Handheld video games for 66 year olds?

November 20, 2006 10:30 PM

My 66 year old mother is looking for games to entertain herself with on long flights. What small devices might be right for her?

My mother has recently discovered Bejeweled as a way to keep herself busy during long plane flights. She's been playing on my Treo, but finds the screen a bit small ... also, I want my Treo back.

So: 66 year old woman, moderately arthritic, needs handheld platform to play Bejeweled and perhaps some other titles on. Suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

posted by tkolar to Technology (18 answers total)

I know Bejeweled runs on some cell phones - but that might be an issue in regards to the cell phone/plane problem...
posted by matkline at 10:53 PM on November 20, 2006

My mom likes Bejeweled, too, but a hand-held battery Yahtzee game is just as shiny for her.
posted by Sallyfur at 11:11 PM on November 20, 2006

Bejeweled is available for the Game Boy Advance. You can probably pick one up used pretty cheap. Or go with the Dual for the neat-o games available for it.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 11:21 PM on November 20, 2006

Best answer: Try Zookeeper on the Nintendo DS. Other good puzzle games on the DS are Meteos, Tetris DS, and Magnetica. Brain Age is designed to keep the mind "young/active" by playing several mini-games including Sudoku. You should be able to buy many of these games used. I recommend the new Nintendo DS Lite over the original DS since it has a larger easier to hold stylus, brighter game screen, and is 21% lighter. The rechargeable battery should last 15 - 19 hours on the lowest brightness setting.
posted by plokent at 11:38 PM on November 20, 2006

Best answer: I recommend the DS Lite and a copy of Brain Age. Its a really accessible game (and console!), and the sudoku part of it is great for passing time on flights. I recently bought a DS and Brain Age for my 59 year old mother, and she loves it. There are a bunch of games on DS she may like, perhaps Tetris, Animal Crossing or Nintendogs.
posted by Joh at 12:03 AM on November 21, 2006

pocket sudoku.
posted by boo_radley at 12:27 AM on November 21, 2006

I second... or is it third? the suggestion of DS Lite with Brain Age.
posted by antifuse at 2:47 AM on November 21, 2006

Yes, DS and Brain Age, which includes Sudoku.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 2:48 AM on November 21, 2006

I recommend a small fixed-function LCD game such as a Sudoku, chess or Yahtzee game. You can get a whole device in this category for less than the price of a DS cart, and if an airport suddenly decides she can't take it on the plane it can be tossed without much regret. Here in Australia most "Games World"s have a small wall covered in the things. Toys Rus probably has a large selection too.
posted by krisjohn at 4:07 AM on November 21, 2006

A small hand-held poker game might be fun for her. Quite inexpensive, and the screen size may be right for her.
posted by lisaj32 at 4:20 AM on November 21, 2006

Get her a Gameboy
posted by Fotofixer at 4:25 AM on November 21, 2006

Clubhouse Games is another great game that goes along with Brain Age and similar titles for the DS. It has 42 different classic games in it, such as card games and dominoes and chess.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 4:34 AM on November 21, 2006

My late mother adored our very basic Gameboy. I am sure they are much shinier now, but give her Tetris and she would NOT give the Gameboy back. Heh. I miss you, mum.

The only thing with Gameboy in its original configuration is that even I had a hard time seeing the screen properly. I am not sure how good the screen size/colour/contrast is now--it may be much better. I had 20-something eyes back then, and my mum had 50-ish eyes.

But I'd say a Gameboy.
posted by Savannah at 7:25 AM on November 21, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks all. I think the DS Lite is the way to go...
posted by tkolar at 9:34 AM on November 21, 2006

A palm with a bigger screen than your Treo. There are many other programs she might find useful, and Palms have such a huge range of free and cheap programs.
posted by Idcoytco at 9:59 AM on November 21, 2006

>> There are a bunch of games on DS she may like, perhaps Tetris, Animal Crossing or Nintendogs.

I love Nintendogs but it is not meant for airplanes or anywhere public. Especially when you let your boyfriend name your dog "Dicktree" and your breed happens to be stubborn and you must repeat "Dicktree, Sit. Sit. Dicktree. Sit. Sit. Sit."
posted by spec80 at 11:38 AM on November 21, 2006

Response by poster:
I love Nintendogs but it is not meant for airplanes or anywhere public. Especially when you let your boyfriend name your dog "Dicktree" and your breed happens to be stubborn and you must repeat "Dicktree, Sit. Sit. Dicktree. Sit. Sit. Sit."

With my Mom, you never know.
posted by tkolar at 5:16 PM on November 21, 2006

My mom was so enamored with my DS that she went out and bought herself one. She now plays the Mario minigames nonstop. She is 61 with no previous video game experience. The DS is great because the stylus is so intuitive.

I personally love Clubhouse games. Tetris DS is not worth your money. It has a lot of complicated but not very fun Tetris variations. You're better off buying the GBA version used.
posted by radioamy at 9:02 PM on November 21, 2006