To wonder how many people here don’t have a games console

[Ofti]

Bit of a thread about a thread, but no judgement on yes/no. I see a lot of assertions that kids will be ‘weird’ or outcast without access to a console.

I know there’s phone gaming, PC etc as option but (to satisfy my nosiness ) how many here have children of 6 or older and no console?
YABU- I have a console
YANBU-I don’t have a console in the house

Personally we have 5 children, 3 primary age and 2 adults, and never have had a console Or gaming PC. No bans with friends or anything though, they can play games on other devices and have in phases. I’m just wondering if this is as unusual as it seems on here. I didn’t think it was, but maybe it is. DH and I grew up without and just haven’t really thought about it a lot or been nagged much over them. I’m not anti-gaming, only as it’s not a lure for me I haven’t splashed out. Played drunken Xbox boxing etc over the years at parties etc though.

[Phosphor]

The gamers are not in my 'social circle' for obvious reasons, @CovidicusRex. On the other hand, I do know a number of people who used to be married to gamers.

[Mypathtriedtokillme]

DH made an arcade machine with loads of retro games as well as newer ones.
Its used a few times a fortnight. Some weeks more others not at all.
We have 3 and 6 year old girls who have fun playing with their dad on it.

DH is a occasional gamer and has a LAN party with his mates about every 6 months. (They have a couple of beers, soft drinks, pizza and nerd it up for the afternoon/evening)

[Lockdownlife]

I had a Nintendo growing up and my sister had s playstation. We've both turned out fine and neither are mega into gaming as adults.

She has a Wii now which they all play as a family every week or two.

My OH has a playstation 4 which I've only used about twice because it's football and war games which I don't like or know how to play. He plays a handful of times per year but think he played it more long before we met.

I've just ordered a Nintendo switch which is definitely more my type of thing! Can't wait for it to arrive. (No kids btw).

[WhatWouldYouDoWhatWouldJesusDo]

We have PS4, Wii u and X box 360........ds is really good tho and can take it or leave it. He even rejected one game because it made him feel angry so he stopped playing it.

I don't think there's anything wrong with gaming, it's great fun. I do think there are kids who mentally can't cope with having the console and restricting themselves........and those families should do their kids a massive favour and get rid of it until they have the maturity to manage themselves.

[CovidicusRex]

@Phosphor and what reason would that be?

I have a few gamers in my social circle. One is my friend because she’s incredibly lovely. Another is someone that I work with (in a high powered corporate environment which requires a lot of imagination, intellect and, people skills). Another is very clever and very interesting (she’s a genius) and is a gamer (she’s into the aesthetic video games whatever that means). The chances of not coming across gamers is slim.

If you’re coming across a lot of gamers who are “ maladapted people with stunted imaginations and limited intellectual resources” that would suggest that you have way too many “maladapted people with stunted imaginations and limited intellectual resources” in your social circle.

[WorriedDaughter1]

Teen DS and preteen DD, they play online games on their tablets occasionally, but aren't much into screen time on the whole. Both listen to music a lot, so have Echo devices to stream music. They seem to be doing fine socially.

[Definitelyrandom]

2 DSs, early 20s. Neither had a console and coped perfectly well socially. They occasionally played at friends' houses. Had games for the PC - one liked battle type games, the other football and cricket manager type games.

We had an ipad but they didn't use it and (slightly offpoint) I find it really strange to see small children being given them essentially as a baby sitting device.

[Sonichu]

"Phosphor and what reason would that be?"

I think the answer is that due to their superior attitudes on how other adults spend their free time, they don't have a social circle.

[TheHighestSardine]

The idea that it's a niche thing is just mad. Gaming is a bigger industry globally than movies plus TV! "This year, the global games market is estimated to generate US$152.1 billion from 2.5 billion gamers around the world. By comparison, the global box office industry was worth US$41.7 billion while global music revenues reached US$19.1 billion in 2018." www.ejinsight.com/eji/article/id/2280405/20191022-video-game-industry-silently-taking-over-entertainment-world

In the UK alone, it's ten times larger than our much-mentioned fishing industry. Our games development business is larger than any other in Europe, but is not expecting to be for long thanks to brexit, yay. www.thecreativeindustries.co.uk/industries/games/games-why-the-uk

Any smugness about "Oh we don't have a.. games thingy" is little different from someone in the 70s going "Oh we don't have a TV or telephone".

