Do people really spend £300 on their kids console

[Arren12]

Hi

My dd who is 8 has been asking for a console for ages and ages now. We have never owned anything like that. She's autistic and has never played with toys so we are limited to what we can get her for Xmas. I thought I'd look at getting a console of some sort but I'm gobsmacked at the price.

Most of her friends at school have had them for ages so obviously people must spend this but its seems so excessive.

We are by no means rich but we are not struggling for money. We are quite comfortable. Its just I feel its such a lot and think about what else that money could go on.

As I say my dd does not play in the traditional sense and spends all her time doing arts and crafts. We have every art and craft thing you can imagine so can't get her any more of that really. This seemed ideal but its way more than I'd normally like to spend on each child.

What do others do? Is it that people do spend £300 on Xmas gifts or is it purely seen as a one off big purchase.

The games are also so expensive.

Do most children have a console.

I feel a bit like I'm a bad mum because dd seems one of the only children in her class not to game. This was evident in a recent homework assignment.

Aibu to be shocked that parents are spending this and wondering how most afford it or feel comfortable with it.

The gamers are around £60 if you want latest releases. Fairly pricey. But think about the "use" you get for your money, it's better value than paying £10 to see a film which is over in 2 hours, or £50 for a football match, or £100 to see Adele.

Some of the more complex games would takes weeks of solid playing to complete.

Kids can game and do other activities too, you know?

My kids (sprinkled through primary) do (variously) ballet, skateboarding, football, BMX, swimming, ..... and spend time gaming.

No difference between using gaming time to relax and decompress rather than watching cartoons or reading a comic. Uncontrolled gaming time is a parenting issue, not down to the activity itself.

Try to resist. Since about 1990 we have gone with 5 children from sega megadrives to nintendo 94s, wii, wii U, game boys, x box in various versions, nintendo switch and probably many others with all the games you then have to buy plus vast numbers of computer games. If you can avoid even starting on that cycle so much the better. It is never ending and with built in obsolesence.

Whetgher I will ever get all this stuff out of the house by say 2024 - 40 years after child 1 was born or shortly after when the last of the 5 children are leaving so much the better. i was pleased today when my oldest son who was briefly at home (owns his own house now) said our TV seemed so much smaller than h is vast massive one at home..... [and this one at home in my view is very large never mind the projector called a screeneo (which cost at least £1000) in the other room with the screen you can pull up and down for big events]..... At least these days that son buys his own kit.

Lght at end of tunnel for me may be - old lady home alone not a single wretched game thing and just my books.

@foxgoosefinch you know that gaming and other activities are not mutually exclusive? If a child has a console and enjoys playing games that doesn't mean they're not also allowed to go to dance classes or play football or run around in the park?

@catterycatcat snakes and ladders doesn’t cost £350! I think you’d do well to be more out of touch if you think it’s right that children and parents should be encouraged to think that they’ll be social outliers if they don’t spend huge amounts of money.

I’m v happy to be called out of touch for thinking that shilling for a multi billion dollar industry is not great for 7-9 year olds’ in overall terms, and that people are kidding themselves if they think it’s anything else than peer pressure to spend money on fluff entertainment by pretending it’s educational in some way

[quote evilharpy]@foxgoosefinch you know that gaming and other activities are not mutually exclusive? If a child has a console and enjoys playing games that doesn't mean they're not also allowed to go to dance classes or play football or run around in the park?[/quote]
Exactly - so spending £350 on it compared to the park sounds like a really bad deal. More park please then

@foxgoosefinch

Those crucial life skills learned from playing Super Mario!

Has done in our house- it's been really helpful for turn taking; understanding that you don't always win, being a 'good winner' when you do

Intergenerational understanding- kids being able to teach their grandparents something and then have a lovely joint experience together.....

Could you get her Lego? That’s a good activity.

Although we’ve got our DC a switch for Xmas as that’s what he wants- he’s younger than your DD.

Jesus wept.

@foxgoosefinch how can you say it's not real life fun with friends? The kids all play with / against each other. They could be standing next to each other, they could be several streets away from each other. Gaming (Certainly in our house) is a very social experience.

Everything needs balance. My DC's play sport five days a week, so as long as they do their homework I'm not going to police their downtime. We have full control over what they play and who they can play it with, but if that's what they want to do to have fun then why shouldn't they?

