Smartphone games are turning my kids into idiots

[pioneer10sun]

I’m struggling to understand the appeal of playing video games on mobile devices. To be honest, I come from an older generation and we used to use PCs for video games, maybe the occasional console like Sony PlayStation. In all fairness, we didn’t have smartphones when I was growing up, so that could have had a lot to do with it.

These days, my kids spend their time staring at their smartphones all day long. Sometimes I even forget they can communicate with words and not merely hum “yes’ and “no.” I don’t consider all technology bad - I’m not a purist in that sense - but I do thing one should limit themselves to how much we use tech.

When I do give them a taste of their own medicine (I go online to gamble in front of them, to all sorts of site like the little hypocrites have the audacity to criticize me for spending money on it. But it’s perfectly alright for them to buy skins, weapons, and what not for their video games. Is anybody else going through the same situation? Any advice?

Edit by Edmon:
I've removed the spam link and banned this user for scamming, but the discussion is interesting and so it shall remain.

[z1812]

This is how I dealt with the situation you describe.

Limit their online time. <<<<<< very important!!

Offer them real alternatives. I taught them Chess and they love it.

Be involved with them. Dependent upon their age arrange activities for them.

Give them responsibilities to complete around the house and base their allowance on it.

They may not like it.................but as the Adult, your the boss, not them.

[Freyr Oakenshield]

https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Our-Disco ... 1585428558

[RangerJoe]

Take them camping where there is no internet connection . . .

[DD696]

SPAMMER!!!

Why are you being lured into replying to such an obvious attempt at trying to get you to go this gambling site?

Look at his previous posts. Normally most of you are much smarter than that, with the obvious exceptions.

Edit: Only the one exception. Sorry about that.

[springel]

Grognards are too old to have young children.

[Kuokkanen]

Spammer or not, it's a worthy topic to discuss about. When we were young, there likely were adults (maybe even our parents) who deemed video games in general to be stupid making kids (us) stupid. And here we are (some of us anyway), claiming that playing on the phone is stupid. Well, there are some solutions for that. One is to get kids handheld game consoles. Cheapest ones with a number of built in games cost around 50 €/$. Ones with cartridges (Evercade) go for ~100 €/$ the console and cartridges (can have multiple games) go for ~20 €/$. I don't know if that is a cure for stupidity, but at least those don't have Internet connection nor in game purchases. And as someone else said, limit # of mobile data package and show the kids offline games like Battle of the Bulge and Road to Moscow.

[demyansk]

You should just watch the kids at a school=zombies

[Eambar]

ORIGINAL: springel

Grognards are too old to have young children.

I'm old enough to have played a sizeable chunk of the Avalon Hill catalogue in the 1970's, and my boys are 11 and 7 (and I still have the AH games too).

My wife however was born in the 1990's so that should explain the children's ages [;)]

On topic - it is a real problem - we try to limit screentime, monitor what they are doing while on the screen and provide non-screen alternatives. The camping suggestion is a good one and I get out with the boys totally unplugged as often as I can (it usually takes them about 3 days to de-tox).

One thing we do have is a ScreenTime Covenant where we set rules and agreements about screentime, what they can do (tv, ipad, playstation), when they get it and when they don't (ie not completing chores - lose time). It works OK for the 11 year old but the 7 year old doesn't always understand it...but it is worth persevering with.

The downside is I like to game daily and have a home office with a triple screen set up, so they see Dad on his computers and think they should get it too, even when I am working. They don't make the distinction between work and play. We again try and address it in the covenant.

I think it something that needs to be continually worked on and important enough for my boys that I'm not going to give up.

Cheers

[Rising-Sun]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Take them camping where there is no internet connection . . .

There you go, that what my dad did when i spend too much time watching tv or play those console video games back in the mid 80's.

[Lobster]

ORIGINAL: DD696

SPAMMER!!!

Why are you being lured into replying to such an obvious attempt at trying to get you to go this gambling site?

Look at his previous posts. Normally most of you are much smarter than that, with the obvious exceptions.

Edit: Only the one exception. Sorry about that.

Yeah you may be right. 10 meaningless posts and then he can post his gambling link.

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: Eambar

The downside is I like to game daily and have a home office with a triple screen set up, so they see Dad on his computers and think they should get it too, even when I am working. They don't make the distinction between work and play. We again try and address it in the covenant.

Have them watch you at work. You got 3 monitors, right? Mirror one of the screens in another and turn it for your kids to see you type a report or do spreadsheet stuff. Explain in detail what you are doing and why. Then ask how fun does it look for them [:D]

[JWW]

High quality spammer though. I read through and didn't even think about it being a spammer until DD696 commented. I should have noticed the actual link, but I guess since I had zero interest at all in the link, I just sped right by it. And it is an interesting topic.

[Edmon]

I have purged the Hersey from this topic. Feel free to enjoy the topic without the obvious trap links.

[minaro]

I cannot stand phone games,

They lack depth, complexity, and most of them are hidden behind paywalls. Also playing on tiny screens is not enjoyable at all. Luckily I have educated my kids to prefer gaming on PC with the largest screen possible.

[Kuokkanen]

I cannot stand phone games,

They lack depth, complexity, and most of them are hidden behind paywalls. Also playing on tiny screens is not enjoyable at all. Luckily I have educated my kids to prefer gaming on PC with the largest screen possible.

Screen size aside, does it otherwise make significant difference do you play this game with phone, or with tablet, or with desktop computer?

[minaro]

I cannot stand phone games,

They lack depth, complexity, and most of them are hidden behind paywalls. Also playing on tiny screens is not enjoyable at all. Luckily I have educated my kids to prefer gaming on PC with the largest screen possible.

Screen size aside, does it otherwise make significant difference do you play this game with phone, or with tablet, or with desktop computer?

I have a couple of classic pc games like imperium galactica II and knights of the old republic II on android. I never play them simply because I don't like playing on a 6 or 10" screen. Its not that I have bad eyesight, its 20/20. Its just not enjoyable, that aside, most games designed for phones hold your hand or are just not deep enough to keep my interest. Many of them are just "clicking" fests...hit button and repeat. Its just lame.

[Aurelian]

I cannot stand phone games,

They lack depth, complexity, and most of them are hidden behind paywalls. Also playing on tiny screens is not enjoyable at all. Luckily I have educated my kids to prefer gaming on PC with the largest screen possible.

Screen size aside, does it otherwise make significant difference do you play this game with phone, or with tablet, or with desktop computer?

I have a couple of classic pc games like imperium galactica II and knights of the old republic II on android. I never play them simply because I don't like playing on a 6 or 10" screen. Its not that I have bad eyesight, its 20/20. Its just not enjoyable, that aside, most games designed for phones hold your hand or are just not deep enough to keep my interest. Many of them are just "clicking" fests...hit button and repeat. Its just lame.

You can try Bluestacks 5 or Memu. Thanks to those, I can play Trainstation 2 on the computer

[Dili]

I think smartphone games are like going to a flippers machine in 70's 80's - i think in US are called pinball.

Of course being 2D smartphone games are much more static and might impact brain development.