Do you set any time limits for Wii or computer games?

[hellion]

My seven year old is really getting into playing Wii (mainly Super Mario). We have had the Wii a year and a half, but in the last month or so he has been wanting to play it all the time. I was limiting him to 45 min sessions, which worked fine when he wasn't wanting to play every day. Now I need to set some new goal posts. It isn't helped by the three year old who is wanting to play it all the time. I just wondered what limits (if any!) other people set.

wE HAVE "PRIVILEGE!" in our house. Timed earned for doing small chores. To be used on all technology. Been working out fine, until last 2 months. DD1 (11) has discovered MSN messenger and wants to chat to school friends all the time (that's new) Going to have to rethink my plan if it continues. It petrifies me to be honest!! 3 x DD, so need to get something sorted.

Can I second CarmenSanDiego on the issue of what games you let them have. If you choose carefully they are either acquiring useful skills (like planning and budgeting), it is sociable (as in swapping pokemon on the DS) or the game has a natural ending (like Legend of Zelda) so they won't play forever.

We don't limit screen time for DD1 (2 is only 13mths) who is 3.9. She tends to watch a lot of tv one day a week, then just the odd bit every couple of days for the rest of the week. She enjoys storynory audio books a lot too, but isn't that interested in computer games...occasionally she plays a jigsaw game on the ipod touch, but isn't fussed generally.

No Wii here, but Father Christmas delivered a PS3 to DS1(13) and DS2(9) last year, the 1st console type thing they have ever had. I do not impose time limits usually, but am aware that one/both of them is on it, and will stop them after 30-45 minutes.

However have told them that the PS3 will be on vacation during the school holidays - ie will put it completely away. Otherwise I think it will be very difficult to persuade them to do anything else. Not sure if this is a bit extreme but I've said it now...

No limits on anything both DS's do, including computer games.
They come in from school, do their homework, do thie chores then the time is theirs to do with as they see fit.

Interesting article.

Personally, I don't like them at all. I bought DH a PS2 years ago, which he really liked, but I just don't get them. We don't have a DS or Wii (DS is 6, DD3), but I'm sure DS would love one/both. He already likes doing the brain champ games on my phone! The problem I have is seeing really young (age 3 and upwards) kids on them non-stop. How do you get a young child (esp boys) interested in reading if they've got the instant gratification and stimulation of a game right there instead? Mind you, I'm a mean old luddite and the DCs aren't even allowed DVD players in teh car - audio books only. I'm pretty sure that DS will get a ds next b'day or Christmas, so we'll have to cross the bridge then.

My dd seems to have an all or nothing attitude to these games and will play for a couple of hours every day for a couple of days and then not touch them for weeks. This tends to be when the weather is bad and she can not be outside and wii dance doesn't seem so bad on wet miserable days as at least she is active. My nephew on the other hand seems adicted to any sort of computer type game. They are the same age. Do you think there is a gender difference with this sort of toy?

I think historically it's a male-dominated area, gaming. The stereotype of the gamer is a geeky young lad, usually, pale through lack of daylight

juicy12, DS's reading has come on massively since he's been into the Wii. To play, you have to be able to read instructions, plot details, clues, navigate menus, etc. He has learned to read much more challenging words than school are trying to teach him, and without realising, and without any resistance.

I would agree about the reading.

DS2 (who is nearly 6) changes the language option on his DS so that he has to follow the instructions in Italian, French, or this week Danish!

I second Riven and Rumbled. My dd2 made leaps and bounds in reading when she started playing Animal Crossing. That was the real tipping point into proper reading for her.

I do also find it frustrating that people who don't play or understand games but ban them because of some stereotype about pasty gamers in basements or wishy washy ideas about it being more wholesome to play with dolls or trains .

Video games have been vilified more than punk rock, Dungeons and Dragons and video nasties put together. You should take a look at a magazine like Edge. The most creative artistic talents don't go to Hollywood now - they're all working in video games which often have far more innovative and immersive plotlines than movies, complex musical scores and graphic design and they're interactive into the bargain.

Game design is becoming one of the best paid and strongest recruiting industries while traditional media is flailing. Universities are offering amazing game courses in everything from game music and plot scripting to complex artificial intelligence programming. It's a good career but the majority of people in it have been gamers from a young age.

