On BBC1 this morning there was an interview with some trade exhibitors at the Consumer (don't you just detest that word?) Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Every electronic gadget you can think of, and some you would never have thought of, are 'on show' - which really means that the hyped-up sales-people are full of hype and convinced that they can persuade you that their's is best.
But what really caught my attention was a throw-away comment by one of the traders spokespeople. Talking about toys, they claimed, and probably rightly so, that toys are getting smarter. I'm sure they are (although its probably a loose definition of 'smart' - I'm not sure that there is much intelligence involved, not yet anyway). But is that a good thing?
My kids have had all sorts of toys, some of the 'smart' kind, and some not. But what I have noticed, with the obvious exception of games consoles, is that they generally prefer the non-smart toys. It seems to me that the smart toys may have instant appeal and grab the attention of the kids (who are as much susceptible to instant-gratification as the rest of us) but after the novelty factor has worn off there is very little left to hold their interest. But give the kids a simple toy (and by that I mean anything that requires a bit of imagination and input) and they happily play for hours.
Now, it might be that I'm just too old and curmudgeonly, or that a grew up in a rural Kentish area where our toys where the fields, trees, and streams, an old bicycle, and our mates down the lane. I don't know. But I have seen the benefits of technology and used them for years so its not that I am technophobic (otherwise I would be blogless amongst other things!).
My daughter is 11 years old. Give her a book of blank paper and some pencils and she is happy for hours, drawing, writing, whatever. But give her something that will do the drawing for her - initial amazement then not interested.
But I'm not sure that this is a modern phenomena. I remember being given a spirograph one Christmas. Brilliant, I could make shapes and patterns. And then boredom - very quickly. It was a clever idea (and pretty low-tech to boot), but pointless. There was very little imagination required.
So, 'smart toys': as toys, I'm not convinced. As ways exploring and advancing technology then yes, this is probably their place.
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3 comments:
Hi Simon
Followed you OU link from T224 to reach this blog.
Interested in your comment on the low tech spirograph. Not according to a programme published recently on children's toys, presented by the James from TopGear fame. He met a group of design students from a university who have integrated technology, art, music and computers to come up with something a little out of the ordinary. If you get a chance to see a rerun it is worth it for all the reasons you posted. I think it goes some way to supporting your theories.
Given that children's brains are still developing physically, I suspect that supplying them with anything (toys, computers, even audio-books) which does the thinking for them risks irreversible retardation. (I know that sounds like strong language!)
Going off-topic slightly... Four general rules of thumb I try to follow in toy shops are:
"If it features a TV character or movie theme, judge the toy on its own merits as well as those of the TV show/film";
"If it needs batteries, don't buy it";
"If it's made of plastic when it could be made of wood there's probably a nicer version available somewhere" and
"If it's made of plastic when it ought to be made of metal there's probably a more durable version somewhere."
Hi Greg,
Thanks for the comment - and for the 'four rules'. When my son was much younger we bought a new TV. Not a large room-dominating one but just a 14" box for our main room. My son, then aged about 4, thought it was fantastic - the box it came in I mean, not the TV. He sat in the empty box making car-noises, so I grabbed a pencil and he and I used a dinner plate to mark out circles on the open flaps, we cut these out and they became wheels, a fifth circle became the steering wheel. He had hours of fun in his car. So a home-made cardboard toy can possibly go on the list of rules!
We have a slightly bigger TV now - my eyes are no longer capable of seeing the 14" TV properly - I may be getting wiser as I get older (I said 'may be') but age-related myopia is taking its toll.
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