Oof.
Society peaked in 1999 and no one can tell me different.
this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2025
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And here my kid wants a tamagotchi for christmas.
whatyearisit.jpg
I worry about how I would raise a child in this landscape. Two of the people I know with kids, the kids don't care about video games. One of the kids is super into iPad games, and that feels like a haazrd brewing.
Maybe I'd try to stick to real games for any child I was responsible for, but I don't think that would survive impact with peers.
It's 43% of 60% of US kids. So more like 25%. Still pretty bad.
i have four nephews. 3 of them want fortnight/roblox money. the other one doesn't care about games at all.
i try to get them into different games and they won't have it. they are addicts for these freemium bullshit games. the concept of buying a game is weird to them. they expect them to be free, but they have normalized paying money for in game items.
and they have been playing these games for years now. 6+ years playing the same game. probably 10,000+ hours in them. but all they care about is playing with tehir friends and competing over who is best at fortnite.
Terrifying how when they grow up they will influence the gaming landscape to become even more hellish.
Ill go back to my games before 2008 now bye.
I didn't see a link to the survey in the article so I found it on the ESA website.
The survey says that 58% of kids want games, but it doesn't seem to specify what percentage of kids want in-game currency?; it simply says that in-game currency is one of the top five video-game related requests, at 43%. But 43% of what? 43% of kids who want games? It's not specific, which would make the news article meaningless.
While I agree that this is not a good thing, I have to say it is not much different to for example Pokemon cards. Sure you could sell physical cards - if you're lucky maybe even without loss - but I don't think it is so much different.
Physical cards last for years. Maybe the online game will be around in ten years, but maybe not.
I have most of my magic cards from my youth. They're a thing I own. I can do what I want with them- play the game, use them for decorations, sell them. Digital shit is transient with few options for the buyer.
See: Ubisoft. Pay for gane with own money, sorry fuck you games gone now.
If that ain't proof microtransactions are a bane on society, then we're already too corrupt to care.
If it isn't proof they target children, I don't know what is.
Microtransctions prove they should be illegal every time I read any article about them
Not to mention there’s hardly any micro transactions left, a lot of these micro transactions are the prices of full games or more!
This is what I don't get, why would you get some in game currency or item that will help you for like five minutes for the same price as a game that will give you tens of hours of fun. Cosmetics I somewhat get, you wanna show off. Still think it's kinda dumb but I get it since I'm tf2 player.
because FOMO
someone else has it and you don't. that's a huge motivator for most people, and super important for kids.
Nah it's worse, because you can trade TF2/Steam items. You can't do shit with games like Fortnite, Overwatch, Valorant, etc...
Doesn't the trading kind of encourage the gambling aspect of it though?
Kids my age: Remember when you could just download a skin for Quake from a website, install it, and still have other players see it? And it was free?
My brother got minecraft to play with my niece and there are two versions now, from what I can tell one that’s like what I was playing a decade ago but updated, and one that has microtransactions. The old one lets you download skins and mods for free. It seemed like a no brainer but he went with the microtransaction one, and now my niece keeps asking for cosmetics.
There must be a reason to yoke yourself to the pay-for-skins version, but I’m really not sure.
I made my own Quake skin for my clan!
You also learned some valuable PC navigation and troubleshooting skills in the process of adding the skin to your game.
Kids today: why wouldn't I spend $20 to be able to dance the running-man as Goku in Fortnite?
Remember the custom warehouse level filled with crates and everyone wearing a crate skin?
I worked hard to make my kids understand why that stuff is bad. They got their highs, crashes, and understanding, now they're not attracted to stuff like that any more 😅 but man, it should totally be illegal.
Especially for kids ffs.
Damn this one stings.
Instead of wanting a video game as a present.. They want a bunch of resources for the video game they already play.
And here i was assuming that with all the gamer parents, kids where going to be guided towards actually good games.
Kids want to play the games their friends are playing more than what their parents play.
I will play Fortnite and Roblox and Rocket League with my son and I’ve never had a skin or a battle pass and have tried to show him you can have fun with out wasting your money but that doesn’t stop a kids FOMO.
Publishers know kids have undeveloped abilities to delay gratification and are susceptible to peer pressure
Yeah, for this reason i don't plan to outright ban roblox and the like. I don't want to be a fun-dictator.
Its also important that kids learn to deal with the reality that these games/practices do exist around them, and at some age i wont be there to guide every decision.
