Alternative to gaming

Juanitag

Hi all, I’m not very tech savvy but my 15yr old son is spending way too much time gaming and I’d really like to find some kind of alternative for him. We’ve tried to limit his usage but as soon as he’s left unsupervised he’s back gaming again. He needs his computer to do school work so it’s not an option to get rid of it and tbh I don’t really want to do that anyway. If he can find a balance between gaming and doing something constructive I’d be happy. Trying to drag him away from a game almost always ends in a row. He just doesn’t want to do anything else. Every now and then we will turn off the internet out of frustration and that causes a massive row!! So I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to something else we could try and get him interested in that is computer/ games related but not so addictive. He’s a very bright kid, a high achiever at school and seems to have good knowledge of the workings of computers but I’m worried that he will lose interest in school work if the gaming gets any worse. He wouldn’t be the most sociable kid in the world so part of me is glad that he’s chatting to friends while gaming - with all the restrictions at the moment he’s missing out on football, swimming etc. Sorry if this is the wrong place to post but I just thought someone with an interest in computers might be able to point me in the right direction.

Aodhan5000

If possible, maybe introduce him into PC building and upgrading. There's an excellent forum for it here on boards which I follow myself now ever since my dad introduced me to the website and encouraged me to build my own PC. I was certainly the same for being mad for the gaming but it's something you grow out of a little as well but during these times I myself am on the computer plenty as there can be limited enough other things to do. It's great that he's getting a social interaction out of it too but maybe sit down and talk to him about a little give and take. He does something to help/something good, he gets more "latitude" as my father calls it (time on the computer). But I would highly recommend introducing him to more areas of IT like the PC building or possibly some coding/programming

Edit: You don't have to be too tech savvy to get into pc building, my dad being an example learned with me and it's a great opportunity to get some time together. Even just you learning the basics with him will get him well started

Juanitag

Thanks so much for your reply, I will have a look on the forum you suggested. He’s at that awkward age where parents know nothing!!! I know he will grow out of it eventually but it’s hard to see him stuck in his room all of the time engrossed in a game!
Good to hear from someone who was into gaming too.
Thanks again.

riclad

In the present crisis many kids play games and talk to friends alot,
its a social way of staying in touch,
schools are closed, gyms closed, theres not many safe places to go and meet people .
I would say go easy on him, its not easy to talk to friends in irl ,real life right now.
i,d prefer my son to spend time gaming than to be going out and being at the risk of getting the virus.
gaming is more popular now, it can be a social place, to hang out,
regardless of what game you are playing.
Maybe when the covid crisis is over you can put some restrictions on the time he spends gaming.

Korvanica

How about making games ? It's constructive, and involves gaming which seems to be what he likes. Might be a nice middle ground for you both to agree on.

Making games he can work on many skills that could be useful later in life. Programming, design, art, logic, math etc.

Unity is a very friendly engine to get started on and Brackeys has an amazing beginner course on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPV2KyIb3jR5QFsefuO2RlAgWEz6EvVi6

Juanitag

Thanks Riclad & Korvanica,
I agree that he is better off at home gaming and chatting with friends online than being out and about at the moment. I need to keep reminding myself that this is only temporary and we will get back on track once the restrictions have been lifted.
I came across the unity website in a google search and wondered if it would be something he could use. Will definitely try and encourage him to have a look at that. Definitely making games would be more constructive than constantly playing them!

_Brian

I’d say coding might be a good move, encouraging game development maybe.

drake70

Hi OP

You could check out https://www.freecodecamp.org/ for learning web development, it's free.

I recommended it to a few friends for their kids during the first lockdown and the kids love it.

riclad

if he has a ps4 console , he could buy dreams,

https://www.playstation.com/en-ie/games/dreams/

it can be used to make your own games or play any game made by other users on ps4 who have dreams .

https://www.ign.com/articles/dreams-review

He sounds like a smart kid, he is involved in sports, its just right now its alot safer to talk and meet up online than go out to a park and mix with
a crowd .
its a new generation, gaming online is now a social space,
you can play a game and talk to friends .
hopefully in 6 months time things will get better in terms of lockdown restrictions .

Pcgamer

Id sign him up to some programming classes. Definitly not a waste of time if he decides to do IT in college.

Loads of programming certs out der

I wouldn't bother with pc building and upgrading. Anyone can put together a PC by watching a 20 minute youtube video.

riclad

theres probably free videos on youtube about basic programming,
many people who make games are artists, 3d designers , who design characters ,
eg not everyone in the gaming industry is a programmer.
many designers start out making free maps in games like half life or minecraft .many pc games have free tools to make maps and make 3d objects to be used in the game.


https://www.gamedesigning.org/gaming/game-development-tools/

Aodhan5000

Pcgamer wrote: »

Id sign him up to some programming classes. Definitly not a waste of time if he decides to do IT in college.

Loads of programming certs out der

I wouldn't bother with pc building and upgrading. Anyone can put together a PC by watching a 20 minute youtube video.

The point isn't just for the person to learn how to build a computer, it gives the opportunity to get a person more interested in IT, particularly on this forum where you can learn plenty more than just how to put together a PC. Like I said myself, it brought me to boards and made me strongly consider the IT field as a potential avenue for me. I didn't learn that from a 20 minute YouTube video, I learned that from building a computer

Pcgamer

Aodhan5000 wrote: »

The point isn't just for the person to learn how to build a computer, it gives the opportunity to get a person more interested in IT, particularly on this forum where you can learn plenty more than just how to put together a PC. Like I said myself, it brought me to boards and made me strongly consider the IT field as a potential avenue for me. I didn't learn that from a 20 minute YouTube video, I learned that from building a computer

Which takes 20 minutes

Aodhan5000

Pcgamer wrote: »

Which takes 20 minutes

Probably not for a first timer but my point about the opportunity it creates to explore IT further still stands.