What age would you allow kids to play video games?

@P0RT3R, Aw, I hate it when that happens, I can’t make my usual frequent movie jokes through it!

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But that’s more of a phone problem than a game one though. Phones are what making them anti social. That and the internets.

All hail the mighty internets!

I played my first video game around 3 years of age. By Age 7 I was playing Real Time Strategy, namely Empire Earth 2. I’d allow them to play something that’s difficult to break around 3.

@Tehani
I taught my kids, grand kids, and when I have great grand kids will teach them. :slight_smile:

I shall raise a family of gamers! Make them unicums at LoL and Dota 2 so they can win a tournament and become millionairs… Yup becoming a millionair by winning a video game tournament!

They shall defeat all the koreans and hapanese in lol and dota!
They shall destroy all tha russians in wot!
They shall crush all the 12 year old british assholes in cod!
They will rule the world of gaming because of me! Mah! Muhahaha!

Oh no… What have i become… Oh well, its fun, i dont even understand what im saying, do you, im just starting to talk noncence and in a year ill think, what was i thinking when writing this! I need sleep… Bye, or hello! Dangit porter stahp! Why… Why! Why! Whywhywhy!*unreadable*

*tilts head to the side* he’s gone… Well best call the insanity ward. They’re gonna have a new patient soon.

@P0RT3R, If there was an entire nation of happy people, they would be called… Hapanese.

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I am a bit late into the discussion (Curse ye European Time zones and terrible internet!) but I have played video-games since 6-ish. And in terms of one thing my parents did right and wrong was this:

  1. What they did amazingly was that they used video-games as a bonding experience between all family members, and it’s what today brings me and my brother together. They also didn’t solely rely on video-games to entertain us, they made us do other stuff as well and didn’t use video-games as a crutch.

  2. However coming from a country which (at the time) thought that ‘Computer Space’ was “The bomb” and not knowing much English or about Age-Ratings, it let me and my brother get away with some stuff.

Over all, Video-Games are uber-cool. Just make sure you understand age-ratings and stuff and not use it as a sort of ‘babysitter’ (For lack of better-term) as I have seen some of my friends’ parents do. Plus MCM London is pretty awesome and Video-Games are a big part of it.

@P0RT3R Maybe you should lay down, have some biscuits and milk, or hot-chocolate with tiny fluffy marshmallows and take a bit of a breather? Then you can put your plans to action and RULE THE WORLD >:D

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@Lordirish Thanks for answering, I first thought that you had forbidden your children to discover videogames (in a very melodramatic “Not under my roof!” way) and that after you saw the errors of your way you decided not to do the same with your grandkids. So I was ready to pester you with a lot of questions. But no, you have lucky kids and grand kids (and future great grand kids). :slight_smile:

Also depends on their maturity. I was rampaging through Vice City at age 7 and grew into a normal guy with no homicidal urges. If the kid is not messed up in the head to begin with he/she will realize that the over the top violence in games is wrong to do in real life, which isn’t the case with games like Bully.

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pros and cons came out of it, anyway its a parental thing, parents always guide your kids maybe that’s a good point right now after reading all the discussions. sometime kids are following game instructions than their your parents rule. :slight_smile:

So I have three children all under 5 (well my oldest turns 5 in September) and none of them know how to use a computer, game system, iphone, or ipod. They know how to use my galaxy to talk on or to dial 911 and that is all.

My husband and I are both gamers, but I was hesitant for my children because I want them to know their address and phone number before they know how to buy from itunes. Since my son will be starting Kinder next year we are introducing the computer this year, not games but how to use it. We do have some Legos games (star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Batman) He will start with those this year and since my daughter is only 15 months younger if she shows the capability to play and when something happens she doesnt like to not throw my controller, then we might start her out playing second player to my son. Still no computer for her.

My cousins feel I am depriving my children, but both my older children read and complete 1000 piece puzzles in a couple hours. They write very well and know their entire families first, middle, and last names. My kids play pretend all day and are only allowed 2 hours of tv or movie time a day at max. They sit and listen to instructions, they dont ask me for my phone when we are out in public instead they take a book to read or a drawing pad to draw.

