What age is suitable for kids to play videogames?

Dane Bramage

Hi,

I'm new to this forum. As a future parent, I just want to start a debate as to when people think it is suitable for children to indulge in video games. When I got off the train the other day, I saw a mother pushing her little daughter in a buggy, with the daughter playing some sort of game on the Nintendo DS. She was no older than 2-3 years of age.

Is it just me, or is this not suitable for children this young. I would consider 10 years+ to be a sufficient age to allow kids play videogames.

What are your thoughts?

Dozen Wicked Words

Entirely dependant on what you let them play and for how long. Some games are aimed at 4 or 5 year olds and have some educational elements (although I think it is a stretch to call them Educational). A lot of childrens television and films also have games associated with them (Peppa Pig, Disney Princess, Go Diego Go, Dora etc.)

The DS has a lot of games aimed squarely at younger children, I think children being as old as 10+ before playing video games is very rare in this day and age but you are fully entitled to make those decisions for your children.

:pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac:

Nevyn

What makes you think that 10+ is a good age?
and what would be your reasons for not before that?

Dane Bramage

I don't know, based on my own childhood experiences I guess. To me it just didn't seem right watching that little girl immersed into her DS. Kids this age, in my view should be running around the place with their friends, playing football, getting muck on their shoes etc. Although there is nothing to say that you can't do both. I agree with dooferoaks comment that it is rare nowadays for children 10 years and less not to be playing videogames. That doesn't seem to sit right in my mind. I don't think its healthy, that's all!

Oh maybe I'm just too old fashioned!!

Dozen Wicked Words

I think Kids attention span generally means after playing with any toy for a while (including video games)it gets "BOOOORRRRINNNNGGGGG" (a refrain I hear on a daily basis), and they will be looking to go outside, or play a board game or run around, Watch a DVD, or colour in or sing or my kids particular favourite; argue.

Nevyn

It could well be the child in the buggy had being doing just that for the day and was tired and taking a break. Like anything else tbh it is about moderation, there are plenty of good skill sets a child can pick up via games but it's should not be thier sole playtime activity.

di11on

I think it's not really relevent to discuss when it is suitable for children to play video games. It all depends what games.

There is stuff out there that, in my opinion, 16 years olds probably would be better off without whereas there are somethings that might be ok for 2 years olds.

Then there is how they are allowed access and what sort of supervisory regime is in place. It's obviously not ok to have a 6 year old sit on the couch with their DS all day.

The third factor is your child who is unique. Maybe your (general your) child needs more exercise, or needs more time for homework etc. The games you allow your child play and how often they are allowed play them should take account of your child's own needs.

IMO, judicious and sparing use of video games is ok... just like telly... but it HAS to be age appropriate, has to be supervised and regulated and has to bear in mind the particulars of your child.

eviltwin

I think it depends on the game rather than the child. A lot of the games out there now are tailored for younger kids and are very educational.

My daughter whose now 12 has been using games since the age of about 3 and the bulk of those were maths and language based. I dont see anything wrong with those, in fact I found them to be a great asset and gave her a head start when she went to school.

Obviously though giving a young kid a copy of a violent game is not acceptable but your not a parent yet OP so you might have a different view when you are. Besides a kid in a buggy getting off a train is hardly going to be running around and you have no idea what limits her parents put on her use of it.

Nevyn

I think it depends on the game and the understanding and maturity level of the child.
I was very hradcore about not leting my two play games which were 15s and rated older but as wiht anything in life there are exceptions and both of them were well able for Fable 2 which I had played before they were allowed.

littlebug

Mine have played games on websites like cbeebies or things like kids sections of nature or wildlife websites since they were 3 and I think they have been very good for them. I have to say I'm not a fan of the nintendos since I had to speak to a little lad I know about 5 times before I got a "huuuhhh?" back off him. They do ask for nintendos because "everybody's got them" but I'll hold off as long as I can until pester power gets the better of me.

Nevyn

Mine have DS but they are for car journeys, or bus journeys.

we'llallhavetea_old

my little one had a v-smile from age three and a half i think, then for her fourth birthday she got the ds, she played the ring out of the ds for a good while but like every other toy the novelty wears off after awhile, she mainly uses it in the car now. she has a wii aswell... she doesnt play that to excess, probably because she's usually bolloxed after an over zealous "my pony friend" session!! i dont think the op will be able to hold off until their (future) child turns ten, i think most kids half that age have them. you dont want them to be the only one without....

silverharp

we let our little guy go on the Cbeebies website just before he was 4, and he has access to some downloadable games on the laptop, mostly the old retro games like pacman etc. shockwave.com and freeonlinegames.com have some cute games.
He is 5 now and holding off buying any games machines etc for now I am not the humour to shell out for the games

Noffles

Glad to see I'm in agreement with some of the posts here, it is game dependent rather than age dependent... Nothing wrong with thinking that kids should be out playing but it's down to what they want to do at the time really... From personal experience go with the flow rather than trying to do what you think you should be doing...

leninbenjamin

Yup, depends on the game. It also depends on the child. Some kids can take computer games way too seriously so I recommend supervising their play at first until you are comfortable they wont develop a WoW addiction or something similar.

Thoie

Assuming that the games are suitable, would anyone have any concerns over the kids' eyesight? Or concerns about RSI etc?

