Many older people play on a computer or tablet more than you might think. They know Solitaire from the first Windows computers, card games from the pub or family gatherings and Ludo from their own children’s childhood. The trouble is rarely the game itself. It is what surrounds it: tiny text, ads that look like buttons and constant requests to sign up.
Which games suit
Solitaire. This is the same Klondike that came with Windows from 1990. There is no time limit, moves can be taken back with the Undo button, and the Hint button shows the next useful move. Anyone who played it thirty years ago has nothing new to learn. The rules are in Klondike solitaire rules in detail, just in case.
Crazy Eights. A gentle card game in which you match suit or rank. HoyHop uses German-suited cards, but every card also shows a letter and a Roman numeral in the corner. Against the computer it is relaxed: the computer plays slowly and the line above your cards says what it played.
Ludo. A good game to play with grandchildren, even when they live far away. More on that below.
Daily Word. One word a day, the same for the whole family. It can easily become a morning habit with your coffee. When you have finished, you can send your result to children or friends in a message without giving the word away.
Hide and Seek. A hidden picture puzzle with no time limit. Hidden object games are not just for children. Wikipedia quotes figures from Big Fish Games showing that in 2021, most players of its games of this kind were women over 55.
Text and legibility
All of HoyHop uses the typeface Atkinson Hyperlegible Next. The original Atkinson Hyperlegible was developed in 2019 by the Braille Institute of America for readers with low vision. Similar characters, such as a lower-case l, a capital I and the number 1, are designed so that they cannot be confused.
If the text is still too small, you can make it bigger in your browser:
- On a computer, hold down the Ctrl key and press plus. Ctrl and minus makes the text smaller, Ctrl and zero returns it to normal. On a Mac, use the Cmd key instead of Ctrl.
- On a phone or tablet, spread two fingers on the screen to enlarge the page. Browser settings usually also have an option for text size.
What makes playing easier
The games on HoyHop are designed to be comfortable to use even without nimble fingers:
- Large targets. Buttons and important items on a touch screen are at least 44 pixels across, roughly the width of a fingertip.
- Colour plus a mark. In Daily Word, each tile state has its own mark as well as a colour: a check mark, a dashed outline or a cross. Ludo pieces have a dot, a diamond, a bar or a triangle on their heads. The games can be played even if you find some colours hard to tell apart.
- No rush. Solitaire, Block Fit and the regular levels of Hide and Seek have no time limit. Solitaire shows a clock, but only for comparison, and the game never ends because time is up.
- Keyboard. Every game can also be played with a keyboard. That helps anyone who finds a mouse awkward.
- Saving. A game in progress is saved in your browser. If you close the page, the game will be waiting for you.
Sound is off by default. It is switched on with the Sound button in the top bar.
The games as an icon on your home screen
So you do not have to type hoyhop.net every time, you can add the site to your phone’s home screen as an icon:
- Android, Chrome browser: open hoyhop.net, tap the three dots at the top right and choose Add to Home screen.
- iPhone and iPad, Safari browser: open hoyhop.net, tap the share button, the square with an arrow, and choose Add to Home Screen.
A HoyHop icon will appear on your home screen, and tapping it opens the games directly.
With grandchildren far away
Crazy Eights and Ludo can be played with family over the internet. One of the players, a grandchild for example, opens a room with the Play with friends using a code button and gets a five-character code. The grandparent types it into the Got a code from a friend? box on the home page and is in the game. Even easier: the grandchild sends a link, and one tap is enough.
During the game, players can send ready-made messages such as Nice move! or One more?. There is no typing, so it is a good idea to have a phone call going alongside the game. If you play on a tablet, you can keep the call on your phone. The full guide is in How to play online with friends using a room code.
Staying safe
Playing on HoyHop does not need a sign-up, an email address or a phone number, and it is free. If a games site asks for your card number so you can keep playing, or tempts you to download something onto your computer, close it.
For the children and grandchildren who help
The first time, it is worth sitting down together and showing three things: where the button for a new game is, how to take back a move and where the link back to all games is. After that, add the site to the home screen and let your grandparents play. If something goes wrong, write to us through the contact form.