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US kids want games subscriptions and virtual currency more than games this Christmas
(www.gamesindustry.biz)
this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2023
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Yup. I have kids, and while they do well in school, they make really stupid practical decisions.
I have a few simple rules when it comes to video games:
I wish more parents pushed back on this nonsense.
They don't? I tell my kids flatout if it costs money NO. Mine don't really play anything without me but Sky: Children of Light, though. The steam deck w/ dock does not work as well for them as I had hoped.
Apparently, otherwise this article wouldn't be a thing. I also see a ton of videos where tweens show off cosmetics that cost potentially hundreds (depending on randomness), so they are obviously using mom or dad's credit card (definitely survivorship/selection bias). My kids' friends are getting into games like Fortnite and Roblox, so it's not just randoms online, it's actually happening in my middle-class area.
A lot of factors go into that though. If the parent allows it, the child will think it is acceptable. I've bitched so hard about ads and season passes that my kids actively avoid them.
Yup, and I'm worried more and more parents allow it, which puts pressure on the other kids and their parents. Just look at how lucrative Roblox is, which is targeted at kids and a very microtransaction-heavy platform.
Thats just one of those bullshit things that will have to be a matter of willpower. They are legally allowed tk target children with their products. I have the downloads restricted on their tablets and just never approve Roblox when they ask for it. They did uninstall runescape when I gave them that tho :(
Edit: and these examples I give are just to show how easy it is to monitor without monitoring. I set this stuff up once.
am spend less than 5 dollars on roblox avatar ._.
Why is the deck not working for them? How old are they? what do they (or want to) play ?
If you look it up it is apparently a common issue with the dock. There is an issue after being put to sleep with detecting hdmi input. You have to unplug the AC adapter for 30 seconds, put it back in, and then the tv and dock will play nice.
From what I read, its not the TV. But who knows, six year olds aren't really going to do that every time to play games. They like Spyro, Rain World, Untitled Goose Game, just random stuff they've seen me play.
Damn, what a bummer. I hope they fix that fast. I'm thinking of installing Bazzite on a PC for my kids. I guess that bug is specific to the Deck's hardware, since Steam on Linux can wake up the PC just fine.
With what I spent, I could hsve gotten them a low-mid range pc to leave hooked up to the tv.
can they not play the microtransaction games at all
Yup, that's a hard rule I have. I'll buy them other games (they have lots to choose from), but no MTX until they're older. My kids are <10, and I'll reconsider when they're >12, but for now it's a hard no.
Not even Minecraft?
I guess they could play the java edition.
Yes, they play the Java version a ton.
That's fair. I agree that it might not be a good idea to introduce them to bedrock, at least before they gain some more impulse control.
Yeah, impulse control is not something they have currently, and the constant nagging of "pay to play X!" and whatnot would build so much FOMO that I just don't want to deal with the constant nagging.
So it's a hard no. I do allow it if their friends want to host a game to play together, but apparently there's now a Bedrock -> Java Minecraft bridge, so I'll just set that up going forward and host my own server so they can play together.
For me it's not about the money necessarily, it's about avoiding the "spend money to get dopamine hit" pattern these games are pushing. If a game needs you to constantly be spending money to enjoy it, it's not a fun game, it's a shopping spree.