How much time do your kids spend playing video games?  

Sounds like your friend would be lost without the electronic babysitter. Bet she spends tons of money on batteries for those games. My son has a Game Boy and he plays it once in a while. My kids read and mostly watch TV when they need a break. I never tell them to leave me alone so I can neglect my parenting duties. I wont buy and Xbox or any other stuff like since I'm not into it. I rather have a family game night then watch my kids stare at a screen until they pass out.

My son probably plays video games for 3-5 hours a week. It is a nice way to keep him out my hair. He is playing things like sonic and computer games like nick jr. so in some ways I think it is good for him - it stimulates his mind and eye hand coordination.

the computer games are actually teaching him spanish, lol. he knows more spanish than I did after taking 3 years of it!!

Alright, you've my funny bone here. Ya know that bone on your arm, that kinda hurts, but is interesting anyway?
I used to think video games were horrible, because of the experience I've had with them. I've noticed many people become very addicted and completely absorbed into them, as if real life didn't exist. BUT...
I do not put limits on my kids' time, nor do I even keep track. One day they might be there for 8 hours, but then it might be two months before they turn the thing on again. We are unschoolers, so our life approach is much different than most. There are so many things kids can learn from video games. self control and time management are the first and foremost my kids have begun learning. My (at the time) 4 year old started to learn to read and developed the want to learn through video games. He is very hand eye coordinated and has impeccable problem solving skills for a five year old...for a 7 year old for that matter. Sometimes he gets wrapped up for hours at a time. I see it like this, he's 5, if something can engage him for longer than 20 minutes, it's good.
The video games are not a babysitter for me, because either myself or another adult is with my kids when they are playing. We talk about the characters, the plot line, possible solutions, where clues might be, and sometimes make up our own ideas for games.
The other day at the grocery store my son developed his own video game. He used the squares on the floor as battery power, fire power and hits. He produced a scenario in his mind with a problem, a solution, a list of characters including the bad guy, good guy, guide, heroine and damsels. He calculated his life points as we walked through shopping, and kept track of his hits and misses. In the end, his game wasn't complete, so we moved to the next level to find the next clue on our drive home. After unloading the groceries and putting them away, he moved to the next level in the back yard. He kept on the same story line and continued his quest. He solved his problem, found his clues, and rescued the prisoners and saved the day.
All this, and he just turned five in January. So tell me, are video games really all that bad????

Even with going outside every day and doing homework my son clocks a good bit of gaming time in daily. We have a game cub, he has a DS and his own PC. As long as he is doing good in school, going out every day and enjoying his friends (usually at least an hour and a half after he comes home from school), I don't care how much time spends on video games. He has to take a shower during the week at 8:30 and is in bed by nine.

I have gotten my kids 3 gameboy advance systems (not the flip ones), but the original game boy advances, and you can get some pretty good deals on the older games, well they would like a newer system, but I told em no, no no, they get what I can afford, and I keep them in my room hidden, otherwise they play them all the time...

I have a PS2, and they have to earn playing that, I will not just let them sit there and play games like that, I don't even play games as much and I love game playing and video games, if they are good I will allow them up to 2 hours a day on the computer or with video games.

Mooch

Actually, between my 4 youngest children, I'd say about an hour a week. We don't really buy those types of things for them. My daughter spends time on her computer playing games, she is almost 7, but her PC is so slow that she gets frustrated, turns it off and goes outside. LOL

Thanks for letting me share!

My husband and I own a PS2 and I bought "The bee movie game" for my oldest on her 4th Birthday in Feb. I dont allow her to play it every day 4 hours a day but maybe twice a week for an hour each day. Nothing majorly long. I would never allow my children to play videogames that long. They also have a Dora Save The Mermaids game that I want to get her as well.

My children have a playstation 2 now, we cannot afford to buy them all the games that they want but they have a few. I do not put limits on it, especially not in winter. When they first had it they were always on it, but as the time has passed the novelty has worn off and they now don't bother with it at all, they would rather be out in the garden or playing with their action figures.

Mine are adults now. I don't remember my son ever playing video games as much as my son in law does. I mean, he played them but he did a lot of other stuff too. I think my son in law is almost as addicted to video games as I am to this computer lol.

Both my son and I have PS2's, Gamecube, and Wii, Gamboy Advance Sp and Gameboy DS - I also have Xbox 360, NES and Atari - we DO NOT spend the entire day in front of the tv playing games - I work full time, keep the house going (my husband works 6 hours away so we only see him for a week every third week), keep our son involved in school work and boys & girls club, do volunteer work and read quite a bit. My son rides his bike, rides his skateboard, reads, plays out doors with his friends and enjoys his games when he chooses.

I feel we have good control over when we play the games - they don't control us.

Lexa