They already work
These games have been played for decades, in kitchens and on trains and in waiting rooms. Nobody needs to invent a reason to keep playing them.
MakeJoy Labs is a nonprofit. We make games for children and give them away, because good software for kids should not have to be paid for with their attention.
The shelf
Some are ready, some are being built, some are still on the list. We would rather show you the whole shelf than pretend it is fuller than it is.
Explore small moons, find creatures nobody has catalogued, and raise them.
One player, to begin with Status: In development
Draw, animate, and learn to draw with help that fades as you improve.
Finger, mouse or stylus Status: Playable now
Roll four dice, write your climbs, ring the bells. One phone around the table.
2 to 5 players, one phone Status: Playable now
One deck, one player, one quiet half hour.
One player Status: Planned
Ask, match, collect. Two to six players around a table.
2 to 6 players Status: Planned
Fill the grid. Easy through hard, with hints that explain themselves.
One player Status: Planned
Turn two cards and find the pair. Play alone or with everyone.
Alone or together Status: Planned
Why these games
Solitaire, Go Fish, Memory and Sudoku have kept families company for generations. They belong to everyone. They should not cost anything, and they should not come with a shop attached.
These games have been played for decades, in kitchens and on trains and in waiting rooms. Nobody needs to invent a reason to keep playing them.
No ads, no purchases, no accounts, no data collected. We are a nonprofit, so there is nothing we need from your child in return.
Several of these are built to be passed around on a single device, so a game can be something a family does together rather than alone.