When Are Kids Old Enough to Play Videogames?

[wraggster]

A piece at the MTV Multiplayer blog is exploring the issue of kids and gaming, wondering aloud how old is 'old enough'. A recent CES talk indicated that you should wait until at least seven to introduce your children to Mario, and we've talked in the past about the educational role games can have. MTV's Tracey John spoke to a pair of mothers who offered their own opinions on this topic:
"When I asked Alisa why she thought that games weren't imaginative and explained that many games have challenging, puzzle-solving elements, she conceded a little but remained skeptical. 'Honestly, I haven't really explored video games thoroughly, and I'm sure there are video games that fit more the bill of something that I'd be interested in, but I'm kind of hard-pressed to find a game that's like reading a book or something like that. I understand the kids like it, so I allow them to do it; it's monitored but it's not my favorite thing for them to be doing.'"
What's the right age for a kid to start playing games? Do you see games as more or less acceptable than traditional kid pastimes like TV or reading? Does it matter if the parents are gaming-savvy?

http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/01/24/1425221

[JKKDARK]

I say 5 or 6 years old

[VampDude]

I was playing games from the age of around 4, maybe a bit younger.

If it wasn't for videogames I wouldn't of been able to read, games like Faxanadu and Castlevania 2 on the NES got me reading because I had to read what the people were saying, games are educational in ways that you wouldn't believe (I was playing and learning to read).


---

But for todays standards of games I would say 6, unless they have a console made by Nintendo which has games based for a younger audience.

[Eviltaco64]

Ive been playing Mario and Sonic games as long as I can remember. But in everyone else's case I'd say once they're 4/5

[DarthPaul]

My little brother started playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on my PS2 when he was like 2 or 3 years old. Now he's 5 years old and he has his own GameCube, DS Lite, and PSP. He's a video-game addict. :p

[Triv1um]

4 - 6 is a good age range to start.

Like El Vampo said, the do help you to read. I think they also help you to think logicly.

5 year olds need to learn about stealing cars, killing people and using whores. Its just part of growing up.

[Auriman1]

I mainly learned to read from playing RPG's and similar sources at an early age, and given I was reading books classified for 10-12th graders before middle school, it couldn't have been all that bad for me.

Also, examples through many of my friends, including myself, showed that our grades were better when we had been playing more games. In other words, focusing and learning was easier because there was an outlet present. The same principle applies to having any type of hobby you enjoy, normally.

I will say it's not all that wise to let 5 year olds play games like GTA, though. That's just common sense. Since such games are frequent and easy to come by in today's world, that just means parents need to be more responsible of what they give their kids, there's no need to filter video games out completely.

[Shadowblind]

4. Thats when I started playing Doom, and look how I turned out.

I SAID LOOK HOW I TURNED OUT!

DA**IT, PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!! I'LL F**KING KILL YOU! ****** ** ******* *** ****!!!!!!! ARGGHHHHH!


Haha, but no seriously. 4 or 5 is good.

[indstr]

little brother started playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on my PS2 when he was like 2 or 3 years old.


that makes me sick to my stomach.

i have a 3 1/2 year old son and i haven't even explained the concept of death to him. we don't let him watch TV, except for shows designed for kids.

and no, i'm not some old person out of touch with reality. i'm 26 years old and i'm an avid gamer myself. i play violent games, i frequently enjoy the newest first person shooter games when they come out. indeed, i played doom when i was 13, and that was controversial even back then.

but there is an ENORMOUS difference between playing Doom (crap graphics) when you are 13 (and have some cognitive reasoning skills), and playing a realistic simulation of murder when you are 3.

you know what, my 3 year old son copies everything that i do. every little movement, if i move in a certain way or say something that he thinks is funny, he tries to do it himself.

little children absorb everything they see, and exposing a 3 year old to something that is arguably not even fit for teenagers is just COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE

when your little brother turns into an uncontrollable maniac and ends up in juvenile hall, you have only yourself and your irresponsible parents to blame.

i don't care what articles you've read about how "violent video games don't cause kids to do real-world violent acts", for every one of those articles, there is another article arguing the exact opposite. and these studies are done on teenagers, not 3 year olds. no scientist would do something as immoral as make a 3 year old play GTA. i don't care if you "don't think" it doesn't affect a 3 year old, you can't prove that it doesn't. maybe it wouldn't affect some 3 year olds (maybe), but there are plenty that it would affect. (experiences affect every person in a different way)

i would say what you have done is every bit as corruptive to your brother as beating him or raping him. you have raped his mind. you have taken away his innocent childhood. you have forced him to witness and commit murders, and deal with adult issues when he is not even cognitively capable of understanding what he is doing. you are quite possibly ruining any future capacity of his to distinguish between right and wrong

i don't believe in hell, but if i did, i would hope that you rot there.