Foxgoosefinch you're using lots of impressive words but you really haven't got a clue what you're talking about. Anyone who games or is happy for their child to do so can appreciate there are some drawbacks, especially if you allow yourself or your child to get addicted to it. Too much of anything is usually bad. But you seem to be hellbent on the idea that there is no positive effect to be had from gaming at all. And you're quite simply wrong. Even your kid just having fun for an hour is a good thing, isn't it? Or maybe not in your world. Who knows.

If you're so sure gaming is a waste of time, and so is using your phone too much, then practice what you preach. Put your phone down. Model to your child why it's so great to be free of technology.

[quote foxgoosefinch]@catterycatcat snakes and ladders doesn’t cost £350! I think you’d do well to be more out of touch if you think it’s right that children and parents should be encouraged to think that they’ll be social outliers if they don’t spend huge amounts of money.

I’m v happy to be called out of touch for thinking that shilling for a multi billion dollar industry is not great for 7-9 year olds’ in overall terms, and that people are kidding themselves if they think it’s anything else than peer pressure to spend money on fluff entertainment by pretending it’s educational in some way [/quote]
There's no need to spend a fortune, there's a load of second hand tech out there that would be suitable for the OP's 8yo. But equally the OP has said that it's affordable for them anyway.

I just don't see how you can't see any benefit to gaming at all. I'm not a fan, personally i don't see the appeal. But it's a hugely significant part of DC's world and of their friends so I see no benefit at all in trying to fight against it unless you have DC's who aren't that bothered.

During lockdown when Queen Nicola banned my kids from playing with their friends, schools were closed, and it was freezing January, it was lovely to hear my son chuckling with his schoolmates on roblox.

I think you can impose sensible rules if you want to, e.g. 'no gaming midweek' or 'no gaming other than with friends online' - the latter is quite important to me, i don't really mind the games they play where they're all mic-ed up, chatting to each other, that's the modern world, that's the equivalent of going to the park or whatever that we did as kids, it's the solo stuff that i struggle with more.

foxgoosefinch

Gaming can absolutely be educational. What about reading comprehension for a start? Or course there's drawbacks but you can't say it has no benefits. What about just pure fun and entertainment
People can chill out with video games in down time as well as read a book, do a hobby etc

Also, no peer pressure here. The adults in this family enjoy occasional video games as much as the children do!

@Grida

How about getting her a laptop? I know it is more expensive but she can use that for school work, learning to touch type, coding etc. It can also be used for gaming but has lots of scope for other useful things so might be a better investment.

A gaming laptop or a laptop with the spec that would run many modern games would be a lot more more than a switch though, and possibly won't run the same games as a switch does if it's animal crossing and Mario etc, and as OP is thinking of buying one so her dd can play them with/talk about them with her peers a gaming laptop might not be the best choice.

You teach 18-22 year olds? Uni lecturer?

Lord save us.

How about teaching teens to cope with media. I don't have anxiety, I don't post on Facebook that I'm at a restaurant and then worry about how many likes I've had.

I'm a fan of the simon sinek millennials video. sinek

@Oblomov21 you think I shouldn’t be teaching students my specialism, just because I happen to think that spending several hundred pounds on commercial gaming tech for preteen kids isn’t anything more than an expensive waste of time?

People sure are invested in something once they’ve spent a good deal of money on it, aren’t they!

That's an assumption. I haven't spent much money on it. Not everyone spends loads weekly or monthly, after the initial small outlay.

Mine all have a console 3 children aged 7,9,15 but they all really wanted them. So it was worth it. Unlike a £120 toy the youngest asked for which is still only been played with once

I spend more on Ds2's football, monthly fees, driving for miles to stupid matches on a cold Sunday.

I spend more on Ds2's football, monthly fees, driving for miles to stupid matches on a cold Sunday

That sounds like hell! Sitting on the sofa watching him play super mario sounds much better

DS has a little chromebook for school and we pay £10:99 per month for him to have an Xbox ultimate game pass. The chromebook runs all the games he wants to play with no issues at all. A proper gamer might want more from the experience, but he's 10yo so it will do for now!

DS is a big gamer, as are all of his friends. It seems to be that most of the kids I know these days game to some degree. DD is less interested, but likes Minecraft and Roblox. So, yes, it's an expensive outlay, but the consoles get a lot of use.

(And they both also craft/play with dolls/play football with friends/go to Scouts and those accompanying activities etc)

I certainly don’t call £350+ on a preteen’s Christmas present a small outlay!