Wii Frustration

Hi there:

We got a Wii for Christmas as a family gift, thinking we would have some good family time. Well, wrong on that! We have not played it much because my son -- age 6 -- (and my husband, too) seem to get soooo frustrated with it. It always seems to end with my son having a meltdown. Are we missing something? Are there some simple games (appropriate for age 6 or for DHs)?

Would appreciate any input/advise from Wii fans.

Thanks!

Meg

 

We have the Wii Fit, Dora & now Super Mario. Oh, and Wii Sports. Sports is fun because they take turns. The fit is nice because there are individual activities like biking, running and yoga. I know Mario is sometimes a challenge with more than one player because if one player goes to fast or if one player gets all the 'fires,' it can be frustrating for the other players. It may be just something that you have to be older to cooperate. I know my son can be so focused that it is frustrating for me to play with him. (I deal, but his twin does not.)

 

We mostly play games that people take turns on. We do have Outdoor Challenge that has a mat you run on, jump on, etc. and it has some 2 player games that come with it. The kids really like that. The most frustration with ours comes from having more kids than controls. But if anyone gets worked up about it, we just put it away. What is it that's causing the frustration for them? Does it not work like they think it should? Or the games are too hard, or what? I think that would make a difference on finding a solution.

 

My only issue is the girls can't read well enough to play by themselves do they drive me crazy

 

We have a Wii, but I never play it. No interest in video games, never have, probably never will. My DH and my boys love it though. My boys have been playing it on their own since somewhere around their 5th birthday. Right now the favorites are Mario and some hunting game. We have Wii Sports and all 5 of us enjoy that, but it's not a favorite or anything.

Both of my boys are so proficient in operating the Wii system (and Netflix which is hooked up through the Wii) that it's almost embarassing. When I want to watch something, they have to help me. And on the rare occasion I play a game with them, they have to give me step by step instructions.

I think my boys got their love of it from their daddy though. He loves video games and is also really good with the kids as far as helping them learn the games, and playing the games with them. I think my DD got her dislike of video games from me! ardon:

Not knowing more specifically what is causing the problems, makes it a little more difficult to try to help though. Like a PP asked, are the games they're trying too hard, are they not patient enough to figure out the games they do have, are they too competitive and can't handle it when they "lose", etc?

 

WE have a rule. If you get frustrated over video games (doesn't matter the device), you don't get to play ANY video games for a week. It's harsh but I only had to use it 1x to get him to stop the behavior.

 

Super Mario usually causes alot of problems for us, especially if there is a disparity in the players' skill level. Mario Kart and Wii Sports are better for players of different age/ different skill levels. We also like Smooth Moves because the whole family, even our 4 year old, can really enjoy it.

 

Thanks, everybody. DS gets frustrated because he runs off the road, starts going backwards, doesn't have good control of his "character", can't figure out what he is supposed to do. With DH, it is sort of the same (grin!), except that DS is always asking DH for help, but DH isn't able to do any better, which makes him frustrated!

I'm thinking that we just need to pack this up and put it away for a while....

Meg

 

One of the Mario Party games would probably be better. There are lots of mini games to play that are relatively easy to control. Also Wii Party has pretty easy controls too.

 

lots of frustration here too.

Now the rulr is...fighting/screaming the wii goes off

 

TONS of frustration from the boys here too. If anyone hits/throws/screams or has a temper tantrum they are done for the day. It has cut down a ton on the frustration. I have even been known to take it away from all if just one has a meltdown because typically someone else will have "got them out" in the game on purpose. The Nicktoons MLB seems to be the one that has the least frustration. The group play mario brothers has almost been thrown out the window by me many times with all the frustration it causes!!

 

Thanks, everyone! It helps so much to know what we are not alone!

Much peace,

Meg