not only do you do such a despicable act, but then you come here and brag about it. people like you are responsible for the downfall of society.

i hope you never have children of your own, you sorry excuse for a human. we don't need more people like you propagating the worthless end of the gene pool

[ExcruciationX]

I'm not sure. It depends on what game. If, like in Vampdude's example, it's an RPG, then I'd introduce it at around 4-6.

[Veskgar]

I say between 3-5 years old and it depends on what games. Its my opinion that it is not socially or parentally responsible to let a 2-3 year old play games like GTA: San Andreas. Kids emulate various forms of media. Music, Sports icons, Movie and TV stars, and yes, even games to an extent. I'm also a very young father in my 20's but I'm old enough to see a large part of society and certain demographics spiral downwards due to various negative influences becoming the norm or part of their "culture".

The best thing to do is to get the little tike's started on the classics like Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., and Zelda and have them progressively advance to the newer games and platforms. I think the only "M" rated game I think is actually fine for kids is the Halo series. They love seeing those little grunts run around talking trash. My son is 4, started on Halo 1, then Halo 2, and now Halo 3 and he loves it. He has a ball with the Halo action figures as well. To me, Halo, although rated "M" for mature is not much worse than a little boy watching Transformers or G.I. Joe.

But its more than that. Its playing the games with them and explaining to them what's pretend and that the blood is just red paint drawn up on a computer like a cartoon.

So I think the most important message is its not so much the games or what age, but parents need to be a part of it and play and interact with their kids and the games. Make it a fun family time. Too many parents just sit their kids in front of TV's ignoring them so that they are out of their way. Sad and pathetic! Having a kid with every video game system in the world is not really going to produce much that's worthwhile in the child's life. More outdoor and sports activities as well as social interaction with other kids needs to be the priority.

DarthPaul has shown to be an alright guy on these forums. I'm sure he has the capacity to be a positive influence in his little Brothers life. Maybe just get him to play some Ratchet & Clank on the PS2 instead of GTA, LOL.

[one winged angel]

the first game i played was doom together with my brother i was like 4 or something after that i played jazz jack rabbit

[the_eternal_dark]

4. Thats when I started playing Doom, and look how I turned out.

I SAID LOOK HOW I TURNED OUT!

DA**IT, PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!! I'LL F**KING KILL YOU! ****** ** ******* *** ****!!!!!!! ARGGHHHHH!


Haha, but no seriously. 4 or 5 is good.

"What mad you want to kill?"

"I play a lot of Doom."

Lol.

I say 4. My little brother has been playing video games since he was 3. When I say playing, he was just pushing buttons that looked most interesting to him. Now he's a hardcore gamer at the age of 5 and recently just beat Super Mario Bros. (in Super Mario All-Stars for SNES). Next year he'll be owning people in CS. Lol.

Games have been a big part of my life since I first played Centipede at a Pizza Hut when I was a little kid. You remember the one with the giant "cue ball" that was insanely fun? That was what got me interested. Then my grandmother bought me an NES and my aunt gave me an old Atari. I miss those days.

[oooooomonkeys]

well i got my daughter a gba when she was 4 then upgraded to a ds a year later, now shes 6 and playing galaxy and stuff on the wii

[quzar]

Some of my earliest memories are of playing VCS games with my mom when I was 3-5. When I was 4, apparently I learned to read after a week testing out a summer school and playing Apple II games (MECC games, so things like Word Munchers).
Then at 5, my parents got me an Apple IIc from a garage sale, and a stack of games copied from my school (license on the game allowed educational copies, not warez ;) ).

I think that like any sort of game, it all depends on the age group it was designed for, and what you want to let the kid play.

[jaws365]

I played Exploding Fist and Manic Miner from the age of four, I never hit anyone, I have education, I don't take drugs...

