Games for elderly folks

[spidey]

Hi,

I need to download some iPAD games for my parents. They are not at all computer savvy and would play only very simple games. For e.g. they love playing tetris on the 8 bit controller. I am guessing something like labyrinth they would like. And perhaps I can get my dad interested in a pool game if he is willing to go through menus. Any recommendations?

[triggywiggy]

Axe In Face, Angry Birds etc, All easy to play but are fun

[Mivo]

How old is elderly?

I think various match-3 games (Bejeweled being fairly accessible) might work, and the non-fancy majongg solitaire titles (Majongg Elements is a decent choice). Card games, like freecell, are also possible candidates. For something that really shows off the coolness of an iPad, the already mentioned Labyrinth is definitely a good pick. :)

[spidey]

How old is elderly?

I think various match-3 games (Bejeweled being fairly accessible) might work, and the non-fancy majongg solitaire titles (Majongg Elements is a decent choice). Card games, like freecell, are also possible candidates. For something that really shows off the coolness of an iPad, the already mentioned Labyrinth is definitely a good pick. :)
Elderly is 65+... It's not so much about age, as it is about non-familiarity with electronics. Which is why Labyrinth is easy and fun. Angry Birds should be a nice game too. Match 3 games arent really something they would enjoy.

[Mivo]

Match-3 is something I could see my mother playing (also in that 65 category), but then again, she's at least a little familiar with electronics and curious enough to try out new things. My ex's mother, around 60, was totally into Peggles and mahjongg, and she was a computer illiterate. But yes, depends on the specific people -- and you know your folks better than anyone. :)

[Coldar]

Check into Bubble Shooter games like Bubble Bust! or something similar.
http://appshopper.com/games/bubble-bust

[medianotzu]

They might enjoy word games like Wurd, Hangman RSS, Guess the News, Bookworm, or Abca.

[secondtime]

We got my folks an iPad and loaded it up as well. They even got wifi on their own after they got it! My mom enjoys Shanghai Mahjong a lot. We play Abble Dabble across the net (really quite a good scrabble game), and she also likes Card Shark as she can play many different card games. Also Crosswords (or Crux) for crosswords fans.

Other games I loaded, but not sure how much she's played (she really likes Shanghai Mahjong and Abble Dabble) are: Art Puzzles (join it is also great, but requires a little more dexterity for the puzzle pieces), Boggle, Sudoku2 Pro, Touch Rummy, Angry Birds and Cut the Rope. You could always put the lite version on and if they like them, walk them through downloading the full. I've done that a few times to get them to d/l something I thought they'd like.

Others could be Big Fish games, Zarik HD, Gears, Woozzle HD, match-3 games (something like Fishdom HD, Brickshooter Egypt HD)

Just some ideas...

[bluecomb84]

Scrabble, Phase 10, Uno, Monopoly, The Game of Life and PAC-Man/Mrs PAC-Man for starters. Perhaps Q*Bert.

[triggywiggy]

Do get Axe in face. Really easy to play. My mum about 60ish loves the game and she don't use her device much and is not really good at game.

[gekkota]

Eric Snider's Solitaire has a nice interface and animations. His Freecell is also pretty good. Spider:Bryce Manor would be another good choice.

Games that they are already familiar with in a board game format would probably be good too, like Scrabble, etc.

[MidianGTX]

Without a doubt, get them this:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=419638216&mt=8

I freakin' love that game, my girlfriend loves it, my sister loves it and my mother loves it. Everyone I introduce to Pathpix just plays the crap out of it. No time limits, no game over screen, no math (despite the numbers), just a calm and leisurely experience. Extremely easy to learn and use, anyone can do it.

And if they enjoy that there are two more Pathpix games on the store.

[crex]

Topple is a fun and easy game to play. :)

[phattestfatty]

my parents love: suduko, fruit ninja, cut the rope, solitaire, and angry birds.

[spidey]

wow! Thanks for all the advice. Just gave them a tutorial at Angry birds and they loved it. Labyrinth they couldn't get in too much. And a bunch of good ideas here.

Scrabble and other word games wouldnt work for them. English is not a language they are conversant in.

I really want them to take the iPad and explore. They might end up liking games I can not imagine right now.

[alyfantis]

My mother, around the same age as your parents, loves her iPad. She uses the free app Doodle Buddy to draw and send me pictures. Don't know if yours would like that.

You should also try some of the many tangram apps, Peggle, the Tiki Totems games, Play Kalei (am loving this one), and the sliding blocks puzzles like Get Me Out.

[backtothis]

Yes, Peggle would be a very good one. Maybe Plants Vs Zombies as well?

[Pete the Geek]

Check out Bubble Bust and Osmosis HD.

[12yam]

Without a doubt, get them this:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=419638216&mt=8

I freakin' love that game, my girlfriend loves it, my sister loves it and my mother loves it. Everyone I introduce to Pathpix just plays the crap out of it. No time limits, no game over screen, no math (despite the numbers), just a calm and leisurely experience. Extremely easy to learn and use, anyone can do it.

And if they enjoy that there are two more Pathpix games on the store.

well the screenshot looks very intimidating...

[MidianGTX]

well the screenshot looks very intimidating...

Well I did link to the Pro version, it starts off much simpler or they could start with the first game which begins like this:

http://i56.tinypic.com/2mm9v2f.png

Either way it doesn't take long before you're solving much bigger puzzles with relative ease.

[ninjabunny]

They might like Memory Stacks. It is a simple card game that my 60+ father really likes. Game play is simple, fun and a bit addictive. My dad also likes angry birds and unblock me.

*Disclaimer* I am one of the developers of Memory Stacks.