Support NeoGAF

[NecrosaroIII]

My god son's birthday was coming up. I was debating what to get him. I know he's really into robot so I was thinking of getting him that. But it got me thinking.

When I was a kid, it was pretty rare that I'd get a video game. Pretty much only at Christmas. The rest of the time I'd get toys. Stuff like the star wars action figures. I always wanted Legos but my parents never got them for me because they were expensive. But yeah, cheap action figures and toy cars. I'd invent stories using them.

From what I've seen of kids today, they don't really play with physical toys. Mostly just tablets and other games. Is this a general trend?

 

[MachRc]

Yes,

My kid plays alot of minecraft, he's had a private server on ggservers for like 3 years now. Fanatically into it.
My other kid plays alot of roblox. Robux currency that I give her comes out to like 20 bucks every 3 weeks(rolling eyes back into my head) .
I have to make them swim in the pool for an hour or go rollerblade around the neighborhood/school with them.


But we also enjoy musical instruments, wooden lock puzzles, and jigsaw puzzles.
We do alot of puzzles together as family time, some card games, and board games
They love dominos, I taught them all the OG slangs for yelling out when making money in dominos like
"ninTENdo!", "rip rida!", "harlem!" "Dub!" "Knick Knack Patty WacK!". So gangsta


Im getting something for my nephew's 10th birthday this weekend.
Most likely a 50 dollar robux card in a nice card envelope, and most likely

Because learning how to code and make games is huge with children now.
Most physical toys end up in the garage or closet as waste.

 

[Durien]

My son is in his teens used to play with Legos all the time. My daughter used to play with legos (she's 9) but prefers to do arts and crafts. However, if given the choice, they'll both choose video games.

 

[BigBooper]

Yea. Legos are played with a lot. They stopped playing stuff like cars and dolls around 7-9.

 

[T8SC]

I don't think Hachiman could get away with this pose in 2021.

Also; Lego is still big in 2021. Plenty of toys/action figures in shops too.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

I grew up as an action figure fiend. My parents weren't down to buy me any videogames, but I had like three tubs full of action figures. I'd just take them out, divide them into teams, finally start moving around them a bit, and then move on. I guess it was more about the toys sparking imagination and giving me story ideas.

 

[Arimer]

Yes if you limit their screen time. If you allow them to watch youtube or game all day they will. I jsut recently bought a rower and my kids spent an entire day playign with the box it came in because i limi their screen times. they also enjoy their nerf guns for outside play.

 

[Liljagare]

Wifey is a kindergarten specalist teacher at a montessori school.

The kids there all know how to build toys from pinenuts and sticks, and play with bark boats all the time.

Its kinda nice to see, and the kids also know what a chanterelle is. Gives me hope, as its sort of lonely out in the woods nowadays. Hardly ever meet any foragers anymore, nor fishermen at the small lakes deep in the forests.

It went quick from the 90's to now.

 

[RowdyReverb]

Yes, my kids are 100% obsessed with toys. They haven’t really been exposed to tablets or smartphones aside from watching movies/TV.

 

[Dr. Suchong]

Yes,

My kid plays alot of minecraft, he's had a private server on ggservers for like 3 years now. Fanatically into it.
My other kid plays alot of roblox. Robux currency that I give her comes out to like 20 bucks every 3 weeks(rolling eyes back into my head) .
I have to make them swim in the pool for an hour or go rollerblade around the neighborhood/school with them.


But we also enjoy musical instruments, wooden lock puzzles, and jigsaw puzzles.
We do alot of puzzles together as family time, some card games, and board games
They love dominos, I taught them all the OG slangs for yelling out when making money in dominos like
"ninTENdo!", "rip rida!", "harlem!" "Dub!" "Knick Knack Patty WacK!". So gangsta


Im getting something for my nephew's 10th birthday this weekend.
Most likely a 50 dollar robux card in a nice card envelope, and most likely

Because learning how to code and make games is huge with children now.
Most physical toys end up in the garage or closet as waste.