But there will definitely be “a talk” before i install anything remotely like it. Being capable of understanding the dangers is a requirement to get acces.
Gamer uncle of kids with non-gamer parents here.
I did what I could.
My niece's taste in games is impeccable. She's 13 and among her favorites are Hollow Knight, the Ori games, Inscryption, Cult of the Lamb, and of course big mass kids appeal games like Pokemon and Mario.
My nephew (9) is a lost cause. It's all Roblox and mobile child casino garbage and he doesn't have even the slightest interest in anything else. I'm pretty sure my partner and I are the only people in his life who have never given him Robux.
I went with my son to his friends house a few years ago, about 9. Me and his mom were hanging out while the kids gamed. Her son played roblox. I never liked the game, and know there are thousands of other games to play that aren't so predatory, so my kid was never introduced to it. Anyway, his friend was playing so I let my son play too for this day.
After a time, her son asked for $10 for Roblox. Mom said not today and the child had a full meltdown. It hurt my ears he was screeching so loud. My son just froze and stared at his friend. It looked similar to a panic attack crossed with a toddler temper tantrum. Once he calmed down, she let him back on the game, but we went home.
Certain games turn smaller children into addicts. Roblox is definitely one of those games, it seems.
My nephew has talked about how lucky some of his friends are because they get more robux from their parents than he does and how he wishes his parents would give him more "nice things" like that.
This is a kid who has been to disneyland multiple times and has gone on multiple cruises before he was a decade old. They have a big trip basically every summer, but he doesn't want any of that, he just wants more robux.
he's a child. he has no idea want things cost or what they are worth.
all he knows is the intense urge to get more robux
and disney was probably more about his parents. my parents made me go to disney twice even though i had no interest and told me what an ungrateful shit iw as the entire time. it was never about me. it was about them.
i was happier hanging out win the woods with my friends, or even alone, than going to disney. i hated it.
ironically i wanted to go six flags but my parents never took me, even thought it was in driving distance and way cheaper... because everything was about them. the rides were so much better.
Kids want to play what their friends/community are playing.
There aren't 50% of gamer parents anyway.
I thought so too. I try with my boy I really do. Ive got him understanding that mtx are the work of Satan, but beyond that I cant help him.
Help us European Union, you're our only hope.
Who are the parents of these kids ?? They clearly failed in life
Its not the parents fault, its just how its going.
As a kid I wanted pokemon cards, because all the other kids had pokemon cards and were showing off how many pokemon cards they had and it was on TV that you GOTTA CATCH EM ALL and the cool kid had a shiny raichu and I was a loser because I didnt have one so I really wanted one so I needed pokemon cards.
It didnt mean my parents failed me. It means toy manufacturers have all but weaponised marketing/propaganda and children are especially susceptible.
In my example, replace shiny raichu card with Peter Griffin skin.
yeah. it's like saying you shouldn't give you kid a smart phone.
you will basically destroy their social development because literally every kid has one. and the worst thing for a kid is to be socially excluded. children desperately crave peer acceptance.
It means toy manufacturers have all but weaponised marketing/propaganda and children are especially susceptible.
When exactly does it switch over to be weaponized? What is the line?
South Park pretty much nailed it in the chinpokomon episode
Really? Your parents never bought you worthless junk meant to be throw away like fart putty or those rubber bubbles you blow up with a straw that barely work or packs of Pokémon cards or baseball cards?
I don’t think it should be up to the parents to tell the kids what’s valuable to them. If the kid wants a vbucks card over a game then you can tell them that’s why they didn’t get a new game.
(I do recognize that the current monetization models have ruined modern gaming which is why I only play games that are 15 years old or older)
What a fedora screeching nerd take.
THE KIDS WANT VIDEO GAMES! THE PARENTS ARE FAILURES!
Jesus Christ 🤦♂️
More than half of US kids want to play more games with their parents, particularly children aged between 5 to 7 (73%).
Fucking ruined generation, awful parents, 🙄
Probably the same parents that buy their kids GTA and then complain games are too violent. They just don't care that much to look into what their kids like.
Crazy stuff. Just brings to mind how many kids are playing fortnite and the like. A lot probably just goes onto skins
Using shiity stats to push narratives!! 🎉
complaining about this one feels boomerish to me like "oh no! dem kids like the [new thing™]!!"
Yeah that's insanely fucked.
Sickning..