Xbox or PS4 for 7 year old?

steve2kay · January 2014

Looking to entertain a 7 year old boy.....

Xbox one - £429 + £40 per game
PS4 - £389 + £40 games
Nintendo 3DS - £159 + £20 games
Local sailing club - £36 per year + £4 boat rental

I'm sure he'll thank me when we're sitting out in the sea in our little 2 man dinghy getting cold and wet.
I can't wait!

marypatmccue · January 2014

I think maybe you posted this in the wrong section.... this might be more of a "chit chat fun and games" topic.... I didn't see any inquiry about fitness and exercise at all...

DavPul · January 2014

This...... And ps4 or GTFO

steve2kay · January 2014

Good point, should have been chit chat - can't see how to move it.

fitfan11 · January 2014

If this post is about fitness and exercise then choose neither and give him/her something that will spark physical activity. Video games are contributing to childhood obesity.

sageryu21 · January 2014

I'm sure it doesn't matter if its about fitness or not. Just looking to get some insight from people he has come to trust...maybe. lol. As a gamer, steve2kay, i would say it depends on what kind of games he likes. Both are great systems with their quirks but it comes down to games and how much you want to spend. I'm going for a PS4 but I'm holding off until more games come out for it, which wont be until about springtime. also want all the bugs worked out too.

LishieFruit89 · January 2014

Boat, obviously.

Commander_Keen · January 2014

How about neigher, How about letting him earn it with Great grades and great decisions.

If you get him into games, you will never get him out of it.

Homework will start to go
School work will start to go
staying up very late.. etc.

DavPul · January 2014

Noooooo! Don't let him into games! They are Soooooo evil! They are totally the gateway drug to delinquency and a wasted life !!!

How do you know the kid hasn't earned it already?

DavPul · January 2014

By this logic reading books world also contribute to childhood delinquency. Should he avoid teaching the boy to read?

Patovader · January 2014

Nintendo WiiU, cheaper and more age appropriate games. They also encourage activity (Wii Sports, Fit etc) and all the family can get involved.

Happy choosing, Alan (Avid gamer and owner of several consoles)

LoraF83 · January 2014

Exactly. My 31 year old husband is a gamer and we have 5 different systems in our house. Gosh, it's awful - he holds a full time job (and is pretty successful at it), coaches high school sports, is a great dad and husband, does at least 50% of the housework, spends time with friends and family, and even plays with the dogs every day. Gaming has just ruined his life, I tell ya. It's a total nightmare.

HelllYeaHH · January 2014

lol the kid is 7. Now he can learn to balance gaming with normal life so he doesn't get sucked into it. Parents have a big role in this.

Nintendo has to most kid friendly games I think. Though I would personally go with a PS4. Just keep him of the online interactions as this can be quite graphic...

echofm1 · January 2014

How about neither? A 7 year old will likely be just as happy with a Wii, and the games tend to be more age appropriate. Xbox and PS4 both have great games, but most of their games are geared towards an older audience.

The Wii is cheaper, he'll have more options of age-appropriate games, and many of the games have multiplayer so you or his friend can play with him too. Get him an XBox or PS4 when he's older (and the price will drop on those too by then!)

benefiting · January 2014

So many haters on gaming. As long as the child knows that his schooling, eating well and getting outside to play/exercise should be his main priority there isn't an issue on having some gaming entertainment. I have an Xbox 360, Wii U and 3DS and I'd only say for variety why not start him off with a Xbox 360? It's cheaper and there is plenty of games for it.

Patovader · January 2014

Looks like the fun police are in town!

FYI, my father introduced us to gaming from around the same age (on an Amstrad CPC464). My homework was done, I was in bed on time and I passed all my exams at school. I think that all comes under the topic 'general parenting' ;-)

Commander_Keen · January 2014

He's 7.. What great decisions and grades could he have done to earn $500 toy?

Show me 1 article that states, my child failed school because he/she spent too much time with a book.

I will show you a whole community, that when a child watches too much TV, plays too much video games, etc. .grades drop.

navyrigger46 · January 2014

Neither, for the same price you could get him a basketball hoop in the front yard. I have an Xbox, but I'm an adult, my kids don't use it, and for that matter, neither do I. I wouldn't get a kid a game console of any kind after spending some time with family over Christmas, my nephew is completely addicted, what a waste. There's a 19 year old across the street from me right now who literally spends more than half the day on those things, never had a girlfriend, not very athletic, never had a real job, sounds like a great way to have a 7 year old spend their time. Just this fathers opinion. My dad never bought me the latest game console, at the time I was really upset, now, I thank him for that.

Rigger

Dch2272 · January 2014

My sons play the Xbox 360. They are a variety of games, some educational, some fitness related, some junk. As to the earlier response, all three of my boys (the youngest being 8) are straight A students, Boy/Cub Scouts, and athletes, not delinquents.

As long as their game play is monitored and kept within reasonable limits, it's not a bad thing.

benefiting · January 2014

Exactly!

tomomatic · January 2014

A coloring book and a Crayola box of 64 colors.

If you really want to get them something electronic, consider getting a Leap Pad Explorer.

SF2514 · January 2014

I'd blame the parents. My kid watches a good amount of TV and Games every day. However, EVERYDAY we sit down and have a from scratch dinner, do home work, and are in bed by 8:20 pm. In the morning we wake up at 6 have a healthy breakfast do a review page I print myself, do flash cards, and then she plays on her computer or watches her movies. She probably watches/games between 3-5 hours a day. If the parents aren't making time to help/make sure their kids are doing their homework it's on them.

