Kristopher, our 7 year old, is starting to show a lot of interest in Pokemon. I've read a little about it but can't say I understand it. I feel like he's suddenly speaking another language when he starts talking about the characters, etc. I know a lot of Christian groups have been outspoken about this game... He got a little hand held video game for his birthday - he loves it - but it's starting to drive us crazy. I've put a restriction of 1 hour/day on ALL video games/computer games ("Aw, MOM!") because he's soooo into this thing...
I'm not saying I want to ban it but what's the problem some groups have with this?
What do you know about the game and characters?
Is this a phase or something kids will get into for MANY years?
Just wondering...
I don't know alot about it but, from what I have seen, The original resembled the same format as a video game.(Except it's played with a rather large deck of specialty cards.) Certain characters have more power than other or special powers unique to them. You play them against each other much like a low tech version of a video game. I could be wrong about that but that was the impression my not so inquiring mind arrived at when it first hit the market.
I can't for the life of me understand why kids would want something that is less high tech than what is already available.
Is the hand held version more similar to the card game or does it more resemble the action packed video stuff?
At our house it was Yu-Gi-Oh. OY how I came to hate that show, the games, the cards.
I think Aaron was in kindergarten when he first got into it. I have to say this, it really motivated him to learn math, because you have to add and subtract to play the game.
He finally got tired of it in 3rd or 4th grade and moved onto Pokemon. He grew tired of that one in about a year.
I think for most kids, it will pass. I don't believe there is some spirital harm attached to or associated with the games. Really, the Pokemon cartoons I've seen always advocated for honesty, integrity, compassion, etc.
I kind of liken it to the baseball cards of days gone by, except with these instead of simply collecting and trading the cards, they can actually play games with them as well.
Well my two were raised in the beginning of the Pokemon years - on graduated Valedictorian from high school and has 5 full scholarships to college - entered as a junior in a 5 year program for molecular bio-engineering - the other one is a 4.0 HS student - so I guess the cards didn't hurt them too much
Like I said, it's not that I think it's "eeee-vile" or anything but maybe it's bugging me because it's the first time I've felt a communication gap between Kristopher and I. We've always been on the same page with everything before this came along. I often feel like I'm living my second childhood through my kids and love it. But this is something I just don't get... better get on board, I guess.
Like I said, it's not that I think it's "eeee-vile" or anything but maybe it's bugging me because it's the first time I've felt a communication gap between Kristopher and I. We've always been on the same page with everything before this came along. I often feel like I'm living my second childhood through my kids and love it. But this is something I just don't get... better get on board, I guess.
When Aaron went through this phase, I just sat down with him and played the game with him. I let him explain the rules (which changed every time we played ) and I just followed along. We would look up various cards on google and figure out what it would cost to buy them, what they were worth, etc. etc.
Eventually, you will start to pick up on the game and the cards . . . .
right about the time he gets bored with them and moves on to something else.
My kids were into Pokemon. I remembering going to an event at the local mall where they introduced the cards to get kids started. My daughter moved on to other Anime programs and movies and this fall she's going to college for Asian studies. She plans to learn Japanese and combine it with her interest in law and handle international business.
Kristopher just got into his piggy bank today and got his first deck of cards. He studied them in the minvan on the way home - making himself carsick! <_<
I've started reading up on how to play the game - he's also offered to get me a deck of cards so I can play with him.
(Don't you love it when your kids offer to buy you something with the money you gave to them? Awwww!)
Anyhow, I think we're off and running on this one.... oy vey!
#1 son was into it...died out about 5th -- gave 90-% of his stuff away to a domestic violence shelter we giver everything to. But - We do have a small card book of a few that he wants, but "wants mom to keep them till hes older" ---he is 16 almost 17 - JR in HS now.
He was not a great reader so him reading the cards-Books etc. for me was a way to get him to read.
