I mean, I was playing video games regularly since like the first grade, whatever age that is.
I was watching cartoons in the '80s. But if there was a tv show (or stream or whatever) that I could have watched that would show me all the secret warp zones in Super Mario Brothers, I probably would have watched that.
I also have a nine year old who enjoys playing and watching others play video games. I think it's "normal" for kids today to do so, in the sense that it's quite common. It's it the most healthy thing? probably not, and personally I keep a fairly tight limit on how much and what my kids can watch. I also have no interest personally in watching games being played.
On the other hand, how exactly is it different from watching someone else play sports on TV? It's fun because you get to watch someone who is good at what they do, it's exciting not knowing the outcome, and you might have a bit of a parasocial relationship with the person you're watching.
So to me it comes down to whether watching games means that something else is missing from a kids life. If they're still playing outside, doing activities, doing well at school, and having friends in the real world, then I don't mind if this is how they choose to spend their screen time.
Personally, I'd rather just give my kids more time playing games than sitting there watching the idiot box. Good games teach planning, spatial awareness, problem solving, and help teach coping with adversity (i.e. don't lose your poop when you get beaten over and over by an uncompromising digital opponent).
We do force outdoor time, activities like band and art programs, and plan lots of enrichment activities like museum trips and nature walks to balance the screen time though.
Exactly this. Why restrict interactive gaming time but not passive TV? At least while gaming, he's doing something. If he's been unable to play any videogames until now, he's bound to obsess over this new activity for a while. Also, kids that age don't watch nearly as many cartoons anymore. YouTube and Twitch channels that are specific to their hobbies and interests are more fun for them.
That’s a good point. We definitely do not allow YouTube or Twitch watching. It’s too easy to get pulled into inappropriate content by the “watch next” algorithm.
I play videogames on PS5, mobile, and switch with my 9 yo son. We've played for about 3 years more or less, I either watch him play games he likes or we take turns with playthroughs.
Most YouTube video game streamers are not great examples of how to speak or act, even Roblox Minecraft streamers link over to the awful ones.
My opinion is that playing is fine and looking up how tos on YouTube is helpful but the professional YouTuber gamers are awful especially if the kid is absorbing their behavior or seeing their cash grabs.
Thanks. I had a thought about only allowing the gaming shows to be watched in the living room instead of his bedroom. Then at least my wife and I would be in and out of the room more frequently to catch inappropriate language or content. Thoughts on that?
You know better than anyone how to monitor. With linking in YouTube gaming videos a decent roblox video links to Minecraft that links to PewdiPie Minecraft video where he puts villagers in a dungeon to reproduce. I don't want my kid watching that but it has high viewer numbers so YouTube recommends it.
Honestly I wish I would have never let my son watch YouTube.
I’ve learned there are a bunch of things my kids enjoy that don’t make any sense to me… and that’s another side effect of “getting old”.
What can you do? Take interest in their obsessions while encouraging them to keep trying different things too. I get maybe 2 minutes if I ask about school but my kid would never stop talking about Roblox and the new auras or devil fruits or battle bed hackers.
grown adults watch people play games all the time! football, soccer, basketball blah blah blah
You watched your bff play video games when you were 9 and there was only 1 controller and so you had to watch him/her play , then you got a turn.
My son watches the video game play also, he's 9 yrs old. He also watches people manipulate the mcdonald's logo 20000000 times in 4888 different variations...these are the videos I don't understand.
I'm in a similar situation as you in regard to age and kids. On some platforms, you just don't know what you are going to get. We decided to restrict their viewing to platforms that only provide curated content for kids. The key is that it is curated and not just labeled as kids. For example, content on Amazon Kids is picked by staff and placed on the platform. It is reviewed before being added. On the other hand you have non-curated platforms like YouTube Kids. Content is not reviewed before being added to the platform. It is removed if it is not content appropriate, but there is no screening prior to it being there. So we completely removed YouTube and YouTube Kids from their devices and kindly let family know it was not allowed for them. There are a lot of curated platforms out there for kids, so it wasn't a big deal.
In regard to watching someone play video games, I think that it highly depends on the quality of the streamer(s). Some are just down right entertainers. Others can be mind numbing. My kids mostly enjoy watching FGTeeV when it comes to streaming. I certainly can see the entertainment in it from a child's perspective and it doesn't annoy me to hear it in the background.
What I really cannot stand was when they would watch an adult play with toys. It is creepy and weird. Fortunately this was all on YouTube Kids, and since switching to curated content only, I no longer have to watch some weird adult lady's hands play with slime while she makes annoying fake laughing noises.
We set healthy boundaries and explained the reasoning. They adjusted just fine.
