Whenever they can afford to buy it themselves.
My parents are both huge nerds. I had my own computer by the time I was 4ā¦so 1999. Back then, it was common to have one computer per HOUSEHOLD. We had three. By the time I was 7 or 8, I was playing MMOs with my parents ā World of Warcraft, Everquest II, etc. I also had my own games that I was playing on my own. Started with stuff like Freddie the Fish or Putt Putt, moved on to things like the Sims and Rollercoaster Tycoon. Until I was about 15, all of this was closely monitored, though. Once I hit 15, I was allowed to make my decisions on what games I wanted to play, because I was deemed old enough to handle the moreā¦risque aspects of some games (like, supposedly, Sims 2. I still donāt know how itās sexual in any way, shape or formā¦)
They have followed this pattern with my siblings. I have three siblings, a brother -15, a sister -10, and a sister -7.
Currently, theyāre playing a beta of a game called Riders of Icarus with my parents. In addition, my dad, mom, brother, middle sister, and I all occasionally play The Secret World together, which has adult themes.
You can argue whether itās appropriate or not, but I turned out relatively okay, all things considered, and the negative aspects of my development came from other factors in my life. Most definitely NOT gaming from a young age.
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Your parents sound awesome! Lol
Itās not so much a question of Age, just of maturity.
Personally, Iād always loved reading, and Gaming as far back as I can remember(still remember the title of the first chapter book I read Lol ), though I only got a home Console at the age of 13.
Your post makes me feel soooo old! Back in the dark ages of 1999, in the troubled times of 1 computer per household!
I FEEL SO OLD!!!
Back in the dark ages of the 80s, my dad bought our first ever game console.
I was so excited to be able to play this amazing game.
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/questfortherings/questfortherings.jpg
Look at it! Those graphics! Wow!
Such actionā¦ such adventureā¦
http://gamesdbase.com/Media/SYSTEM/Magnavox_Odyssey_2/Snap/big/The_Quest_for_the_Rings_-1981-_Magnavox.jpg
WAH!!!
Yeah! I was playing games as a very young child! And I was so jealous when my cousin got his ZX Spectrum and was able to play better games on it.
I mean WOW! 
And he had the fortune to be over when we got our Amiga for Xmas. And he threw a tantrum and demanded one of his own the next year.
The first game I played on it was Shadow of the Beast 2 and it was beautiful!
Totally the same game as above, right? (Well sequel but still.)
And in Barbarian 2 I could lop the enemies heads off, Moonstone had copious blood, and Mortal Kombat was so realistic looking, plus more blood. 
I loved the gory games!
The only game my dad stopped us from playing was Leisure Suit Larry. His friend had loaned it to him, I started playing it, he saw what it was about and it vanished. Probably for the best.
I think as long as thereās parental supervision kids can play games at any age. It clearly didnāt harm me! CLEARLY!!!
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Same here remember getting the original nes as a kid. Also have you ever gone back and played some of those old games. I wonder what type of torture I put myself through to beat the game. When i tried to play the legend of zelda or ultima games now all I do is die horribly. I must have either been a better gamer then or way to much time on my hands.
For me, itāll be any age. I started playing video games when I was 8. My little sis started at the age of 5. So I guess age doesnāt really matter. What I will screen is the type of games. Canāt go and corrupt young minds.
I played video games too young, and Iām so incredibly glad that I did. When I was 8 or so I became really addicted to them, but what really changed me was first playing massive RPGS at age 13.
Elder Scrolls and Mass Effect were probably the first AAA games that I played, as I mostly played things on mobile before that (not being allowed a console!). I was old enough that I understood enough of what was going on, and young enough that it still felt like absolute magic playing through them the first time. Mass Effect especially. It taught me so much about mature themes, the value of friendship, the reality of death. Of course, Iāve replayed the series a billion times since, and I realise just how much I didnāt understand when I was 13, but it was Mass Effect that taught me games could be valuable emotional experiences, and just as immersive as books or TV (or even more so). It was Mass Effect that made me really love video games.
All of those games are rated 17+, but I genuinely believe I would be a different person if I hadnāt played them at a younger age, and I wouldnāt want to be that person. Because itās those early games which inspire me to want to make games myself, and they are the only things which can still make me feel spellbound and ecstatic when I hear about a new release in the series as I was back then.
We all need that game which transports us into a whole new world of possibility. Let kids play games with a higher age rating. The majority of them wonāt be affected at all, but there will be a few who are inspired for a lifetime of gaming as a result of them.
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I think age doesnāt matter unless it applies to enjoyment of the game. A 3 year old isnāt gonna enjoy a text heavy game or a game thatās completely saturated and gritty.
The one way Iād make some sort of restriction is with multiplayer games meant for all ages. There should be some way for kids to not be placed in the same area as adults who say pretty terrible things(no kid needs to be exposed to that kind of toxicity, but itās not like theyāre going to stop playing that game just because it isnāt specifically meant for them)
I donāt think video games are bad at all. Theyāre just another form of media that comes with the passage of time. Itās better to make some places safer for kids than try to bar them from a potential good time.
Oh! I just remembered reading this article.
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I agree with most of the people above me. Video games are fun for any age, as long as the players can handle the genre and the maturity of the game. Trust me, it is not advisable to allow a three-year old to play Silent Hill 2 (speaking from personal experience, which is why I have not played a proper Silent Hill game since I was three even though I like the horror genre), or to teach a seven year-old with an irrational fear of blood and guts how to execute Fatalities and Brutalities in Mortal Kombat X (again, from personal experienceā¦but this time itās my cousin who taught that to his younger sister!).
