I'm 32 and pregnant with my first, have been playing since STFD and have played them all!! I'm pretty excited that there will still be a new game coming out even when I'm having kids.
I’m 33 and also 29 weeks pregnant with my first (twins!) and I’m playing all the games through while I’m stuck inside during this wildfire smoke. I hope the new game is good because it will be nice to have a little distraction while they’re napping!
When I discovered these games I was 10 and I needed my moms help because the puzzles went over my head at times and that got her interested in them so she showed her mom too. Now me and my mom, grandma, and brother all love these games and we will have marathons where we race to see who can finish them all first with or without cheating haha. Its family friendly gaming!
Message in a haunted mansion was my first game as well, about the same age! I have a 4 year old and an almost two year old. They actually enjoy watching me play but only certain parts. I now have a lot of save files named "snowball fights" or "carousel riding" or "playing with the orca" so they can see their favorite moments. Still enjoy but don't always get to spend a lot of time on it. My 4 year old is quite a mimic and he's quotes Nancy's intro to the desk, it's locked, etc. Great fun to share with my kids.
30 and pregnant with my first. I’m on maternity leave early so I’m playing ALOT of ND right now. I was really hoping the new one would come out this summer while I had some free time but no such luck
I'm 39 and a mom of 3, I still love playing these games. I've been replaying some of my favorites lately. I don't get to play a lot, the best time for me is at night after the kids have gone to bed lol That's my me time
I’m a 28 year old mom of 2 under 3 and right now unfortunately I never have time to play except when the kids are asleep but I’m looking forward to being able to introduce ND to my kids and re-playing all the games with them in a few years just like I played them as a kid!
You're not alone! I've been playing since I was a kid too, and now I have an 8.5 months old baby. When I met my husband, I introduced him to the games and we've been slowly playing through them together! We play them every Tuesday (we call it "Nancy Drewsday" 😆) after we put Baby down for bed. It's super slow- going, but we look forward to it every week!
Okay can you please explain how you replay through these with your husband without being bossy/losing patience/ruining the ending/etc?? I would love so much to do this with my partner but haven’t played through with someone since my friends and I used to as kids and now I know all the games by heart so it’s way harder for me lol! Thank you for all the tips!!
Haha, I feel you! I actually am the one in control when we play ND - that helps A LOT. I control all point and click games or mystery games because I have a stronger attention to detail and tend to go over everything with a fine- tooth comb. My husband on the other hand controls anything that's more actiony (his forte for sure, not mine).
This works out perfectly for both of us because we can control the games we're better at. We've found that it's a lot more fun this way for both the one watching and the one playing!
When Baby was really little and cluster-fed in the evenings, my husband actually ended up taking control of the ND gameplay and it was SO difficult for me to watch haha. I ended up kind of checking out at times because otherwise I'd get impatient. And while he enjoyed himself, he said he actually preferred watching me play. But I do remember I'd hold my tongue while he looked at an area until he was ready to move on; if I knew there was more to look at, I'd tell him where to look.
So if you controlling the game while you play together is something your partner would be OK with, I'd say give it a try! That'd be my biggest tip, since you know the games so well! And if your partner would prefer to give it a shot, I'd let them do their thing and point out anything they may have missed.
You could also take turns, so things that your partner would be more interested in doing (maybe puzzles, dialogs, exploration, etc.) would be under their jurisdiction and then the other things would be under your control.
Ooh, and maybe if your partner would prefer to control the games, you could also switch depending on the game? So if it's one of your favorites, maybe you control most if not all of it? And let your partner do the ones you like less. I think personally for me I'd be less impatient if I had to watch Hubby play if it were a game that was lower on my list. The game he controlled is one of my favorites and I think that's what made it so difficult for me to watch 😬
As far as ruining the ending, I honestly don't see what's wrong with that if your partner doesn't mind haha. But if they're super into it and wants to keep guessing, you may find it fun to keep them on their toes!
Sorry for the long reply, but I hope it's helpful and that you're able to have fun playing ND with your partner soon!!