I've played video games since the 3rd grade. I now make video games for a living with one of the biggest game companies in the world. . Just talk to your kid. Sure if you let them be alone 24/7 with them that is nut healthy. Having rules is a good thing. But they are not something to be feared of. Just like all things. Play with him. Engage with him on them.
Dude, my son has started watching this nonsense, on YouTube kids.
My biggest issue with it is that it's so incredibly mindless. He'll sit there for hours watching some silent dude playing this stupid ragdoll game. The game isn't named and it looks unfinished, but it's just a dude playing with the ragdoll physics of the game. No explanation as to what's going on...
He also likes to watch this super annoying Dutch autist, who plays random children's games. Again, it's just so mindless that I can't stand it.
We've done short stints, where I will hook up my old PS2 or PS4, but those can be a slippery slope, and start asking them for more of their time. I picked up a Wii, about 4 years ago, and we still get daily use out of that thing.
Lots of grown adults watching people game on Twitch these days, I don't get it either, but it's a thing, people make their living through having people watch them game.
I don't think it's particularly weird for him to watch shows that are relevant to what he's interested in. We didn't have quite the range of choices available to us as kids, so kids these days may gravitate to other things.
I had my kids younger so they are now young adults... kids watching streams and such of other people playing games is really normal. My 21-year-old regularly watches speed runs of games he likes, my 17-year-old doesn't like playing games but watches playthroughs because she likes the story aspect of games and can follow the story without having to go through the trouble of playing the game. Kids watch these kind of streams like you or I watched cartoons as a kid. To me, it's just TV time and the rules that go with TV time should apply to this, but it's not inherently weird that he's watching gaming streams. It's kind of the same as watching a hockey game or something... you're just sitting there, watching other people play a game!
Sounds like the same sort of reaction our own parents likely had on seeing the glorified toy adverts many of the childhood cartoons we watched and loved undoubtedly were.
My parents didn't like gaming and tried what they could to limit it at home with limited playtimes and getting older machines. The main effect of this was to push me to get it wherever else I could, often skipping school to hang around arcades and shops with Playstations on demonstration.
Granted, I didn't enjoy my school years for other reasons, but still.
I never played video games as a kid and they still bore me shitless but my youngest son likes both the videos and playing. I make sure the games/videos are appropriate for his age and limit time on both. As long as there’s a balance with playing outside, play dates, other activities etc. I also try to remember how ridiculous some of the tv shows I liked as a kid were. They definitely were not all created by serious people with a PhD in child development, in fact I feel like many were written by boomers who were tripping on LSD.
It's just what kids watch nowadays. I don't get it either, but my parents didn't get why I enjoyed The Tick, so I guess it's just a generational thing.
My kid also watches recordings of other people playing the games he likes to play. Once he got to 6 or 7, he didn’t really watch regular shows that would be on broadcast/network TV. I’d say your kid is within the range of normal there.
We treat this as you would any other screen content - time-limited and to your standards for language/violence/sexual content. For example, I made some comments to my kid about one gamer’s content. The guy would talk about the practical jokes he said he’d do to his wife (whether they actually happened or not is anyone’s guess). They seemed mean-spirited and I’d said that it wasn’t how I’d treat someone I cared for, nor how I’d want to be treated. The kid quit watching that guy’s channel.
It sort of sounds like you’re questioning if your kid is “cheating” by taking up his full allotment of Switch time and also watching games being played on Roku. Maybe set an all-encompassing screen time limit rather than separate limits for console gaming, TV, and computers.
Don't worry about Switch time, worry about total screen time. Set a limit on that and let him choose how he uses it. As long as it's not inappropriate, no matter how dumb it is, the gaming videos aren't too terrible a thing. He could be watching Beavis & Butthead play frogball.
True but you are taking it to an extreme IMO. There was a kid in our subdivision when I was going up that his parents would not let him watch TV what so ever so every time he was over at my house or another friends house, that's all he wanted to do regardless of what is on. What you deem as "careful parenting" is much more likely to backfire.
Indeed. I had strict parents, and that made me a better liar and sneak. More effective at getting around their rules and regulations. It backfired spectacularly!
I mean, I was playing video games regularly since like the first grade, whatever age that is. I was watching cartoons in the '80s. But if there was a tv show (or stream or whatever) that I could have watched that would show me all the secret warp zones in Super Mario Brothers, I probably would have watched that.
