this post was submitted on 02 May 2025

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pylapp@programming.dev

An open source Memory Match for Kids game (play.google.com)

submitted 15 hours ago by rikudou to c/opensource@programming.dev

10 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hopefully it's not against the rules, if so, please let me know and I'll remove the post. Anyway:

I made an educational open source game for small kids (2-6 yo) where they can match cute animals (currently sea and dinosaur theme packs).

Features:

cute pictures
works on both a phone and a tablet
multiple theme packs
fully free, no tracking or anything
there are multiple flavours, one of which bundles all of the assets and doesn't even have the permission to access the internet <- great if you're extra cautious
big buttons, no reading necessary, small kids friendly

It can be downloaded both from GitHub and the Play Store.

Some screenshots

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Let me know what you think!

top 10 comments

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[–] Pro@programming.dev 5 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I really hope you keep believing in the value of your app and never stop developing it. It might sound like a small step towards overall more privacy, but every kid who use your opensource and private app instead of the ads and trackers filled closed source apps is a person who is not benefiting the Capitalism which is killing people privacy.

[–] rikudou 3 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

Thanks for the kind words! This app (like pretty much everything open source I ever did) stemmed from needing an app like that but not finding any and every little "Contains ads" in the Play Store listing made me a little sadder that vultures are trying to attack even the most vulnerable.

The only other good one I found had a different problem, a good old greediness (every theme was a separate app, each unlocked with an in-app purchase, meaning you cannot buy once and use on all family member's devices, the unlock was $2, but multiply it with 4 apps and 4 devices and it gets quite expensive for such a simple game). I'm fine with that in general, but given I'm a developer, I decided to offer people a better alternative.

So yeah, I believe in it and I'm glad someone sees it that way.

Seriously, thanks, I think it's been quite a while since some online stranger said something so nice to me!

[–] mas@jlai.lu 1 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

It starts from a good idea, even if games already exist for children 6 years and under, it's a (very) bad idea, open-source or not, the damage from screens on young children is monstrous and totally discouraged, and when you see the damage, you understand why...

[–] Pro@programming.dev 2 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

So... Who to blame for this? The parents who did not care enough to restrict their kids phone time or the good developer who is trying to preserve kids privacy by offering a open-source game?

[–] mas@jlai.lu 1 points 13 hours ago

Both

[–] rikudou 1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Eh, everything is about the quantity, afaik. If you let your kid watch TV/phone every day for a few hours, you've got a problem.

If you limit it and watch your kid, it's fine. At least as far as I can see, anyway.

Some researches tend to agree with me (well, the other way, really, I agree with them), while others don't.

But one thing all researches I've read agree on is that passive screen time (TV, YouTube etc.) is bad, so I think that something that boosts memory and helps with cognitive abilities is much better. And that's why I built this game.

[–] mas@jlai.lu 1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Studies have shown that screen activities permanently impair a child's intellectual abilities, and just looking at the testimonies of doctors and parents, it's clear that this poses a huge problem...

[–] rikudou 1 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

And other studies have shown that moderate screen time doesn't impair them. And that games can improve intellectual abilities has been known for millennia, with studies proving it.

And as is the case for pretty much everything, there's more than one angle. Being the "weird kid" who doesn't know what their schoolmates are talking about when they reference the latest popular show is not all the rage it might seem.

[–] mas@jlai.lu 1 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

We're talking about children whose brains are not yet fully developed, not teenagers or adults, and screens didn't exist for children decades ago...

The problem is new, not old.

I don't see the connection with the "weird guy", I'm talking about health problems related to speech and intellectual abilities. It's not a personality trait to have a mental delay, but a health issue...

[–] rikudou 1 points 12 hours ago

I split the problem into two parts in my previous comments:

Memory Match games are good for cognitive abilities
Screens either are or are not bad for intellectual abilities, depending on the study you choose to believe

So it all depends on what you believe has a bigger impact even if you're in the "all screen time is bad" camp. Anyway, I know I'm not gonna convince you and you're not gonna convince me. It's not like I never read anything and decided that I'll base my opinions on my feelings only.

I'm a firm believer that the problem is with parents not setting healthy boundaries for screen time, not the fact that a screen is showing some pictures.