Help me with some very basic gaming questions!

[ArlenesWoodBurningStove]

I would like DD 9 to be able to play games with a couple of her friends now schools are closed. So far we haven’t done any online gaming as we feel she is too young to be in spaces where ‘anyone’ can join in and chat. Our perceptions of the dangers may not be accurate as we are not knowledgeable in this area (but we are researching!) and were hoping to put it off for a year or two.

Is there a way of being able to play games with just one other child privately?

Any games you would recommend, if the above is possible? She has played a bit of Minecraft and a couple of games on my phone but that’s really it. She has a tablet and at home we have an iPad.

[Smolbeanlizzie]

Id reccomend getting a steam account. All of her games will be in one place, and she can add friends who she can play with. You really shouldn't worry about online play, I've encountered people but that's a very small chance, the majority of people are super nice.

[causeisaidso97]

Honestly it depends on how much freedom you want to give her.

i too would reccomend a steam account if you own a computer,you can set the profiles to private and can see who's sent you a message/friend request.

the community in some games can be toxic,or friendly given the game. i'd suggest researching each game.

it all comes down to how much freedom you'd like to give her.

[GamingPSA]

Necropost. Sorry.

Yes, it is possible to set up a session in many games that is only between your child and their friends. The first few things you need to consider are:
What games do her friends play?
Which devices do they play on? (Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC?)

Some games that come to mind immediately for coop multiplayer are Terraria, Minecraft and Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville.

I think it's also useful to know that you don't have to stick to the age ratings too zealously (try to think more about your daughters mental age than physical age).

Lots of games also have features where you can turn off chat from other random online players - the best way to figure out how to do this is to simply type into youtube - "How to turn off multiplayer in game's name". This widens the horizon for engaging games infinitely.

Big props for doing the research :)