Apparently Santa and his elves will have to cut back on the dolls, board games, Etch-a-Sketches, bicycles and the like at their North Pole workshop and ramp up on the game consoles. According to toy industry Market analyst Anita Frazier "It definitely looks like the industry might be down again this year."
Why? The major culprit seems to be game consoles like the much anticipated PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Nintendo Wii. Game consoles such as these are robbing the appeal of “regular” toys normally more popular this time of year.
I couldn’t believe the amount of stories and related publicity that surrounded the much hyped U.S. release of the PS3 and Nintendo Wii. Lines and lines of people who endured cold and sometimes wet weather, and sleepless nights, all waited for the doors to open at the Best Buys and Walmarts across the country.
Some were just anxious to experience the enhanced graphics and other bells and whistles that this new device had to offer. Others were looking to profit from this endeavor by taking their beloved purchase to sell on eBay.
According to Terapeak, an eBay market research tool for eBay sellers, it was reported that in late November, PS3s were sold on eBay at an average price of $1,276. Compare that to the Microsoft Xbox 360 a year ago that sold for an average price of $718 on eBay.
And today, it was reported that the Japan release of the Nintendo Wii was sold out.
This all got me thinking to the amount of media attention and interest in all of this really is indicative of a significant cultural shift. Kids these days have so much to keep them busy, so many electronic devices. What ever happened to the days when they didn’t have these distractions and they had to use more imagination? They probably got outside more to play as well so they got more exercise.
Ever wonder why childhood obesity is higher than ever? Face it, you sit behind a game console, there’s not a lot of movement or exercise going on (OK, maybe not with the new Wii’s features where your controller can act like a tennis racket or whatever, but you get the idea.)
Call me old fashioned, but kids need to be more like the kids of yesteryear where they go outside more, ride their bikes, and use toys that demand using their attention. But to be realistic, they want these nifty electronics, so my feeling is that there IS a place for these game consoles, heck, they're fun, but parents need to put a limit on these devices. Don’t give them free reign. Simple as that.
You’d probably see kids that are more physically fit, and while they might give their parents a hard time now, some day they’ll see the wisdom of such limits.
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