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Original poster

Are Computer Games necessary for boys? Discuss

37 replies

SingleMama · 22/04/2013 14:31

Some people say that the above is true. Would like to hear your experiences on computer games/ video games for boys over 6 and whether they can enhance or only hinder a boy's development...

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BackforGood · 22/04/2013 14:40

Who are 'some people' ? Hmm
Ridiculous statement.

purrpurr · 22/04/2013 14:47

At the risk of potentially hearing an implication in your question that wasn't intended, is there a reason why you are specifying boys only here? Is that because that's what's relevant to you?

Original poster
SingleMama · 22/04/2013 21:30

Ooh a bit of aggro! ;-)

Some people have said this to me (In response to my dislike of them.)

I would like to know if anyone out there thinks that they are actually of some benefit. To children if you want to take away the gender issue implied in my question.

Go on... tell me what you all really think...

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StuffezLaYoni · 22/04/2013 21:32

Necessary? No. No they're not. I would struggle to respect the opinion of anyone who told me computer games were "necessary" for anyone.

Smartiepants79 · 22/04/2013 21:36

Necessary? No.
A bad thing in sensible amounts? Also no.

dyslexicdespot · 22/04/2013 21:38

What do you think?

Smartiepants79 · 22/04/2013 21:39

My husband tells me they are good for improving hand eye coordination.
Up until 30 years ago they didn't exist.
All previous generations of children survived without them.

Original poster
SingleMama · 22/04/2013 21:42

I'm also told that boys 'need' guns etc and that this is a normal phase.
'He's a boy!' etc etc.

'Some people' also think that if you reject these things, then he will just want them more...

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Original poster
SingleMama · 22/04/2013 21:46

All the boys (within a certain income bracket) in my son's class have a DS. This makes my son want one too. I'm not really considering getting him one but Id just like to hear some arguments for and against. I hate guns and computer games but I'm also a woman and have never been a 6 year old boy.

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Sirzy · 22/04/2013 21:49

hating computer games is quite a wide statement as computer games can be everything from educational games to the blood and guts shooty things.

I don't think it is a good thing to ban computer games altogether, my only issue would be with the type of game but I would have no problem with age appropriate games in moderation

orangeandlemons · 22/04/2013 21:52

Depends what you mean by necessary

In terms of social acceptance as they get older, I would say yes perhaps they do need them so they can interact with peers.

However I see no harm in a 6 year old having them. Ds had them at that age, and he's at university now..

Is this a Luddite thread?

LtGreggs · 22/04/2013 22:03

My son is 6 and has never asked for a DS or similar. I don't think he's ever played any kind of shooty video game, and has also never asked to. This despite some other kids at school having this kind of thing.

(He has played a few phone apps and some cbeebies computer games and they do computer stuff at school.)

He is very keen to play shooting games / sword games / general death & destruction games of the old-fashioned kind - using toy gun / lego gun / stick / fingers etc.

So, I'd agree the guns phase seems pretty normal (though surely not obligatory). But is the question really about guns or about computer games?

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SingleMama · 22/04/2013 22:04

The educational ones are fine! But don't they already do those in school?

Is there not an argument for saying that there are lots of more valuable / fun/ creative/ interactive things to do than sitting in front of a computer screen?

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Sirzy · 22/04/2013 22:09

thats why it is about moderation though isn't it?

I was reading some research a few weeks back which was suggesting that computer games were more beneficial than watching TV, whereas prolonged watching of TV had been shown to effect the childs social interactions computer games don't appear to have the same effect.

It is certainly true that there is a lot more interaction with computer games than there is sitting in front of a TV screen.

Playing on a computer doesn't need to mean that children aren't doing things which are valuable (how do you define value of an activity anyway?), fun, creative or interactive.

Original poster
SingleMama · 22/04/2013 22:11

If anyone can recommend any worthwhile ones for me to check out, that would be great! What do they even play on their DS? Is it not just super mario and things like that? Or 'oh look I'm virtually driving this car!'

Surely once they have the system, they don't want to do the educational games anymore?

My son has a sibling that he gets on really well with! I don't want him glued to a screen.

Any online game recommendations? I wasn't very impressed with the CBeebies one.

And no I'm not a 'Luddite.' I had to look that up as Im not English

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Trill · 22/04/2013 22:14

Why do you think that girls any boys are different in their requirements for computer games? Confused

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SingleMama · 22/04/2013 22:15

Yeah my kids don't watch TV. I think most of the stuff on TV is rubbish. They do watch good DVDs.

If anyone knows of good educational Internet-based games & things, would love to hear :-)

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Original poster
SingleMama · 22/04/2013 22:17

In response to Trill, I am simply reacting to the societal norm that it is acceptable for boys to while away the hours playing computer games whereas girls are trained to be more productive.

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seeker · 22/04/2013 22:20

My ds plays computer games with his friends- either at one of their houses or on line. I think of them as the equivalent of board games. I spent hours playing Risk, and Cluedo and Monopoly when I was his age. It's the same thing.

DontSHOUTTTTTT · 22/04/2013 22:31

No one needs computer games but they are great fun. They are only a problem when combined with parents who don't control there use. We have always had computer games in our house. I had them before I had kids. My kids are now college/Uni age and still play on their computers. They also play sports for fun, read for pleasure and they even play board games. Shock.

We have loads of fun playing computer games as a family.

If ou don't want your DS to have a games system then don't get him one. It really is fine.

Original poster
SingleMama · 22/04/2013 22:31

Ltgreggs I missed your post before. Im interested in hearing about both :-)

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Original poster
SingleMama · 22/04/2013 22:32

Don'tShout Id love to hear what computer games you play as a family

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DontSHOUTTTTTT · 22/04/2013 22:33

My DD plays the same games as my DS's. I don't think computer games are more important for boys than girls.

LtGreggs · 22/04/2013 22:34

SingleMama - try the Children's University of Manchester and the NASA Kids website. They have games / quizzes that my 6yo likes.

Reading ability can be a bit of a hurdle - DS1 will sometimes also go back to more boring CBeebies games because he can work out what to do without help.

KnitMinion · 22/04/2013 22:34

Both the boys and girls I know all seem to have their own DS system!

As for educataional games, these are the ones I can remember right now, don't want to go digging through the game folder to find them Smile.

I did it Mum, Spelling! was one of the games my son loved at 6, along with I did it Mum, Reading!

Junior Brain Trainer was ok, but not that good overall. Big Brain Academy was a similar one, that I thought was a bit better.

Easy Piano, which comes with a little piano add-on, has been teaching my son to play the piano.

Scribblenauts and Super Scribblenauts are both brilliant, according to my son, but might need to wait until your son's spelling ability is reasonably develped, along with lateral thinking as it's all about finding ways to solve problems.