For this article, I asked three families who have kids of different ages (all under 15). Most of the kids in these families are under age 12. Additionally, I surveyed the Gaming Community on Facebook that I’m apart of to give you the absolute best answer to this question.
It is no mystery that there are three well-known gaming consoles out there. Specifically, they are the Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch series. The internet will give you an abundance of opinions and ideas about why each of these three consoles are all great for children, but we all know that doesn’t help anyone.
My goal in this article is to give you a definitive answer that will help you realize that there is, in fact, a console system that is truly better for kids. Furthermore, I’ll explain why the other two of these three systems are not ideal for your kid if they are under the age of 12. Remember, this article was written by a real person! If you have any extra questions or comments, email me at entertainmentden.ns@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to respond!
So what’s the best console for kids?
As a whole, the Nintendo Switch offers the most game variety, user friendliness, durability, and parental controls for families who want to get the best gaming console for their kid (ages 5-12). Xbox and PlayStation Systems are not ideal for kids because they require too much cognitive development to actually enjoy.
As your kid gets older, he or she will eventually grow to love all that xbox and playstation systems have to offer, but that doesn’t mean you should wait until they’re older. There’s plenty of fun to be had while they’re young!
Additionally, there’s some features about the PlayStation and Xbox systems that parents will want to avoid exposing their kids to until they’re older (specifically talking about the online gaming community). Some of you might even consider buying your kid a gaming PC, which I will address later in this article.
What Makes Nintendo Switch Better?
As mentioned before, it is based on the fact that the Switch offers the most amount of games to youth gamers while offering extensive parental controls. They’re even designed to last longer than the other consoles- longer than 8 years! Don’t let the lower price range deceive you, they are also extremely durable to falling, scratching, and everything a young kid could do to wear it down.
I surveyed the Nintendo Switch Gaming Community on Facebook and asked them what they like the most about Switch Gaming for kids. Here’s how they responded to my poll:
As you can see, they’re extremely enthusiastic about its unique features and user friendliness, specifically for kids. If you were to survey the PS4 and Xbox communities, they’ll say something completely different.
“It’s best for kids because Nintendo games tend to be made with more colour and imagination. They don’t get tied down with being gritty and realistic, they focus on old fashioned fun.” — B. Fleming, Valued Responder at Nintendo Switch Facebook Community (212k followers).
Nintendo Switch Has Superior Game Variety
PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL GAMES THAT ARE FOR AGES 12 AND UNDER:
Here’s a cool fact: Google says there’s 3,900 games available on Nintendo switch. Between Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart, there’s about 1,100 well-known titles. 869 of them are for ages 13 and under, 286 of them are for ages 10 and under! That’s a higher amount than any of the Xbox or Playstation systems! Not to mention that they’re cheaper to play on Switch.
I’m not sure why, but I’ve definitely noticed that original games in PlayStation and Xbox are hard to find. These two brands are always making sequels and that’s one of the reasons why I wrote an article talking about why modern PS4 and Xbox games are worse than before. The Nintendo Switch doesn’t have this problem!
Nintendo Switch Has The Best Parental Controls
This video is directly from the Nintendo’s official YouTube Channel. It’s a showcase for how user friendly they’re parental control app is:
Xbox and PlayStation offer less customizability while the Switch has always given extensive parental controls. Better yet, you can manage all their game sessions from your smartphone!
Nintendo Switch Consoles Have Longer Life Expectancy
Shuntaro Furukawa, one of the major founders of development for the Switch, gave some recent insight into their product’s durability compared to their Sony and Microsoft rivals:
“For our company, [durability] is a big topic that we should do next when a console passes it’s fifth year and the hardware’s lifecycle is in the process of getting longer.” — Shuntaro Furukawa’s speech translation at a recent E3 convention.
I’ve given some good insight as to why the Switch is better than the XBOX or PlayStation systems, but there’s some negative features that I want to further point out in these two systems that you won’t have to worry about with Switch Consoles. After reading the next section, you’ll have a perfect understanding of what I’m talking about
Why are Xbox and Playstation Consoles Not Ideal for Kids Under 12?
As a whole, Playstation and Xbox systems in particular are heavily geared towards online gaming. Online gamers often use foul language, make aggressive comments, and many of these games are impossible to pause during the middle of a match.
