Topic: Gaming Parents Question

I've been wondering something the past couple of days. I have a son who is still too young to be playing video games, but when he gets old enough, how should I go about indoctrinating him? Should I go with the old-school NES games that I grew up on like Zelda, Mario, and Metroid; which are simpler and (in my humble opinion) better, but can be awfully challenging and frustrating? Or should I start him with some of the newer stuff which may not be as good but holds your hand more and may be easier to get into? To anyone who has gone through this, what did you do with your kids? Or if anyone wants to make me feel really old, what did your parents do with you?

I've played Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3 when i was younger. Maybe platformers are a good place to start? Like mario?

Really, just let him play what he wants. But if you want to give him a special introduction I say go with Megaman X!

I think you should do what I am doing.. Introduce him to the NES... Then as he gradually gets older, go to the SNES, then the N64... Then BLOW HIS MIND with the Wii U. I cannot wait to see his reaction... Well... When I have a kid...

I've always been jealous of some of my fanboy friends because they began on classics I never had a chance to... strangely, it seems we all started with Pokemon, too... That aside, I'd choose something that can really immerse him, an ongoing series that [a] has a following, [b] has recent and old titles (I'd start with the old ones, if I were you), and [c] you're cool with, and for added bonuses, maybe something you can play together.
Or, as @Retro said, let him choose~ Regardless, I think it's cool you're taking him into the world of Nintendo

My approach has been a mix of exposure to Ninty franchises, games that I like/am interested in and retro games. My son began with Mario Kart Wii thanks to the motion controls. As he got older and more confident he liked playing Sonic and the Secret Rings and SMG1&2. Got him into Zelda and Metroid by playing LoZ:TP and MPT while he could watch. DL'd a bunch of WiiVC 'must-have' SNES and N64 games before WiiU launched. As a result, he uses the Wii Mode more than I do. Funny that @Retro_on_the_Go mentions Mega Man X, I often find my son playing through that. Can't wait for it to release on WiiU VC down under. And then there's all the 3DS games he's played on top of that. So, looking back, I've tried to show him everything I love about gaming, then let him find he's own way, regardless of difficulty or 'having-your-hand-held' type games. It's great fun observing his gaming habits switch from one week to the next. One week it's KI:U, the next it's LoZ:MM, then onto Swords and Soldiers, after that Mutant Mudds. Right now it's the Project X Zone demo.sigh I wish I had that much choice at his age, and that's only on Ninty platforms. On PC he loves Terraria and Worms.
Good luck mate to introducing your child to gaming. You'll have heaps of fun and a lot of moments where you'll be filled with pride.

Thanks for all the advice. @RedPanda It's funny because since the Oracle games came out, I've started trying to collect the few Zelda games I do not already own in some form so that I will have them for my son to experience the entirety of the best series ever. I got Twilight Princess and the two DS games this weekend, now all I am missing is Wind Waker, which is nice since I can wait to hear more details on the new HD remake to see which one I should go with.

Let him play what he wants. Hard or easy, old or new doesn't matter, really. Just let him try a lot of games.
Also dont take the controller away from him to show how you need to beat it if he fails a lot, just let him play at his own tempo. Or play co-op when you are a lot better. That will probably just make him feel discouraged.

For what it's worth, I started out on SNES games like Super Mario All Stars, Street Fighter II, Mega Man X, and Donkey Kong. I don't think you should start him out on modern hand-holdy games, he'll end up like the people complaining about Super Metroid on Miiverse. Just give him games where he has to use reason instead of being told exactly what to do in every situation.

Well as a parent myself I say let him decide for himself, I had my son during the PS2/Gamecube era and quietly frankly he just picked it up from watching me. Really it doesn't matter what system you start him with, its more what game. I would start him off with something colorfully and friendly, something like the New Super Mario Bros series or maybe Animal Crossing. That is if you enjoy those type of games. By the time he is a bit older you can see what interests him and see what games he will enjoy. For example my son is a huge wrestling fan (hes been that way since he was 2) So when he was younger I got him a few of the WWE games. IF he like Football introduce him to something like Tecmo Bowl, or if he is into racing Mario Kart etc.

Best thing to do is just have him around you when you play the games now (provided they dont scare him or aren't inappropriate for his age. Make it as enjoyable as you can if he sees you are having a good time than the more he will like to try it. Get him involve into what you are playing. Let him press a button and make Mario jump and let him know what hes doing. Act surprise when he makes Mario jump and cheer him on even if thats all he does.

Thats what I did with my son and now I have a 13 year old gamer who appreciates games like I do even the older stuff like NES and Genesis, stuff that was around before he was even a thought lol. Like anything though dont force it onto your son. That could cause him to turn away and not lke games. Than again gaming might not be something he is into either. Just take it one step at a time and dont push.

I apologize for the wall of text. Hope that helps.

Let him play whatever he wants. Except for Other M. Keep that game far far away....lock it up in the gunsafe if you have too.

Let him play whatever he desires, and throw God of War series at him. He will love you.

Yeah. I think basically letting him play what he wants makes sense. VIdoe games are for fun anyway....now I don't suggest God of War up there , or something like Grand Theft Auto of course.

To pick a series, I would say there are plenty of new and old Mario games to choose from. Most of them are relatively easy to control, some can be quite the challenge, and some kind me quite easy. Plus, they're family friendly, along with many having some form of multiplayer.

A lot of terrible advice being thrown around out here. I kid... _sorta I am expecting my first child within the next week and you better believe he is going to grow up on the classics (NES and SNES) like his dad. My son is not going to be some namby-pamby gamer.

I think that a great game for young kids to play is Kirby's Epic Yarn. The difficulty isn't too harsh, you can't die (just lose your collectibles) it looks extremely appealing, and has a two player mode. I remember reading in Nintendo Power (May it rest in peace... sniff...) that the Editor of the magazine was going to start his kid off with Kirby's Epic Yarn because it's a two player game that promotes bonding among parent and child, and as I said before, is perfect for kids (but also fun for adults).

I'm not a parent, but I say start him out with the 16 bit era (Super Mario World & Sonic the Hedgehog would be great starter choices).

SNES & Genesis games will give him that classic old school difficulty, while being modern enough not to frustrate him with poorly aged design & mechanics (like you might find in something like the original Metroid).

Also, the SNES entries of the Super Mario, Zelda, Metroid, & Kirby series', are to this day legitimately argued as the best in their respective series, which means he'll have a high standard in what to expect from his gaming entertainment as he gets older.

Once he's played through the 16 bit classics, let him explore & grow on his own (whether he wants to move on to the 8 bit era, 64 bit era, or jump straight into modern gaming). Also, remember to follow the ESRB age ratings!

Hope this helped.

Play with him, that's my only advice. Some of the most fun I've had is playing video games with my son. The games we've played range from old school games like Atari's Combat and Outlaw to newer ones like New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Mario Party 9, and it's always a blast.

My kid actually prefers the older Mario games (Super Mario World is his favorite) to the NSMB series.