*edit* We also make sure to read between 1-2 books day. Short books (kindergarten-2nd grade), but still it's about making the effort instead of just blaming the games/tv.

linka411 · January 2014

I'm biased since my mother got me a Game Boy Color when I was a little older than your son, but I recommend Nintendo- at least for his age. Great franchises for all ages like Mario and Pokemon, and it's a good introduction to gaming. As others have mentioned here too, limiting the time your son plays is important, and with a with a 3ds it could be pretty easy- just take it from him and put it away somewhere where he won't get to it! Easier to do than with a bigger console right? XD. I could go into more reasons why but I'm trying to keep it brief here.

In all seriousness though the other consoles are really great, don't get the wrong-most of my experience just happens to be with Nintendo games and I really do think it's better for your child at his age. In truth I don't think you can go wrong with any choice, but no matter what you pick just make sure that a) he's playing games appropriate for his age, b) you limit the time he's playing and c) he's acting civil online and in real life to other gamers.

The sailboat thing sounds pretty cool too. I think you should do that one regardless if he's really that interested! It's good for kids to get into some sort of outdoor activity at that age. I didn't and that's probably one of the reasons I'm here trying to lose weight XD.

linka411 · January 2014

Ditto here. It's all about balance.

Patovader · January 2014

The boy is seven, my three year old has a leap pad (age appropriate) and my one year old can open my iPhone and play videos on YouTube...

Kiyalynn · January 2014

I don't know the difference between a xbox one, a PS4 or Nintendo and would have no clue what to buy a 7 year old any more. I just buy indie games off steam for 10$ a game. I just think its silly that people are flaming video games.
So here's a few examples of gamers who don't fall into the bad perception of this site. Take my gamer husband for example... He's been a gamer all his life... and now... he makes enough money working from home for me to be a stay at home mother, while developing games like Civ 5, and uses all the games he plays as work research. Really, he spends ALL his time involving games, and lives a low stress and happy life doing work he loves. Then there's Me, A gamer girl, Who met her husband though games, with talent for chemistry and a love of architecture. To the point that I use Sims 3 for designing and planing houses and am considering going into a architecture career to design houses for people instead of sims. For me as a child The only time I failed on my homework though all my schooling, was due to other factors, mostly stress of being teased at school (while I was a skinny 90 lb thing in Jr. High). Witch lead me to play video games... and eating a dozen doughnut holes and a chocolate non-filled long john every morning plus greasy Pizza hut Pizza frequently... I gained double my weight in just a few years, and weighed 180 in high school... but here's a question: Did the games make me fat or did stress over eating make me fat? Then there's my gamer brother, who is also a athletic cross-country runner... who had such bad hand-eye coordination as a child... that the doctors TOLD my parents to buy him a video game to improve it... Now he's served in the US NAVY, finished his duty, and is currently going to college while still serving in the Navy reserves.
Games are perfectly fine for kids.

selfepidemic1 · January 2014

Sony. I love sony, they've consistently made good products, they're reliable and worthwhile.

linka411 · January 2014

^ Agreeing with kiyalynn on pretty much everything. I suppose it wasn't so much the game playing and inactivity that caused me to gain weight and not do homework when I was younger, but it was the depression and stress of middle school- I was teased very badly as well. I ate a lot and all of the wrong things and that's probably why I gained.

But games got me through it, and it helped me connect with great, long-lasting friends and helped me eventually find love. After my environment change from middle school to high school my grades began to soar and I graduated both high school and college with good GPAs.

Games are awesome, just be smart about how and what you let your kids play.

JDySart777 · January 2014

Well...it's pretty clear that he said his kid is already a 7 year old "drop out" that likes to stay up late and not do homework! Can't you read?! :grumble:

JayDavila · January 2014

Wow.. I cant and dont understand how so many people think gaming was made from Satan himself..

People please understand. Parenting raises your child.. You as a parent you allow what influences your child at home with a topic like gaming.. If you allow your child to sit in front of a video game system for hours on end YOU are at fault not the system. No different if YOU as a parent allow your child to eat unhealthy everyday.

I have twin girls and granted they are only 1 but as a parent I limit the amount of TV, Toys. I supplement reading, music, dancing, learning books, flash cards etc. .
Regardless as a PARENT WE make the decisions that they should learn how to incorporate in their daily lives, and when you see it shifting its our jobs to try and get it back on track, that's why parenting never ends.

I totally agree that limits should be set, but when they are abused.. who is actually at fault.. Not the gaming system.

I also think the Wii is better suited for a child under 13 but none the less, if that same child has something like a PS4 the parent should be held accountable for the content being played on that system. You shouldn't have an underage child playing something like Call of Duty etc.

Educate yourselves on these systems and the content being played. Set appropriate times to play and maybe even get involved in the game play- you might enjoy the time with your child and the system which will give you better control also. it's all about balance and involvement.
.. And for those using the excuse that games corrupt and make delinquent kids.. WRONG!!
It's the parents that are at fault for letting that kid have no life other than sitting in front of a game for hours on end. Limits and variety people..

Always_Smiling_D · January 2014

Neither - bat, ball, n glove / basketball and net/ football / soccer ball/ bicycle.... could possibly buy all mention with the same amount you would spend on a video game console n games...

But if it is necessary... xbox with kinnect n perhaps only sports and interactive games...

Xbox or PS4 for 7 year old?

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