DS 11 doesn't like Minecraft, what else is out there?

[Sunnymeg]

Looking for some 'streetcred' alternatives to Minecraft. DS tried it at a friend's house and didn't like it. The language got a bit sweary from what DS said. He is leaving primary next week, and is currently into Skylanders and Club Penguin, although I guess these will get dropped once he goes to secondary.

We live in a rural area and realistically he will interact with friends out of school online rather than face to face. Can anyone advise what is out there - Thanks

[Chocrock]

My DS 12 doesn't like minecraft either. He prefers xbox live games mainly FIFA, FIFA street and that game which he is too young for and everyone on here hates so I won't say it's name!

[Fairylea]

I'm surprised he thought minecraft was sweary - dd plays it all the time in the same room as me... I havent heard or seen any speech in it, yet alone swearing. But maybe I'm wrong.

Dd also likes to play little big planet (another building type game) and also Sims (although some of Sims is a bit adult, depending which one it is.)... and I don't think any of those have the social interaction aspect, as far as I know.

Hmmm. Dd is 10 (year 5) and most of her social chatting with friends is done on Google plus and Skype.

[Sparklingbrook]

Hello. News in from DS2 (11). The website Steam has a sale on at the moment, that's where Minecraft is downloaded from. There are demos and you can buy games if you like them.

He doesn't think Minecraft is sweary and wonders if your DS and his friends were playing on servers of people they didn't know who were swearing?

[Sunnymeg]

DS was playing with an older boy and it was his friends who were swearing. DH will not tolerate any bad language ( his Dad was a Vicar) and doesn't even use the mildest swear words. DS knows this.

[Sparklingbrook]

I think maybe if he had Minecraft with just his friends he would see that it's not like that normally Sunny.

[tribpot]

Little Big Planet is a favourite here as well (ds is 8). Also Ni No Kuni.

There's also Animal Crossing, which I love - a very gentle game and there's some social interaction in it as well in that you can visit other people's villages and pick their fruit and stuff.

[Sparklingbrook]

Animal Crossing is really good tribpot. DS takes the bus into the town and goes to the hairdressers in it. Then does a bit of fishing, sells the fish to somebody and makes money to buy furniture for the house.

[tribpot]

Yes, I'm gutted you can't get Animal Crossing for the iPhone/tablet, so I play Happy Street as the nearest alternative / blatant rip-off :)

[Fairylea]

Sunny with the best intentions I wonder if ANY sort of social online game is going to be okay then, given that around this sort of age a lot of the peer group begin to use swear words... unfortunately!

[Sunnymeg]

That may be true, unfortunately.

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

Playing Animal Crossing in secondary (or admitting to playing it) would not be the way to go. DS1 and DS2 have both told me it's associated with girls in Y4 and below.

Minecraft is only as sweary as the people using it. DS1 goes on a closed server with friends who are there by invitation only.

Amongst my children's friends, Skylanders and Club Penguin are rarely mentioned by anyone over Y3. DS2 likes Moshi Monsters & Bin Weevils, but he has SEN and is v.socially immature.

Y7/Y8 boys play Minecraft, go on Facebook, watch YouTube videos about Minecraft and post their own, and talk on Skype. Some of DS1's friends play games like FIFA & CoD etc on X-box etc, but we don't have any of these.

[bigTillyMint]

Fifa13 is the onlygame of choice in our house DS is so not interested in any Minecraft-type games

[SovaMaminka]

My 12 yo ds plays the Sims 3. So do his friends. They all do at their school/

[SweetLathyrus]

My DS enjoys Civillisation V, though he's quite a political animal for a Yr6, and loves the incongruity of some of the choices you can make (Gengis Khan signing peace treaties and Gandhi launching total war!) It has the advantage of working at either simple or sophisticated levels, and either as a multi-player game, or internal turn-taking (from what I can follow anyway), and though the war stuff sounds violent, it's more Risk than COD.

[isitsnowingyet]

I would count your blessings!!

[NoComet]

Animal crossing is always referred to as "watching paint dry" in this house, it is unbelievably boring!

DD2 is a total SIMs addict, has been since she was six and yes she does like encouraging her sims into bed to have Woo Hoo and try for a baby. It's all pixelated and very tame.

Only problem we had was years over characters dying, but she seems to have sussed that one.

[NoComet]

Tears

[garwrex]

If he has an Xbox 360, try Trials HD. It's a motorbike stunt riding game, very popular with the young 'uns, Not violent or sweary, but pretty addictive.

Also, Minecraft is just a poor man's Lego.

[BeeBawBabbity]

Another vote for Ni No Kuni in this house. Minecraft is a hit here too (and the old animal crossing, but that was mostly me).

I have girls, they dont like the football games.