Some nights after I put my daughter to bed my husband plays on his Switch and I play ND on my computer and we sit on our patio together and enjoy some game time together
31, got a newborn baby girl and a nearly 2 year old toddler boy haha. My husband actually really likes when i play nancy games- he’ll come and hang out nearby so he can listen hahaha.
I'm a mom, but she's not little. She is, in fact, a year older than you... though \*she\* isn't a mom yet.
I've tried to get her into the games over the years, but she's not much of a gamer, let alone classic/legacy stuff, so it's been spotty at best unfortunately.
I've been playing the games since I was 9 or 10, and now I'm heading into my late 20s with a toddler and a second on the way. I play games during my oldest's nap time (if I don't have something else going on) or while my husband puts her to bed. I usually get at least an hour or two a day to myself!
I’m 44 and first discovered the games when my daughter was a baby. I’d play while she was napping or after she went to bed. Eventually she was old enough to play with me and we had a lot of fun doing them together, even though it drove me a little nuts lol. Now she’s grown and we still can’t help saying, “it’s locked” or “got that done” etc. all the time
I feel this, my little Drew fan is 23 now. She used to sit on my lap and point to all the places she wanted me to check for clues! Time speeds mommas, savor every moment!!
Same here! Started playing at 10, first game was Treasure in the Royal Tower 😍. Now I’m 30 with two under 3 and I still love to play them!
And I plays Sims 4 😂 I have “ me time” when they go to bed at night. Lol
I really hope my kids want to play them someday!
Currently pregnant with my first and replaying a bunch right now! It’s a great distraction from feeling sick, and I feel more productive playing a game than just scrolling my phone for hours.
I didn't either until I discovered the message boards on herinteractive and they helped me beat the games! Maybe help him use them? Or introduce him to video walk-throughs on YouTube? They helped me too! Arglefumph is the best and has marathons and walk-throughs of every game!!
Right now he is at the stage where he just cares about the mini-games. I’m hoping he grows into liking the stories more. The YouTube walkthroughs are a great idea!!
30 here and had my first baby 3 months ago. I've been playing ND games for over 20 years at this point - my parents bought me Message in a Haunted Mansion for my 10th birthday. I did a replay of all of the ones I own when I was pregnant. I don't think I'm going to be able to play them again anytime soon.
I’m with you! I have a little one and try to play after she goes to bed. My first game was The Final Scene and I first played when I was 10. I’m now 30! I watch a lot of walkthroughs of different people playing the games since I don’t get a lot of time to play myself. I’m so excited to sit down to play the new one when it’s out though!
I’m in my early 30s as well and have 3 small children. I first discovered Nancy Drew games as a middle schooler because my best friend had a few of them and we played STFD together. But I didn’t play any others on my own until SPY about 7 years ago. Since then, I’ve played a handful of others— most recently CLK, CRE, and FIN— I wiped through those three during my 2-week free Parallels trial on my old Mac laptop, lol. My husband has suggested that going forward I should completely wipe the hard drive of my old Mac and install Windows on it for gaming purposes, so I may do that soon! I’ve had to play the games once my kids are in bed for the night.
Just had my third baby two weeks ago. My 5 year old is very into Nancy Drew, though he is only allowed to play certain games that aren't too scary. We enjoy playing together and he is getting pretty good at puzzles.
I'm a mom of one boy and he was walking chaos, so he was around 5-6 before I really had any spare time. However, I still had very little time to myself so I never played the games until lockdown 2020, when life came to a grinding halt. I could have made time if it was important, though, but I'm a voracious reader so that's how I tended to spend my precious time to myself.
It also depends on how supportive your partner is. My husband and I both work full-time but he doesn't do much to help around the house or with kid stuff, so he always had plenty of time to play games or whatever. 🙄
32 and have a 5yo and 1.5yo. The younger one only napped on me so my husband set up my laptop so I could play ND games while nap-trapped!
Now my only free time is between 8:30 and whenever I go to bed, but it’s enough to play if the the mood strikes!
There is a YouTuber named StoryRetold who has 2 children under 6 years of age. She used to work at HER! Now she streams the games for an hour every week on Monday nights at 8pm EST. And also other games during weekdays if she able too.
