yo. He loves flight simulator, so I’m installing my X version off DVD. My new PC was basically so I could mess around with the newest version. He already has (rather, his dad has) an Xbox, so this is more for schoolwork etc.
Origuy
Sometimes when I want a casual mindless game I’ll crank up a hidden objects game like The Clockwork Man. It’s kind of a steampunk theme with a female protagonist. (on Steam) For more intense sessions, I usually go for strategy games, like the Civilization series. I also played the hell out of Age of Mythology. Those aren’t particularly gory. Not big on multiplayer; I like not being committed to a long session of gaming.