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Decline Should I Buy a Switch for my kids?

oldmanpaco

Master of Siestas
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So I have 3 boys - 6, 4, 18 months. Currently the 6 and 4 year old play steam lego games. I've been thinking of buying a switch for them for Christmas but I don't know if its the right thing to do.

Its a few years more until the full advantages of PC gaming become obvious for them but will I contaminate them by buying a kids console? Mario Cart and that other shit look pretty good to them right now.

Fucking decisions man.

edit: Also my 6 year old really wants that Spider-Man game. Is the PS4 the way to go?
 

Jacob

Pronouns: Nick/Her
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Grab the Codex by the pussy
Buy PS4, seriously, it's just console game, it doesn't matter which one you choose. Might as well pick one that your 6yo wants.

Whether you want to 'enlighten' them with PC gaming or not is another discussion, but since you've decided that you want to give them a gaming console, the choice between PS4 or Switch should be up to them.
 
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PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
I think the Switch is a good way to go. The Switch has a good selection of indie games, as well as free games, and it's something that your kids can play both on the TV together, or somewhere else, like in their room or on a trip. The battery lasts decently long, about 2-5 hours depending on how intensive the games you're running are (or how long you watch youtube).
 

SausageInYourFace

Angelic Reinforcement
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Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. My team has the sexiest and deadliest waifus you can recruit. Pathfinder: Wrath
Switch is a good console but I think you should try to limit your kids time in front of screens as much as possible. From what I have seen there seems to be a strong (and indeed shocking) correlation in the ability to concentrate between the kids whose screen time is heavily regulated and those whose is isn't.
 
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agentorange

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Switch is better than PS4 since it has more games for your kid's age range. PS4 may have Spider-Man but your kid will play it and get bored of it and then the thing will sit there gathering dust since it's not like he's going to be moving onto Bloodborne or Sekiro anytime soon. Plus I assume the Switch has some kind of virtual store where you can get stuff like Earthbound and Chrono Trigger.
 

Nifft Batuff

Prophet
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Nov 14, 2018
Messages
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No, avoid the Switch. The Switch is the Devil and it is causing the destruction of all that is good in gaming, transforming the human race in comsumistic trashcans.

Instead. Buy a lowend laptop or, better, a rasperry. And install retroarch or similar on it (you can install retroarch on the switch in you are inclined to experiment, but still better not: avoid giving Nintendo any money). You can play all the classics.

Even better, lets your kid play outside, with real games and sports.
 

agentorange

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Codex 2012
No, avoid the Switch. The Switch is the Devil and it is causing the destruction of all that is good in gaming, transforming the human race in comsumistic trashcans.
The worst, most abusive games of this sort are on PC, though. Your Fortenites, PUBGs, Dota 2s, and all sorts of assorted other microtransaction, skinner boxing infested glorified gambling games. At least Nintendo makes video games that are just video games; they barely even get into the dlc and microtransaction stuff as far as I'm aware, let alone all the horrifying online lootbox gambling stuff.
 

ultra loser

Scholar
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Nov 24, 2018
Messages
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Buy them something that plays Cowa Dooty/Fortnite or they won't have friends. Kids don't want to play some goofy Merry-o games.
 

Morkar Left

Guest
I think 4 and 6 years old is way too early for them to be allowed to play videogames without control. Otherwise I think a switch has some good games and is relatively cheap.
 

Mark.L.Joy

Prophet
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
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Buy those mini versions or just emulate has someone already mentioned, probably cheaper.
 

Konjad

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Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
buy them a computer. Seriously, it will end up better, i believe. While you will have more fixing to do, they will be forced to think a little bit more and eventually they will be overall able to do way more things on it than on a console.

Imagine yourself growing up with a console instead of a PC. Is it a decent image?
 

SerratedBiz

Arcane
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Mar 4, 2009
Messages
4,143
Time to show them what a PC can do and force them to play some games with good ASCII art. Dwarf Fortress, TOME, Cataclysm. Once they master those, they can move on to CGA/EGA games (Lode Runner, King's Quest, QFG1), then onto VGA games (Outrun, Stunts, 3D World Boxing). These are all kid-friendly game recommendations and I grew up with all of them, only to turn into a wonderful, successful individual.

Only once they have conquered the challenges of the past may they advance on to the realms of the future. But if they do not earn the right to move on to the next level, they will feel entitled to everything in their lives and they will go on to be classic millenials with no tolerance for failure, ability to thrive or be resilient.

Is that what you want for your kids? Is it?
 

Metro

Arcane
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Why would any self-respecting parent contribute to their own child's degeneracy? Build them a new gaming PC.
 

Azalin

Arcane
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6 and 4 sound a bit young to me for them to enjoy gaming,let them enjoy their time with legos and going out to play and get them something in a couple of years,that way you can save the money and use them on hookers to spice up your married-man sex life
 

Generic-Giant-Spider

Guest
Look, I'm not gonna tell you how to raise your kids but you have three boys. Three boys. You knocked a woman up, three times, what came out all three times? Boys. That's three tribe leaders, three barbarians that will carry your dynasty on and will evaporate some lesser family's name by taking away their daughter.

And you want to risk all that, you want to show the world you do not deserve your alpha display of THREE BOYS by having them exposed to gay shit on consoles? Here you could be teaching them the ways of Darklands, but instead you think about Mario Kart?

I get it's the "Christmas spirit" and you're all swept up in the holiday rush, but straighten your head and teach them how to min/max characters in 3.5. You need to mold incline, not dismantle it.

I had a friend once that played nothing but Nintendo stuff. He was very annoying. We'd be talking about PC games like Quake or Heretic and this little fucker would chime in, "I like Goldeneye 64!" We'd discuss RPGs, "Oooh, is that like Super Mario RPG?!" He always had a garbage game equivalent to a real man's gaming experience. He's dead now. He's fucking dead. He got hit by a bus. You know how he got hit by a gigantic vehicle you can see thirty blocks ahead? He was playing on his "Wii U."

Is that what you want? Your three boys to be road paste? Or do you want them one day to be here, on this Codex, talking about how dogshit the Playstation X is and that Cyber-Sawyer will save us from Emperor Howard's despotic rule over RPGs when he releases Spires of Infinity?

I think you know the answer, flatfoot.
 

Tigranes

Arcane
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
10,350
Get them a 486 without an Internet connection, pre-installed with Gold Box games.

To be safe, lock them in a basement bunker for a couple of years, and install an audio surveillance system to check if you can hear the familiar sound of frantic floppy disk ejections
 
Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,867
Location
Ottawa, Can.
A Switch is a good complement to a PC. Nintendo still makes actual games, and not Gears of War clones with cutscenes. Plus it has a lot of interesting niche Japanese games not found elsewhere.

I almost exclusively play the Switch now.
 

mck

Cipher
Joined
Nov 1, 2011
Messages
599
you should alienate your children from their peers by forcing them to play crpgs they don't enjoy to get clout on rpgcodex
 

zwanzig_zwoelf

Graverobber Foundation
Developer
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Nov 21, 2015
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デゼニランド
Set up a decent rig w/ emulators and hundreds of old Japanese PC games, but without Internet connection.
Give your kids a Genki textbook and lock them in the basement for the next few years. Don't forget to feed them every now and then.
 

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