moms: can we talk videogames?

egpitt22

We have a Wii, but Jake isn't super into the games...occasionally they will play Mario Kart or something simple like that together.  Lately, all he's been talking about is wanting Skylanders and Minecraft for Christmas. He said he doesn't want anything else for Christmas, just those 2 things.  I know nothing about either one of them, and I don't have a problem with him playing video games in general, but I do have a problem buying something that will frustrate him and ultimately cause me to spend hours in front of a screen trying to decipher something for him!
[-(

Do any of your kids have these games?  What age are they, and are they able to do it mostly on their own?

ETA-Jake will be 7 in January.  A quick search just now revealed that Minecraft doesn't appear to be available on the Wii and we don't have an iPad, so that might be out altogether. 

MrsAmers

Heather plays minecraft and I'm pretty sure she could do so independently last year. Though she doesn't play a lot and I've never played, so I have limited information.

I know nothing about Skylanders.

waltsgirl102503

We have Skylanders for our Wii.  Noah does everything independently - he got them for Xmas last year, he was 8.  However, he knows how to run most electronics/games in the house better than Walt and me.  You put the skylander man on a base and then that's who is in the game.  That's about all I know.  

ak111

We got skylanders awhile back, probably a year or so ago (when Keefer was 4) and then got the new skylanders that came out last Christmas.  I know pretty much nothing about video games and try to avoid them at all costs, but DH is into them and I think he buys them for himself more than for Keefer.  They played skylanders together a lot when he first got it but I haven't seen it in awhile now.  There appeared to be some reading involved so Keefer would call me into the room and ask me questions.  I just told him I didn't know anything about it and he would either forge ahead on his own or shut it off and play Mario Bros or Mario Kart both of which he is good at (as far as I can tell).  I liked the idea of skylanders because you can switch out the guys which Keefer figured out how to do on his own and it kept him busy in and of itself.  Not sure any of that info helps, but I think Jake would be able to do enough on his own at his age with Skylanders to keep him entertained with a little guidance at first.  I don't know anything about Minecraft so I'm absolutely no help there.   

kris356

My nephew is all about Minecraft, I have no clue. He was explaining it to Nathan who seem to get it. It is actually a very simple game. He has an iPad and a Playstation and plays it on that but it also available for PC or MAC. He also watching other people play on youtube. I like it because it makes it easy to buy him gifts (I got him the Lego Minecraft sets last year for his birthday). He will be 9 but he has been playing since at least K, when he was 6.

There have been a lot of articles about how it is actually a good game for kids because it involves problem solving, and other skills. I sent one to my sister. I will see if I can find it.

ETA: Hey, Parents. What Minecraft is doing to your kids in kinda surprising

Meghan&Rich

I was thinking about this too!  We busted out our Wii (which I think we got around the time we were married?) and the boys have been playing Mario Kart.  Mason has also been talking about skylanders a lot.  I'm just a little reluctant to get into it because I know nothing about any of that stuff.  I also want to make sure they'll use/enjoy it, as they do not use the LeapPad much at all (although they do really get into my parent's iPad).

Anyway, I'll be stalking this post!

bride2003

Granted I have girls but there are not alot of minecraft players among her friends BUT friends tell me that their kids are totally into it.  I am glad we are not b/c while it can be educational, I think it gets to be addicting for the kids and the last thing I need  is less attention span.  That being said, lots of kids in our neighborhood are into it and they are Jake's age so I don't think it will be hard for him to pick up. 

egpitt22

Meghan-same with our wii, it's nice to see someone enjoying it again!   my boys will still use their leap pads, sometimes after school if we are trying to pass that last stretch of time before brian comes home and we eat...you know, the time that they traditionally get angry out of hunger and start to bicker and whine?  i've found it's an excellent time to hand them each a leap pad to kill 15 minutes.  and they've been lifesavers on road trips for us. That being said, Jake also asked a few months ago how old you had to be to "go from a leap pad to a nintendo DS" and I told him older than 7 so that bought me some time.    I don't feel like constantly adding on and upgrading these electronics!  he went to a summer camp with a bunch of older kids this year, so he learned about all kinds of fun new products and stuff. 

lishie

Jackson was into Skylanders and we got him a set about a year ago. He was younger than jake will be by almost two years when he got it, and Steve had to help him a bit.

However, both Skylanders and the Disney Infinity were failures for us. Neither kept his attention the way I thought they would.

I think it's because he can play games more independently and with less help on his ipad if he wants to play games. He hasn't been into the Wii at all, and it's really surprised me. I'll take him playing the free or $1 ipad games over purchasing $50 console games that collect dust