Video games top Aussie kids’ Christmas wish-list
Sydney, Dec 17 (ANI): It doesn’t matter if they’re boys or girls, the thing that most Aussie kids are hankering for this Christmas is a video game.
The survey was carried out by DMAG magazine including more than 1000 readers revealed that children rated portable gaming console Nintendo DS as their No.1 pick for both boys and girls.
“Nintendo DS is so portable every kid wants one, and if they don’t want one then they expect to have one,” smh.com.au quoted MAG editor Dorothy Tonkin as saying.
He added: “Our readers also wanted bikes and skateboards but as long as they were certain brands like Crusty Demons. Boys are still getting outside with active things; girls’ toys are techno in some way.”
Melissa Habchi, editor of K-Zone magazine also agreed and said that video games are considered indispensable for kids today.
“This year it’s anything in the form of gaming, whether it is a PS3, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii – eight- to 12-year-olds think they can’t live without them,” she said.
She added: “Of course there are always different fads, this year the PS3 and Wii were released so gaming is really taking off. The whole industry is growing. Also popular among DMAG readers were the cordless, touch-activated Power Tour Guitar, the Transformer “Ultimate Bumblebee” and “Magic Foam”.
In the meantime, battery giant Duracell has released its top 10 toys of 2007, as chosen by 1000 children worldwide, including 100 from Australia.
Topping the list was Next Sport Fusion Asphalt, a four-wheeled scooter, followed by Smart Cycle, a bike linked to a television screen, with the Mookie Soccer Swingball at No.6.
It came as a pleasant surprised for Child psychologist Kimberley O’Brien when she discovered that toys involving physical exertion featured so prominently on the list.
“It’s against what I would have thought, given our obesity problem with children in Australia,” she said.
She also said toys that promoted physical activity and creativity helped lower stress among children.
Ms O’Brien said there was a demand for more “social” toys.
“Kids want to spend time with the family, especially around Christmas, rather than play with dolls by themselves in the bedroom,” she said. (ANI)
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