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waysider
I don't know alot about it but, from what I have seen, The original resembled the same format as a video game.(Except it's played with a rather large deck of specialty cards.) Certain characters have more power than other or special powers unique to them. You play them against each other much like a low tech version of a video game. I could be wrong about that but that was the impression my not so inquiring mind arrived at when it first hit the market.
I can't for the life of me understand why kids would want something that is less high tech than what is already available.
Is the hand held version more similar to the card game or does it more resemble the action packed video stuff?
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Abigail
At our house it was Yu-Gi-Oh. OY how I came to hate that show, the games, the cards.
I think Aaron was in kindergarten when he first got into it. I have to say this, it really motivated him to learn math, because you have to add and subtract to play the game.
He finally got tired of it in 3rd or 4th grade and moved onto Pokemon. He grew tired of that one in about a year.
I think for most kids, it will pass. I don't believe there is some spirital harm attached to or associated with the games. Really, the Pokemon cartoons I've seen always advocated for honesty, integrity, compassion, etc.
I kind of liken it to the baseball cards of days gone by, except with these instead of simply collecting and trading the cards, they can actually play games with them as well.
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WordWolf
Just about everything kids have taken an interest in- that wasn't an interest of the parents-
has been identified as THE thing that will lead to their moral decline and downfall.
Movies, television, comic books, video games, collectible card games, D&D, the list goes on and on.
So far, each generation that was supposedly at risk of becoming depraved has managed anyway.
"In times like these, it's important to remember that there have always been times like these."
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coolchef
i don't think games like that are harmful to most kids ,
look how many hours some of us spend here!!!
i think you are right to limit the time spent
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RumRunner
Well my two were raised in the beginning of the Pokemon years - on graduated Valedictorian from high school and has 5 full scholarships to college - entered as a junior in a 5 year program for molecular bio-engineering - the other one is a 4.0 HS student - so I guess the cards didn't hurt them too much
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ChasUFarley
Thanks for the responses....
Like I said, it's not that I think it's "eeee-vile" or anything but maybe it's bugging me because it's the first time I've felt a communication gap between Kristopher and I. We've always been on the same page with everything before this came along. I often feel like I'm living my second childhood through my kids and love it. But this is something I just don't get... better get on board, I guess.
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Abigail
When Aaron went through this phase, I just sat down with him and played the game with him. I let him explain the rules (which changed every time we played
) and I just followed along. We would look up various cards on google and figure out what it would cost to buy them, what they were worth, etc. etc.
Eventually, you will start to pick up on the game and the cards . . . .
right about the time he gets bored with them and moves on to something else.
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Oakspear
It didn't seem evil to me, but it did seem like the stupidest thing I'd ever seen.
The mornonic television show was even worse.
I can't believe it's still around
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ChasUFarley
HA! I'm kinda there, too... I'm torn between, "what's this about?" and "you've got to be kidding me!"
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TOMMYZ
My kids were into Pokemon. I remembering going to an event at the local mall where they introduced the cards to get kids started. My daughter moved on to other Anime programs and movies and this fall she's going to college for Asian studies. She plans to learn Japanese and combine it with her interest in law and handle international business.
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ChasUFarley
Kristopher just got into his piggy bank today and got his first deck of cards. He studied them in the minvan on the way home - making himself carsick! <_<
I've started reading up on how to play the game - he's also offered to get me a deck of cards so I can play with him.
(Don't you love it when your kids offer to buy you something with the money you gave to them? Awwww!)
Anyhow, I think we're off and running on this one.... oy vey!
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excathedra
don't worry, chas
pokemon was BIG here, even pickachu for halloween
we had the cards, the tv show, the little video game thingy you mentioned, etc., etc.
it's definitely a phase
i didn't get into it, but i was glad when it was over :)
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washn'wear
#1 son was into it...died out about 5th -- gave 90-% of his stuff away to a domestic violence shelter we giver everything to. But - We do have a small card book of a few that he wants, but "wants mom to keep them till hes older" ---he is 16 almost 17 - JR in HS now.
He was not a great reader so him reading the cards-Books etc. for me was a way to get him to read.
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