As long as itās age appropriate and they are mature enough to handle it and learn from their experience, Iām pretty sure that kids are free to play video games as soon as they can. And since itās the adults who provide the kids the games in the first place, they should first know what kind of game theyāre buying for their kid and judge if their child is ready for the game. A toddler being given God of War for Christmas is the worst idea ever (personal experience again). But someone older, letās say a 11-13 year-oldā¦yeah, sure, God of War for Christmas.
I am a nursing student hoping to go into pediatrics, so Iām really interested in child development.
Personally, I think itās fine to have your kids sit with you while you play something (family friendly, like Mario) as a bonding moment (maybe let them play for a bit too!). But itās very important that this be on the moderate side. Itās important for kids to be outside and active.
I think 8-10 is a good age ā but limit the playtime since it can be easy to get hooked. I think text-based games like COG can be good since it encourages reading, and you can even use them as a gateway to get kids interested in programming and coding!
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I start playing video games at 4 or 5, my first was some game or sage geniuses but what I really remember was this old star wars game I had for ps1, and thatās when start loving and playing video games till this day. Yes you can get hook like one of my cousins but that was because he wasnāt allowed to go outside, but if you let your kids go outside meet other kids and even play with them outside, I will doubt you would have that problem with a child. For me I play video games here and there but itās because I really enjoyed going outside and hangout with my friends and stuff. Just because you play games at a young age doesnāt mean your going to turn into a game vampire hating outside and sunlight. I even played sports and love video games and got scholarships to a couple of colleges but i love playing video games, i think it helps to certain degree with development. Plus if you kid has health problems asthma, diabetes or so it helps take your mind off your problems and helps that child relax more. For example: I was around 7 when I had my first asthma attack and for awhile I use to have these things called panic attacks and at the time I didnāt know how to come myself so when I had this my dad and step-mom would make me play video games to calm me down. my dad just didnāt let me and my sibling to play mature games like GTA or nothing because we were young. So you should monitor what games you let you kids play at a young age like at 4 or 5 you wouldnāt bug them a rated M game but more kid friendly games and base on their maturity like them play games their are for old ages. Since my cousins use to play GTA I use to sneak play it lmbo and I didnāt steal no real cars, pick up no body off the ride to have sex with them, Rob banks and go on killing spreees but I was also mature for my age and knew what to do and not to do in real life for my dad telling me that some things are not right to do and the consequences of those actions. But making kids play educational games depends on how you do it, when I was 4 I brought this sesame Street games which was educational but it didnāt seem like it because it was fun to play and I like sesame Street. but if you make them play a boring one geez idk if I would do it everybody different but when I had to play games that were boring I would cry and get mad because my friends would talk about the cool games their parents would play or ask to come over to find out I had no fun games, so I use to sneak play theirs. So you should get them into games at a young age so they will know theirs game and also this thing called real life and so their not going hay-wired when they get older and discover thereās a thing called video gamesā:scream:
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I remember reading a few articles about how gamers are more likely to be able to lucid dream, which I think is fascinating. It suggests that because weāre used to manipulating artificial realities in games, we can also do it in dreams. Also that we tend to have more strange and otherworldly dreams. And that gaming might be used to help with nightmares.
Hereās some articles based on the same study I think.
http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/21/5330636/video-games-effect-on-dreams.
http://www.livescience.com/6521-video-gamers-control-dreams-study-suggests.html
There was also articles suggesting that people who grew up watching black and white televisions dream in black and white. It's black and white: TV influences your dreams | New Scientist However, I can say that growing up playing not so realistic games hasnāt pixelated my dreams. (Although I did find live action roleplay games did ruin my ability to use certain super-powers in my dreams, and that kinda sucked.)
Anyway! I think thatās rather relevant to this, because letting people play games at a young age can affect even their subconscious minds.
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I think Iād take the same route my mom did, which was āI read some weird, fucked up shit when I was a kid and I turned out alrightā¦ So you probably will too!ā
Kids are curious, and no matter how hard you try to shelter them something will slip through. No one ever monitored any of my gaming (although my parents might have done more if they were more tech savvy, and realized that video games got more complicated than Tetris) and Iām not an asshole rearing to shoot someone.
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For me, i dont like my parents interfere my choice but if i have childā¦
I will interfere less than my parents i supposeā¦ hhha
i will talk with them how to read books, watch movies instead of playing games, if they would like to, i will allow them to play after 15 i think.
Is i had a kid i would alow them to grow up with games as i did
At what age they should play a game depends on the game in question. I think what matters more is not letting your kid to get actually addicted to video games. Limit the time they can spend sitting infront of a computer and encourage outdoor activities, reading or playing with other toys indoors etc.
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Iād rather be on the āgame with your kidsā side.
And probably roflstomp them in the process.
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I agree with this . From personal experience that is , I say the issue isnāt āVideos games are bad mākay!ā ā¦
But 1) what kind of video games and the age of the child and 2) The amount of times they are playing . If you put a limit on how long they are playing , then make them switch to something elseā¦like playing outsideā¦or readā¦or do chores . Then you are creating a routine . It can even become a precious time .
Then there is a second aspect thats important . Games are supposed to be FUN . Get older and you can decide for yourself if you gonna rage quit and throw tantrum cose you forgot to buy more potion while going down on that 99 Levl dungeon and you forgot to save and NOW you have to reload from the freaking beginning !!!
I would say if I had a kid and they start raging and fighting with their sibling , DONT BLAME THE GAME! Blame your kids . They forgot its a GAME! Competition is Good but spell it out : SHOULD STILL BE FUN!
And I speak as someone who lived with 2 Sibling Morons bunch of sore loser who would fist fight over a Loss in Mortal Kombat !
So yeah , I say everything should be in moderation . A game can teach a kid good skills . Like strategy , management , drawing , music . But its a Gameā¦the rest is up to the parent to do some work .
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