Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Video Games zapping my sons brain

Hi Snowgirl,
Earning video game time is interesting. I never thought of that. Maybe I can do this then at least he will be doing other stuff to get video game time. I like this.

I think it's really important to limit time on computers/video games. It can be quite addictive and even when it is educational it still limits other important things. I like the idea of earning time, especially when kids are older. It's important for kids to realize that playing video games is a privilege, not a right (even when they act like they will die without it). Kids often don't think there is anything else to do because they are so wrapped up into video games. So it is important to limit time so that they can see all their other options and get engaged in other things. That's my 2 cents. We don't have the video game problem, but he LOVES the computer and we have to limit time on that as he loves to do puzzles, math games, word games, etc. He probably would play all day if I let him. And even though it is somewhat learning based, it's not a good idea. Also having them set timers teaches them time management as well as important self-regulation skills.

Tracey -- I'm on my phone, so I'll write more about my ds6 later -- he sounds a lot like yours. He loves to play, mostly role-playing games, and would literally play all day, every day if he could. He makes up his own RPGs. All his pretend games are RPGs. He loves them and lives them!

But I have a question -- so what if your ds has a fit over giving games up for two weeks? It'll probably be good for him. Every six months or so, we give ds6 a "detox" period, no video games. He mopes, but he re-learns how to entertain himself and finds new things to occupy his brain.

So ... What's the worst that could happen if you enforce a two-week no-game period? Lots of whining? Tantrums?

Hi Shelly and we ain't taking educational games we are talking Star Wars! And the fighting on it is another issue, is the fighting in Star wars bad?

LOL Mia! The 2 week withdrawal would be a good thing. I am wondering if I should competely ban it? Is that mean?

He will be permanently scarred if he continues to let it dominate his life.

Recently when DS6 hit a teacher at school during one his anger outbursts he lost the Nintendo DS for 7 days. It was a wonderful detox for him. At first he was angry and talked constantly about when he could get it back but after the 3rd or 4th day it was almost forgotten. He played with things in his room that he hadn't touched in ages. When the 7 days were up we actually waiting for him to remind us to give it back to him. Took until almost mid-day.

We also have the rule about only keeping the DS in the car and he only gets to take the DS in the car if the trip is going to be longer than 20 minutes. For short trips we realized it wasn't worth the fight when we arrived at the destination.

Surprisingly DS6 is not as addicted to the Wii. I think it's because it is down in our basement family family room and he doesn't like to be alone. The DS is more portable and he can more easily sit near the rest of his family while he plays.

Good Point Austin!

Yes crisc , the WII wasn't nearly as bad as the nintendo ds since it is portable.

My 8 year LOVES computer games and video games. We have a wii. We use a timer - he is typically allowed 20 minutes of recreational computer time per day with some exceptions. He earns additional time very occasionally (no more than once a week usually). We only allow the Nintendo DS in the car if we are taking a road trip (greater than 2-3 hours). And even in the car, we limit his time (we just got back from a cross country road trip to DC, he got about 1/2 to 1 hour in the car when we were spending 8 to 10 hours on the road.) I like the wii better because he often uses his computer time to play with other kids or with me (I admit, I think the wii is fun!) DS rarely gets into the car without a book to read.

My son still talks about his games and strategies and draws pictures of levels, etc. But it seems fairly well contained and he can focus on other things. DS8 is also limited on other media. I only let him access the computer a limited amount even for educational purposes at this point.