When my brother and I were in middle school, it was impossible to call us over to the dinner table because online matches took forever to finish and players’ rankings are punished if they exit a match early.
Xbox and Playstation Consoles have less user friendly parental controls.
If you’re not familiar with operating a gaming console, you might find it frustrating to navigate the settings and set up these controls. If parental controls don’t matter to you, then this isn’t a big deal, just something to be aware of,
Multiplayer games are hard to pause.
Often times, gamers want to play ranked matches of Fortnite, Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Rainbow Six Siege (all popular multiplayer games). More often than not, players get punished for exiting matches so it doesn’t throw off the team count. Most Xbox games are like this and tend to be extremely addicting for middle school kids (I know because I used to be one like all my other gaming friends).
There is a good resource I made to find gamers to play with online. If you ever need a resource for when your kid eventually games online with other people, check out this article.
Xbox and Playstation Systems are more expensive
Right now you can buy a new Xbox Series X or PS5 for almost $600! Older models like the Xbox One or PS4 still go for around $400, and that’s not even the price of the Pro models.
Not to mention the controllers are way more expensive to replace. If that’s a concern to you, read my article on how long do game controllers last. There’s some useful insight in here if you’re hard pressed on getting a PS5 or Xbox Series X for yourself.
Nintendo Switch models have always gone for around $300 or less and that’s awesome. And by the way, Switch Games will be fun for them even when they’re adults! My wife just got one a year ago and she loves playing Animal Crossings and all the other great gems.
Why These Are The Best Switch Games for Kids 6-12
Ages 6-9
Animal Crossings New Horizons.
This is the most classic and well-loved game by kids and adults alike. It has 13,000 five star reviews. My wife absolutely loves playing this game and it’s user friendly for even five year-olds. The best part about it is it’s convenient, user friendly interface and simple design.
A lot of racing games aren’t as user friendly as this one. It’s a combination of all the elements that make every Mario Cart series great, with tons of character options your kid is used to seeing if he or she is familiar with Nintendo characters.
Pokemon Sword. The other version of this is Pokemon Shield, that has unique Pokemon characters. There is extremely minor cartoon violence. The game even lets kids choose their own choices to progress the story line. This isn’t a common thing for games to do for kids.
Mario Party. An extremely user friendly game that even allows family members to join in! There is occasional, mild cartoon fighting which won’t concern any parent.
Ages 10 and Up
Super Mario Odyssey. A game that delivers great fun and adventure and appropriately challenges kids’ minds by giving players a plethora of brain games and puzzles to solve. Its content is original and was rated a perfect 10 by IGN (international gaming network), which is extremely rare.
A classic favorite brought onto the Switch platform! Every parent should be familiar with this one. The user controls have been made even simpler so your kid can enjoy all this game has to offer if they’ve never played it before.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
This is a game truly like no other. It builds on all the elements that make Zelda games great. Its recommended for kids 10 and older due to more frequent, cartoon violence. This is one of Nintendo’s best games yet.
Can a Five Year Old Play Nintendo Switch Games?
On average, a five year old will learn the basic controls of most Switch games rated E for Everyone on the PEGI rating scale. They will significantly enjoy games even more as they get older and can utilize more cognitive abilities. A great starter game for a five year old would be Paw Patrol and similar titles.
“We bought our five year old a Nintendo Switch Lite to give him something to watch cartoons on. A great benefit of getting him one now is so he can begin to enjoy games, challenge his mind, and eventually love it even more as he gets older” — Sarah and Patrick, Parents of a Five Year Old
Should I Get My Kid a Gaming PC?
Getting your kid a gaming PC can be a great option. Parental controls exist on Windows 10, more games are released on PC more than any other platform for all ages, and they come with tons of other benefits.
I wrote a really useful article on how to decide in 5 minutes if you should buy your kid a gaming PC. I would highly recommend it if you’re interested in further reading. It’ll help you understand all the major pros and cons to this decision. One thing I would definitely takeaway from it is to realize parental controls on Windows 10 require a little more tech-savvy installation than the Nintendo Switch console.
Thanks for reading! Again, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out an entertainmentden.ns@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to respond! I’ve helped several people already answer questions about what the right gaming platform is for their kid and how to make the best decision possible.
Be sure to check back consistently and stay tuned for the next article!