What gaming console do you have at home?

My nieces at the family home (my second home) have a wii. They're allowed only an hour a day. More at Christmas. They love Just Dance.

by Justine Crowley

First I would like to say something on this Topic.

14 years ago, I made a mistake.....
I now would have never bought a Gaming Console.
I would not have allowed my son to never ever have one.It becomes addictive.

Some days he can spend at the age of 21 now....up to 10 hours straight a day! He is not the only one, believe me.

Walk away! don't go there, you will regret it very much.

As for putting a limit on it, sure I did...until it became a 'NEED' and they get Really mad, when you tell them enough.

You will see your child change, and it is very scary...no matter how strict you are.

by jonaja

Heh. I grew up with computers in the house and my husband's family had several consoles, but neither of us play much as adults, nor were addicted as teenagers. Gaming addiction is not an inevitable consequence of just having access to games. Speaking for myself it was novels I lost myself in as a teen, at the expense of other stuff I was supposed to be doing, but I'm not about to go banning my kids from reading for pleasure.

Reading for pleasure is a far different cry than gaming.

It is well documented now, that Gaming with young people today...is highly addictive. If you look at 'WOW' -World of Warcraft.It has 1 million online gamers.
It has become a real problem the last few years.(not your generation that was just before it).
Back in 1998 things changed, and Gaming became a far different animal...and graphics were so much better and kids could not get enough.

P.S.

In 2012, Emil Hodzic formally launched the Video Game Addiction Treatment Clinic (www.videogameaddictiontreatment.com.au) in response to the growing need for individual and family based assistance.

He is the first Psychologist in Australia to provide specialist psychological support, consultation and talks on this issue.

There is a book called CyberJunkie, that you might find interesting. The addiction it covers is not just gaming, but email and surfing the net. I agree there are issues with gaming but I actually thing the iPhones are a bigger issue, bigger concern for addiction and shortening our attention span. (I'm the case in point that I'm noticing, not the kids).

I didn't say it wasn't addictive, I said that gaming addiction wasn't an inevitable consequence of just owning a gaming console. Many people just play games for a bit an put them away. The size of the WOW community indicates the game's popularity, but it doesn't follow from that that all those users are addicted to it, although I'm sure some of them are.

FYI I was a teenager in 1998. 15 to be precise, so yeah, I have seen and played games with good graphics. Still not addicted. Nor are most of my friends who grew up with gaming. I know one person with a serious gaming problem, and in his case the gaming grew out of not having anything better to do after he dropped out of his studies, not the other way around. So, yes, gaming addiction is a thing, but I don't think we all need to go freaking out and banning consoles from our homes.

We haven't got a console, but my husband plays games on his PC. I used to myself but I haven't had the time for a while. My preschooler has also had a go at some of the games on the ABC for Kids website (Peppa Pig games etc.). She's only just got the dexterity to work the mouse properly and I can see her getting more into it as she gets older. I'm happy for her to play computer games occasionally as long as it is balanced with more active persuits and school work as she gets older.

by Jennifer Muirhead

I have a Playstation 3 for driving games and a Nintendo DS for games on the go such as Brain Training and Nintendogs. They make travel time much easier and it is a great distraction and helps with looking after my phone's battery life.

by Amelia

We have a wii (which no one wants to play but me) and xbox - one kid has a DS (the other one broke).
I am not a fan of the addictive side, but they do bring the kids together in a way, esp when they are apart (they now chat in the same game).
I think limits need to be set (in the hols I make us go out on day long excursions to avoid the nagging).

by Lydia C. Lee

We have a Playstation and my 5yr old plays with his Lego games on that probably every other day. I'm not too concerned by the length of time he spends on it, because he is pretty good at making his own decisions as to when he's had enough.

by EricaL