Not for me, I have zero interest in gaming and haven’t played one since Graham Gooch’s Test Cricket on the Commodore 64.
But (reluctantly) looking at getting something for the kids for Xmas. Other than playing the Cube on the Wii, they have had no access to gaming and although I hate the thought of them wasting hours playing computers, I know one of them is already feeling the odd one out where all his school friends are concerned.
So what is the key differences for a simpleton like me to understand?
What’s most suitable for them as 8yr olds with the next few years in mind?
Cheers
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Also bare in mind that which ever you choose you’ll have to pay an extra £30 annual subscription to access the consoles online content.
As a secondary consideration, not all games appear on both platforms, so you may wish to consider which has the exclusive games that will appeal most to your kids. For example, the Spider-Man game that comes out later this year will only be available on PS4. Lists of some of the exclusive games coming out this year are below:
Xbox: https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/the-10-biggest-xbox-one-exclusives-confirmed-for-2/2900-1744/
PS4: https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/the-24-biggest-ps4-exclusive-games-confirmed-for-2/2900-1742/
That said at age 5 and 7 we do not subscribe to Xbox live or anything like that but they play amongst themselves. They can in with others in a few years time.
From what I’ve seen Think PS4 is more teenagers/ adults who have it
Think I must be one of the few people that does nothing online, just play single player and that's it. Probably missing out but oh well.
My nephew loves his Nintendo switch. I’ve got one too and they are ace. More fun
It is better, runs quieter and allows game mods.
PS4 has the better exclusives.
Must be honest, never played it myself but a few friends have got them and said they're good.
It’s a total obsession
I've loved playing Zelda and Mario on it in the past year but not the best purchase for an eight year old who just wants to play Fortnite, Minecraft or whatever the latest game is with their friends...
Despite so many adults looking at games as anti-social, this is far from the truth. When I was at school those who didn't game just watched TV instead, the least social technology! I spent hours playing with mates online and chatting to them etc. Then it was down to me to decide if I'd do other things. Nowadays I play games with mates as well as regularly going out to the pub and playing football, etc.
You have to trust your kids to some degree. Most often they will choose a mix between your typical social life and the social life that can happen through gaming. It's certainly a good idea to monitor how much they play video games (as you can become addicted just like anything else) but you have to face it, video games can enhance social skills and social life for kids (and adults too).
The way I simply see it, is it's much better for kids to be gaming with mates than it is watching TV on their own for hours.
They’ll thank you in years to come when they’re safe in their underground bunkers weathering out the robot revolution.