Community
The Community Room
The Community Room is a space to have conversations about anything you’d like to discuss with your fellow Engineers, Architects, Designers and basically all community members in here.
cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Parents - recommendations for nerdy games

14 REPLIES 14
Reply
Message 1 of 15
Mistress0fTheDorkness
690 Views, 14 Replies

Parents - recommendations for nerdy games

Obviously, we've got some good nerds in here, and I need your advice.

 

I'm trying to turn my sons into nerds, and I think I'm making some good headway with the oldest (alas, I think the youngest will be a jock, like his father 😛 ).

 

At any rate, his best friend is always telling him about the games he plays with his parents (WoW, Minecraft? etc).

 

Now, we don't have a gaming console, and I'm not a huge fan of computer-based gaming, simply because I never get online unless I'm working. He occasionally plays an iPad game called Arcane Empires, but, he's getting a bit bored with that (plus he's got to share the iPad with the rest of the family and his iTouch is probably too old to install any new apps on).

 

So, I'm thinking a nice board or card game or something (well, whatever the nerdy equivalent is).

He's about 10 (but with near college-level reading comprehension). I'd play with him sometimes, and if it's a good game, I'm sure he'd invite his best bud over for it, too.

 

So... suggestions?



Melanie Stone
Facilities Data Management
IWMS / CAFM / CMMS / AutoCAD / Archibus / Tririga / Planon / MRI Manhattan CenterStone / Revit / data normalization, data mapping, reporting and process documentation
mistressofthedorkness.blogspot.com/
14 REPLIES 14
Message 2 of 15

Don't know if I qualify as a nerd, but I say go with chess.  I don't go for any of these new fangled fantasy games.  You can't beat the absolute classic board game.  It is hours and years of fun.

 

If you want to get a little fancy, you can find three-player chess.  My parents picked one up for me in Poland.


Mark Green

Working on Civil 3D in Canada

Message 3 of 15

We as a family have always gone in for anything in the Mario family... Mario Kart is one of our favorites.  But we also play Gauntlet Legacy (Gamecube).  Super Smash Brothers.  I guess these aren't your clasically "nerdy" games, those tend to be the epic shooter games.  But they are good family fun.

Message 4 of 15
CoreyDaun
in reply to: troma

There's a nerdier version of the standard chess: Khet or "Laser Chess"

 

Edit: Perhaps my contribution here should be stricken from the record, as I'm not a "parent" as cited in the title of the thread.

Corey D.                                                                                                                  ADSK_Logo_EE_2013.png    AutoCAD 2014 User  Revit 2014 User
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
⁞|⁞ Please use Mark Solutions!.Accept as Solution and Give Kudos!Give Kudos as appropriate to further enhance these forums. Thank you!
Message 5 of 15

Not a parent, but I am a gamer so YMMV...

 

That depends on level/span of attention and how good he is with numbers.  Find a FLGS (friendly local gaming store) with a gaming area, stop by on a Saturday and see whats on the go.

 

There's tactical games (think "chess on crack.  with lasers."), which span everything from Napoleon to WWII and endless sci-fi variations.  Requires a certain level of patience, many of them require several hours for a decent game.  Some require specific pieces to play, but there's usually a player or two who can loan pretty much everything and anything.

 

And of course the endless variations of collectibles games (most of them card-based).  Can be extremely fun, requires less time, but it can be difficult to progress without significant investment in the collectibles part.

 

Traditional games (Risk, Monopoly, etc.) seem to be making a comeback, but mostly among the older coffeehouse crowd.

 

Roleplaying is about as geeky as it gets.  There's a whole host of options there but the gamers are usually older.

----------------------------------
If you are going to fly by the seat of your pants, expect friction burns.
"I don't know" is the beginning of knowledge, not the end.


Message 6 of 15

SETTLERS OF CATAN!

 

Board and online game. 🙂 My older brother is a huge gamer and introduced this to our family. It's a fun game -- strategy, all that good stuff, but not too difficult. I think your sons would enjoy it.



Teresa Basich
Community Manager
Autodesk, Inc.
Message 7 of 15

Message 8 of 15

Lol, sorry, didn't mean to exclude the non-parents 😛
Lots of great suggestions, thank you!

We do play chess, but, most of his friends aren't interested, but, maybe one of these variations would be cool to try.
😉 And yeah, I brag on my mini-me. His favorite game to play one on one with me is Mind Trap, and he usually reads the questions aloud for us. And yes, he's quite good with math, too for the earlier suggestion. The complexity of an involved game would appeal to him. He's either got a super short attention span or an obsessively long one (~coughs~ yet another inherited trait lol).


