Nintendo switch

Albe

Our 11yr old insists she wants it. She feels left behind compared to her peers, these days youngsters' status is linked to what stuff they own. Mind you, it was identical when I was in school 35yr ago.  Actually not sure how much different is for adults, why do most adults buy overpriced unnecessary flashy cars after all, but never mind... 

We are against buying because 1) videogames are uneducational, and 2) okish with buying some junk, but not when it's this expensive.

I'm amazed how many parents apparently buy this to their children.

Where do you stand?

Lyn

I think that as long as you buy games to suit her age group,  or her intelligence, they are very good for their education,  the games are quick moving, creating a brain - eye - hands coordination.
as long as she does her homework and doesn’t sit up all night playing on it in secret, I would buy her some game consul, not sure which as we didn’t have anything like that when mine were young.
i could ask my daughter which is best,  she has an 18 and  a 12 year old and I’m sure gaming helped them.  They’re very quick thinking boys  both very intelligent.  If they haven’t helped then they’ve  definitely been very happy boys so far. 

Albe

Lyn, thanks for you opinion.

Ergates

I’d be inclined to see if any local stores have a demo to try, or maybe a friend’s children could give you a try? If you think the content is suitable, then consider buying it with the proviso that it is used in a ‘public’ room in the house, especially if it’s a game that links on line with other players. ( you’ll probably have to cough up for decent headphones! ) Also consider whether you could play along with her at times. Very good for bonding, unless it gets too competitive! She’ll probably beat you!
Our two grandsons got a joint football game thingy one Christmas, and can play with each other, and with their cousins on line. Their parents are very strict on time allowed on it, and things like homework and outdoor activities taking priority, but had no objection to the game in principle.
Don’t know what Switch is, but I’d certainly steer clear of any of those ones where you have to buy extra features on line.

Albe

Ergates, thanks a lot. Very wise.
Yes, I like the aspect of playing together and it possibly helps to bond, I kinda feel I'm losing bond with my child.
Of course school and some other activities must have priorities, but it's very hard to enforce the priorities, consider also parents normally work so cannot constantly monitor...

Dovefromabove

I'm with @lyn on this one ... I would also add that there's a huge number of careers out there for folk who are interested in and understand IT ... from my SIL who is an IT tech to the folk I was at Art School with who now do CGI animation for major film companies.  If youngsters aren't allowed to have fun with IT how are they ever going to really understand it ... all that fun they're having helps them to engage with its prevalence in our every day life and economy ... understanding it's benefits and its pitfalls.  Even though not all games are 'educational' I understand that there's increasing evidence that gaming increases the brain's plasticity which equals an agile and intelligent mind.

I would say that her parents and family should play some of the the games with her ... learn to understand the games and the capabilities with her ... don't forget that many/most of the stuff is now part of social media ... you play with other people 'online' so 'messaging' and all that stuff will be going on .... learn about it ... have reasonable rules and keep those lines of communication open with your daughter ... don't let her think that you're anti it or she won't be able to talk to you about any concerns that she has as she may think you'll confiscate it. 

Talk to her school ... the teacher responsible for her pastoral care or whatever, or there may be advice available from the PTA or similar ... and help your daughter enjoy a tool that's going to be even bigger in her future than it has been in ours. 

Albe

Dovefromabove, thanks a lot.

I agree the 'social' aspect can have value.

But I find completely wrong what you write about IT careers etc. This is stuff that is, for obvious commercial reason, made deliberately ultra simple to operate, of course one does not develop/improve any technical skills using it. 90% of my peers at the time played videogames, a good fraction of them has never developed any tech skills.

Ergates

I’d agree with Dove on this one. It’s not just the possibility of developing an interest in IT, game or programme development etc, it’s also about gaining experience in operating programmes, keyboard skills etc. 
I thought I was pretty savvy having used computers for email etc for years at work, but I was amazed to be shown a couple of shortcuts by my then 6 or 7 year old grandson.

Balgay.Hill

Not everything for kids needs to be educational, or teach future skills.
Sometimes things are simply fun.

Dovefromabove

No, you misunderstand me ... it's not the hand/eye skills etc you learn playing the games that are important for IT careers ... it's the interest it engenders, and then the creative thoughts,'what if we could make it do this?' that leads to developments ... nowadays children learn coding at school, so that they understand how the computers do this that and the other.  I don't think your generation learned coding ... I think you're roughly my son's age ... he didn't learn it ... but nowadays children understand a lot about the inner workings ... learn to write their own simple games using coding ... there's a whole world of opportunity out there that you and I know nothing of ... 

Go back to the days when uneducated folk had to have books read to them ... that's the equivalent of not understanding how IT works ... once folk could read and write for themselves they were able to create for themselves.  

Lyn

I definitely agree with Dove,   you may find the games are not deliberately simple, they go on to levels where they have to think them out.
Don't be upset if she doesn’t want to play her games with you,   she has her mates, you are her dad, not her mate.
Depends on the child though. 
They do need to learn about technology these days, that’s the way it’s going, and what can be more enjoyable for a child than in a game.  Children have always learned through play, it’s just moved on a bit now.