[maxipower90]

no age limit, games are good for kids, im not joking, games like FF learn you the basics of money buy/sell

[DarthPaul]

that makes me sick to my stomach.

i have a 3 1/2 year old son and i haven't even explained the concept of death to him. we don't let him watch TV, except for shows designed for kids.

and no, i'm not some old person out of touch with reality. i'm 26 years old and i'm an avid gamer myself. i play violent games, i frequently enjoy the newest first person shooter games when they come out. indeed, i played doom when i was 13, and that was controversial even back then.

but there is an ENORMOUS difference between playing Doom (crap graphics) when you are 13 (and have some cognitive reasoning skills), and playing a realistic simulation of murder when you are 3.

you know what, my 3 year old son copies everything that i do. every little movement, if i move in a certain way or say something that he thinks is funny, he tries to do it himself.

little children absorb everything they see, and exposing a 3 year old to something that is arguably not even fit for teenagers is just COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE

when your little brother turns into an uncontrollable maniac and ends up in juvenile hall, you have only yourself and your irresponsible parents to blame.

i don't care what articles you've read about how "violent video games don't cause kids to do real-world violent acts", for every one of those articles, there is another article arguing the exact opposite. and these studies are done on teenagers, not 3 year olds. no scientist would do something as immoral as make a 3 year old play GTA. i don't care if you "don't think" it doesn't affect a 3 year old, you can't prove that it doesn't. maybe it wouldn't affect some 3 year olds (maybe), but there are plenty that it would affect. (experiences affect every person in a different way)

i would say what you have done is every bit as corruptive to your brother as beating him or raping him. you have raped his mind. you have taken away his innocent childhood. you have forced him to witness and commit murders, and deal with adult issues when he is not even cognitively capable of understanding what he is doing. you are quite possibly ruining any future capacity of his to distinguish between right and wrong

i don't believe in hell, but if i did, i would hope that you rot there.

not only do you do such a despicable act, but then you come here and brag about it. people like you are responsible for the downfall of society.

i hope you never have children of your own, you sorry excuse for a human. we don't need more people like you propagating the worthless end of the gene pool


What the hell?! :eek:

Man, you don't even know my brother! You don't know me, either. So why being so cruel? Yeah, I know it was bad. But it wasn't MY fault at all.

I really laughed out very loud when I read your comment. I find it funny because it's the truth, something that could have happened to him. But it's something that DIDN'T happen.

He was starting to play with guns and hitting me with bats(seriously), so I just changed the type of games he played slowly. And guess what? I bought him the GameCube and the DS he has a long time ago. Is he playing GTA now? No! 'Cause GTA is not out for GameCube or DS. :p He's addicted to Super Mario Sunshine, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Super Mario 64 DS, and Mario Kart DS. Oh and he plays Spongebob Squarepants, and Ratatouille on the PSP.

I didn't let him play those games anymore because I love him, and I care about him. ;) :)

No need to apologize, just think about what you'll say before saying it. And keep doing what you're doing with your son. It's really nice. Video-games can become very addictive, don't let him fall like us.


DarthPaul has shown to be an alright guy on these forums. I'm sure he has the capacity to be a positive influence in his little Brothers life. Maybe just get him to play some Ratchet & Clank on the PS2 instead of GTA, LOL.

Thanks, man. :o

I'm looking forward to play with you when I get my PS3. (probably next week)

[Ewan]

I think that the pendulum can swing in a variety of directions on this one, at varying speeds.

There are *definitely* games that young children can and do enjoy. My 4&5 year olds enjoy several different games, from Lego Star Wars to NintenDogs, and others. The key really is moderation, supervision, and interaction put together.

Do my kids play Rainbow 6: Vegas? No. Halo? No. Forza? well, they try. There ARE games they play, and with the onset of more co-op games than ever, parents can gasp join in the gaming t see and experience what their kids are playing. You can make sure that they are playing age-appropriate games.

Gaming is mental exercise, as has been hinted about above. Reading, eye-hand coordination, problem solving are all covered. But the fact is that the brain is much like the rest of the body, it has to be stimulated in a variety of different ways in order to grow properly. When you let your brain get stuck doing the same things.. you start atropheing the other areas. Those nerons just don't get used to firing anymore.

Let kids experience a wide Variety of things in their lives, including games. You aren't going to shelter them from everything the media puts out, they will see it in one form or another. You just have to make sure they are well-rounded enough in morality and education to make the right choices.

