Game ideas for 5 & 6 year old girls?

[rackoon]

 

[Well Fed Games]

Some info here: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=110192.0

Personally, I am considering building a cab for my daughter based around the Genesis/SNES version of Ms. Pac by Tengen... 2 player, more mazes, easy mode, etc.

Taito's Plump Pop seems like a possibility, cute animals in a Arkanoid type game (spinner).

[RayB]

Just because they are girls, the games don't have to be "cute". Any of the classics should be fun: Pac man, ms Pac, Galaga, centipede, etc

[rackoon]

My cab gets a lot of play from me each day and my teenage son and friend play it a lot on weekends. My wife even plays it from time to time, but the ones that get left out are my 5 & 6 year old daughters. Every day they ask me to play with the giant electronic toy in my office that gets so much attention. In the past I have come across some good young kid games but I always forget about them if I don't write them down.

I let them smash buildings on rampage, but that gets boring.
Head to head space invaders was fun for a while, but I keep thinking that there has to be something better.

There has to be a puzzle or maze game they could play
Maybe a easy side scroller.

I'm going to see if they can play sonic the hedgehog tonight, it might be too fast.  
Anyway, suggestions would be great thanks.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Just a few off the top of my head:
Cameltry
Puyo-Puyo
Super Puzzle Fighter
Magical Drop series
Puzzle Bobble
Puzzloop
Bubble Bobble (Symphony)

[Rando]

You're looking for cute non violent games, I hear ya.
Try Pengo, Donkey Kong Jr, Marble Madness...

Some games that my wife/females generally like:
Q-Bert, Centipede, Tetris

[rackoon]

The games don't have to be cute, but I will note that my 5 year old daughter thinks she is a mermaid. The 6 year old loves little fluffy animals. I tried to show her a game that was like tetris and all she focused on was the little chicks that appeared.

Regardless, they did like space invaders and that's not cute, well the 95 version is a little.

[Malenko]

My niece loves NBA Jam.

[HanoiBoi]

Trog!  They can play together for hours....assuming at least a 2 player cab.

[Dazz]

Mortal Kombat
Time Killers

[Jack Burton]

My niece was always addicted to any game in the Super Mario Bros. series. 

I'd set up ZSNES on the cab and let her play Super Mario. All-stars. 

[Bender]

Kids love Leprechaun!! (aka: Pot of gold)

[creatine28]

My 6 year old daughter loves Hamster ball.   It's a PC game, but works well with the track ball on my cab.

[8BitMonk]

Kids love Tumblepop.

[jimmy2x2x]

Cotton



Pang



Caveman Ninja



This one seems popular with the kids

[scofthe7seas]

Kirby. Kirby games for NES and SNES. They aren't very difficult, very cute, fun games for kids to get into.

[Ond]

My kids like Space Bomber, check it out.

[Klexor]

Kids love Leprechaun!! (aka: Pot of gold)

Totally agree Bender.  All three of my kids love Leprechaun.  They gravitate to it at Funspot (located in the Weirs, NH, USA, Video Game Museum!!).  They heard I was building a cabinet and they freaked out asking if Leprechaun would be on it.

[Raven..]

My 6 year old daughter started playing Galaga when she was 7 months old!  I built here a candy cab and a shorty PC-10.  She like s to play SMB 1-3, Duck Hunt, Penguin Brothers (loves that one!), Jump Shot, and a few others.  She also has her own sit down driving cab running Burnout Revenge, and a full-sized Road Burners.  Little girls can kick ass too!

[YllabianSpaceGuppy]

Frogger! I loved that game when I was a kid. And for an under-rated game, I would say Space Zap. It's simplistic but very fun and easy to pick up.

[Xiaou2]

Really depends on the skill levels of the kids... but the younger they are, the more likely you want to pick games that allow you to play for a long time, that dont have as high of skill requirements.  Continue games can also work.

 Girls & young kids also tend to like bright colors and cartoony graphics.

Some Ideas:

The Simpsons  (a must.kids love playing this game together)
bowling (pretty much any of them. Trackballs are fun to use)
shuuz?
flicky
teddyboy blues
bump n jump (this was my fav at like 7yrs old)
turbo (another one of my favs as a kid. Cant die completely until time runs out)
spyhunter (another timer run out game)
loco-motion (maybe too involved?)
frogger
gyruss
time pilot
kick
dig dug
Crystal Castles
Donkey Kong 3
timber?
two tigers
buggy boy
Fantasy Zone?
nibbler?
Afterburner II
TMNT
Toobin
cameltry
Joust
leprechaun
zookeeper
Marble Madness
Any Pacmans
Strider
Super Off Road
Gorf
Off the Wall?
Toki
Willow
MJ Moonwalker ?
Super Pang?
Virtua Racing? (or pretty much any racing game)
Excitebike
Fairyland Story
Bubble Bobble
Rainbow Islands
Power Drift
Stun Runner
road riot
cruisn usa
virtua fighter?
Arkanoid?
Tempest?

[Corbo]

Not really for your arcade, but what girl doesn't love kissing cows.

[leapinlew]

Chicken Shift


Cute animals, kind of puzzley style, and only needs 2 buttons to play

[Malenko]

Girls & young kids also tend to like bright colors and cartoony graphics.

Bright colors and cartnooy graphics? Load up Gals Panic for Xoushe's little girl!


