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Anyone else NOT allowing video games? - Page 2

post #21 of 43
OK when DH moved in (before we were married) I told him no video games, not enough money and I wanted us to spend quality time together (that was 13 years ago and there has been no purchase so far). I have not thought about it for DD. She is 3, and I guess there is stuff out there aimed at her age level. We live in Japan so obvioulsy the gaming industry is HUGE here. I see kids at the local park all taking turns on a gameboy....

I won`t say a total ban for DD, but then again I don`t know where the money would come from... the systems are expensive and even though you can rent the software for the games here it still seems expensive.

post #22 of 43
We have 2 DSs, ages 4 and almost 3 and there are no plans at all for them to get any kind of game system. I can't say we'll never have one but I too am concerned about many aspects of them. I do allow them to use educational software on the computer. So far, it's only been Starfall.com for my older DS and only about a 1/2 hour per week if that. I'd much rather they build with their blocks, play with their wooden train set, put on a puppet show, etc.
post #23 of 43
I think they're fine for older kids. I can't really get into them but I may be too old Or maybe not, as my husband is older and he likes them.

As for isolating-I used to do the same thing with books and I still would if I could get away with it. I see that as a parenting issue. Why can't the parent or other authority figure step in?
post #24 of 43
We don't have video games right now, but I do think balance is important. Equally important is recognizing that even though you guys are taking a hard stance now, you don't have children yet, which is when it is easy to take a hard stance.

All kids are different and all video games/computer games are different and things might look differently to you when you have a school-aged child. Just a thought...
post #25 of 43
We actually have a playstation here : , my DH was in law school and when he was growing up his parents never let him have a video game system. So, he just hung out with his cousin and played his Atari all the time. Anyhow...he wanted the playstation when he was in law school. So we have that, and maybe 20 games I got cheaply/used. It was fun for occasional use. We still do play it a couple times every other month or so. He likes playing the racing games in particular....I like Crash Bandicoot .

We're not gaming sort of people though, more reading sort . I think that in moderation it's fine.
post #26 of 43
I have a Nintendo 64 system that my aunt gave us last year. It has family friendly games only. I don't see the need to buy anything more sophisticated. I have bought a few games off ebay and extra controllers, too. We play it about once a week if that. My kids like to play it on Saturday mornings so we can sleep in. There is no educational value in it but since it's not an obession or addiction in our house, there's no harm in it.
post #27 of 43
I wouldn't even let DH have one for years. : My ex-bf, who I was with for nearly 3 years, was seriously addicted to computer games, so I have "issues." DH finally bought himself a PSP earlier this year, but very rarely plays it when we're home together. I can't imagine letting dd have/play video games ... until she's a teenager, then only MAYBE. Then again, I'm of the "no TV in anybody's bedroom" mindset, too. I just think that it's creepy how much time people spend playing video games ...
post #28 of 43
Well turnipmama, if you and dh have decided together against videogames, then it shouldn't be a problem. You just don't buy them, and that's it! Although, when your child gets older, you might have to accept the fact that she might play at a friend's house.
My son is 6 and I recently started begrudgingly letting him play The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker for an hour and a half on Saturday nights. I would never have bought him a set, it's just that DH already had the set and the game, and has played them in front of ds before, so I felt it would be unfair and cruel to completely forbid my son from playing. So, my hour and a half concession is in response to the fact that my dh was not on the same page from the beginning. However, I don't think it's good at all for kids this young. My son tries to negotiate the limits, keeps thinking about the game long after it's been turned off, etc. And for a while after playing, his imaginative play revolves around whacking monsters.
If you never have one in the house, she really won't know what she's missing. And for some reason girls don't seem to be as suceptible as boys.
And, when she gets to be 13 or so , you may revisit the subject and maybe you'll reconsider. Or maybe not. Either way is fine.
post #29 of 43
I'm pretty anti-video games. I talked my mom out of buying a V-Smile for my 5 year old. But, she is getting a plug and play game for Christmas. That is ok, I can easily take it away if she becomes obssessed with it. Dh has a gamecube that hasn't been played in several months. We're more of a reading family.
post #30 of 43
No video games here. I argue with my mom about this all the time. She bought the Vtech video game with some games (even though I asked her not to : ) and it just sits there. She's already talking about getting the boys handheld games for the car. I have told her no many times. She keeps bringing it up. I finally told her she could buy it as long as she gives me the reciept so I can return it.
post #31 of 43
Originally Posted by Kleine Hexe View Post
I would SOOO do that. Our families are pretty respectful of our wishes, and NONE of our extended family is into gaming so it's not something we have to worry about at gift-giving times.
post #32 of 43
I didn't have video games growing up for a long time. My bestfriend had a Nintendo - one of the early ones. And she was so obsessed with it. ALL we did was play that when we were at her house. I just remember finding it incredibly boring, and only played because she was so bossy!

