Kids and Your Games?

nesjess

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For those of you who have babies and kids, do you have a specific policy when it comes to your games?

The reason I ask is my wife and I just had our first child (a beautiful baby girl named Kaelyn). I was just thinking that when she starts growing and roaming around the house, it will be interesting to see how she'll approach the games.

My wife thinks she won't be interested, but I'm thinking a colorful cabinet with bright lights and sounds is like a spotlight for kids. Bugs to a light. Although, since I've had my games, young kids don't like them because they are too difficult for them.

Anyone ever have their kids break something on a game or draw all over cabinets? Honestly, I don't really care, just curious and wondering what to look forward to. I'm wondering how long it will take for her to get past the 3rd elevator in DK. Haha.

I'm just happy I have a healthy baby girl. :)
 
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HEY! Congrats on the baby!

As for damaging arcade games, I dunno, I think that is a 4-6 year old thing to do. My daughter is 2 1/2 now and she's always out in the garage with me, and has never drawn on, kicked, or broken anything.
 
Kids are drawn to them like magnets; that's been my experience.

Unfortunately for the kids, most of my games aren't very (younger) kid friendly. A number of have tried Spy Hunter even though I told them it was a "grown up game" and they unsurprisingly didn't like it. What, you're 8-10 years away from being able to DRIVE and you don't like driving a heavily armed race car at 150mph on icy roads while everyone around you tries to kill you? :)

My kids like and play BattleZone.

I don't let them play Star Trek.

They love Gauntlet Legends and haven't played NBA Jam yet.

Next game will be a multi-game system so I expect the wife and kid appreciation factor to go up somewhat.

The games are kept turned off and they don't know how to turn them on so their play is somewhat supervised. I put the fear of God in them about messing with the games other than that and have had only one incident where my younger daughter compulsively picked at a piece of gum she noticed stuck under a CP and it damaged the wood and artwork it was stuck to.

I've gotten off really lightly I guess but my kids are old enough now to mostly know better. We have young kids in the house from time to time and they ignore the games because they are never turned on when they are over.
 
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My daughter is 3 now and has played with my machines since she was 2. Starting out, I think the bright lights and getting to bang on the buttons was what drew her to them. Now she actually understands the games (I mostly play fighting games with her). She knows how to turn it on, add credits, can select her character (always a girl character) can move her character, and knows which buttons are punch and kick. She enjoys playing the games and watching me play them. I think allowing her to play them is great, that's what they're for. She knows not to color on them or bring food around them (better so than my wife.) I grew up playing games and it's great to be able to share the experience with her.
 
When kids come to my house they love the games. THe biggest issues I've had are that some kids get frustruated and want to hit or bang on the machines. Other kids try and use them as a jungle gym and try to hand from the joy stick or from a games steering wheel. In my house I politely tell them once they can't do that. Basically if a friends kids don't respect the games they are not allowed to play them.
 
My twin 4 year old boys

Having worked in the video game industry for 12 years and having had my boys the year before I left the industry, now I can't wait till I can play games with them. I started collecting some stuff just for them. They love Wacky Gator... and are only able to play that. Young kids that come over have played on the multicade stuff cause they like Qix and the shooters... my twins will be raised on a diet of Mario Brothers, Double Dragon, Operation Thunderbolt, Cabal, Blood Brothers and SF2....

w/ their ole dad they'll play Cadash, TMNT, Xmen, Golden Ax RoDA, Sega Spiderman, Sunset Riders, Aliens vs Predator, D&D SOM + TOD, and NBA Jam
 
One of my young nieces has a bad habit of picking at any imperfections. I've caught her trying to peel my Asteroids deluxe side art off where it is scratched and pick off the wood by the lock on the back door of my spyhunter. I'm trying not too be the mean grouchy uncle but man this bugs me. Other 7 year old niece is scared to death of star wars because of obi wans "may the force be with you" and won't go near it. Make sure back door is closed so they don't get zapped and coin door locked so they don't reach in and pull wires. Turn off games at top of cab(if applicable).
 
First off, congrats on the baby girl :)

Sam will be 2 in May, and he absolutely loves the games. Obviously he doesn't know how to play them, but if you lift him up to the CPs, he love to roll trackballs, and yank on joysticks all day long. His absolutle favorite thing is to walk up to the coin doors, and stick his fingers in the return slots, and if any of the coin doors are unlocked, open the doors and slam them shut...over, and over, and over. Its actually hilarious to watch him crack up at that.

The way I look at it, these games were made to take a beating. As long as my kids are interested, I'm game. Let em hammer away.
 
