video games... - Page 3

[MtBikeLover]

Other than a couple of plug in games for the TV and the vTech (which hardly gets played) we do not have any other video games or systems in the house.

We go to Arcades and they are allowed to play all they want there or at someone else's house, but I just do not want them in our house.

[MtBikeLover]

Other than a couple of plug in games for the TV and the vTech (which hardly gets played) we do not have any other video games or systems in the house. Unless you count the computer and I do allow them to play on the computer.

We go to Arcades and they are allowed to play all they want there or at someone else's house, but I just do not want them in our house.

[purplemoon]

I haven't read all the posts, but this is my rule (well, the kids are young so this is my future rule). Wii is ok, but you have 30 minutes period.

I think they are ok in moderation, but moderation is the key. Some games are just.sick.games and heck no.

[NinaBruja]

this may be off topic but i was wondering if anyone had any game recommendations for kids...

[meemee]

my dd has been asking for a ds for almost two years now. she is almost 7. when i can save up money i will be getting that for her.

i for one do not think VG is a unnecessary thing. it is something that everyone is doing. and my dd is curious. and she wants to try one.

addiction is not a good enough reason for keeping it away from her. OP i am not trying to snark on you. just state my opinion. even now i can tell that she definitely does not have the personality to get addicted to video games. she is too much of a physical child.

if anything she is addicted to books. but no one tells me to moderate that as books are seen as good.

anyways addictions are phases. she went thru a tv addiction where she watched for hours. today it is a rare thing. i cant remember the last time she watched tv. i am sure when she first gets her ds she will spend ooodles of hours on it. and that's ok with me. coz i know once the newness wears off she will be back to her old self. she truly wants to know what its all about.

however she has been asking for a dog for over 3 years and she aint gonna get one. she knows first i have to have enough money for the medical care and the time and space to bring one in our lives.

she has also been asking for disneyland for a long time and that aint gonna happen either. first she sees the grand canyon and yosemite and then disneyland.

i love technology. and i am willing to share that with my dd.

[NinaBruja]

book addictions are the best... the only drawbacks are library fines, needing even more bookshelves and the horror of moving all those books

[benj]

Originally Posted by meemee

i for one do not think VG is a unnecessary thing. it is something that everyone is doing.

how does that make it necessary?

and i'm going to disagree with your claim...most addictions are not temporary.

[ExuberantDaffodil]

I got my 5 year old a hand-held v-smile, with three educational games, and he loves it. Moderation isn't something I have to police too often because after a couple of games he's ready to put it down. I'm much more restrictive of TV time because to me it is too passive.

[velochic]

My 7yo dd is really into books and reading in general. Dh and I are readers. We'll never have a gaming system. Never. It would take from dd's interest in books and I simply won't let that happen. I had an atari when I was a teen (dating myself here, but oh well) and I remember that it's a mind-rotting and useless pastime. Even Pong, which was boring beyond belief was hard to put down. I'm glad that I grew up before at-home video games really existed.

My niece CANNOT live without her video games. She's 27 years old and lives at home, after a divorce, all because of video games. She cannot hold down a job because she stays up all night playing. I read here about wives who are at their wit's end because of gaming husbands and are on the verge of divorce because of these idiot boxes. If you can't live without it, there is a problem. Video games are not harmless - their addictive. I've seen their destruction first-hand in my niece's life. Nope... we'll NEVER have a gaming system in our home. We don't even let dd play on the computer.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by meemee

i for one do not think VG is a unnecessary thing. it is something that everyone is doing.

if anything she is addicted to books. but no one tells me to moderate that as books are seen as good.

anyways addictions are phases.

First of all not everyone is doing it. That's a ridiculous reason anyway. Would you vax, circumcise, spank, etc. just because "everyone" is doing it? We're not "doing it", so no, not everyone is.

Secondly, books almost always teach you something. I would no more let my dd read trash books (Junie B. Jones with the HORRIBLE grammar would fit into that category, IMO) than I would let her play video games.

Finally, addictions are NOT phases. They ruin lives. My niece has been addicted to video games since she got her first Nintendo 20 years ago.

[Teenytoona]

DH and I have both recently come to our own conclusions that we will strictly limit, if at all allow, the kids to play video games. PLus, like many have said, we've seen far too many people, young and old become addicted to them (whether it be adult RPG type games or other video games). Playing video games nearly always results in fighting over it and it's too hard to get them to stop playing once they've started. We only have a PS1, so it's not anything too fancy here. I'd rather they be outside running around and playing. And if they want to sit around indoors, we'd rather they get out a board games or cards and spend sometime interacting with the family rather than in their own little electronic world.

As I often say to my various family members (while they're constantly texting or watchign TV or other form of digital IVing): ENGAGE! I'm of the mindset that we (Americans, particularly) spend too much time (myself included, as is evidenced by my time here) staring at electronic boxes than getting to know each other and building family and community. The only way to change that is to turn things off, get out and spend time together.

