Handheld Game Systems
Ever since my son was 5, he has had a portable game system of his own. We started with a basic Gameboy Color and he was hooked. He was content on long car rides and it came in handy while waiting at the doctor’s office or other boring place.
Then they released the Gameboy Advance SP and suddenly the Gameboy Color was just not good enough. We resisted for a long time, but somewhere around his 9th birthday, we gave in and got him a red Gameboy Advance.
Now, all he can think about is a shiny new Nintendo DS and how much more fun he could have with it. He has a birthday coming up in July and there really is nothing else he wants or needs. Chances are, we’ll end up getting him one.
My question to all of you – do your kids have the Gameboy or Nintendo DS? What good games are out for DS that are not shoot ‘em up games that you would recommend?
Nintendogs seems pretty harmless, though my 11 year old is uninterested. The Pokemon series is annoying, though fairly benign. There is a new game called Spectrobes which is fairly hot around here, it has something to do with fossils and bringing dinosaur like creatures back to life. It has some combat, but, like Pokemon, it’s benign.
Michael – Right now my son is engrossed in the Pokemon series – even though he doesn’t really like Pokemon. His friend just got Spectrobes but he hasn’t tried it yet.
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My nine year old has a Nintendo DS that she got last year. We don’t allow graphic shoot ‘em up games, and we’re fairly strict about how long she’s allowed to play it, but she loves it and it hasn’t been a hassle at all. She’s good at self regulating the time she spends on it, and it’s been great for long car trips.
She loves Nintendogs, mostly because there are lots of good rewards and she feels like she can build up a sort of a relationship with her ‘pets’. She also loves the brain training game she has, and is keen to improve her maths at school with it.
I think like so many media methods – if you choose your expression of it carefully, and set reasonable boundaries and keep them, they aren’t too much trouble.
My daughter just pooled together her money and bought a DS. It kept her busy on a 5 hour ride to Nana’s! She (and I) and both hooked on “Big Brain Academy.” It is challenging, educational and fun! We will be looking at more from this series.
I have a 10 year old who is gameboyless and video consoleless and he has a great time and a long attention span and is a happy unbored kid. I think having electronic distractions whenever there’s a wait or a long ride is not doing the child any favors developmentally. Read John Muir’s autobiography about his youth and see what you think. Our kids aren’t farmboys but there’s still a rich day to day world of things to really see and experience that they’re robbed of if they’re constantly given the escape of electronics.
Jane – I think Nintendogs is the sole reason my daughter wants a DS. She is such an animal lover.
Mom of 2j’s – I have to look into Big Brain Academy! If it kept J busy then I know someone else who will love it!
Lisa – I don’t think there is anything horrible about video games. They are like anything else – used in moderation they can be educational, entertaining, and just fun. My kids don’t spend all their time playing games – they play sports, play outside, play with friends and they have computer, tv, and video game time as they see fit.
By flying airplanes on flight simulator software, my son is not being robbed of an experience – he is gaining valuable skills that may help him in the future. He is constantly learning – in all avenues of life – from multiple media. Technology is here to stay and our kids need to be comfortable with it in order to succeed later in life. What better way to learn than through play.
Lisa, I think electronic games are like all things – use them sensibly, and no-one’s any worse off. My kids have lots of time playing outside and doing other things – dd just also happens to have a Nintendo. She’s also consciously using the brain training game to improve her maths. Just because they’ve got them, doesn’t mean they’re constantly using them.
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