My son got an XBOX for his 5th birthday. Just wondering if anyone else has the wonderful box in their households and opinions as far as Ages allowed to play and time limits.

Also - if anyone does have it, maybe some discussions on some of the games too...?

As far as games, there are ratings so u will know: if it E family fun for all to play it will tell, T is for teens and M is for mature adults.
My 12 yr old has Xbox. Stick with the E for everyone ratings.

quote:

Originally posted by Melissa Jo:
[qb] My son got an XBOX for his 5th birthday. Just wondering if anyone else has the wonderful box in their households and opinions as far as Ages allowed to play and time limits.

Also - if anyone does have it, maybe some discussions on some of the games too...? [/qb]

5yo...wow he's starting early I got my son an xbox for x-mas of 2002 (he was 8yo). Lol...I gotta admit that I hijacked it before the Spring of 2003, and I definitely play it more than he does now.

As for kid friendly games, there are a lot of cartoon role playing games (spongebob, the incredibles, harry potter, etc) that I'm sure you've seen in the stores...you can get them really cheap used...

A game that's great that may not jump out at you in the store, is called "Fuzion Frenzy." It's around $10 new now, but it has 40+ very simple mini games that can have up to 4 people playing at a time. I've seen my son and his 3 cousins entertained for hours on end with that game, and their ages range from 4 to 10...it's fun for adults too...

You can also get collections of all the old arcade games for cheap too...after all, they were good enough for us and they're usually simple enough for a 5yo to learn...

Later,
Bobby

There is also a game out that has a few old school games on it like Pac-Man and Digimon. Try some re-sale shops to because you can get the really cheap and always trade them back in if you don't like it.

Yes - I agree. 5 with an XBox is young. He played it at his uncles and at my mother's house and just 'had to have one.' He's actually had it since end of June. I just never thought about discussing it. I'm actually using it as kind of a 'reward program.' If he does everything he's told to do in a day, he gets to play for 30 minutes on the week days and a little longer during the weekend. If he doesn't, then he doesn't get to play. If he's good for 2 weeks, he gets a new game. (I buy the used games.)

Thank you for the Rating Info Laurie. I just learned the E for Everyone today.

So far we have Shrek 2, Hobbit, Harry Potter, Scooby Doo, Cat in the Hat, and I'm getting Spongebob today.

Well I'm against this sort of thing so you may not like what I have to say. XBox at this age? Not only is it not great for social development but it also hinders the imagination as well as proper brain development - particularly at that age. We don't even have cable. So far this summer my son has watched MAYBE two videos and an hour television TOPS.

Sorry hon. I'm probably the worst person for this.

We got the first Nintendo system for my step-daughter when she was about 8 years old. My son was only 2 at the time. My oldest was 8 years old when my youngest was born... so we already had game systems in the house.

Bottom line, my kids started on it pretty early. I limit their time on it, but it is difficult for me to say - No Nintendo for you, while I sit at my computer.

I just try to keep a balance. We go places, don't watch much TV ... and we read a lot. So, I do let them play their games when we are just home hanging out. My youngest (age 7) even goes online to Disney.com and plays there. He's getting very good at the computer. lol

We have a bunch of games, and I just have to look out for the little one playing my teenager's games.. which are too mature for him.

Have fun with your new x-box... we don't have one of those.

Ya I can be a bit of a hypocrit considering the amount of time I spend on my computer .. lol That's usually when my son is in bed though but even still. Same difference. I guess I've got to draw the line somewhere.

Miss Jes -

I understand your point of view. I was very torn about my son gaming whether it be Xbox or Computer. I did not introduce him to the XBox. He played it at his gma's. He loved it.

I cringed at the thought of allowing him to have it (birthday.) He has a time limit. I talked to a counselor about it. He only plays E Games. It actually seems to boost his imagination. We use it as a reward tool. It's the only thing that has worked.

Thank you for your input!

It sure beats watching cartoons!