Poll: Does a Kiddie Game = Shitty Game?

[Gigaguy64]

Not all the time.
Kirby is a series that is very childish but its one of the best platformers out there.
Lego series, also a "kiddy game" but from what iv played of them, thay are really good.
You cant judge something because of the way its marketed.

 

[Escapefromwhatever]

The Super Mario Bros. series
The Pokémon series
The Sonic The Hedgehog series
The Lego Star Wars series
Aladdin
Scribblenauts
Professor Layton and The Curious Village/ Diabolical Box
Starfox/Starfox 64
The Legend of Zelda series (except maybe TP)
The Megaman series
and Okami...

could all be considered, at least by some, to be "kiddy" games. I think most people here who look at that list will find something they like. I'd say that, even though there's a decent amount of crap being marketed to kids, the child-friendly roots of video games are still doing pretty well- most children's games I see today actually tend to be mediocre more so than they are shitty, which isn't necessarily a good thing, but still shows at least a little bit of effort on the part of developers.

 

[Julianking93]

No. Usually it does, but...

Legend of Zelda
Megaman
Super Mario Brothers
Super Smash Brothers
Starfox
Donkey Kong
Okami
The Lego Series
Kirby
LittleBigPlanet

 

[SithLibrarian]

Not all "kiddie games" are that horrible. Take Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for example. While the camera work was a little suspect, it features some great action adventure moments and Jeremy Soule's soundtrack wipes the floor with John Williams' composition.

Other fun, kid-orientated games that come to mind:
Katamari Damacy
Animal Crossing
Quidditch World Cup
Jak and Daxter (not sure if this qualifies)

 

[thiosk]

Animal Crossing was fun in the sort of way where if I sent my girlfriend a present in the game, she'd take her top off.

Positive reinforcement is all it takes to play any game.

 

[teisjm]

Familly friendly means it's fun for the small kids and dumped enough down to be a bore for most gamers

 

[Captain_Caveman]

ratchet & clank is a kiddie game, but i find it tons of fun.

 

[SithLibrarian]

Animal Crossing was fun in the sort of way where if I sent my girlfriend a present in the game, she'd take her top off.

Positive reinforcement is all it takes to play any game.

XD

My favorite thing to do was to visit a friend's town and chop down all the trees. I'd get yelled at, sure, but it'd be worth it.

 

[DrDeath3191]

No. See Mario, Zelda, and pretty much any great platformer ever made.

 

[KamachoMcSagget]

No. See Mario, Zelda, and pretty much any great platformer ever made.

Stole my answer.

 

[VicunaBlue]

Does Ratchet and clank count? I liked that

 

[PrototypeC]

There is one game I've played when I was younger, but I appreciate them more today. Anyone here heard of the Jumpstart series? Mrfft above said it best; educational games suck these days. No self-respecting kid would want to play them.

Jumpstart was different. Their philosophy was to make a fun game first, and an educational game second. Nowhere in their business plan did it say, "dumb this s**t down for kids".

What sticks with me today, the most, is how amazing the graphics were. For the time, the graphics were really stellar. The 3D mixed with the 2D 'hosts' worked really well, the locations and challenges were really interesting, and it made you feel like a million bucks every time you could up the difficulty and stay afloat.

 

[PrototypeC]

Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention. You can still find Jumpstart games, but they suck now. Don't buy them. I guess the plan was to re-make them but keep out everything that was unique, challenging or interesting. They succeeded.

 

[Logic 0]

No, because katimari damacie is a great kids game where you get to roll up everything.

 

[NickCaligo42]

No. Usually it does, but...

Legend of Zelda
Megaman
Super Mario Brothers
Super Smash Brothers
Starfox
Donkey Kong
Okami
The Lego Series
Kirby
LittleBigPlanet

Ten years ago, a lot of those weren't "kiddie games." They were just games. They ARE still just games. That's the point. Adults who played them before still buy them and still find the same sense of fun and enjoyment in them, except in the cases where the series has just been flushed down the tubes, as with Starfox and Donkey Kong post-N64. When they say "E for everyone" they mean it. They take their audience seriously and don't try to go out of their way to alienate or exclude. The developers didn't make them thinking "kiddie game," they didn't make them thinking "we really need to give Mario a cigar and have him swear like a sailor," as if that would be a magnet that attracted older audiences and repulsed younger audiences, they made them thinking "this is the idea, this is the artistic vision behind the project, let's make it." And if everybody were able to operate that way we'd live in a better world today.

 

[DrDeath3191]

There is one game I've played when I was younger, but I appreciate them more today. Anyone here heard of the Jumpstart series? Mrfft above said it best; educational games suck these days. No self-respecting kid would want to play them.

Jumpstart was different. Their philosophy was to make a fun game first, and an educational game second. Nowhere in their business plan did it say, "dumb this s**t down for kids".

What sticks with me today, the most, is how amazing the graphics were. For the time, the graphics were really stellar. The 3D mixed with the 2D 'hosts' worked really well, the locations and challenges were really interesting, and it made you feel like a million bucks every time you could up the difficulty and stay afloat.

Ahh, Jumpstart. Those games were awesome. What was your favorite? Mine was 3rd Grade.

 

[ScruffyTheJanitor]

It's the idea that kiddie games have to be "educational" for parents to buy them. Otherwise the kids are "wasting time" on them when they should be feeding hamsters and watching scooby-do which are highly educational and promote development in a child.

Unfortunatly, rabbits with letters painted on them that have to be arranged into 5 letter words do not really account for an entertaining experience.

 

[plastic_window]

Viva Pinata so no.

Personally, I loved Viva Pinata and it's proper sequel (that party game thing doesn't count) and I'm 18. And while I'm at Rare, I'm going to suggest Banjo Kazooie, too.

Almost everything Nintendo are famed for making - excluding perhaps the Metroid series and Twilight Princess - can be added to a kid's game list - Mario, DK, Kirby, Star Fox, FZero and so on. Speaking of Nintendo, I saw someone mention SSB earlier, so I guess that counts, too.

Also - and as has also been noted - the LEGO games are pretty kickass. Aside from the Batman one which I didn't like too much. I suppose that's because I'm not a big comic-book guy in the first place, so maybe I don't get any of the in-jokes.

 

[A random person]

No. Usually it does, but...

Legend of Zelda
Megaman
Super Mario Brothers
Super Smash Brothers
Starfox
Donkey Kong
Okami
The Lego Series
Kirby
LittleBigPlanet

Pretty much this. All of those games are rather kiddy but awesome. Besides, colors and not being mature (in either sense) does not equal being a bad game/movie/TV show/whatever.

 

[Fallingwater]

Newsflash: kid movies, tv shows and cartoons also tend not to be very deep and fulfilling for adults.