And then, one year, my dad got a Sega Genesis for me. Actually, I think it was more of a gift for himself. I played it once, but again it bored me. Around the same time my bestfriend got the playstation that was out, again bored the heck out of me.

I was much more into reading and getting out with the dogs (we always had at least 5 or 6). Reading was a BIG thing in my family from the beginning. I was read to from the time I can remember. I learned to read at an early age, and spent a lot of time buried in a book. Of course, I also want to be published (as a writer now) so that could have something to do with my obsession ... er passion.

I won't be buying video games, etc. for my kids. And I highly doubt anyone in my family would get them that for presents. I wager they'll be getting a lot of books, though. If they want to play at their friends' homes - that's fine. I can't really control what they do there. But, I won't have any in the house.
post #33 of 43
We dont allow them.

EXCEPT- we bought an Atari for ourselves- super old-school - Asteroids, Tank, Combat. It's so lame but fun. DS loves it. He can turn it on, work all the games, play for five minutes and he's done! Theres just not that much too them, so he doesnt drone out on them.

Maybe we're selling out, but it's kept the whole "how come Kevin has video games and I dont" argument at bay.

My un-smart in-laws have been sternly warned against getting ds Gameboy or playstation, etc. They got my nephew every video game thing possible and he's a zombie now. And he's FIVE.
post #34 of 43
When I was a kid my father forbid us from having any video games. I think he felt it was a waste of money, and that it would rot our brains. However that didn't stop my mom from buying us a nintendo when I was eleven. We hid it in the laundry room under a towel, and only played it while he was at work. After a couple of weeks my six year old sister ratted us out. My mom and I walked in the door to hear her say "I'm not supposed to tell you that we got a pretendo, Daddy." He let us keep it anyway. The only person to really play it was my mom anyway. I think over the years we ende up with a super nintendo and a nintendo 64 as well. I barely played any of them, though no rules were ever established about it either way. I did have a minor addiction to the Sims for several years, but I have lost interest in the last couple of years, and I avoid playing for fear of becoming addicted again.

However I truly think that video games are detrimental to young children while their brains are still rapidly developing. I think playing video games and watching tv can wreak havoc on their creative, sensory, and social development. I really don't think children should be exposed to video games until they are in their midteens, and then only in moderation.

Unfortunately, I know it's a losing battle in our house. My husband is the director of Engineering for a small video game company. So for us video games are something I can't live with and I can't live without. They pay the bills and put food on our table. It's been years since we had a new console system though. Until now. My husband got up at 5 am on Nov 20th to stand in line at our Target for a new nintendo Wii. It's hard to deny him something like that though because he rarely buys himself anything fun. I just want him to get it out of his system before the baby is born in the end of January. He says he knows how I feel about games and tv for children, but I wonder what will happen while he and the baby are home all day, and I'm at work. I have visions of coming home to hear my daughter say "I'm not supposed to tell you mommy, but daddy and I played pretendo all day."
post #35 of 43
I think its hard to make a decision when your children are really young. We have Gamecube and PS2 and the older boys have GB's. However, I can't even remember once in the last 30 days anyone has played the first two. My kids never take the GB's in the car not because I say no they just don't consider it. Mostly when they play is when its pouring rain outside for days and they can't get outside much. Even then its minimal. I think video games are just like candy...if you make it off limits it only intices the want more. Once they play its like OK that was fun but now I'm ready to do something else. I want my kids to learn self control not mommy control. And so far they are doing a great job. If they crossed over to not controlling themselves then we'd sit down and work out a plan we could all live with.
post #36 of 43
We said the same thing about guns when our oldest was a toddler. THen relatives bought him and his cousin Nerf guns when they were 4. THen they got him squirt guns. We had a very stern talk with him about real vs. fake, nad never shooting at people or animals. Ds doesn't even like playing with them.

