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.

My boys are older now but got a PS2 and years later a PS4 between them. They mainly played FIFA and my eldest maintains it helped greatly with his reading, spelling and Geography . They got a PS5 earlier this year - again between them but this time they paid!

*Good Luck! (Autocorrect!)

@Bananabrush

I feel the same and my kids don’t have them. I think the ‘everyone else is doing it’ argument is a terrible one. Decide for yourself if it’s a good idea and if you think it’s not, explain to your kids that we don’t always have to follow the crowd. They might not like it at the time but they will see that you stick to your values even when that’s tough.

My main objections are 1. Gaming is a bit of a waste of time 2. It teaches kids a bad lesson to be given hugely expensive kit. They learn to be consumers with no sense of the value of money. If my 15 year old wants to get a part-time job and buy himself an Xbox, that’s fine.

Gaming has lots of advantages for kids. They can learn problem solving and collaboration and lots of other skills. It can also help them develop a career down the line. And when your kids don't game, at school they are the outliers. Why not let them take part in what's a very significant feature of their generation?

Gaming has lots of advantages for kids. They can learn problem solving and collaboration and lots of other skills. It can also help them develop a career down the line. And when your kids don't game, at school they are the outliers. Why not let them take part in what's a very significant feature of their generation?

I wouldn’t say they’ll be outliers. My kids don’t have them and don’t seem to be outliers. They do plenty of things with other children and I don’t think it does them any harm.

I know people like to say it teaches xyz skills but if I’m honest I’ve never seen anyone link to an actual skill you learn playing fifa/Zelda/animal crossing that you can’t learn more effectively elsewhere.

I will say I’m not dead set against video games but I find the parents who try and insist they’re so ‘educational’ are the ones who have the attitudes that make me dislike them in the first place.

And I don’t think you can really say video gaming is likely to lead to a career - perhaps a career in IT/game development, but that’s more likely to come from enjoying IT or coding classes and going into that academically.

@SirenSays

Why don't you pick up an older console? Something like a gamecube has loads of great games and will be much cheaper than a new console.

If she's wanting to play with her classmates then a Game Cube won't be able to do that though, if OPs reason for getting one is to help her fit in and take part with peers then today's games won't be playable on a 20 year old console.

They're just things. Much the same as we had things.

Difference is...they're bloody amazing.

In my day it was cider and fags, sneaking out on my bike, putting ketchup and bananas in letter boxes.

My DC have had ipads, switches, xboxes blah blah, since they were small. DS is getting an Xbox S for Christmas and refurbished iphone 7 for his brithday.

I have railed and railed against it all for years. But actually, it's what they do. It's their here and now whether we like it or not.

The joke is...they're all so farking expensive. And his two switches both ended up with blue screen of death. Nintendo and Apple suck.

@MissMaple82

Gaming consoles are terrible. You will destroy your child by getting them one.

Go on then. Explain your reasoning.

@MissMaple82

Gaming consoles are terrible. You will destroy your child by getting them one.

Why?

If adults check set firm boundaries and expect ions and stick to them around usage they can be an enriching good thing.

Some parents allow their kids to spend hours every day on theirs, or never bother to research the games they're purchasing for their kids to check the game play or in app purchase mechanics, some actively remove parental controls and don't supervise them but, there's a lot of children who are not "destroyed"

Nrft but you definitely don’t need to buy new for an 8 year old! I got my 8/9 yr old a second hand x box, bought off a mate who was upgrading for about 40 quid! DC was absolutely made up. There so much used tech on eBay or FB. Don’t spend loads while they are so young.

When you consider inflation the cost has stayed the same or gone down. Like the Mega Drive was £190 in 1990.

Consoles only seem expensive because there are some really cheap phones and tablets. But the quality of console games is better I feel. More good stories, less greedy 'micro'transactions. (But still more than there should be). Consoles have a proper age rating system too, mobile and PC doesn't.

I think parents who buy multiple children a console each must be made of money though. In my childhood nobody had more than one of the then-latest consoles in their house.

@BungleandGeorge

It’s the addictiveness and the sheer amount of time some spend on them (to the exclusion of everything else) that is a problem. And the parents who let little kids play 18’s. a limited time can be fine and the slightly awkward kids can find socialising easier over the console. It’s not a very popular thing with girls though so I don’t think she will be socially excluded at all for not having one. The Christmas presents get more expensive as they get older!

I agree that she will be fine socially without one but I disagree about gaming not being popular with girls, all my daughter's female friends game, all my nieces do, most of my friends daughters do too. Age ranging from 8 to 17

Yoshi, Mario, animal crossing, splatoon, minecraft are very popular with them all.

@Kanaloa

And I don’t think you can really say video gaming is likely to lead to a career - perhaps a career in IT/game development, but that’s more likely to come from enjoying IT or coding classes and going into that academically.

