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Original poster

Playstation/Gameboy for 5 year old boy - I want to resist!

43 replies

jodee · 12/03/2005 21:00

DS is 5 in a couple of weeks and DH thinks it would be a good idea to get him a Playstation. DS has played on his cousin's one (who is 8) and points out all the PS games he would like in the Argos catalogue. DH seems to think if he doesn't have one, he will turn into a geek and not be one of the in-crowd! He's only in Reception, sheesh.

Pros and cons please, from wise mumsnetters' experiences!

OP posts:
flashingnose · 14/03/2005 10:10

I think this is the key - if you've got an obsessive type child, it's worth holding out as long as possible, otherwise they're fine in moderation. The other thing that makes me hold out is the fact that my youngest is only 2 - I'd rather she was older before we got one.

grumpyfrumpy · 14/03/2005 14:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

andif · 14/03/2005 14:49

I'm definitely with the mean old witches .

We have ds1 8yrs and ds2 5yrs. Most of their friends have PS or gameboy and they have neither. They moan from time to time, but not with any feeling!! They have a couple of games to play on the computer, and are allowed to use the internet with supervision.
Occasionally dh and I wonder if we are 'victorian parents', but whenever I see kids with their noses pressed against a gameboy and who cannot carry on a conversation, I know we're right to resist.
Both our kids are popular, sporty and spend lots of time playing outside.
We will continue to resist!!!

psychomum5 · 14/03/2005 16:30

I have a son of 4 who has a ps1 in his room and a game boy too. He also gets to play with DH ps2 and even has games on the PC.

He loves being able to play with his dad, and it helps with them having 'boy time'.
He is learning the art of sharing and taking turns, and it gives him something in common with my friends sons too. He is not addicted by any means and is only found playing normally just once or twice a week.
He does plenty of outdoor stuff with his dad otherwise. Golf is a new love, and daddy takes him to the golf driving range every weekend. He also goes to street dance with his 3 older sisters, so by no means is it stunting his developement and making him into a potential violent.
I think there is a place in every young boys life for these things...and anyway...who am I to say no when I am found attached to the computer many times a day.

As for the expense of the games, as one of the other mums here has said, you can get decent second hand ones from most game shops now, and also, it gives them something to save for. It also opens up ideas for presents from people (ie...game vouchers).

At the end of the day tho...you go with how you feel. If you don't want to introduce one yet then don't. My son only really has one because his dad does...I have no interest in them, to the extent that I don't even know how to work the controls to help him when he is stuck on a game.

happymerryberries · 14/03/2005 17:13

We have just got a second hand game boy for ds. He plays with it, but plays with other things as well. He also loves to play on the CBBC website , with some PC gaemes on j=his own, but the big thing at the moment i that he 'plays' star wars with his dad. they both love it and it is 'bloke' time for them

LIZS · 14/03/2005 17:25

I was having this debate with some friends a few weeks ago. Think the consensus was that it would be good to have when they would otherwise start to want to hang out elsewhere - be it friends' houses or elsewhere. If you have an Xbox or Playstation etc that makes your kid's house a good place to be but you could still keep a discreet eye out. However it is worth hanging on to their innocence and encouraging alternatives in the meantime.

Personally I think 5 is too young. ds(almost 7) got a Gameboy for Christmas but has only really played his Incredibles game so far, and then not every day. We took it on holiday recently expecting him to play on the journey and in the hotel and it didn't come out of the bag all week ! I was quite shocked at the recent Robert Winston programme which ostensibly condoned a 4 year playing on his own almost every waking hour on a console, and then quite violent and explicit games.

Kirk1 · 14/03/2005 17:34

We have all the consoles in our house - but they're mine, not the kiddies!

DD (age 4) plays Pikmin on the gamecube, but we have strict rules. She's not allowed to play for more than an hour at a time, she can only play on weekends and then only if she's had a 'perfect' week (we set her targets, like getting up for school without a fuss, getting changed after school, that sort of thing.) I see no harm, as long as the parent (ie ME) is in control and knows exactly what she's playing.