[Poetryinaction]

Mine are aged 6, 4 and 2. No plans to ever get one.

[SweetPetrichor]

Two adults, no children...we have two consoles and two high spec pc/laptop setups for gaming.

[ScarfLadysBag]

DD is only 15mo so too young but DH and I are both big gamers - that's how we met - so we have numerous consoles and also each have a powerful gaming PC. I'm sure DD will be Player 3 when she's old enough

[Limpetlike]

None. I know very few women gamers but I've never met a habitual male gamer who wasn't both semi-addicted at the expense of other things in his life, and socially inept into the bargain. It's not a habit I would countenance any of my children forming.

[Proudboomer]

I bought my first ps1 in 2002 when my six year old broke his arm and was in plaster for 8 weeks. Since then we have had just about every console invented. Game boys, PSP’s, GameCube, PlayStations, xboxes, switch and now they are adults they mainly game on computers although they also have consoles.
Both my sons are now adults, they work, Pay their own bills, they have other interests, a full circle of friends some of whom game and some who don’t and one is in a long term committed relationship.
Some of my favourite memories of their childhood is our Tuesday games night when we would all squash into my sons bed and play mario cart.

[Eminybob]

My brother and I had the NES, SNES, and then a PlayStation growing up.
DH had various.

We now have an original Wii and have just ordered a Switch (bloody hell those things are like gold dust at the moment!)

We aren’t “gamers” it’s definitely just a bit of fun, we play as a family. DS1, who is almost 6 has just started taking an interest in things like Mario cart etc.
I’d rather he was playing a game than staring at the telly. And I don’t think it “stunts imagination” games like minecraft can be highly educational.

[Oblomov20]

I barely know anyone without one. My parents?

No. I correct that. One elderly lady at work.

But then most of my friends are in their 40's and 50's and early 60's. Most have children, teenagers, or older kids who have left home now.

Those without children are very techy and keep up to date with tech.

[Fluffybutter]

Dd primary age , ds older teen and we have 2 switch’s , a couple of ds lites and a PlayStation.
Have always had consoles and we used to growing up too

[LuluJakey1]

We don't have any. DH, me, Ds1(5), DD(3), DS2 (10m)

[SionnachRua]

I've never met a habitual male gamer who wasn't both semi-addicted at the expense of other things in his life, and socially inept into the bargain.

I'd say you probably know a lot of men who game, it just doesn't come up in conversation. I know a few people at work game but that only came up by chance. Could well be more I don't know of!

[Ninkanink]

I don’t personally have any games consoles at all as I’m really not a gamer. I do play Hay Day here and there on my iPad. My DH has a PlayStation.

My daughters each have a PlayStation. My eldest got hers while she was away at uni and in the meantime my youngest got one, so when she moved back home there were two in the household, they now live together and hence have one each. My youngest also has a Switch.

When they were younger they shared a GameCube and a wii, and had a gameboy each. Then later a DS each.

[SionnachRua]

I see nothing to disabuse me of the opinion that it creates maladapted people with stunted imaginations and limited intellectual resources.

I got a great laugh out of this comment 😂

[Sonichu]

"
None. I know very few women gamers but I've never met a habitual male gamer who wasn't both semi-addicted at the expense of other things in his life, and socially inept into the bargain. It's not a habit I would countenance any of my children forming."

Good luck with that 🤣

[Ninkanink]

I've never met a habitual male gamer who wasn't both semi-addicted at the expense of other things in his life, and socially inept into the bargain.

I think the pool of habitual gamers you’ve met is likely to be quite limited...

My DH isn’t socially inept, nor addicted. He’s also one of the most well-balanced, well-rounded and disciplined people I know.

He has an extremely demanding job and gaming is one of the ways he de stresses and switches off his mind for a bit. It’s also a way he can keep in contact with his brothers who live far away, and spend time with them even when they’re not together.

[MassDebate]

YANBU.

Two kids, 6 & 9. No intention of getting one and neither kid has ever asked for one. Eldest finds it a bit sad that friends use them when they could be outdoors playing sports 😂

[RainySaturday]

Yanbu.
Dd19, dd14, DH& me here