Melanie Stone
Facilities Data Management
IWMS / CAFM / CMMS / AutoCAD / Archibus / Tririga / Planon / MRI Manhattan CenterStone / Revit / data normalization, data mapping, reporting and process documentation
mistressofthedorkness.blogspot.com/
Message 9 of 15

Any chance you can have him write some games?  Simple/basic ones to begin.  Then the more complex stuff later on.

Later in a few years there are some circuit stuff and cool microcontroller kits for him too:)

 

--
Autodesk Product Design Suite Premium 2019 | Perpetual + Subscription
Message 10 of 15
loboarch
in reply to: TBasich


@TBasich wrote:

SETTLERS OF CATAN!

 

Board and online game. 🙂 My older brother is a huge gamer and introduced this to our family. It's a fun game -- strategy, all that good stuff, but not too difficult. I think your sons would enjoy it.


I agree on Settlers of Catan.  Simple game most can understand and is kind of the "game for non gamers".

My house plays games quite a bit so i will suggest a few which are played regularly at our house.

 

Settlers of Catan - resource management, trading, building game for 3-4 players (can be expanded to 6).  Does not work well with 2

 

Dominon - Card strategy deck building game.  Magic, knights, Castles, etc... is the theme of the game.  This one is NOT a collectible card game so a one time investment keep you playing for a long time.  Works fine for 2 but can work up to 6 players.  Lots of expansion packs if you get bored with the cards you have.  My house has played with the basci game for over a year now and there is still play left in it.

 

7 Wonders - Card based civilization building game.  This game plays really fast experienced players can finish a game in about 40 minutes.  Works best from 3 to 7 players.  This is good if you have big crowds to play.

 

Ticket to Ride - Train based building game.  You try and connect routes across the board.  Multiple maps can be bought for expansions.  game is dead simple but very fun and quite strategic when you have 3 or 4 playing.  It will still work with 2.  Plays up to 6.

 

The next 4 are cooperative games.  this can be good if someone keeps getting beat and want a change of pace.  the cooperative games pit the players against the "game system".

 

Pandemic - Players work to stop global disease from spreading and destroying the world.  gold standard of cooperative games.  PLays 4 in the base game, and up to 6 with an expansion.

 

Atlantis Rising - Players work together to stop Atlantis from sinking.  Resource management game in a cooperative wrapper.

 

Flashpoint Fire Rescue - players are firefighters working together to save a burning building.  You have to rescue victems before the building collapses.  Expansions with different maps/building to keep it exciting.

 

Forbidden Island - Another rescuse the sinking island game.  Is a lot like Pandemic (made by the same designer) but it is a bit easier to understadn and plays quicker and works better for 2 people.

 

 

I think with that list I may have revealed to much of my "nerdy" life.  Smiley Wink



Jeff Hanson
Principal Content Experience Designer
Revit Help |
Message 11 of 15

Great stuff guys, thanks!

He's got a robot that he can program, that Lego mindstorms one. And he's created a board game with his Lego microfigs.

He was just asking me about D&D the other day, lol, so, I'm guessing I'm on th right track.

Thanks all.


Melanie Stone
Facilities Data Management
IWMS / CAFM / CMMS / AutoCAD / Archibus / Tririga / Planon / MRI Manhattan CenterStone / Revit / data normalization, data mapping, reporting and process documentation
mistressofthedorkness.blogspot.com/
Message 12 of 15

He might be a little young for D&D, not necessarily for the content but for the gaming groups.  Most of the players are significantly older than he is.  Might want to look into the D&D skirmish game, relatively fast-playing and average age will be MUCH closer to his.

----------------------------------
If you are going to fly by the seat of your pants, expect friction burns.
"I don't know" is the beginning of knowledge, not the end.


Message 13 of 15
loboarch
in reply to: dgorsman


@dgorsman wrote:

Might want to look into the D&D skirmish game, relatively fast-playing and average age will be MUCH closer to his.


Are those games any good?  I have seen them (there are 3 or 4 different ones right?) but not gotten an opportunity to play.  My son and I used to play Heroscape which I think is similiar.



Jeff Hanson
Principal Content Experience Designer
Revit Help |
Message 14 of 15
dgorsman
in reply to: loboarch

There's a number of different games, everything from D&D, to BattleTech, to Star Wars (the stats on the AT-AT make it pretty useless, but the "mini" is pretty).  D&D figures are also popular for role playing GMs and players to keep track of characters in combat.

----------------------------------
If you are going to fly by the seat of your pants, expect friction burns.
"I don't know" is the beginning of knowledge, not the end.


Message 15 of 15
AcadAdamLT
in reply to: dgorsman

Heroes of Might and Magic III

With a slight risk he might become obsessed with the game.

This game never gets old.

Signature, sincerely... //Adam
AutoCad LT 2016
Give Kudos where credit is due, Mark "accepted as solution" if the post solved your question.

Can't find what you're looking for? Ask the community or share your knowledge.

Post to forums  

Autodesk Design & Make Report