All About Kids' Gaming: Addiction, What Age Is Suitable, etc

[xxjustakidxx]

KingRascal:

only games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit. These are healthier games compared to many others, and we play as a family.

And more realistic.

[ZacK]

Just got back from Challenger with a Wii console with Wii sports bundled @ SGD349... Plus a Ben10 wii game, which I thot DS1 would really enjoy as he would be able to control the Ben10 aliens on the TV! Think it's the next best thing to being an alien right? :drool: ... But his most ex christmas gift to date :moneyflies:

[en107rn.01056yahoo.01056com.01056sg]

[quote]I was one of those who did not know how to manage my time. I was addicted to computer games when I was in university. I failed one subject and almost did not get my degree. [/quote]
I'm bad. I have forgotten to ascertain my audience and forgot to write responsibly in a public forum. :oops: Sorry.

Ds did play psp during weekdays on exam week. He was accompanying me in the hospital tending my sick dad. It was a long week and long hours. With nothing to do to occupied him, I allow him to play. Should be a one time off occurrence.

Handheld games are good for long drives into Malaysia or while the adults are pre-occupied with urgent stuff outside.


[quote]Plus a Ben10 wii game, which I thot DS1 would really enjoy as he would be able to control the Ben10 aliens on the TV![/quote]Yeap. PSP has Ben10 too. DS love it. Enjoy Zack. Oopppssss hope your kiddo enjoy it too.

[ZacK]

EN:

Handheld games are good for long drives into Malaysia or while the adults are pre-occupied with urgent stuff outside.

For the same reason why I do not mount DVD on the roof of my car and why I do not let DS1 read in the car. I thot playing PSP in the car would be equally bad for their eyes?

EN:

Yeap. PSP has Ben10 too. DS love it. Enjoy Zack. Oopppssss hope your kiddo enjoy it too.

Hahahah I am sure I will play with it too to justify the expense

[mathsparks]

tamarind:

Tweens can also do scrapbook, baking, jewellery making, etc.

Mine would rather keep blogs and chuck all his souvenirs in his messy drawers. Baking n jewllery making...for girls only, according to him.
[quote]For boys, Chief Kiasu suggested carom in that thread. Table tennis also can be played at home. In fact, I used to play badminton at home with my hubby before we have kids in our living room. Playing chess, reversi etc are also fun.[/quote]You must have a big home. Envy you leh. I dont have a carom board, and dad doesnt wanna play chess with him. I only know reversi and he doesnt like to play with me.
[quote]Instead of playing games, let kids learn a programming language and create games on the computer. Try this 3D programming language which is totally free :

http://www.alice.org/

Or learn to type rapidly by practicing on this free software :
http://www.rapidtyping.com/typing-tutor.html

The ability to touch type rapidly without looking at the keyboard is a very useful skill.[/quote]He'll tell me he's starting programming in a few weeks, so what's my rush. :x And he types faster than me. :roll:

Thanks tamarind, I know you meant well. :hugs: Appreciate your suggestions which I'm sure is useful to other parents as well. But I'm just letting him be, since it's his biggest long break which he's not gonna get till 6 years later.

[KingRascal]

Agree. After each, my DS would look like he was drenched in the rain! Complete workout exercise for him!


The first time I played Wii bowling, I ended with aching arms the whole of the following day and I could not recall how it happened. Was telling my DH that it must be rhematism...but he reminded me that it was due to my bowling exercise!

xxjustakidxx:

KingRascal:

only games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit. These are healthier games compared to many others, and we play as a family.

And more realistic.

[tamarind]

mathsparks:

You must have a big home. Envy you leh.

My flat is only 110 square metres. It is quite fun playing badminton in small places, we have to make sure we don't break anything.

mathsparks:

Thanks tamarind, I know you meant well.

EN:

I'm bad. I have forgotten to ascertain my audience and forgot to write responsibly in a public forum. Sorry.

I am not only speaking from personal experience. I have encountered so many students who are actually very clever, but they only manage to just pass, or are failing their subjects.

I had one student who never studied for the whole semester, then 7 days before the maths exam, he panicked and asked me what to do. I told him he could still study 4 hours a day for each of the 7 days, he is smart and he should pass. He told me he could not possibly study for 4 hours a day :roll: But he could play computer games for 10 hours a day.

I feel that it is a great pity for such smart kids to be wasting their youth away. I am not referring to your kids. As I wrote earlier, there are some kids who still do well while playing PSP all the day. If you have kids like this, you are very fortunate. I hope parents like you will NOT say that it is OK to play PSP or computer games, just because you have not seen negative effects on your kids. Because there are so many other kids who are not disciplined, and playing computer games erodes their motivation to study. I am teaching many young adults who suffered from the negative effects and they don't even realize what is the problem. Remember that in Singapore, the education system is very unforgiving. Once a kid end up in ITE and poly, it is difficult for him to get into university. Unlike in USA or other countries, where young adults can still go back to university after working for a few years, it is not possible to do so in Singapore. Due to my poor results in university, after I graduated, I took more than 6 months to find a job and end up working in a pathetic place.

I would tell my kids that when they graduated from university and are supporting themselves, they can play PSP and computer games all day long and I don't care. If they lose one job, they can always find another job.

[KingRascal]

My in laws have 10 grand children, age ranging from 7 to 18. Until last Christmas gathering, the younger ones (age 6-9, 4 of them) were still playing group games like hide-and-seek, pretend-games, etc.


Last night we had the yearly Christmas party again. It was a disappointment sight... I was the latest to arrive at the party. The first signt that greeted us

- adults having dinner (ok, this is the exception..this is definitely normal and ok :lol: )

- 2 children on xbox
- 3 children on psp
- 1 on computer game (some shooting stuff)
- 1 on online movie streaming

The sight was so different...and I believe with technology influence, this would be the common sight going forth. It started with one of the 8yr-old receiving her PSP as birthday gift last month. 2 others aged 7 and 9 pestered their parents and they succeeded.

In this scenario that I have painted, computer games have indeed eroded the usual personal interactions that should happen when gatherings take place.

And I forgot to mention that I have to attend this party on my own...cos my DH is out of town for wk...So it's a night of mixed feelings for me...glad the night's over...and it's a brand new day

[mathsparks]

sorry, i should also post responsibly. psp and internet games are indeed addictive. So, if you/your child does not have enough will power to drag yrself away, be careful you’ll ruin your life!

[KingRascal]

Don't think there's any right or wrong. It's all dependent on our own decision, judging from factors like family values, children's character, consistent std and application of rules and regulations in the family by the parents, etc, and of course, parents to set good examples in the engaging of computer games (I once saw a mother on handphone games, son on psp, while they were waiting for food to arrive in a restaurant, and the Daddy on Blackberry...emails or games, i don't know :lol: )


We are here to share our personal experience so that we would make the best judgement for ourselves if we do see similar-sounding examples for us to trial on

Tamarind,
I fully agree with you when you said that even when the children are not playing the games, their minds are on it.

I also have to careful when I introduced wii games to my DS. Once he was \"hooked\" on this game (which I cannot remember the name cos I hardly play wwii myself). The game requires him fly around in a plane to collect \"i\" in a \"resort\". It's a tricky game which would take many attempts to complete.

We were doing some reading/homework (cannot recall hehe) when he suddenly paused and looked at me saying, \"Mummy, I think the last 'i' would be hidden in that island in the far north, which I have not explored.\"

He was thinking about it though he was not physically playing it. So I have to be mindful as well when I introduced wii.

Just my thoughts...