I read Game Builder Garage as "Game RAGE"
My subconscious needs a re-tune or something.

 

[GeekyDad]

How old is he?

 

[bitbydeath]

Kids have so many options now that they have to really like it to play with it for more than 5 minutes. I’d suggest asking what they’re into.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

How old is he?

He's 5. Always see him on a tablet tho

 

[nush]

He's 5. Always see him on a tablet tho

Toy cars it is then.

 

[GeekyDad]

He's 5. Always see him on a tablet tho

Ah, yeah. I seem to see mostly that myself these days. Wish I could help ya'. I will say this, though. We grew up with the Atari 2600 in the house with great games like Pitfall and Adventure, and though I played the heck out of them with my brother, I still loved my alone time with my toys -- mostly Star Wars action figures and stuff like that. Don't think electronics have yet to fill the void of a kid's imagination with toys.

 

[MachRc]

5? super easy...

LILLABO 45-piece train set with track - IKEA

LILLABO 45-piece train set with track. An entire city where your train chugs along through tunnels and goes up steep hills on its journey passing high buildings and lush trees. Can be used with most other railway systems on the market.

www.ikea.com

 

[Fbh]

I'm not a parent myself, but my niece is 6 and my nephew is 4 and they both love to play with toys and ask for them on every birthday or Christmas. My niece is into barbies and stuff like that and my nephew is into lego and superheroes.

But my sister and her husband are strict with screen time, the kids don't have free access to phones or tablets and they only get to watch TV occasionally.
From what I've seen, kids that have been put in front of a screen all the time since they are litter tend to be less interested in toys.

 

[TGO]

No really, more games and TV theses days
Guess she's getting too old for toys

 

[AJUMP23]

My son plays with his nerf guns, and sporting equipment, soccer, baseball, basketball, scooter. He doesn’t play with action figures and legos like I did and create his own stories. He has built his own fort in the yard. 7 year old.

My daughter loves to read, but only biography. She doesn’t play with any toys she doesn’t even care about sports, but she has to play them and practice. If she is sent outside she wants to hang in the hammock or the swing. She has very little imagination. But she is practical.

They would be on an iPad all day if we let them.

 

[DelireMan7]

My kids (5 and 2) are playing a lot with toys. But we are quite strict on screen time so...

My god son (8) is always on screen, either TV or Fortnite (which I play the first time with him this summer and as an enthusiastic gamer made me sad for the new generation of gamers xD).
When it comes to make him a gift, I was first puzzled by this question : "Should offer him something I am sure he wants and know (aka videogames or even worse "Fortnite skin") ? Or should I make him discover something else to open his horizon ?"

I opted for the second option for the moment. Recently I offer him a book "Adventure that you are the hero" and One piece first volumes.

If he gets already a lot of screentime, I think it's nice to show him something else. I'll go for the robot if I were you. Maybe he will play a lot with it, or maybe not...

We recently had a discussion with the godfather of my son about "sow a seed" when making a gift. You can use gift to try trigger an interest to a kid (could be music, reading, crafting....). These gifts are like seeds, they can sprout, grow and take a big place in the child's life and future. Maybe they will not sprout at all and it's fine. And some will not sprout immediately but the seed is there and it might sprout later.

 

[nkarafo]

Tablets, videogames, etc, are far more addictive than toys.

So, if they have the choice, they will pick whats more addictive to them. If you don't want them to spend time with tablets simply remove that choice for them.

When i was a kid, my parents would not buy me videogames. So i played with toys and action figures until i was 10 or something. But if i had the choice i would probably not ever care for my Playmobils and GiJoes.

 

[BouncyFrag]

Kids have it easy these days:

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Yes if you limit their screen time. If you allow them to watch youtube or game all day they will.

This is the correct answer. Die to pandemic our daughter got a lot of tablet + TV and she lost all interest in tous. Now we cut back on it sharply and also started reading a lot more with her, the change was instant.