Agree - you can’t design games or work in IT if you can’t code, which is a completely different skill. Using tech these days does not teach you any more how it works.

Current gaming and media tech - for example anything by apple - is designed to be “intuitive” - you don’t need to know anything in order to interact with it. It’s specifically designed to minimise the user’s knowledge of how it actually works. Expecting a kid to develop or even get interested in a career in IT from using a console or an iPad is like expecting someone will grow up to be an electrician because they use light switches, or a train engineer because they go on the Tube.

It’s far more likely that if you want kids to develop skills and abilities in technology that they ought to be doing that through a more traditional grounding in lots of different ideas and activities that will develop a whole range of skills and interests.

I know people like to say it teaches xyz skills but if I’m honest I’ve never seen anyone link to an actual skill you learn playing fifa/Zelda/animal crossing that you can’t learn more effectively elsewhere.

I really think Animal Crossing helped my daughter with her reading and maths. She is a ferocious reader but AC helped her read and understand instructions and apply it to a task, and buying and selling turnips and furniture was great maths practice. Of course she hasn't learned those skills exclusively from AC but I'm sure it helped her along.

My husband is a PC gamer and spends lots of time playing 2 player games with her, he finds lots of puzzle and strategy type games that she can manage. I'm sure it helps improve her problem solving and logical thinking skills. Again she would get this to an extent elsewhere but maybe not at such a young age, and she loves playing with her dad (and yes they do also play games like football or frisbee outside).

When she was 3 or 4 we had the Teach Your Monster To Read app on an ipad which was brilliant, it really helped her pick up phonics very quickly and she's always been an amazing reader.

Obviously we don't let her sit in front of a screen all day but I can't see why I wouldn't want her to play.

@evilharpy

I’m glad it works for you. It sounds like your daughter gets a lot out of her interactions with her family and enjoys her games.

I still maintain that all these skills could be learned as, or more, effectively elsewhere though.

My issue isn’t that I think video games are bad or any of the rest - I just don’t like people advertising them as ‘educational’ and I disagree that they are. But it’s just a difference of opinion.

@BungleandGeorge

It’s the addictiveness and the sheer amount of time some spend on them (to the exclusion of everything else) that is a problem. And the parents who let little kids play 18’s. a limited time can be fine and the slightly awkward kids can find socialising easier over the console. It’s not a very popular thing with girls though so I don’t think she will be socially excluded at all for not having one. The Christmas presents get more expensive as they get older!

What decade are you living in? All my DDs girl friends have consoles they play on, my 3 DDs love their games, even my 4yo DD has mastered them.

None of mine have ever had any consoles (because they weren't/aren't interested and didn't ask rather than because I have anything against them) but I actually thought they were more than £300, not less. I don't actually think £300 is that bad if it's really wanted, well used and you can afford it. £300 every Christmas - absolutely not. But £300 as a one off for what is very much a toy to invest in and build on doesn't seem too bad.

I have spent a fortune on iPads and laptops over the years though. I have 7 children (the youngest two don't need anything like that yet but it will come) and unfortunately, being a 7 device household therefore seemed to become genuinely necessary for school work if nothing else. Seems extortionate but I think that's just the modern world.

Animal Crossing got us through lockdown. We played it on the TV as a family, taking it in turns. It opened the door to lots of more grown up conversations about debt, mortgages, planning etc. It teaches patience as you need to wait for things to happen, planning, lots of skills. We love it.

I would definitely say a Switch is perfect for her age.

When we're done with games, we sell them to buy more second hand.

I think they frequently cost at least £300 when new with controllers and games. We normally do bigger ticket items at Birthdays. When younger it was more DH's present and shared (he could play when DS1 was asleep). I prefer consoles to laptops etc . I felt I could control online access more as a parent when they were younger. Switches are great (can literally lay with friends with the additional controllers-upto 4 in total on 1 switch). Do you think your DD would enjoy one?

"play" with friends!

@AdditionalCharacter

Yes they do. Is it a switch she has asked for? You can get the handheld ones for £180ish, but then the games are expensive.

If she has ASD and receives DLA, and you get tax credits/universal credit, you could apply to the Family Fund for help towards one. They usually give you £250 towards one.

The child doesn't need to be in receipt of DLA to apply for Family Fund. Just a diagnosis and the benefits/low income criteria you mentioned. Just an FYI

Buy secondhand and buy games when discounted or join a game swapping website such as gameswapshopuk.com/

@megletthesecond

DS has a switch he had to save up for. It was too expensive for a present.

Buy her a Girl for All Time doll, knitting lessons, sewing lessons, and a sewing machine instead. Gaming is bad for concentration, and it rots the mind.

@womaninatightspot

Wait until they want a gaming computer, Nearly £2k (bought by ex) which is crazy imo

He got a bargain if he only paid that for one 😃