My daughter is just shy of 3 and she has been around the games from day one. When she was a baby, I would set her on the pinball glass above the flippers while I played. She always got a kick out of watching the ball.

Once she was walking, she learned the joy of TOKENS!!! Kids 1.5 - 6 just love putting tokens in the coin mechs. They love that more than playing the games usually. She has always been quite skilled at jamming my mechs up really good.

She likes playing the games, but she really doesn't have a clue what is going on yet. She does know how to launch a pinball, and she is finally understanding to hit the ball when it gets near a flipper. Lately I've had an old NES hooked up to her 13" TV. She loves playing duck hunt and can actually make it to level 8 or so by herself. I need to get a lightgun game for the arcade.

I'll leave you with a few tidbits to show just how awesome being a 'cool daddy' is:

- when I bring home a new machine, she runs in and says "Ooooohhh!!! A NEW game daddy! A NEW game! I'm so happy!"
- When she sees a game that is not working, she'll grab her 'tools' and say "This one's broke daddy. Let's fix it, okay?"
- The gameroom serves as our main entrance/exit since it is a walkout onto our driveway. Every time we come home from somewhere, she will say "Let's play games Daddy! Turn on the games!"


So yes, be prepared to find a whole new way to enjoy your games.
 
Congrats on the baby. My kids will hang around when I get something new but once it makes it to the basement they have very little interest until there friends want to come over.I have a hard time with other peoples kids my buddy doesn't watch his at all they run and jump hang on shit one time I told his middle son if he pulled on the shooter on a pinball like that again he would find him self in the bottom trying to chew him self out I politely opened the coin door showed him inside so he new he would fit that stopped him for a while. But they were on location for 10+ years before I got them so besides art I guess they can't break much [I hope]I do turn off all my EM pinballs.
 
His absolutle favorite thing is to walk up to the coin doors, and stick his fingers in the return slots, and if any of the coin doors are unlocked, open the doors and slam them shut...over, and over, and over. Its actually hilarious to watch him crack up at that.

This was true with my son, Thomas. Exact same scenerio as Jow's boy.

We have a step stool for my daughter and found she is more relaxed/careful playing the games and not likely to kick it.

The only thing that angers me is when they sneeze on the cp. Nasty!

As far as Jow's comment that cabs were "built to last", I totally agree. How many of you guys remember going to the Rollerskating arena and seeing kids kick the shit outta the machines, with their skates on!?! LOL! Amazing that so many DK cabs are still around! ;)
 
But they were on location for 10+ years before I got them so besides art I guess they can't break much [I hope]I do turn off all my EM pinballs.

They did break often in the field thanks to abuse like this. Just remind the kids that YOU have to repair things they break. They need to know the machines have an owner that they know and have to respect. They aren't random games out on route!
 
Other kids try and use them as a jungle gym and try to hang from the joy stick or from a games steering wheel. In my house I politely tell them once they can't do that.

I do not have kids, but I've had this happen before, while the kid's father was watching him and doing nothing. I politlely mentioned to the father that it was not good for the game and the situation needed to end, but I was ignored. I was not about regulate someone else's kid, so I distracted the kid and locked up the game room. They are both not allowed in the gameroom anymore.
 
every day i here my 3 year old say, i wanna play my game (pac man) dad. i have it set for coins and he loves it. he can make it to the third level on fast mode.
 
My pins get constant play from my son and his buddies (he is 10 now). I try and tell them not to "machinegun" the flipper buttons and to try and keep their hands off the glass if at all possible. I usually have to clean the glass though as they are always pointing out stuff on the playfield or resting there arms/hands on the glass.

My son knows the rules though and he usually just tells new kids what they can and can not do :) ie. No beating dad's high scores!! hahaha
 
My When she was a baby, I would set her on the pinball glass above the flippers while I played. She always got a kick out of watching the ball.

I have a pic of my daughter doing the same while I'm playing my Sorcerer. Our kids love the games and the juke. My daughter always wants to know when the next "new" game is coming home. I just laugh, considering the ones I collect are all 30 years old.. "new", heh.
 
My 4 munchkins are 1,6,11,and 9. Two boys two girls. My daughter the 9 yr old loves playing my cabs as does the 6 yr old boy. The 11 year old boy is so spoiled by 360,PS3, and DS that he doesn't really appreciate what they are and very rarely plays. The boys were never introduced to arcades by their father like I did with my daughter, probably why she's hooked. She likes games simple with less buttons. They are only allowed to play supervised by me.
 
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