Absolutely, I'm sure you're right. It's just something I've never been able to see the appeal of, personally, although the millions of people who do enjoy it can't be wrong. I would stand by my opinion that it's not great to see really, really young kids (and I am talking 3yo) glued to a screen. THere's no doubt it's a huge industry. I know I'm going to be left way behind when the DCs get into games, though. Just for the record, they're not "banned" in our house, cos we haven't got any to ban, and neither of the DCs play with dolls or trains particularly

I agree with Carmensandiego, about game design being a great career - DH works for the company that invented (or whatever the techy term is!) Runescape. The company is awesome, they take all the workers away regularly for holidays, bonuses are great and the people that actually write the game and do the programming are on a lot of money. DH manages the customer support and they are pretty hot on looking after the younger players and looking out for anything dodgy in the community.
Also agree with comments about games helping with literacy, ds1 has learned all his letters and numbers very quickly just by playing his leapster games.

We sort of limit games but only becasue DS1 won't self limit. DS2 (6) can happily play for a bit and then turn it off but not DS1 who is 9.

DS1 has mild Aspergers and dyspraxia so never really played with toys before he learnt to play computer games. It is good to see his hand/eye coordination improve too, especially the Wii games like Wii Sport or the Mario Cart game with the steering wheel. He gets to be sociable with his brother and they have a great time. I do expect him to have some time off at the weekends and then he either watchs telly or goes and reads in his room so console playing actually makes him more sociable.

However, we do have some rules in that they aren't allowed to play after tea as they can be difficult to drag away to get ready for bed and they have to do anything else that needs doing, like homework, before they are allowed to play during the week.

I am like Riven though - I enjoy playing games sometimes and I hate to be told to stop too so I have some sympathy with them although I do get annoyed sometimes if I have warned them it is nearly teatime or something and they don't come when they are called.

I also think that all children get stroppy to some extent when asked to stop things they enjoy doing but for some reason some parents seem to dislike it more if it is because of computer games. I remember well being told I had to stop reading as a child to do something and getting really fed up about it so I don't see children getting fed up about having to stop their games is any different. It is about having control over what you are doing and children don't have control a lot of the time so I can imagine how frustrating it is when you are playing a great game to be told to stop.

We have a few rules, mainly no gaming before lunch (don't ask me why, I have no idea - it just seems like an after lunch activity ) All games off at 6 (they have table setting/front room tidying chores at that time)

We seem to have settled on an 'hour a go' limit, generally because I have three children and only one screen. They're pretty good at sharing and taking turns. Sometimes they combine time and play something together (usually on the Wii, the Lego games or the Mario ones)

I accept though that I have incredibly laid back children (genetics, not parenting!) I've never noticed any difference in behaviour. If I declare a game free day then they usually shrug it off and go and do something irritating and noisy somewhere else. It could also be because me and DH are gamers (me, not so much now) so it's something that's always been around?

DS1(8) has an hour (2 x 30 mins) on weekdays and 2 hours a day at weekends, but never after 6pm (unless he's doing Dancemat Typing). He monitors it himself with a timer. He plays a good variety of games (mainly things he's downloaded - with our permission - onto the computer). He's allowed unlimited time on the DS on car journeys, unless we're going somewhere scenic/historic when we make him put it away and stare, feigning interest, out of the window .

This is quite a lot compared to most of his friends and Dh and I have had endless discussions about whether it's too much. But DS never moans about it, is very honest about the timing part and reads/plays/draws in the rest of his spare time. A large part of his conversation is about computer related things - Pokemon, Wizard 101 etc - but then so is that of his two best friends, one of whom has unrestricted computer use and the other whose time is very restricted indeed.

In the holidays we usually allow him as much time as he wants and he very rarely spends more time on the computer than he does during term time. He is aware when he's had too much (he calls it 'going a bit square-eyed') and I'm pleased that he's learning to recognise these signs for himself. (He's also a master at dropping hints that such and such a game 'will be good for my dyspraxia' ).

Don't think there's ever a 'right answer' though - just what works for each family.

A friend with older children told me that her ds soon got tired of computer games at around the age of 8, he is now much keener to play football, read and do amazing lego.

My boys started to get obsessed at about 6 years old (they are now 7), and would happily play for a couple of hours a day. Our rule is that they have to do homework first which they have Mon-Thurs and then they have max 1 hr screen time.

