What gaming system would you buy for a 7 year old boy?

[DODI]

I know nothing of this world. PlayStation, PlayStation 2, XBox, Game Cube -- what is a mother to do. I have no idea. Any opinions would be appreciated.

[Hobarticus]

1. Game Cube has more kid-oriented games...

...and less "Mature" ones.

[Nightjock]

2. x box is the absolute BEST

[slackmaster]

3. Erector set

Oops, wrong century.

:argh:

[DODI]

7. He had one of those. I fear I may have an engineer on my hands.

I have been avoiding the gaming world for over 20 years. All I have is a Radio Shack Pong game. But he seem to really want one and this will prepare him for the upcoming draft!

[qnr]

17. Well

I'd like one. Even though I've been a computer nerd since 1977, I'd prefer an erector set, microscope, chemistry set, electronics kit or something of that nature if I were a kid again. But then, I'm wierd I guess.

[Endangered Specie]

29. Add Lego's and Knex to that one...

My obsession with these (and brio), sorta foretold my engineering destiny ;)

[thinkingwoman]

4. the nintendo gamecube

nintendo consistently puts out a larger number of games appropriate for younger children.

If you want to screen your child from violence, rent the games before buying them and test them out yourself. Also, pay attention to the ratings. The system isn't perfect, but it is good enough to give you guidance.

My son is 13 now, and has been playing nintendo games since he was 2. He stayed heavily in the mario world for a very long time and the games were challenging, fun, and free from offending images.

Good luck.

[Worst Username Ever]

5. Honestly? I would buy a used one.

I love my XBox, but you might want to reserve that for 10-13 years old, and by then there will be a new system anyway. A 7 year old? Does he want to play games or be popular with his friends for having the latest thing? I would recommend a used N64, there are good games for cheap.

If he absolutely NEEDS top-of-the-line, my vote is the Xbox, but you need to keep an EXTREMELY close eye on the games he plays. Not many gorey/nudity games available for N64, but there sure are for Xbox.

[Hobarticus]

9. YES. Buy a used one.

Your local video game store probably has a line on reconditioned sets.

Get used games, too, and save yourself some scratch. They're CDs, they're pretty indestructible.

Half.com has some good deals.

[Wheaty]

12. Parental Control

Don't forget Xbox has parental control. A parent can set the Xbox not play Mature rated games. None of the other systems have that ability.

I have both a Gamecube and an Xbox. For a 7 year old I'd think a Gamecube would have more games for that age range, but Xbox is consistently coming out with more and more games.

Either way they are both good systems IMHO

[liontamer]

16. good point

unless he wants it to show off to friends when they come over, he'll be happy with an N64

[SheepyMcSheepster]

6. game cube is probably a good choice

nintendo imo, seems to try to keep its game line up a little more kid friendly. less violent "adult" games, there are some violent games, but nintendo tends to try and keep things a bit innocent.

now all the other systems have quality games and i am sure all have games that are acceptable for the younger ones, but nintendo is kind of the most "wholesome" in my book.

[noahmijo]

8. Gamecube has the most kid oriented games

But there are many adult games available for it to MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE RATINGS ON EVERY GAME

Any game that has an "M" rating is NOT suitable for kids. Games with a "T" rating are meant for teens and up, however I think they are okay for kids as "T" rated games never contain hardcore violence or gore or foul language or nudity, most of the time they are rated "T" because you see cars crashing (a la a racing game) or comic mischief.

[BlueHandDuo]

10. Get him an XBox...

...so you can stay up all night playing Crash. (Not Bandicoot -- it's a secondary game on a race-driving disc, the name of which I've forgotten.)

[fishnfla]

11. game boy

the new one my kids always squallering for the SP

[Forkboy]

13. Gamecube hands down

It has the best games for kids,it's the cheapest to buy,and it has games that even you'll get into :)

I like PS2 myself,but that's for me.The Gamecube is great for kids and adults alike.Gameboy Advance (the handheld system) is pretty nifty too!

[KittyWampus]

14. None. NO 7 year old child should play with that shit.

get him a baseball mitt.

[faithnotgreed]

24. or lots of good books!

[liontamer]

15. go nintendo

more kid friendly games. Would you rather he play a game with cream puffs eating everything in sight, or ninjas who have to kill dogs to get in a quiet kill

[RetroLounge]

18. Scabble. You'll be glad you did...

RL

[Deja Q]

19. I second that

n/t

[MrScorpio]

20. Atari Pong

Go ahead and splurge

[qnr]

22. But which one?

http://www.pong-story.com/

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

21. I would never by a gaming system for my son.

I think it is a waste of time and money. I think a pc is enough. You can get games for your pc or play games on line. If you really want to get a gaming system for you kid, maybe you should check out what kinds of games are available for each system before purchasing.

[nemo137]

23. Game boy advance SP and a copy of WarioWare MicroMegaGames

Best and, sadly, most addictive game ever.

[ghostsofgiants]

25. For a 7 year old

I'd probably go for a Game Cube.

X-Box is by far the best and most versatile (Mod chip+250gb hard drive = heaven). And I suggest you avoid PS2 like the plague. They're not worth the money when you can get he superior X-Box or Game Cube (yes, game cube is a better system in my opinion) for the same price or less than the PS2.

[LeftyMom]

26. None of the above!

Nothing is more annoying than watching the back of somebody's head, having to repeat yourself ten times to tell them the game needs to be turned off, only to be told that they have to find a save point (which takes longer than thawing a glacier with a unplugged hairdryer, apparently)and having to buy a new game every few weeks.

If you *really* want to get him a game system, I'd go with a cheap or used computer (in a family area only) that way he can do usefull stuff like schoolwork on it too. There are a lot of kid friendly options for computers for reasonable prices. If you do get a console system, I'd go buy a used N64 (less than $30 at gameStop.) The games are cheap and mostly kid-fiendly and the cartridges are a lot sturdier than cd's.

But a bike or a nice basketball hoop for the garage or one of those big above-ground pools (on sale dirt cheap this time of year)would be a better chioce for a kid of that age than either a game console or a computer, IMO, since they encourage physical activity and play with other children while video games don't. Kids these days spend too much time starying at screens (so sayeth the hypocrite on the internet at midnight.)

[qnr]

30. Well, technically

you're not a hypocrite due to the simple fact that you're not a "kid" heheh

[LeftyMom]

32. I guess you're right...

I've got a boring american station wagon with the radio set on the oldies station. *sigh* I guess that makes me old no matter what the number on my ID is.

Now if I could get my kid off the Dracula shift I could get to bed.

[jpgray]

27. The one that is activated by opening the front door and shoving him out

:D

[Endangered Specie]

28. Id go with a Nintendo NES...

No child or gamer is complete without experiencing 8 and 16 bit gaming.

[NamVetsWeeLass]

31. my Nine Year old has a

Gameboy Advanced SP and a Play Station 2... He is a bit Hyper active and does well with both, IOW they hold his attention for longer than five minutes.

[pdx_prog]

33. A baseball and a bat...:)

[ProdigalJunkMail]

34. maybe a soccer ball

or football...perhaps some golf clubs...maybe that new fangled thing called a bike...

theProdigal

[bif]

35. Scrabble

[EstimatedProphet]

36. A chess and checkerboard n/t