I frequently hear people wax nostalgic about the times (usually in summer) when the power was out and how much fun they had getting out of the house and spending time getting to know their neighbors. I think it's very telling how there has to be a complete lack of power for most folks to even do that. And also telling how much people seem to want that sense of community.

[meemee]

Originally Posted by velochic

First of all not everyone is doing it. That's a ridiculous reason anyway. Would you vax, circumcise, spank, etc. just because "everyone" is doing it? We're not "doing it", so no, not everyone is.

Secondly, books almost always teach you something. I would no more let my dd read trash books (Junie B. Jones with the HORRIBLE grammar would fit into that category, IMO) than I would let her play video games.

Finally, addictions are NOT phases. They ruin lives. My niece has been addicted to video games since she got her first Nintendo 20 years ago.

uh oh. forgive me but i didnt clarify. what i meant by everyone doing it, is it is something almost everyone is doing it around dd. she is the only one in her class and even in her elementary school who is not doing this. how can i keep it from her and make it the forbidden fruit.

addictions at this age can be controlled. if my dd wants to play video games and i dont let her when she grows up she is going to go over to her friends house and play it. when she moves out and buys herself her own video game and gets addicted - i cannot stop that.

i would much rather have video games in my dd's life now and show her how to regulate herself, or give her the opportunity to regulate herself which i know she will do, rather than not allow something she reeeeeeaaaaaly wants and have her try to regulate it when she is 18 with all of the 18 stuff going on.

so yeah i dont buy the addiction thing. and i meant the addiction at this age can be a phase.

honestly how can addiction at this age not be a phase? parents are there to help them regulate. i feel so sad for your niece to throw away some of the fun years for addiction. addiction can be a deep rooted thing. do you think if she got her first video game at say 14 she would have been less addicted? or even if she bought it at 18 it would not have made her addictive? i dont know. i think addiction is a whole different ball game - just addiction by itself. there is so much more going on rather than just wanting to play video games.

but i try and think of all of this when i make my decision. esp. when i see my dd leaning towards a 'forbidden fruit' personality. in a sense by giving her the video game now i am taking the addiction out of her. and this is the right time for her - when she is really more into outdoor stuff, but wants to check out what the other stuff is all about. when i can monitor it, and help her regulate if she is having a problem.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by meemee

uh oh. forgive me but i didnt clarify. what i meant by everyone doing it, is it is something almost everyone is doing it around dd. she is the only one in her class and even in her elementary school who is not doing this. how can i keep it from her and make it the forbidden fruit.

addictions at this age can be controlled. if my dd wants to play video games and i dont let her when she grows up she is going to go over to her friends house and play it. when she moves out and buys herself her own video game and gets addicted - i cannot stop that.

i would much rather have video games in my dd's life now and show her how to regulate herself, or give her the opportunity to regulate herself which i know she will do, rather than not allow something she reeeeeeaaaaaly wants and have her try to regulate it when she is 18 with all of the 18 stuff going on.

so yeah i dont buy the addiction thing. and i meant the addiction at this age can be a phase.

honestly how can addiction at this age not be a phase? parents are there to help them regulate. i feel so sad for your niece to throw away some of the fun years for addiction. addiction can be a deep rooted thing. do you think if she got her first video game at say 14 she would have been less addicted? or even if she bought it at 18 it would not have made her addictive? i dont know. i think addiction is a whole different ball game - just addiction by itself. there is so much more going on rather than just wanting to play video games.

but i try and think of all of this when i make my decision. esp. when i see my dd leaning towards a 'forbidden fruit' personality. in a sense by giving her the video game now i am taking the addiction out of her. and this is the right time for her - when she is really more into outdoor stuff, but wants to check out what the other stuff is all about. when i can monitor it, and help her regulate if she is having a problem.

My dd is probably the only person in her class that doesn't have a video game system at home. It still doesn't mean that just because she's the only one "left out" she feels deprived. She's also never had soda, eaten fast food, (she hasn't even eaten at McDonald's) and has no clue who Hanna Montana is. Just because EVERYONE else is doing something doesn't mean that it's healthy.

And yes, addictions do form at this age. My niece was 7 when she got her first Nintendo and 20 years later she has destroyed her life because of video games. There is no way to even speculate what would have happened if she had gotten it at a later age. She got one because "everyone" was getting one and my sister didn't want her to feel "left out". She didn't graduate from high school, she destroyed a marriage, and is all but homeless all because of video games. It's no different than alcohol or drugs. Kids can and do become addicted just the same as adults can. Thinking otherwise is denial. My sister had the same attitude and look where her daughter is now! She, too, thought that kids can't become addicted to video games. Her dd is living proof.