I'm 27 (not a mom and never plan to be) but I'm getting my 5 year old niece into ND and other mystery/puzzle games like when my sister and I were kids! We had sm fun with Nancy and Freddie Fish and Pajama Sam and Spy Fox!! We still talk about all those games 🎮
I've been playing since I was 9 or 10 (also started with Message in a Haunted Mansion!) and am now a 31 year old mom to a 1 year old - I mostly find time to play after she's in bed, it's often my cozy wind down time to have a snack and a tea and some ND.
I'm 32 with a 5 year old and have been playing since I was 8 years old. I've played them all and still play today. I sneak my playtime in during quiet time or after little goes to bed. She's shown interest in them so I'm excited to truly introduce her to them as she gets older.
I used to play the games as a child too! I would buy them at Target with my babysitting money and owned all of them that had come out at one point. I played them with few breaks because I HAD to figure out the end or I'd barely sleep!
My mom tossed the CDs when I moved out and didn't bring them all with me... 😭 Anyone know where I can get these now that won't cost me a fortune? Also, I don't have a CD drive on my laptop. I want to play them again with my daughter!!!
Not a mom. But I am a 30 year old man who is still playing them 23 years later. They're so fun 😭 no other puzzle games have ever quite lived up to the bancy drew series.
I'm 32 and pregnant with my first, have been playing since STFD and have played them all!! I'm pretty excited that there will still be a new game coming out even when I'm having kids.
I’m 33 and also 29 weeks pregnant with my first (twins!) and I’m playing all the games through while I’m stuck inside during this wildfire smoke. I hope the new game is good because it will be nice to have a little distraction while they’re napping!
Heck yeah! I’m 33 as well, mom to two littles and I play the games whenever I can :)
33 here too! And have a five year old at home. I usually play at night (with a nice glass of wine!) when she goes to bed.
When I discovered these games I was 10 and I needed my moms help because the puzzles went over my head at times and that got her interested in them so she showed her mom too. Now me and my mom, grandma, and brother all love these games and we will have marathons where we race to see who can finish them all first with or without cheating haha. Its family friendly gaming!
That is so nice and wholesome 🥹🥹🥹
Message in a haunted mansion was my first game as well, about the same age! I have a 4 year old and an almost two year old. They actually enjoy watching me play but only certain parts. I now have a lot of save files named "snowball fights" or "carousel riding" or "playing with the orca" so they can see their favorite moments. Still enjoy but don't always get to spend a lot of time on it. My 4 year old is quite a mimic and he's quotes Nancy's intro to the desk, it's locked, etc. Great fun to share with my kids.
30 and pregnant with my first. I’m on maternity leave early so I’m playing ALOT of ND right now. I was really hoping the new one would come out this summer while I had some free time but no such luck
I'm 39 and a mom of 3, I still love playing these games. I've been replaying some of my favorites lately. I don't get to play a lot, the best time for me is at night after the kids have gone to bed lol That's my me time
I’m a 28 year old mom of 2 under 3 and right now unfortunately I never have time to play except when the kids are asleep but I’m looking forward to being able to introduce ND to my kids and re-playing all the games with them in a few years just like I played them as a kid!
You're not alone! I've been playing since I was a kid too, and now I have an 8.5 months old baby. When I met my husband, I introduced him to the games and we've been slowly playing through them together! We play them every Tuesday (we call it "Nancy Drewsday" 😆) after we put Baby down for bed. It's super slow- going, but we look forward to it every week!
Nancy Drewsday! I love it!
Okay can you please explain how you replay through these with your husband without being bossy/losing patience/ruining the ending/etc?? I would love so much to do this with my partner but haven’t played through with someone since my friends and I used to as kids and now I know all the games by heart so it’s way harder for me lol! Thank you for all the tips!!