I dont feel I deprived my children I feel like I taught them how to function without technology and I plan to keep it that way. My children are currently learning addition, subtraction, cause and effect, and cursive.

As soon as they escape the womb.

I started playing when I was 4 years old. Played Red Alert, Hidden & Dangerous, Rally, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and many other games. Started playing online when I was 7 years old with Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory followed with Call of Duty.

It depends on the child and the environment they are in. I started gaming early because both of my older sisters were gamers. They were always with me when I made characters and they were always making sure I was “behaving”.

Other kids that I’ve seen were left completely alone or unsupervised - these situations are the ones that were always problematic to me. Part of the issue today is that the apps and technology evolve so fast that it is harder for some of us (myself included) to keep up with everything going on.

I know that of selfies and the slut-shaming crud that occurs today was available back when I was experiencing in-game relationships, I might have gotten myself in trouble, despite my sisters’ overview. But they were constantly with me and being nosy in my gaming so I am confident I’d have still turned out ok.

one really important thing with online games at the time - I was able to keep in touch with my friends as we all moved (military). That helped a lot.

I personally started playing games at the age of 6. My neighbor gave me a console and since then I have been stuck to gaming.

Trust is a big deal. My mother has never been nosy or invaded my private space or what I chose to do online or with video games, but she trusted me to make the right decisions. My brother was always gentle and steered me persuasively, not ever controlling.

I had a young (10 year old) friend who would attempt to buy adult-rated games (which his father would let him buy without question). He would, when out with me, beg me to buy him the same, but I would look it over and refuse to buy it for him (since I am over 18, and the only person over 18 that he knew when his mother and father were away).

I offered alternative games, with similar gameplay or design, but better subject matter, suitable to his age. If he asked for something, and I thought it suitable, I might gift it him. I promised him that I would buy him rated 12s, and some 15s if he brought them to me and I found them appropriate first.

I also promised him that I found a really good game or movie that was rated adult, I would buy it him, because it was obviously important and something he had to see. But, as I told him honestly, many games with blood and guts and shock, are not necessarily any better than those that are not. Surprise surprise, I never found any I thought that were worth it.

Eventually, he weaned himself off most violent adult games, and I provided for him as many suitable but interesting games as I could, and he became happy doing that.

I do not encourage total control, rather, gentle supervision, maybe even a running commentary on the game. Kids will of course, get stuck and ask you, and in return, you freely get to criticise their bad actions “why’d you do x?” and engage their creativity “what do you do if you do x?”. “Why did you shout “die” at that enemy? Do you think that’s something a hero would do?” etc, etc. Treating children as equals and giving them reasons rather than “I’m your elder”, or “I’m in charge and I think it’s bad”, is always advised. Kids will learn better with trust.

I started playing video games when I was six: Spyro the Dragon, Crash Bandicoot, Ratchet and Clank, late ps1 early ps2 era. My brother was the only one who played with me and watched over me, and this was how he taught me.

My mother notes I have a healthy alienation between what is acceptable in the fictional world and what is not. She suggests how and what a child develops is not solely based on video games but also their home life and development there too.

Kids can learn and develop through video games the same way they develop through life. But one (life, lmao) should always come before the other!

My brother would always take me for long walks as breaks every hour or so, bribing me with cubes of strawberry jelly (lmao). I soon became quite fit, and talking with him about games, designing our own characters and stories, helped my writing and art in class. EV training with Pokémon and playing the old Yu-Gi-Oh! games helped me with maths, and I learned to read by watching my Dad play Summoner and read out the dialogue.

In my opinion, games for kids are good, as long as one does not “leave their child to it”, but actively engages in it, and challenges their child to apply what is learned there to everyday life!

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my earliest memory is of me as a kid playing on my Atarii 2600, so i dont think we should limit kids on a Video Game experience what we have to limit them on is the TYPE of games they play until they are old enough to understand the difference between reality & the worlds that Video Games create.

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I’ll be open with my child let him do want he wants and make sure I’m there to guide him. Video Games aren’t a problem I’ll just make sure it’s balanced so he gets to be active outside and play.

All this talk about children made me want to time travel and see them ugh!!