Nevyn

Again as with everything else, moderation.

silverharp

I think you should watch out for behaviour after play , there was a phase where if DS watched TV his behaviour was worse after so it made us put tight limits on it.


here is his current fav.
http://www.shockwave.com/gamelanding/meeblings.jsp

Moonbeam

My 9 month old plays baby video games sitting on our laps.There is no correct age but age appropriate games is the answer.

o1s1n

How about the benefits? Hand eye coordination. Hand dexterity in the case of the DS, Puzzle solving. Brain training games. Creative games. I don't have children but have been playing videogame since about the age of 4 and over 20 years later I feel like if anything, it has benefitted me. Older games (And a lot of DS platformers) require a lot of hand eye coordination to make some of the platforming jumps etc. It's good for your brain.

I also recently read a study about the benefits of first person shooters on your eyes. You're constatly rapidly focusing on different parts of the screen. Which benefits them. (Not suggesting your children play shooters, it was just another benefit I read about in the usual sea of 'videogames are ruining my kids!' hysteria)

Saying that, if your child is spending 18 hours a day sitting in their room playing World of Warcraft, then I think you have a problem. As previously stated, all in moderation. And a HUGE +1 for age appropriate games.

mymo

I waited until my daughter was six before getting her a gamecube(I wanted to wait longer but every child in the class had a playstation), I brought the games, so I knew what they were about and could keep an eye on the suitability. The times were restricted to weekends, usually while I made dinner or something, and no more than an hour. She's 11 now and has a wii and ds. The ds is rarely used unless we're in the car, the wii can go weeks without being turned on. I still impose restrictions and have rules about the games.
No war or fighting games etc, but I'm lucky as she doesn't have much interest.
What is much more important is what you teach your child from a young age, read to them until they can themselves, play games with them, bring them outside to enjoy nature, and teach them there is a time and a place for everything.(e.g no sitting playing video games on sunny days)
Video games can be educational and are fine to be played occasionally, not all day or to the exclusion of all else.

eviltwin

I think with a lot of kids the novelty wears off after a while.

My daughter has a DS and a Wii and for the first week after getting them she didnt want to do anything else. Now both of them are lying around gathering dust, the Wii is barely touched and if I see the DS out once a fortnight its a miracle.

They go through stages where its all they want to do but I would imagine very few kids want to spend all day every day with them...like anything else it can get too boring after a while

PullOutMethod

No TV and no bleepy-style video games until they are at least 4.
(i.e. Starfall etc is ok)

Why ?
Because the brain's neuroplasticity decreases after age 4.

Takes alot out of you as a parent but your kids will benefit.

Darthhoob

my son started playing some computer games at 2 years old (those simple maths and letter games), it's ok in moderation whatever age the kid is tbh. depends on the game too....for example i wouldn't be buying him grand theft auto anytime soon (he is 7). the games he likes most are mario kart, raving rabbids, wii sports resort, boom blox. all good for a bit of fun..which is what they are. it's when they play it non stop everyday that it is a problem. for me i have to make more effort with getting him to play outside or do something different due to his ASD...so it could be so easy for me to sit him in front of a PC all day...but i dont.

his academical 'intellect' is by no means at stake with a bit of relaxing gaming. he reads books aimed for 11-12 year olds and is brilliant at maths (he just hates to write..sensory thing). his social life isn't great, despite my efforts, but thats because of his ASD tbh, he has friends but they are all older than him, or alot younger.

main rule in this house is that playing a video game is a reward and NOT a right.

Deliverance

As a parent who is a 'gamer' to a degree, and a bit of a computer enthusiast in several areas... I find that my own child has benefited from games that are age appropriate.

The benefits so far are that she can use a mouse, recognise symbols for print colouring and 'close' (x out of a window) and use complex controls on the keyboard like arrows for directions like jump, left, right etc. This helps towards computer literacy.

A lot of games that I let her play and learn by, are the ones that I introduced to her initially. Lately I find that she has learned to navigate to games that she likes herself. Painting programs and some simple platform games are her favourites. She became quite adept at these games being left to play a painting game and using the computer to print off her work v.fast using the computer print controls.

I think that all this is benificial to her development. Computer literacy, problem solving, dexterity, hand to eye co-ordination etc.

A lot of games these days are created with development of these games being overseen and researched heavily by various experts that do a v.good job (mostly).

At the same time supervision is the key. The parent needs to become computer literate and wise to what is good and what is not good for their children. The key to 'moderation' in this area is to train and 'upgrade' the parents so that they can feel more comfortable with this new cultural trend of gaming as an activity for kids. It has lot's of benefits, but like anything if it is left unsupervised it could have potentially harmful effects as well.

Ps RSI and eye problems? I've been playing for 20+yrs. My wrists are fine, my eyesight is excellent.

Also the Wii is a revolution in gaming, my little one can play it effectively whilst jumping around getting excersise as well. Gaming is good and fun!

nesf

When they're old enough to grasp games they can play them. My 3 year old has been playing them since 2. Honestly, I'd prefer him playing a game than to be sitting down watching TV etc.

wcarey1975

My 5 YO has a DS and it does depend on the games and type. I've got a PS3 and was playing in yesterday. DS was out playing in the conservatory pretending to be an astronaught and I took the opportunity to have a game of FIFA10. Just got it and is on professional level anyway I paused the game to answer the phone and when I came back in he was there playing it :rolleyes: and scored a goal....... I'd only been trying for about 10 Mins and couldn't manage it.......ahh kids.. Sorry to go OT a little but thought it was a funny story.

BostonB

appropriate game for appropriate duration vetted by parent