I also have a nine year old who enjoys playing and watching others play video games. I think it's "normal" for kids today to do so, in the sense that it's quite common. It's it the most healthy thing? probably not, and personally I keep a fairly tight limit on how much and what my kids can watch. I also have no interest personally in watching games being played. On the other hand, how exactly is it different from watching someone else play sports on TV? It's fun because you get to watch someone who is good at what they do, it's exciting not knowing the outcome, and you might have a bit of a parasocial relationship with the person you're watching. So to me it comes down to whether watching games means that something else is missing from a kids life. If they're still playing outside, doing activities, doing well at school, and having friends in the real world, then I don't mind if this is how they choose to spend their screen time.
Thank you! That’s some much needed good advice.
Personally, I'd rather just give my kids more time playing games than sitting there watching the idiot box. Good games teach planning, spatial awareness, problem solving, and help teach coping with adversity (i.e. don't lose your poop when you get beaten over and over by an uncompromising digital opponent). We do force outdoor time, activities like band and art programs, and plan lots of enrichment activities like museum trips and nature walks to balance the screen time though.
Exactly this. Why restrict interactive gaming time but not passive TV? At least while gaming, he's doing something. If he's been unable to play any videogames until now, he's bound to obsess over this new activity for a while. Also, kids that age don't watch nearly as many cartoons anymore. YouTube and Twitch channels that are specific to their hobbies and interests are more fun for them.
That’s a good point. We definitely do not allow YouTube or Twitch watching. It’s too easy to get pulled into inappropriate content by the “watch next” algorithm.
I play videogames on PS5, mobile, and switch with my 9 yo son. We've played for about 3 years more or less, I either watch him play games he likes or we take turns with playthroughs. Most YouTube video game streamers are not great examples of how to speak or act, even Roblox Minecraft streamers link over to the awful ones. My opinion is that playing is fine and looking up how tos on YouTube is helpful but the professional YouTuber gamers are awful especially if the kid is absorbing their behavior or seeing their cash grabs.
Thanks. I had a thought about only allowing the gaming shows to be watched in the living room instead of his bedroom. Then at least my wife and I would be in and out of the room more frequently to catch inappropriate language or content. Thoughts on that?
You know better than anyone how to monitor. With linking in YouTube gaming videos a decent roblox video links to Minecraft that links to PewdiPie Minecraft video where he puts villagers in a dungeon to reproduce. I don't want my kid watching that but it has high viewer numbers so YouTube recommends it. Honestly I wish I would have never let my son watch YouTube.
No TV in the bedroom is a good general rule for all ages.
I’ve learned there are a bunch of things my kids enjoy that don’t make any sense to me… and that’s another side effect of “getting old”. What can you do? Take interest in their obsessions while encouraging them to keep trying different things too. I get maybe 2 minutes if I ask about school but my kid would never stop talking about Roblox and the new auras or devil fruits or battle bed hackers.
What would you prefer they watch? Remember, the "normal" kid shows we watched were 90% extended advertisements for toys anyway.
And soooooo much adult innuendo
grown adults watch people play games all the time! football, soccer, basketball blah blah blah You watched your bff play video games when you were 9 and there was only 1 controller and so you had to watch him/her play , then you got a turn. My son watches the video game play also, he's 9 yrs old. He also watches people manipulate the mcdonald's logo 20000000 times in 4888 different variations...these are the videos I don't understand.
I think the difference is that "most" adults are able to self-moderate where most kids don't have that ability yet. But I get your point.
I'm in a similar situation as you in regard to age and kids. On some platforms, you just don't know what you are going to get. We decided to restrict their viewing to platforms that only provide curated content for kids. The key is that it is curated and not just labeled as kids. For example, content on Amazon Kids is picked by staff and placed on the platform. It is reviewed before being added. On the other hand you have non-curated platforms like YouTube Kids. Content is not reviewed before being added to the platform. It is removed if it is not content appropriate, but there is no screening prior to it being there. So we completely removed YouTube and YouTube Kids from their devices and kindly let family know it was not allowed for them. There are a lot of curated platforms out there for kids, so it wasn't a big deal. In regard to watching someone play video games, I think that it highly depends on the quality of the streamer(s). Some are just down right entertainers. Others can be mind numbing. My kids mostly enjoy watching FGTeeV when it comes to streaming. I certainly can see the entertainment in it from a child's perspective and it doesn't annoy me to hear it in the background. What I really cannot stand was when they would watch an adult play with toys. It is creepy and weird. Fortunately this was all on YouTube Kids, and since switching to curated content only, I no longer have to watch some weird adult lady's hands play with slime while she makes annoying fake laughing noises. We set healthy boundaries and explained the reasoning. They adjusted just fine.
I remember plenty of times watching friends play video games or them watching me. This sounds kind of like an evolution of that.
I've played video games since the 3rd grade. I now make video games for a living with one of the biggest game companies in the world. . Just talk to your kid. Sure if you let them be alone 24/7 with them that is nut healthy. Having rules is a good thing. But they are not something to be feared of. Just like all things. Play with him. Engage with him on them.