[gumgod]

It definitely depends on the game. My little sister started with "reader rabbit" if you're familiar with that series, and as ADD as she is, I think this really helped her to learn both to read and to learn math. I think she started around 4 or so. I started with the Atari 2600 as soon as I was able to hold a controller. :-P I think having video games around helped me get into the job that I have now. Learning to hook everything up (Parrents aren't going to do it) got me familiar with all sorts of A/V equipment allowing me to get a tech support job for a satellite company when I got older, from there it was easier to get a computer related job. Now I sit on my ass all day and play on the computer and occasionally fix a computer or printer. I'm getting paid right now to post on this forum and I owe it all to video games! :-P

[indstr]

Now I sit on my ass all day and play on the computer and occasionally fix a computer or printer. I'm getting paid right now to post on this forum and I owe it all to video games! :-P


great story. heartwarming even.

[ojdon]

I've been playing video games since I can remember, mainly Sonic. It's hasn't done me any harm what so ever, it's just something I do in my free time.

[Shadowblind]

that makes me sick to my stomach.

i

Quiet. All You've shown me is the immature attitude you have on these things.

Your points themselves are very intelligent. However that kind of mindless rampage is far worse then any game could scar someone.

I will admit that as I played Doom when I was young, the graphics were so terrible I just thought "hee hee hee, I'm clicking the button and the image is changing!". Todays games are far different. With the kind of experience they pull these days, MAY crucially effect the minds of weaker and more feeble minded children.

However, none of this gives you any right to condemn DarthPaul's actions. Even if they may not have been the best, DarthPaul is certainly not the one who could cause his brother to play the game, and children who play those games learn far before they are capable of mimicking the actions on the TV that they will result is dire consequences for them.


You have your point, and so does he. So do I. But that was simply immature how you handled that in your post.

[R4mbo]

I think always. But when younger then... 10-12 maybe together with parents only. Some lazy parents just put their kids in front of videogames, so they dont bother them and have child-free time and then wonder why the kids get aggressive and destructive to get attention. I also think that the rating-systems are ok, so when parents stick on the age-restriction they are on the safe side.

[robman84]

My youngest started on educational games at the age of about 18 months (as per the age rating on the box). It definitely helped his early learning and development.

He's a big fan of games but I make sure he doesn't play anything above his age rating. Likewise with movies.

[darkness angel 777]

the first game I ever played was sonic the hedgehog from my cousin's genisis.

[Cerepol]

I'd say pretty early is fine, wehn they can hold the Gameboy, Controller w/e, then why not? My little sister started playing my gameboy when she was around 3ish. She loved playing Mario, I don't care what anyone says about Mario, but his games really are great for anyone. My dad started playing games around the time I first got my NES. (when I was 5ish)

[Cap'n 1time]

I say start in the womb. How you get a controller in there is your business.

[cal360]

Well it depends on the games. I first played a mario at 3, but I would recommend 4/5. Video games have been more realistic and it can wreck kids childhoods if they get immersed in them.

[Nicko01]

Reading?? Who READS anymore anyway? Books are obsolete...
lol

Well, I've been playing video games pretty much all my life, I started with computer games at around 3. I was first allowed to play M rated games somewhere at 12, but my parents didn't like it. Now, at 15, they don't care very much except they don't want me playing games like manhunt (which gets boring after beating the first level, even with the uncut PSP version).
I have learned a lot from MMORPG's. The first I played was Runescape, but now I just play WoW.

Gaming is also what got me into programming, which has taught me a lot about math.

I believe it is a great idea to give younger kids video games because of the good results that may come from it. Start with educational games, then move into strategic games and then action games, which require fast thinking.

[king-killa]

Well, speaking from experience, playing from 3 is fine. even younger than that might be alright...

Basically, video games (the first I remember playing was Super Mario Brothers 3, for the Super Nintendo) gave me a reason to want to read. Even though I wouldn't really understand anything at the age of 3, it was always interesting to find out (kind of) what was happening.

Of course, much more came from me playing games. I started making them, and, although I am yet to finish a single project, learning to make games meant learning how to code, and now I can do a lot of things I never thought I'd be able to do.

Yes, video games have their negative effects on children. But if parents are that afraid they can always take away the console for an amount of time.

I may only be 12, but I know that the positive effects outweigh the negative ones (in my case, anyway).

But, who should really be saying what age is "right" to start playing video games? It is the concern of a child's parents and only them, at what age their kids should play video games (if at all).

[96BiT]

I played pac-man when i was four and loved it. however, i never played often until i was about six and i discovered the wonderful game that was final fantasy vii. i have to say that that was what forced me to start reading though. Best to stick to disney movies/books until 6-7, but seriously, dont show a 7 year-old GTA. :thumbup:

[xg917]

my parents had the NES and atari before i was born, i basicly grew up playing mario.. but completely different than growing up playing grand theft auto..