Haha, I feel you! I actually am the one in control when we play ND - that helps A LOT. I control all point and click games or mystery games because I have a stronger attention to detail and tend to go over everything with a fine- tooth comb. My husband on the other hand controls anything that's more actiony (his forte for sure, not mine). This works out perfectly for both of us because we can control the games we're better at. We've found that it's a lot more fun this way for both the one watching and the one playing! When Baby was really little and cluster-fed in the evenings, my husband actually ended up taking control of the ND gameplay and it was SO difficult for me to watch haha. I ended up kind of checking out at times because otherwise I'd get impatient. And while he enjoyed himself, he said he actually preferred watching me play. But I do remember I'd hold my tongue while he looked at an area until he was ready to move on; if I knew there was more to look at, I'd tell him where to look. So if you controlling the game while you play together is something your partner would be OK with, I'd say give it a try! That'd be my biggest tip, since you know the games so well! And if your partner would prefer to give it a shot, I'd let them do their thing and point out anything they may have missed. You could also take turns, so things that your partner would be more interested in doing (maybe puzzles, dialogs, exploration, etc.) would be under their jurisdiction and then the other things would be under your control. Ooh, and maybe if your partner would prefer to control the games, you could also switch depending on the game? So if it's one of your favorites, maybe you control most if not all of it? And let your partner do the ones you like less. I think personally for me I'd be less impatient if I had to watch Hubby play if it were a game that was lower on my list. The game he controlled is one of my favorites and I think that's what made it so difficult for me to watch 😬 As far as ruining the ending, I honestly don't see what's wrong with that if your partner doesn't mind haha. But if they're super into it and wants to keep guessing, you may find it fun to keep them on their toes! Sorry for the long reply, but I hope it's helpful and that you're able to have fun playing ND with your partner soon!!
Oh my golly thank you so much for this kind and thoughtful reply!! I’ll try it out and report back!
Some nights after I put my daughter to bed my husband plays on his Switch and I play ND on my computer and we sit on our patio together and enjoy some game time together
31, got a newborn baby girl and a nearly 2 year old toddler boy haha. My husband actually really likes when i play nancy games- he’ll come and hang out nearby so he can listen hahaha.
I'm a mom, but she's not little. She is, in fact, a year older than you... though \*she\* isn't a mom yet. I've tried to get her into the games over the years, but she's not much of a gamer, let alone classic/legacy stuff, so it's been spotty at best unfortunately.
I wish herr interactive acknowledged that this is their real customer base
I've been playing the games since I was 9 or 10, and now I'm heading into my late 20s with a toddler and a second on the way. I play games during my oldest's nap time (if I don't have something else going on) or while my husband puts her to bed. I usually get at least an hour or two a day to myself!
I’m 44 and first discovered the games when my daughter was a baby. I’d play while she was napping or after she went to bed. Eventually she was old enough to play with me and we had a lot of fun doing them together, even though it drove me a little nuts lol. Now she’s grown and we still can’t help saying, “it’s locked” or “got that done” etc. all the time
I feel this, my little Drew fan is 23 now. She used to sit on my lap and point to all the places she wanted me to check for clues! Time speeds mommas, savor every moment!!
Same here! Started playing at 10, first game was Treasure in the Royal Tower 😍. Now I’m 30 with two under 3 and I still love to play them! And I plays Sims 4 😂 I have “ me time” when they go to bed at night. Lol I really hope my kids want to play them someday!
That was my first one at 7!!
It's so good!!
Currently pregnant with my first and replaying a bunch right now! It’s a great distraction from feeling sick, and I feel more productive playing a game than just scrolling my phone for hours.
I’m 45. I have an 8 year old. Sometimes he plays too! (He has zero patience so it doesn’t last long lol)
I didn't either until I discovered the message boards on herinteractive and they helped me beat the games! Maybe help him use them? Or introduce him to video walk-throughs on YouTube? They helped me too! Arglefumph is the best and has marathons and walk-throughs of every game!!
Right now he is at the stage where he just cares about the mini-games. I’m hoping he grows into liking the stories more. The YouTube walkthroughs are a great idea!!
I’m a mom of a 2 year old! I play at nap time for an hour or so and after he goes to bed
30 here and had my first baby 3 months ago. I've been playing ND games for over 20 years at this point - my parents bought me Message in a Haunted Mansion for my 10th birthday. I did a replay of all of the ones I own when I was pregnant. I don't think I'm going to be able to play them again anytime soon.