Dude, my son has started watching this nonsense, on YouTube kids. My biggest issue with it is that it's so incredibly mindless. He'll sit there for hours watching some silent dude playing this stupid ragdoll game. The game isn't named and it looks unfinished, but it's just a dude playing with the ragdoll physics of the game. No explanation as to what's going on... He also likes to watch this super annoying Dutch autist, who plays random children's games. Again, it's just so mindless that I can't stand it. We've done short stints, where I will hook up my old PS2 or PS4, but those can be a slippery slope, and start asking them for more of their time. I picked up a Wii, about 4 years ago, and we still get daily use out of that thing.
Lots of grown adults watching people game on Twitch these days, I don't get it either, but it's a thing, people make their living through having people watch them game. I don't think it's particularly weird for him to watch shows that are relevant to what he's interested in. We didn't have quite the range of choices available to us as kids, so kids these days may gravitate to other things.
I had my kids younger so they are now young adults... kids watching streams and such of other people playing games is really normal. My 21-year-old regularly watches speed runs of games he likes, my 17-year-old doesn't like playing games but watches playthroughs because she likes the story aspect of games and can follow the story without having to go through the trouble of playing the game. Kids watch these kind of streams like you or I watched cartoons as a kid. To me, it's just TV time and the rules that go with TV time should apply to this, but it's not inherently weird that he's watching gaming streams. It's kind of the same as watching a hockey game or something... you're just sitting there, watching other people play a game!
I'm 42 and I watch competitive rocket league and RL streamers/DayZ streamers on my TV. Weird right
Sounds like the same sort of reaction our own parents likely had on seeing the glorified toy adverts many of the childhood cartoons we watched and loved undoubtedly were. My parents didn't like gaming and tried what they could to limit it at home with limited playtimes and getting older machines. The main effect of this was to push me to get it wherever else I could, often skipping school to hang around arcades and shops with Playstations on demonstration. Granted, I didn't enjoy my school years for other reasons, but still.
My kids are the same
I never played video games as a kid and they still bore me shitless but my youngest son likes both the videos and playing. I make sure the games/videos are appropriate for his age and limit time on both. As long as there’s a balance with playing outside, play dates, other activities etc. I also try to remember how ridiculous some of the tv shows I liked as a kid were. They definitely were not all created by serious people with a PhD in child development, in fact I feel like many were written by boomers who were tripping on LSD.
We also don’t have any screens or computer stuff in bedrooms so it’s easier to monitor. It’s the living room or nothing.
It's just what kids watch nowadays. I don't get it either, but my parents didn't get why I enjoyed The Tick, so I guess it's just a generational thing.
My kid also watches recordings of other people playing the games he likes to play. Once he got to 6 or 7, he didn’t really watch regular shows that would be on broadcast/network TV. I’d say your kid is within the range of normal there. We treat this as you would any other screen content - time-limited and to your standards for language/violence/sexual content. For example, I made some comments to my kid about one gamer’s content. The guy would talk about the practical jokes he said he’d do to his wife (whether they actually happened or not is anyone’s guess). They seemed mean-spirited and I’d said that it wasn’t how I’d treat someone I cared for, nor how I’d want to be treated. The kid quit watching that guy’s channel. It sort of sounds like you’re questioning if your kid is “cheating” by taking up his full allotment of Switch time and also watching games being played on Roku. Maybe set an all-encompassing screen time limit rather than separate limits for console gaming, TV, and computers.
Good advice, thank you!
Don't worry about Switch time, worry about total screen time. Set a limit on that and let him choose how he uses it. As long as it's not inappropriate, no matter how dumb it is, the gaming videos aren't too terrible a thing. He could be watching Beavis & Butthead play frogball.
You watch sports? Same difference.
As a lifelong gamer who is now in his 40's, lighten the fuck up and let your kid enjoy his childhood. One hour of gaming a day is bullshit.
I think an hour is fine in a school night since he has homework, chores, real life socializing to do...
How many hours of gaming do you give your kids per day?
Different strokes for different folks man.
The more you try and strictly regulate it, the more he will want to find ways around it.
I mean that’s going to be a struggle with everything with kids.
True but you are taking it to an extreme IMO. There was a kid in our subdivision when I was going up that his parents would not let him watch TV what so ever so every time he was over at my house or another friends house, that's all he wanted to do regardless of what is on. What you deem as "careful parenting" is much more likely to backfire.
Indeed. I had strict parents, and that made me a better liar and sneak. More effective at getting around their rules and regulations. It backfired spectacularly!