Video Game Culture- any way to avoid it

[Anonymous]

I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

[Anonymous]

My 9 year old kid is addicted to Fortnite. It's very hard to control, I do shut off internet and he plays a few hours. He's very active in team sports but if we're at home, he wants to or is playing that game with his friends (at least there is a social aspect to it). And yes, I need to parent before all of you tell me to parent my kids. It just sucks. Never thought I'd be here as a parent but here I am and I'm stuck in a very challenging cycle to get out of. Really disheartening and stressful.

[Anonymous]

For us it's all about balance. Our kids do get screen time every day (they can choose if their screen time is spent on the Nintendo switch or ipad or watching tv) but it's balanced w/ a lot of other things: activities they're involved in--sports teams, scouts, dance/gymnastics classes, play dates w/ friends, family outings. For their daily screen time we set limits. No more than 30 mins at a time on school days and no more than 1 hr at a time on weekends. And we are very strict w/ those time limits. There is no leeway--you're in the middle of a game/show? Sorry it still goes off. And we're pretty strict about content of what they do on screens. We don't allow any violent video games or tv shows/movies (the video games we own are mostly sports NBA, FIFA, and we also have some Mario games and Zelda. That's it. They are not allowed to do Fortnite or Roblox).

It works well for us at this stage w/ a 9 year old and 7 year old. We'll see how it evolves as they get older. But I plan to remain strict about screen time and content.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: games which are totally inappropriate( Fortnite/ roblox). I want I tell these kids parents WTF- what’s wrong with you?

I have zero roblox experience, my kid is solidly in the Minecraft camp, but what is so totally inappropriate about roblox?

Roblox is awful. I don’t know where to start but the popular games on Roblox seem much more like mindless dopamine rush repetitive games with inappropriate themes and unmoderated chat functions. I’m generalizing of course, but we prohibited Roblox at the beginning of the school year and my child’s mental health is markedly improved. Not kidding. It was scary. I thought it was harmless because a teacher had introduced the kids to one of the games during the pandemic. I much prefer the Nintendo games like Mario and Zelda etc. that my child can stop without being penalized bc he’s missing his “streak”. It’s like that old saying, if you aren’t paying for the product, then *you* are the product. Ymmv but Roblox was not for us.

My kid played on Roblox a lot when he was younger but has outgrown it now. I think all these problems PP mentions can be avoided with supervision. There are some quality games but also many that are just click-for-reward type things. It's actually not a bad platform to play with your kid. You can help them choose the games and explain to them why the "junky" ones aren't good. You can monitor the chat. Although we did play board games and things like that, when they were younger my kid loved playing videogames with me because they were clearly better and genuinely had to teach me things. I wasn't able to manage the controls for most of the console games they played, but I was able to play Roblox with them. It was fun.

[Anonymous]

Video games aren't necessarily the problem themselves.vodeo games are fun and can honestly be
Very social. Moreso than kids/teens silently staring at individual screens. The problem I see is the amount of time the spend on screens and the amount of time they want to spend on screens. I'm fine with my kid playing, I just don't want them to waste their childhood in front of screens all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Video games aren't necessarily the problem themselves.vodeo games are fun and can honestly be
Very social. Moreso than kids/teens silently staring at individual screens. The problem I see is the amount of time the spend on screens and the amount of time they want to spend on screens. I'm fine with my kid playing, I just don't want them to waste their childhood in front of screens all the time.

Moderation like anything else. Extremists who pretty much tell their kids that video games are evil and the neglectful who don’t pay attention to if the game is appropriate and don’t limit time. Those are the problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Mine play video games at the pediatric dentist, the pizza place, and friends’ houses. Doesn’t change the fact that I refuse to have them in my house at this age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

We don’t associate with these peasants

I agree. As you get older you realize the world is full of idiots. No need to imitate them.

Same reason I don’t stick the house with soda

[Anonymous]

Don’t be a B and act holier than thou by sharing memes that you bought your kids a guitar over video games. No one GAF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t be a B and act holier than thou by sharing memes that you bought your kids a guitar over video games. No one GAF.

I missed that meme. Most kids are able to master both along with many other activities. Some people are so rigid and so out of touch that they can’t believe that computer games or video games can be beneficial with time limits.

[Anonymous]

I didn’t read the thread but we didn’t allow any game stations. We have ping pong, fusbal table, shots-up game, but no gaming.

[Anonymous]

Have them play sports! They will practice outside at home when they have free time instead of playing video games. Boys and girls bond over sports

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have them play sports! They will practice outside at home when they have free time instead of playing video games. Boys and girls bond over sports

Most do have other activities including sports. If you’re so impressed with playing sports you should know that most professionals play video games.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Yes, all the kids in school have them. My kids complain, and especially around birthdays and Christmas, that they are the only ones without a Nintendo or an x-box. I do that annoying mom thing of asking them if all their friends jumped off a bridge, would they jump, too. They get annoyed and exasperated and tell me I’m so, so mean, yadda, yadda.

I can’t control my kid from having a play date at someone’s house and playing Mario Bros., but I can stop it from entering my home.

I’m not a high powered businesswoman, but I can negotiate better than a ten year old. No video games in my house. PERIOD.