I refuse to allow telly or consoles in the bedroom and when DS is old enough to want to join in, the same rules will apply to him. You just need to be careful, because I know how easy it is to get 'lost' in a computer/console game (Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast claimed about a week of my life, before I had DD!)

ks · 14/03/2005 17:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

roisin · 14/03/2005 19:58

I think it does depend on personalities. Both dh and I are well aware that we are the 'type' to get hooked on things like this, and ds1 definitely is.

I remember when he was 3 going round to a friend's house. Her dd (3.5) was playing a kiddie's game on the playstation, but she really didn't know what she was doing. Ds1 had never encountered anything like it before, but within 5 minutes had got it totally sussed and was utterly transfixed. I had to literally drag him away. It was quite a shocking experience for me.

zenia · 14/03/2005 22:38

My boys are nearly 5 and 7 and have both a gameboy each and a playstation (not in their bedrooms!!)-(I am sure not every kid with a playstation has it in their room!) They are not allowed to play it on a school night, only at weekends, it's great fun!

zenia · 14/03/2005 22:40

We hire alot of games, keeps the price down, and we sell some on ebay, I think it's addictive, but mine stick to the rules of only playing it at weekends and the game boys are great for travelling.

triceratops · 15/03/2005 10:19

better than vegging in front of the tv imo. Nothing violent though. and not within an hour of bedtime as it is too exciting.

starshaker · 15/03/2005 10:47

ill ask 1 thing would u buy him a mobile phone if all his friends had 1. i hope the answer to that would be no. its not very good for them and as u have a pc why dont u compromise and get him a game for that that will make him have to think and not just press buttons and stare at a screen. sorry thats just my opinion

beatie · 15/03/2005 12:41

I'm going to sound frightfully old fashioned when I ask this question. And I'm only 31!

The children who have play stations and gameboys.... do they shun traditional board games or is there a place for these too? I only have a 2yo dd so we haven't got to worry about these things too much yet.

"I was quite shocked at the recent Robert Winston programme which ostensibly condoned a 4 year playing on his own almost every waking hour on a console, and then quite violent and explicit games." LIZS ~ I was shocked too. It was hardly a scientific, controlled experiment that they carried out on that little boy, Ethan. Someone deduced that he had gained X,Y Z skills by playing these games so much. They did not go on to report any negative effects (like the fact he wouldn't go to bed) nor did they say whether the other children naturally caught up with X Y and Z at a later stage - which is quite probable.

Ethan played with these games all the time, they were rated much too high for a 5 year old and he often played them just before going to bed in yet the programme did not explicitly condemn it! Er, wrong messages being sent out.

evansmummy · 15/03/2005 13:40

I'd like to say not before, I dunno, 9 or 1à years old. But it's gonna be difficult cos dh is a die-hard playstation gamer! Still ds is only 13 weeks so we hav the time!!

serenity · 15/03/2005 13:52

beatie - my boys still love traditional board games, favourite is snakes and ladders. Their christmas list last year included PS2/XBox games and boxed games just like they also like drawing, reading, riding their bikes etc and DS2 is still desperate for a My Little Pony )

Kids don't tend to put things in catagories as much as adults I think...

milosmum · 15/03/2005 16:03

my little boy is 4 and i ve opted for a compromise!he has learning games on the pc and playstation. i wont buy anything violent or anything that only teaches you to "jump" in the right spot.Sounds a bit boring but my little chap doesnt even realise hes learning!- shorely thats the best way....

happymerryberries · 15/03/2005 16:11

I think in the end it comes down to three things.

Is the child likely to become too interested in it, to the exclusion of everything else?

Is the child provided with other things to play with and encouraged to play with them?

Are the games age appropiate?

If you are happy with the answerds to the questionsthen I don't think that there is a probelem. If you ae not sure, don't get one

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