US kids want games subscriptions and virtual currency more than games this Christmas

A report by the Entertainment Software Association has found that 72% of children in the US want games-related products for Christmas, but only 22% have asked for physical games.

[phoenixwing]

This is mainly due to roblox popularity

[shinoff2183]

It's all roblox. Kids love that sh. I don't get the appeal but o well. My kids ain't never come up to me hey can you get me gamepass or ps plus for Christmas or say they wanted it cause 1 still believes

[badz149]

definitely Roblox!

my kids only ever want to play that! I already told them that if you start asking for money, I won't let them play it anymore so they don't ask for it. BUT I do give them $25 Robux on their birthdays. seems to cheer them up a lot. that's fine by me.

[phoenixwing]

Bad don't feel wrong telling them to stop asking. kids need to learn boundaries.

[Gamingsince1981]

I hope you keep an eye on them in roblox, its full of child predators and they don't get banned even when saying really really adult stuff to kids.

[badz149]

@Gamingsince1981

yeah, thanks, man. I'm aware. that's why I always told them to turn on the volumes so I could hear what they were playing. always the irresponsible adults ruining it for kids and all of us.

I think Roblox knows this and they want you to pay just so you can host private servers. I think my kids spent most of the Robux I bought them to pay for private servers so they could play with their school friends.

[NotoriousWhiz]

Roblox has private servers? I thought only Minecraft had that.

[-Foxtrot]

Kind of sad how times have changed

I remember circling games I wanted for Christmas in an Argos catalog.

[Eonjay]

This is why I support Sony getting into GaaS. I am not a fan of Fortnite and Roblox but I can see that is where the younger generation is and Sony should be supporting all gamers. It's just good business and if it generates profit so they can keep doing single player and traditional multiplayer I'm all for it.

If they just focus on games for me, they fail... if the only do Gaas they fail. They have to be balanced and meet the market where it is. That is how you stay relevant and profitable.

There is this weird mentality online that tries to convince everyone that only their viewpoint or taste is valid. Low and behold there isn't one group of people who have to be absolutely catered to at all time while everyone else must pound sand. People who play GaaS are not my enemy.

I hope people can get to the end of my comment and truly understand where I'm coming from.

[ravens52]

I agree somewhat. Just doesn't have to be more than a couple. 3 or more is unnecessary .

[shinoff2183]

I don't mind sony doing gaas games. I won't play them but it seems to much attention may be into it. I don't wanna see that. Maybe roll with two. An rpg And a shooter type and call it a day. That's why I'm glad Jim Ryan is about to be out.

[Name Last Name]

Why change what has worked forever and put them where they are? The issue is investors pushing for ever increasing growth for their stocks to increase and be able to cash out.

[RedDevils]

Why change? Tell that to blockbuster. You need to adapt to stay relevant, no one say to them to abandon what works, but to experience and innovate new business idea to remain profitable business, if not you are waiting for trouble.

[Eonjay]

@Name Last Name

You change and adapt or go extinct. What worked today won't always work tomorrow. If Sony can renew their consumer base by attracting a younger generation of gamers are they supposed to expire when the current base expires? That's so silly and somewhat conceded.

[JEECE]

Now I hear people I work with talking about buying Vbucks for their kids/grandkids for birthdays and Christmas. I know everyone always thinks that "kids these days" are stupid and have bad taste, but I can honestly look at the games I played when I was their age and many of them stand the test of time. Are the kids now who keep playing games as adults really going to look back fondly on their favorite Cardi B Fortnite skin from season 6 wave 3? I don't know.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I can't see it having the same longevity, but i'm not into those games either, the nostalgia factor in 15 or 20 years time will be interesting.

[shinoff2183]

Jeece I doubt it. I don't think they'll be able to look at that the same way I do a faxandu, chrono trigger, ff7, ff6 etc

[JEECE]

@shinoff2183

Agreed. And while I'll readily admit that I also played some bad games as a kid, it's easier to forget the bad and remember the good when you actually played a variety of games. If you just play one or two games during your entire formative years, I don't know if that's possible.

Then again, I have heard people a bit younger than me who play a variety of games now look back fondly to the time as kids where they really only played Wii sports, so who knows.

[-Foxtrot]

"Are the kids now who keep playing games as adults really going to look back fondly on their favorite Cardi B Fortnite skin from season 6 wave 3?"

Kind of hits the nail on the head here

I know people will say "you guys are just getting old" but the thing is I highly doubt young gamers who played Pac Man, Pong, Space Invaders etc got older and then decided to shit on the games that came out when we were younger like Sonic the Hedgehog, Crash Bandicoot, Wind Waker, Metal Gear Solid 3, GTA etc. They probably loved them and felt they were in the golden age of gaming as they kept evolving.

Like you said, will young gamers today really look back at their games in 15 - 20 years time and say how amazing their skins, MTs and Lootboxes were...doubtful.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I can't even fathom this, I remember browsing the PC shops, Kmart, Target, ect... and sussing out the games I would be interested in and my parents buying me a game for Christmas, and I would play the crap out of the 1 or 2 games I was given.

[Angyobangyo]

Get them while they're young so they believe it's the norm.

[Chocoburger]

I've been saying this for so long, micro-trash-actions were designed to indoctrinate younger gamers who easier are to manipulate.

Even if older gamers are against micro-trash-actions, we're going die eventually and the only gamers left will be those who grew up in this era where they have been normalized from the start. This was all planned in advance for long term profits.

[Inverno]

Won't ever have kids but if I did, no kid of mine would be allowed to associate with such degeneracy! Raise your kids on NES games folks, the future is in your hands.

[-Foxtrot]

I'd do the same if I wanted kids

Raise them on the older games first

There's plenty of great classics to choose from, they'd be cheaper to buy on the store or free to emulate and you can slowly transition them through each generation where they'll appreciate the evolution more.

[jznrpg]

They won’t get it from me.

I told my kids I would buy them one card for Minecraft last year and when their points run out that’s it. I explained to them they will add stupid stuff to get money forever for little things not worth the money they are charging.

They don’t ask as they know it’s pointless to. I told them I’d rather buy them a new game than give them 5$ here and there for stupid skins and stuff.

Roblox is banned in my house.

I don’t have an issue with my kids as I made sure to not let it grow into one but I can see how parents don’t realize some of these games are money pits when their kids start playing them.

[Snookies12]

Where have we gone wrong...

[Charlieboy333]

US kids are dumb

[aaronaton]

I know its cliché to say 'we had it better in my day' but when it comes to gaming, we objectively did.

[ChasterMies]

Mimi once asked my kids if they would know what do to with a game disc. They didn’t. So it’s been gift cards ever since.

[VJGenova]

Maybe I'm being too literal here, but does physical game mean any base game whether delivered via a cartridge/Blu-ray or digitally, or does it exclude digital games? There are so many great games you can't buy a physical copy of.

If it means any base game, then damn. My backlog is insane but I still want that Mario RPG!

[Games1st]

US kids ofc.

[mkis007]

uh ya if I was still broke I would too.