Then we said the same about games. We will never have that in "our" house, and surprise surprise, fil gave ds money when he was 5 to get a gameboy. We didn't set any limitations on his playing, but we wouldn't buy his games. He could get them for holidays from others, or use his weekly $5 he gets from us. He played it for about a week and then never played with it unless friends wanted too. Then for the last Christmas fil bought the "family" a game cube and a couple of games, and a tv for gaming to put in ds room. I didn't say anything. Ds only played it when dh had time to play, and they only have Mario World and Mario Cart. Again we will not pay for games. Then for his last bd he got a DS light, and my brother gave him a PSP with a game and movie. I was pretty upset about it all and wanted my brother to take it back and give him something else, but it was to late.

The interesting thing is that with all these systems and games, ds and dh NEVER play them! We do alot of art, snowboarding, mountainbiking, reading, playing outside, etc. and he totally forgets we even have the stuff, or it seems. You can always tell the friends that come from homes where they are not aloud to have these though because it is the ONLY thing that they want to do . It makes ds mad because he wants to go outside and play and his friends are glued to the games. I think that doing anything in moderation is best, and everytime my parents or other parents that I see limit something so completely makes the kids later in life resent the parents and use or play with it all the time anyway.

We do not belive in moderating food, sleep, toys, tv, etc, and our boys rarely watch tv, eat only when hungry (vegetarian and no junk in the house anyway), fall asleep when tired, etc. Of course we have limits, but I think that when you raise your children in a good way, and give choices for these things, you would be surprised at how they respond.
post #37 of 43
No video games.

Peiredboy, I looked at your links. It depends on your view of healthy development. I've researched this academically as a part of a Maste'rs program. Video games play no part in healthy development in my opinion.
Healthy brain development is almost always hindered, and oftentimes violent habits are formed. Making art, writing, reading and healthy play...real life discovery and social interaction...are core to what children need. Video games tend to counter those activities.

I have a 10 yo who I allow to dabble in computer programs in the library very occasionally, mostly because I want him to understand what his friends are talking about. He doesn't want to play videogames, but he wants to fit in with friends and know what they are discussing at school to a degree. Home should be a sacred place and a safe place in my opinion. Regime change begins at home. Bringing violence in any form into the home means you are contributing to the problem imho.

I recommend reading Jane Healy, whose research I found to be some of the best. Also Joseph Chilton Peirce, whose study and discovery of the human brain is incredible.
post #38 of 43
Not here. My DH had an X-Box for the longest time and then I made him get rid of it. He was playing daily until 4-5am in the morning and then complaining that he was too tired in the morning!!! That and playing shotting games in front of the kiddos!!! He is trying to talk me into an XBOX 360 but I told him no way!
post #39 of 43
Who said the games have to be shooting and violent? There are a variety of available games out there that don't include either one. Racing games, Crash banicott, just to name a few. Then there is the Scrabble, wheel of fortune, jeopardy, etc.

I am not condoning kids playing video games for hours on end. Nor am I encouraging violent games.

My kids will pick outside stuff and board games with parents, chess, etc anytime over video games. I'd rather they learn now about controlling the video game monster than when they get to college and get hooked in online gaming/fantasy life where I have no idea what's going on.

Be careful with saying My kids will never...
post #40 of 43
Stay anti video games as long as you can.

The day may come when it doesn't seem like such a big issue.

In fact, I almost guarantee the day will come when video games don't freak you out compared to other issues.

But enjoy the time before that point
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