If there is *anything* that my dd reeeeeealy wants and absolutely has to have or feel it's forbidden fruit, then I would have to evaluate what I'm letting influence her life and make some adjustments. NOTHING should have that much influence that my dd has stopped thinking for herself. That's my job as a parent... to teach her to think and not be a sheeple.

[mamazee]

Video games are very different than alcohol or a drug. If someone has an addictive personality, that person will find something to get "addicted" to, but it isn't the same as alcohol or drugs, which have some level of physical addiction for everyone. I hope we all know our kids well enough to know if they have that kind of personality. I am very sure mine won't get addicted to video games as she has limited interest. If you or the OP are worried about it in your family, that's fine, but please don't imply that allowing video games is on par with giving kids alcohol or drugs.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by mamazee

Video games are very different than alcohol or a drug. If someone has an addictive personality, that person will find something to get "addicted" to, but it isn't the same as alcohol or drugs, which have some level of physical addiction for everyone. I hope we all know our kids well enough to know if they have that kind of personality. I am very sure mine won't get addicted to video games as she has limited interest. If you or the OP are worried about it in your family, that's fine, but please don't imply that allowing video games is on par with giving kids alcohol or drugs.

Do some reading. Video gaming increases dopamine in the brain, just like alcohol and drugs do. Increased exposure leads to addiction. Yes, video games are like a drug because they have similar effects on the brain that drugs do, releasing the same chemicals in the brain. There are plenty of studies about it.

[mistymama]

Originally Posted by mamazee

Video games are very different than alcohol or a drug. If someone has an addictive personality, that person will find something to get "addicted" to, but it isn't the same as alcohol or drugs, which have some level of physical addiction for everyone. I hope we all know our kids well enough to know if they have that kind of personality. I am very sure mine won't get addicted to video games as she has limited interest. If you or the OP are worried about it in your family, that's fine, but please don't imply that allowing video games is on par with giving kids alcohol or drugs.

No kidding! And guys, there are most certainly kids out there who don't get addicted to video games. Trust me - I've got one. We have an xbox 360 and a wii - neither get played more than a time or two a week. Seriously. Just because you have them does NOT mean your child will be addicted. I honestly think because I don't limit or monitor ds's use, that the video games are just no big deal. I've seen first hand the kids who's parents really limit go nuts when they have freedom to play as they want - they can't self regulate. Not saying that's always the case, but I've seen it several times among ds's friends.

And there most certainly are very interactive, strategy thinking video games out there - and it's not a new thing. I remember playing final fantasy back in the day with my sisters, all of us brain storming how/what we needed to go to solve several different problems. It was very interactive, with a detailed storyline. And heck, that was back in the days of super nintendo, to date myself.

I'm not saying everyone needs video games and I could care less what any other family does. But don't assume those of us who allow them have veggies for kids who mindlessly play hours a day. That's not the case at all - having a wii is not anywhere near as addictive as drugs and it's pretty laughable to see the two compared.

[mistymama]

Originally Posted by velochic

Do some reading. Video gaming increases dopamine in the brain, just like alcohol and drugs do. Increased exposure leads to addiction. Yes, video games are like a drug because they have similar effects on the brain that drugs do, releasing the same chemicals in the brain. There are plenty of studies about it.

I'd like to see this - not being snarky, just serious. Can you link to some studies?

What releases the dopamine? Guess I'm curious how our Friday night game of wii bowling is different from going to the bowling alley? I'm seriously curious if you could point me in the right direction...

[mamazee]

Originally Posted by velochic

Do some reading. Video gaming increases dopamine in the brain, just like alcohol and drugs do. Increased exposure leads to addiction. Yes, video games are like a drug because they have similar effects on the brain that drugs do, releasing the same chemicals in the brain. There are plenty of studies about it.

Drugs release the same chemicals of lots of things we enjoy, such as love, good food, sex, etc., which is why drugs make people feel better. Many, many things release those chemicals, but it isn't the same as having the chemicals artificially set off as with drugs.

[Kim Allen]

I DO NOT want to get my child started into video games. He is only 2 now but I still cannot see him playing them or even getting him used to them. My nephew started playing at a young age and now is 11 yrs old and thats ALL HE DOES!!! my sister is having a fit getting him to do anything else. I believe like what otherws say that it depends on the kid and not all are addicted which is fine then but I would hate for DS to become "addicted".We had some growing up as kids but we really cared less about them. My mom and Dad still have them and DS drags them out because they are "interesting" to him which scares me lol. Oh well I am trying my hardest now to not promote it and hopefully he drops it.

[benj]

i do not think that EVERYONE that plays games will become an addict nor do i think it is equivalent to drugs or alcohol. i do not want to forbid my kids from games, i just do not want them in my home. i don't think a child is deprived when they do not get everything that their peers have.