Video games for kids?

[Calif. Hunter]

What is the best deal going? Wii? Game Cube? Nintendo DS? The Wii is hard to find - is it worth the trouble compared to the others? Which one has the most Kid-friendly games, as in not gory or sexual?

 

[Delw]

Game cube has alot of kids ones.mario cart mario brothers etc Sony playstation is more for adults and teen kids.

my advice DONT GET ANY Dont let them play pc games either. it screws them all up and they do nothing but play games. Make them get a job first.

I have a 17 year old thats smarter than crap and works for the school district as a network geek. she wont do anything but play games she sits in the chair from the time she gets up till the time she goes to bed, no laundry, no showers no eating nothing unless we get on her ass.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

We haven't let Michael have one yet, and I probably won't.... I'd much rather he play outside with his friends than sit on the couch! Thanks, Del... you've confirmed my thoughts!

 

[Delw]

Ca, its bad man really bad. LOL

I am suprised she is going elk hunting with me

 

[Moosie]

Cali, We have a GAme cube. It's designed fo rthe kids. Alot of great games you can even play with the kids. Don't listen to DelW Let them play. If you don't, It socially puts them at a Disadvantage with other kids of their generation. Jsut my .02.

Jsut limit their time on the Cube and it also teaches them when you say "You';re Done" it means they are done. If they don't jump off when you say that, Use it to keep them off. My kds learn to Listen Alot because of it.

I'm a sucker for letting them play. It also teaches them winning and losing. I think it Has helped Zachary alot. He used to freak out when he lost at anything. I talked him through it with Video games.... He's alot better now.

I want o get a WII, It has moving parts. I would like a Running Video game or a Better DANCE DANCE REVELUTION. We have one but it's Cheasy. It helps the kids in the Dance moves and Lets them burn calories.

 

[ELKCHSR]

I found this article, Del is right, keep them outside and off the couch, but it the need arises, here are some ideas...

Going to Grandma’s doesn’t mean you have to sit around, sucking on hard candies and watching old episodes of “Murder, She Wrote.” Instead, you can turn your next family visit into a party, just by putting on a video game.

The key is to pick a title that the whole family will enjoy (from the pre-teens to the senior citizens) because the more family members you have involved, the more fun you’ll have.

These are our Top 5 games to play at Grandma’s house. Check them out then tell us what games you like to play when you’re in a post-turkey coma.

Tell us: What are your top games to play during a family visit

'Wii Sports'

Bowling is one activity that the whole family can get into, from the grandparents down to the littlest kids. With “Wii Sports,” you can throw strikes without leaving your living room.

But bowling isn't all "Wii Sports" has to offer. Throw a few innings with baseball or play some doubles tennis. Thanks to the Wii’s motion-sensitive controller, you can throw heat over home plate or knock a forehand with a nice topspin to send your computer-controlled opponents diving in all directions.

'Mario Party 8'

This digital board game has players taking turns rolling the dice and trying to be the first person to reach the square with the star. That’s not as easy as it sounds because there are multiple routes to take -- and the star can instantly move to a different square on the board.

"Mario Party 8" is also filled with mini-games that can directly affect the outcome of the main game. And since so much can change at a moment’s notice, even the last-place player is in the thick of things right to the finish.

'Buzz! The Mega Quiz'

Want to get your family excited to play a game together? All you need to do is turn your living room into one big game show with Sony’s "Buzz! The Mega Quiz."

The game comes with four special controllers, each with a giant button on top and four colored buttons on the side. When questions appear on the screen, you slam down the big button and choose your color-coded answer. And with the “Buzz’s” wide range of topics (there’s over 5000 questions here) everyone -- young and old -- has a chance to win.

'Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action'

Like "Buzz! The Mega Quiz," Microsoft’s "Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action" is a trivia game that uses special controller. (Don’t worry: They come with the game.) But this trivia’s focused solely on movies.

To play, you’ll answer questions based on movie clips, but "Scene It?" will also you’re your film smarts by showing you a list of characters, or a child’s drawing of a movie scene. These challenges will test any film buff.

'Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock'

Red Octane’s "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" is a great game for groups – even ones who tend to prefer Lawrence Welk to Axl Rose. To play, you’ll strum chords on a special guitar, following along with the prompts on the screen. And since "Legends of Rock’s" playable soundtrack has over 70 songs, including the classics "Paint it, Black" by the Rolling Stones and "Slowride" by Foghat, even Grandma can find a song that she likes

 

[Calif. Hunter]

Michael is 9 and he plays when he goes to his friends' houses. Also, his best bud, Sean, has an x-box 360 that he brings over to the house whenever he spends the night. A positive sign is that they are all really into Star Wars, so they play the video game for a while, then get the light sabers out and go outside to fight. Or they get the toy figures and space craft out (he's got the Imperial War Walker, the Millenium Falcon, and most of the smaller fighters) and play with them.

I wish I could get him into sports, but he just isn't into them. (He's adopted, so I claim no gentic influence on any of this.) He is naturally coordinated and does well at any sport he tries, but he finds none of them challenging. He was hitting pitched balls at 2, throwing baskets at 3, etc. When he decided it was time to ride a bike, he just did it...no training wheels for him! He got on a neighbor kid's bike and started riding. Never fell.

The only thing that turns him on other than anything Star Wars is running, hunting and shooting. At least I will have a packer in my dotage.

 

[hntrjohn]

My kids got a game cube for christmas in 2005. They play probly 20 hours total in the past 2 years.

My son (10) and daughter (9) will much rather do batting practice with snails.

 

[Cathunt MT]

Get the Wii
The thing I like about it is the kids have to move to play it. They cant just sit there and move there fingers. Rent one and get the boxing game and you will see what a work out it is. I was stiff the next day....

 

[Moosie]

I was stiff the next day....

Now.. if they made a Virtual Reality game for Adults

..............they make a Starwars lego's game. Pretty cool for the kids.

 

[wyomuley]

Wii all the way it is fun but like you said its very hard to find I played it as much as the kids. I like how you have to interact by getting up and moving like golf, and bowl. Boxing is really interactive pretty fun all in all. We have all the different brands and the Wii is definatly the funnest.

 

[Hntnhrd]

I vote for the WII. WE have had one for about 6 months and you have to move around instead of just sitting there and cramping up the thumb.
My daughter had to break a sweat trying to beat me at boxing the other day. Yeah I let her win!! ( thats my story and I am sticking to it)

 

[Whiskers]

I just got back from deer camp, where two of my nephews one 17 and his 20 year old brother, thats all they did was play video games. I think the only reason they left camp was because their Dad made them. I walked past their stands, and they were playing one of those hand held jobs, with an ear piece.

You couldn't get them to put the dang things down.

 

[schmalts]

the good about PS3 is it plays blue-ray dvds as well

 

[hntrjohn]

My son had a friend over one time who brought his game boy. My wife told them to out side and do snything. My wife saw him playing the thing outside. Told him to put in the house, he went in the house with it, and did not come back out.

He played it constantly.