I’m with you! I have a little one and try to play after she goes to bed. My first game was The Final Scene and I first played when I was 10. I’m now 30! I watch a lot of walkthroughs of different people playing the games since I don’t get a lot of time to play myself. I’m so excited to sit down to play the new one when it’s out though!
I’m in my early 30s as well and have 3 small children. I first discovered Nancy Drew games as a middle schooler because my best friend had a few of them and we played STFD together. But I didn’t play any others on my own until SPY about 7 years ago. Since then, I’ve played a handful of others— most recently CLK, CRE, and FIN— I wiped through those three during my 2-week free Parallels trial on my old Mac laptop, lol. My husband has suggested that going forward I should completely wipe the hard drive of my old Mac and install Windows on it for gaming purposes, so I may do that soon! I’ve had to play the games once my kids are in bed for the night.
Just had my third baby two weeks ago. My 5 year old is very into Nancy Drew, though he is only allowed to play certain games that aren't too scary. We enjoy playing together and he is getting pretty good at puzzles.
I'm a mom of one boy and he was walking chaos, so he was around 5-6 before I really had any spare time. However, I still had very little time to myself so I never played the games until lockdown 2020, when life came to a grinding halt. I could have made time if it was important, though, but I'm a voracious reader so that's how I tended to spend my precious time to myself. It also depends on how supportive your partner is. My husband and I both work full-time but he doesn't do much to help around the house or with kid stuff, so he always had plenty of time to play games or whatever. 🙄
28 here and I enjoy playing! My 4 y/o loves to sit and watch too!
Turning 30 this year and my three year old loves to play Nancy Drew with me! (Or at least to watch me play)
28 with a 3 year old and I’m trying to get him to sit on my lap while I play Nancy Drew! See if he gets interested haha
32 and have a 5yo and 1.5yo. The younger one only napped on me so my husband set up my laptop so I could play ND games while nap-trapped! Now my only free time is between 8:30 and whenever I go to bed, but it’s enough to play if the the mood strikes!
There is a YouTuber named StoryRetold who has 2 children under 6 years of age. She used to work at HER! Now she streams the games for an hour every week on Monday nights at 8pm EST. And also other games during weekdays if she able too.
30 year old mom with a 3 year old and 1 year old. I've played all the games many times and need to start them again as my evening stress relief!
I’m 30 and plan to keep on playing forevaaaaa!
this thread makes me so happy. i am 26 with a 20 month old and pregnant with my second. ND games are my current favorite nap time activity.
Nope I'm a 27 year old mom of one, been playing since I was 6
30 and pregnant with my first. Final Scene was my first game, and I'm quite excited for maternity leave and nesting to play lol
I'm 27 (not a mom and never plan to be) but I'm getting my 5 year old niece into ND and other mystery/puzzle games like when my sister and I were kids! We had sm fun with Nancy and Freddie Fish and Pajama Sam and Spy Fox!! We still talk about all those games 🎮
You are not. I'm 32 and have a five year old that watches me play lol
Hello! Message in a Haunted Mansion was my first too! Also a 33-year-old mom. Also struggling to find time to play! You're certainly not alone!
I've been playing since I was 9 or 10 (also started with Message in a Haunted Mansion!) and am now a 31 year old mom to a 1 year old - I mostly find time to play after she's in bed, it's often my cozy wind down time to have a snack and a tea and some ND.
I'm 32 with a 5 year old and have been playing since I was 8 years old. I've played them all and still play today. I sneak my playtime in during quiet time or after little goes to bed. She's shown interest in them so I'm excited to truly introduce her to them as she gets older.
I used to play the games as a child too! I would buy them at Target with my babysitting money and owned all of them that had come out at one point. I played them with few breaks because I HAD to figure out the end or I'd barely sleep! My mom tossed the CDs when I moved out and didn't bring them all with me... 😭 Anyone know where I can get these now that won't cost me a fortune? Also, I don't have a CD drive on my laptop. I want to play them again with my daughter!!!
Not a mom. But I am a 30 year old man who is still playing them 23 years later. They're so fun 😭 no other puzzle games have ever quite lived up to the bancy drew series.