To Wii, or not to Wii? Believe it or not, I'm not the one who's lusting after the Nintendo Wii videogame - my wife is! I'm on the fence about getting one (I had an Xbox at one time, but didn't really play it all that much), and a big reason is that I really don't want four year old Lucas anywhere near it. Anyone else dealing with videogame issues and young kids?
I like the Wii because they actually have to go through the movements instead of just sitting there. We restrict the time he is allowed to play and usually only if the weather isn't conducive to outside play. (My 6 year old beat my 22 year old brother at the boxing!)
I think the wii is better than other gaming systems because it gets them up and moving, I saw on the news that they are using them in senior homes now, I thought that was pretty interesting.
MY 13 YR OLD IS DYING FOR A WII, HOWEVER THEY ARE RATHER EXPENSIVE. WHEN WE DO HAVE THE $, I FIGURE IT IS BETTER EXERCISE THAN HIS XBOX, BEATS ONLY GETTING FINGERS EXERCISED I SUPPOSE.
BETTY
Do not walk the fence, I say get it!!! We have one and use it for family fun activities!! We all enjoy it ~ alot. limit the time they spend on it, especially since it is summer, there is plenty that goes on to get out of the house! I think it is well worth the money, our kids range in age... and we ALL have fun with it together!!
We have one and the girls (4 & 2) Love to bowl! We do a family night of bowling. We have our dinner and come downstairs and we all bowl! It's a lot of fun, the girls love it and we are doing something as a family.
I'm with Beth! you should get one! :)
we just got one for my daughters birthday and it is alot of fun and you get lots of exercise from the playing it. my husband boxed so much that he pulled a muscle in his arm.
I would say get it, the whole approach nintendo has taken with their new machines has been 'generations', why should games be for the hardcore player only. Nintendo have made the controls easier by removing buttons and introducing the touch screen and the motion control. This also means that some of the games are actually quite beneficial to your kids, my 3 year old loves trying things like brain training and has asked me to get wii fit as she wants to do athletic things, her words not mine.
the summers in FL are very hot & humid. Last summer I couldn't get my teenagers away from their video games & go play outside. So this spring I bought the Wii so they could move around inside. They play all the sports that came w/ it & even get competitive w/ it. I've played it & it's quite a work out when you use your whole body.
I wouldn't fear the video games. We got a number of PC games and got a Wii for XMAS last year.
Somewhat surprisingly to me, the kids like the Wii, but they aren't obsessed with it. They have fun with it, but a week or two will pass without them asking about it or playing it.
On the PC, we do educational games sometimes, and quasi-educational builder-type games (like Zoo Tycoon), but my 4-year old and 8-year old both also do Webkinz online and we got the Lego Star Wars games and I had a good time solving it once with my daughter and a second time with my son. As with most things, everything in moderation. We've had to take video games away for a week at a time for both of them due to frustration, but on balance, it's better than TV (more interactive) and the fun it adds is worth the potential negatives.
So I'm voting with you Beth.
I have a 13 year old boy and would be lost without his playstaion3! He was having a hard time with reading and belive it or not it has helped him with his reading and concentration,he suffers with adhd. I limit the time he can spend on it and homework has got to be done first but I dont see anything wrong with a game system as long as its monitered. I would of gotten him a wii but had no luck at getting my hands on one over christmas time. Good luck to you, Hope
well my kids father when we were together was hooked on playstation and xbox and when my kids saw how important those stupid games were all my son wants to do is play and i gave away all the playstation's and xbox stuff cause there are more important thing in life then play stupid games. instead i take the kids to the park or we come up with stuff to do together. i believe video games are a waste of money and time
I think that it it was you make it. We own one we just make it our family fun time. You may rethink not letting your son play with it once you have it.
Well as a Mother I try not to get the tv to babysit the kids. How ever in our house we have the PS2, 360, and a WII. I love it now for your concern I do see the problem. The only thing that my kids are able to play is the WII due to the fact that they have to be up and moving. Not only that but we also got the WII fit and it has really gotton my family to get up and workout together. I know that it is a pricey subject for anyone with gas being $4/GALLON but it is well worth the money. Now other games are for hardcore gamers and my kids are not that but the WII is great if its a rainy day or your trying to end your day on a good note.
No video game issues...