I have found that by not buying them any new games they have naturally slowed down and don't play so much. We are also quite busy at the weekends so unless it rains all day they don't do too much on sat-sun, but I do worry about it. I was thinking of having screen free mondays but wasn't sure if that would feed the monster!

6 year old son completely obsessed with Super Mario Bros. Fortuitously he plays none on Mondays and Wednesdays (due to swimming lessons and football respectively = no time), however Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays he probably plays for up to 45 minutes after school. He does this rather than watch tv ...which he is not very interested in at all.

At weekends I have to watch him - tbh he probably has up to 2.5 hours on Saturday and again on a Sunday but not all in one session (typically an hour am and an hour pm). I have to be careful that he doesn't sneakily get up early to play some illicit 6am Wii before his parents have stirred.

Again, at weekends he plays football all Saturday morning and goes dog walking in the New Forest with us, etc - so I am comparatively relaxed about him wii habit. 2.5 hours max is quite generous compared to what you lot are admitting to, but it is my maximum threshold. He often makes a date with two brothers (6 and 8) who live close to us, they descend upon us and play Wii together, munching chocolate fingers and sluicing down ribena. In another few years it will be cans of foster in front of the football

Again, he tends to play Wii rather than watch tv.... I am okay with the amount he plays Wii, but would not like it to exceed this amount and it represents a half way house compromise between how much he would like to play, and how much I would like him to play

As anyone with teenage boys knows these games are very addictive.

I have sometimes sorely wished that we never got the x box.
However, I can also see what fun they are and for my son who lives in a small village it's a way of playing with friends when he can't just go and call for them.
I have posted on this before because it soon became apparent that we needed time limits and also a way to stop the siblings bickering over whose turn it was.

When they were younger and had gameboys I had little digital timers which were set for one hour a day. They could choose to use it all at once or in bits and that worked really well for years.

The xbox has a built in timer you can set to limit game play. That didn't work for us because of the sharing issues.

We eventually ended up with an agreement like the conservative /Lib dem coalition pinned up on the fridge which limits each child to a specific time slot each day.
One day a week it's off all day and never before school.

I am very interested in what Riven says about having no limits. DS1 would , I think , self limit. He gave up the xbox for lent.(Not religeous but trying to impress his GF).
DS2 is another matter. He is addicted to Runescape and X box. Runescape I don't mind as it's very educational and I'd have loved it when I was 12. But I am well aware that he plans his day around the x box and I sense him clock watching until it's his slot. I am sure he would play 24/7 given the chance.

We have a real problem with this in our house, and I really don't know what the best thing to do is.

Ds (5y 5 mo) adores video games. He has his DH's old Gamecube (DH and I are both gamers, him a lot, me less so nowadays) on which he plays Mario Kart and Sonic. DH has also downloaded old versions of Master System games like Aladdin and the various old Mario games, onto the PC.

Currently he is not allowed to play during the week, and can play as much as he wants Fri after school and Saturday, and Sunday only after we get back from church. If we feel he's on it a bit much we encourage him to take a break, which he mostly will readily do.

It has massively helped his reading, and his imagination, as well as his creativity - he can happily sit and draw characters from the games he plays for hours, and has recently, for example, made a Mario and Sonic book to send to his uncle in Canada.

He would play constantly if we let him. He talks about nothing else during the week, how many sleeps til I can play Mario etc etc. We use it also as a reward ie if he does something atrocious during the week, he loses the chance to play at the weekend. This is what is causing massive problems. He's going through a bad patch, very lippy, bad attitude, rude and answering back, so he's lost a lot of gaming privileges recently. And every time this happens cue the angry outbursts and tears. It makes us feel really bad, but as it's the only thing that he really likes doing, it's the only thing that has an impact on him.

I don't mind that he enjoys video games, but would love him to be able to self-limit, and to enjoy other stuff too.

Sorry it's so long, but this problem has been on our minds a lot recently, so this thread brings it all out in the open really.

I agree with riven I love games in fact my ds 4 has learned to read from playing some of my games. As reading is required. It is brilliant as well being a SAHM to keep my brain going in the same way crosswords do for a lot of people.

I find strategic games really good for problem solving. There are ones which require physical activity like a dance mat. All kids will play them constantly for a while but it wears off. If you have a wii why not buy the active games.

yes games are addictive but so is mumsnet and I doubt most mum's are limited to 30mins on Saturday and Sunday only.

We like all games including board and I usually sit down and play them with ds.

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