Thats an impressive list of games no 5 or 6 yr old girl would want to play.
Afterburner? Virtua Fighter? Strider? rly?

[Xiaou2]

Boy, you really cant help yourself can you?

 Girls dont just play games that are filled with pink flowers & rainbows.

 Step into an Arcade one day.

 I used to work in one, for 3 years.

[scofthe7seas]

What 5-6 year old girls are running around unguided in an arcade, with a pocket full of quarters, picking and choosing what they want to play?

[Malenko]

Boy, you really cant help yourself can you?

 Girls dont just play games that are filled with pink flowers & rainbows.

 Step into an Arcade one day.

 I used to work in one, for 3 years.

Just making sure you still cant take a joke   Scroll up, there's no pink flowers and rainbows in NBA Jam. There however might be rainbows in some of the games you listed, like RAINBOW ISLANDS    Only arcade I can step into is the one in my basement. Also, Donkey Kong 3 sucks.

[Well Fed Games]

I don't get the "no cute" sentiment. My daughter gets neither Barbie or Disney princesses, and I am woman's lib as they come. Nonetheless, the games with a "cute" aesthetic are often more approachable and less violent (but not always- I find Bubble Bobble to be tough as nails). I put Frogger and Galaga (among others) on my game list for my current project- I have no doubt my 3-year old will eventually favor Galaga, but for now a cute Frog jumping around (and no-button controls) keeps her attention much better. No one is saying cute games are the only ones kids should ever play- having a daughter is great, but what I really want is a co-op partner for Ikaruga. 

[Xiaou2]

Just making sure you still cant take a joke Smiley

 Misspelling my name isnt much of a joke.  Shirley you can come up with something a bit more funny?  I do however like the Lego MK avatar   

Striders difficulty is fairly easy, and it has that continue factor going for it.
Similar for ABII. 

 Interestingly enough... I met a girl online while looking for information about the Sitdown Outrun motor assembly. She was introduced to ABII when she was a little girl, and shes been obsessed ever since. (mostly with Sega motion games) She goes to various arcades, arcade shows, etc.

 

Donkey Kong 3 sucks

  Wouldnt it be better described that it Blows?   

 I found it interesting as a kid.  Probably have to lower the difficulty for younger children though.   I think I liked it a bit more than DK or the Original Mario Bros., cause it was much faster and less clunky.

What 5-6 year old girls are running around unguided in an arcade, with a pocket full of quarters, picking and choosing what they want to play?

 Probably more in line with 6 to 7.  But you would be surprised.  Also, you just cant always tell your kid 'lets play this'.  They see a game that looks interesting, and they will drag you right into it.

 I know I was at least 7 but maybe as young as 6 when our father handed us each a pocket full of tokens to play at the arcade in Chuck E Cheeses.

 The most amazing thing was when we got my 2yr old sister to play "Shooting Gallery" for the Sega Mater System.  She walked right up to the monitor 'point blank', tracked and fired at the targets, and was actually scoring good hits.       She could barely talk (as far as I recall), but she could mow down moving ducks little problem   

[scofthe7seas]

Also, Donkey Kong 3 sucks.

Hey! I like Donkey Kong 3. Mainly because it's pretty easy and makes me feel like I'm good at it.
That's pretty much the reason why I dislike Donkey Kong Jr.

In honesty though, I think little kids would best like games that aren't frustrating/difficult. I love chicken shift, but there is NO way a 5-6 year old kid will like that game. It would just be known as "the game where the eggs fall and I lose"

[Donkbaca]

Girls like to play games that are fun.  It doesn't have to be a game where you are a fairy princess trying to save your pet unicorn from the evil wizard of frowny faces, though, that would probably get a lot of play.  

I think the key is something that isn't too hard, that is easy to play and has good sounds that isn't overly violent.  Michael Jackson's moonwalker is pretty fun, you save little kids, get to turn into a giant robot when you find your pet monkey, the music is good and when the ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- is about to hit the fan you press the dance button and make the baddies explode after some nice choreography....

I think that little girls would probably want to play just about anything little boys would want to play.  My two year old loves mortal kombat ( I only do babaliities when I play with her)  She even named her stuffed toy monkey Kitana.  

[ark_ader]

What is wrong with going out to the park, or visiting a museum, instead of mindless and possible violent video games?

Five and six is a bit too young to be playing video games.  There is plenty of time for that when they get taller. 

[Donkbaca]

what's wrong with spending quality time with your kids by introducing them to a hobby you love?

[ark_ader]

what's wrong with spending quality time with your kids by introducing them to a hobby you love?

Can also mean that you like spending time with your hobby and the kids being there is a convenience.

[Donkbaca]

Nah, I know what I mean.

[Malenko]

Nah, I know what I mean.

citation needed.  I hope your kid loves Arkanoid

[Donkbaca]

Can I cite myself?  I am sure she would hate arkanoid, she might like centipede though.

[Donkbaca]

If I have a mame cabinet in my home office, and I work from home, am I working in an arcade?

[Malenko]

I used to work in one, for 3 years.

Ah, at least you've downgraded it back to "work".  For awhile it was "managed" and I kept waiting for the day you were going to say "owned."

I hate when we think alike.

[RayB]

Nah ark's right (*shudder*). Young kids benefit a lot more from real life interaction with toys like Lego or exploring nature outside, than from staring at a screen.