But we bought our Wii last summer, and we LOVE it! Its def. not for GAMERS so much, but its a great way to spend some time as a family!! We just bought the Wii Fit the other day and our 3.5 year old LOVES to do some of the yoga and some of the balance games!Sorry im not much help!
I asked for Wii for Mother's Day. Weird? I know, lol. I wanted it for the fitness aspect. I figured that playing games will give me the exercise I so desperately need without feeling like exercise. It worked! Only I can't play it as often as I like because my 3-yr-old always wants it. He plays it very well, but the way. I actually don't have any gripes about him playing with it. The only problem is finding time to play it by myself.
wii is rockin! there are also a variety of non violent and somewhat educational games out for it and the bonus is no cords so technically you could keep it out of child reach. honestly though it is the better system and tetris works on problem solving.
If you're going to have a video game system that the kids might play, the Wii is probably the best of the bunch. My 5 year old daughter loves playing the Wii Sports games like bowling and baseball. Nintendo also has a lot of games that are non-violent. It's also easy to control access to it since there are parental controls and you can hide the remotes if you want to limit access. They're small enough to take with you in a briefcase or purse or lock up somewhere. That's true of pretty much any of the newer systems with wireless controllers. The Wii does have the added danger of the swinging remote, so any child should be supervised and a large enough area cleared to make it safe. I try not to play too many video games when the kids are awake. If anything, they get to play online learning games or something simple on a console. I also have Playstation 3 and there are maybe two or three games I let them play on that. For instance, both my girls love singing, so they get to sing along to SingStar or High School Musical every now and then when they need a break from everything else. It's all about balance.
It is not the video games or any particular system that is bad. I am the mommy of a bunch of kids....some grown now. we have always monitored what games they play and how much they play. If you and your wife sit down and agree on guidelines, then any system can be safe and fun. Using the joy stick or pad or whatever controler is increasing fine motor skills. It increases problme solving skills. HOWEVER, it is my opinion that there must be middle ground. Find a game for Lucas that he can play with or without you - whatever you prefer - and talk to him about playing. Set the limits...set a timer...if he is getting frustrated or you see a change in his demenor, change the length of time he can play...how much time should he be allowed you say? Again, you know your child better than anyone. Lucas may be like you and not be interested...if so, problem solved....otherwise, an hour max at a time. Did I lose you there? Believe it or not, when Noah was 4, he would sit in front of those games as long as I would allow....and then some. He wasn't the one always playing but he was watching that screen like he was hypnotized. You can also use the "game over" as your timing if this is game possible. It all depends on the game. Many of the games are unending or it seems that way to me. I got caught up in the, "Can I just finish this game?" That sounds reasonable to me. I assure you all those video players are laughing at me because they know that "till it's over" can mean days. Hope this helps. Judy
i don't really like the Wii game system. those "joy sticks" are a bit dangerous. i know of a 3 people who's had busted lips and black eyes because they didn't notice the person they were playing with swinging it towards their face. they were too much into the game. so i wouldn't want it for that aspect. but as far as trying to keep your son away from video games i feel is a losing battle. if he doesn't have a game system i'm sure he'll have a friend who does. the more you try to keep something away from someone, the more they want it.
My oldest got a playstation when he was five and he became very addicted and his whole demeanor changed.We could not pull him away from it to go to the store or play with his friends. He would get so angry if you asked him to turn it off. With the past experience I have had with videogames I would not suggest them to anyone.
While I cann't give any advice about the Wii in particular, I can talk about video games in general. My daughter Emerald enjoys watching me play my games, both on PS2 and pc, but she only gets to play a few learning games. Make sure to not just monitor what they are playing, but talk to them about games that are mature for them. If you shelter someone from something, they will go out of their way to get to it, BE OPEN and COMMUNICATE. I think that on school days and good weather, game time should be limited to no more than 1-2 hours a day. Let them really have access to it on the wet days, it saves Mom some headache. Hope that helps.
I do not know the correct answer. I deal with the same thing. My husband is a video game junky. I think my boys are following in his footsteps. I monitor their playing time and the games they play. What else can we do?
Video games are not really bad if they are properly monitored & the kids are allowed only the "fun" games, not the violent &/or the mature games. The Wii in paticular is a good tool for fun & exercise. It would be good for everyone, especially if it were incorporated into family fun night where everyone participated together. Your wife may find it useful as a form of fun exercise & if you give it a try, you might like it too.
