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Tuesday, September 19, 2006
The other day we went to a friend's house-- her kids are age 4 and 2. It was a beautiful September morning and my kids were looking forward to riding bikes and Big Wheel with them, but alas, my friend's children didn't want to come out of their toy room. Why? Because they were deeply engrossed in playing with their Sony Playstation.
I know all about Sony Playstation. I also know about Xbox, Super Nintendo, Gameboy Advance-- heck, I even know about Sega Genesis (now how old school is that?)! Besides my two young children, I have an older son who grew up loving and playing with all of that stuff. Over the years I -- or Santa Claus-- have purchased just about every gaming system there is.
My older son got his first Nintendo system in the late 1980's. He loved playing games like Super Mario Brother's and Mike Tyson's Punch Out. About 10 years ago he sold his old Nintendo system and a stack of games to a friend-- I think the kid gave him 20 bucks for it. So imagine my surprise when, last Christmas, my adult son asked for one gift: an old school Nintendo system, like the kind from the 80's! He was feeling nostalgic about the old games too, namely Mario Brothers and The Legend of Zelda. I had to scour eBay to find one, and I must say I got outbid more than once. Apparently, those primitive old time systems are still a hot ticket
But fast forward to today. I was concerned, because my friend's kids were playing some fighting game that belonged to their father. The game involved blowing up things. I know for a fact that all of the major gaming systems have games to accommodate the under 6 crowd. I also think that video game playing is great, when done in moderation. In fact, I'd probably rather that my kids play video games than watch TV. At least with the video game, they're actually doing something and not just vegetating!
My older son, the expert on video game systems, maintains that Nintendo offers the most family-friendly video games. There are also some low-tech video game systems for toddlers, like V-Smile's VTech Learning System. We actually own that system and it's great-- it just plugs into the TV and you're ready to play. My kids enjoy playing V-Smile games starring Dora the Explorer, Winnie the Pooh and Cinderella. But I know that it won't be long before they will tire of playing with preschool-type games. So I'm preparing for that day and, in fact, Santa may even be bringing my family a new system this year (this is in part due to my husband, who is hankering for a high-tech system that he can play with as well).
A quick check of the majors-- Gamecube and Playstation 2-- left me with an idea of what types of games are available for each system.
Gamecube has quite a few kid-friendly games. Most notable is the Pikmin series, which features aliens, spaceships and fun stuff like that.
Then there's Gamecube's Animal Crossing, which is a total family affair-- this game looks to be good for any age and it features animals and changing seasons.
The Super Monkey Ball series is another non-violent gaming duo, appropriate for all.
Then there's the old time favorite-- yes, Mario is still around! Gamecube offers Mario Kart Double Dash and Super Mario Sunshine.
There's also a few other familiar faces: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat and the ultra popular Legend of Zelda is back with Gamecube's Legend of Zelda-The Wind taker.
As for Sony Playstation 2, look for games that are rated "E" for Everyone. The E rating generally means the game is suitable for age 6 and up, but most E-rated games are fine for younger kids as well. There are also a few "EC" rated games out there, which stands for Early Childhood, for age 3 and up.
Sony has a few movie-themed games, which are usually appropriate for kids of all ages. Games like "The Polar Express" and "Shrek 2" offer incredible graphics and no violence.
There is also a game called "The Bible" and, if you really want at to play it safe, opt for "Chessmaster", which is a very docile game.
When in doubt, rent a game before you buy it and play it yourself before you let you kids play it. That's really the safest way to make sure that your kids are playing kid-friendly video games.
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