What Your Kid Really Means by 'I Just Want to Play Video Games'

“I just want to play video games all summer” is one of my favorite responses to my question for new and prospective campers when I ask what they want to do all summer because the following then happens...

A parent/guardian rolls their eyes (don’t worry, I won’t tell your camper I saw!)

The camper looks at me, knowing we are a camp without video games, and they think the conversation is over.

But here’s what that statement means…

When a future camper says they just want to play video games all summer long, I know it’s not true. How many times have we let our kids play video games all day and by 3pm they’re following us around the house with “I’m bored” “I’m hungry” “there’s nothing to do” or my favorite “today sucks”? A summer of just video games sounds great, but that’s not really what they want.

Where Art Meets Science

That future camper is really saying, “I’m not sure I’m ready to try this” and “this feels out of my comfort zone”. I get that. Home on the couch is my comfort zone too. As parents, we have to balance the push and pull of when do we let them stay in the comfort zone and when do we encourage them to stretch.

Birthday Celebration at Camp

Camp is a great place to stretch - we’re all growing and trying new things together. Even when you’ve been to camp for years, there’s always something new to try or someone new to befriend.

We’ve got games galore, minus the screens. From our Let’s Move competition to our daily activity rotation, they will get that fill of gaming. Instead of picking up a remote control, they’ll tinker in our makerspace, craft in our arts pavilion, and learn to bake in our cooking center too - we will keep their hands busy, I promise.

By the end of their first week, they’ll forget that initial conversation with me, and they’ll be counting the hours until the next week starts!

Getting ready for days unplugged!

Samantha Eichert

(she/her)

Senior Director of Camps

P.S. There’s so much more that goes into summers at camp. I’d love to tell you all about it. Schedule a quick chat!