How old is to young to start playing games ?

David

David

Well-Known Member
Sep 11, 2013
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Basically I have this question because my kids like Tony Hawk. Well my youngest was feeling left out, he's 2years 2months old.
So a about a month ago I started letting him hold the controller and having a run.
Then today I noticed that he's holding the controller upside down so he can press the Y button. Easy grinds and what not.
I never thought that he was actually comprehending what to actually do.
So this has put a new aspect I my thinking since my oldest never really got into games.
should I be letting my 2 year old play?
I see the pros, sharing, time management, visualization. I'm concerned with negatives that I'm to prejudiced to notice.
 
I see no reason why he can't play video games even at such a young age. Just got to watch what games you allow him to play obviously.
 
My son is 3 he still has not got the hang of the 360 controller yet. I've let him run around in Minecraft a little.. He mostly plays Angry Birds and this Sonic game on my sisters I Pad.
 
My son is 4 1/2 and games like a boss. I let him try playing prolly a year ago and he picked it up pretty quickly, I was surprised. I try to only let him play stuff that has minimal violence. His favorite games are Lego Marvel Superheros, Disney Infinity, Skylanders, Ducktales, Feeding Frenzy, The Kinect Sports games and Fruit Ninja.
 
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I gotta believe It's better than sticking them in front of the TV all day watching cartoons like a lot of parents do. I'd just stick with your parental intuition, your asking of this question already shows good judgement imo.
 
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Playing games is not bad, it will not stunt the mental growth your child. It will not damage their eye sight or cause them to become violent or aggressive or any other overly exaggerated side effect. All you must do as a parent is limit game time and make sure they play age appropriate stuff.
 
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My nephew plays stuff like Mario, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong with me. He's 5 and decent enough I suppose. Once they hit like 7 or 8, s*** gets real.
 
"Bu-bu-but Mario kicked the enemies! I gotta kick someone too!!!" ;)
 
I think you are ok, obviously just limit time and what games they are playing.

My Niece was operating a kindle fire and downloading new games to play at 2 years old, so they certainly have the mental faculties necessary to do it.
 
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My niece was probably about 3 and she could kind of figure out how to use a computer and look for cartoons on Youtube. Of course we all had to help her as the mouse was too big for her hands. She knew what to do but it was just to big to handle easily.

Then she moved onto tablet style stuff which is easier as she could swipe her finger.

She's now 7 (I think) and she has no issues using a PC, tablet or PS3 controller. The games of course may be too hard with too many buttons to handle, but the general jist of it is no problem.
 
I was 3 years old when I started playing games like Ducktales, Robocop, and Bubble Bobble on NES.

And I had a good grasp on how to play as well!

So I say that age.
 
Playing game is ok, but I will restrict the time, in the evening only after homework, & only allow them games suitable for their age. The worries is that the kids get obsessed with playing games, & do not want to study or go outside to play with other kids.

Games should not replace social events with other kids, & outdoor activates with family.
 
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