My kids don't have game boys, but lots of their friends do. It usually comes with one game, but you can buy other games. THere are accessories you can get too (light, magnifying screen, etc). Games now also have ratings, so you could find some that are suitable for his age.

My two cents...I don't like them, kids spend too much time on them (and since they're portable even more, but then again their good "car" toys).

Good Luck

Vickey-MN

I don't know anything about them other than I hate them too. Unless you asked the parents if it were ok to get one for the grandchild, I wouldn't. My oldest child will be 5 next April. I know I wouldn't want him to have one.

We had an 8 yo guest here for a few days and he brought his. He wasted a lot of time on it. He'd sit it down and my 2 yo would take it or it would get caught in a crack somewhere and he'd lose it. It was a nusaince. We spent a LOT of time looking for it.

My son is 7 and we bought the game cube ( which hooks up to the TV ) for christmas and game boy for his birthday last month ( which is a small hand held item with a very small screen). I purchased them for 2 reasons.

1. We are living in a temporary house while we are building and it is on a busy street and so there is no where for him to play outside...the yard is non-existant, and we are to be here for a year and a half, so i wanted indoor things for him to do at this time.

2. he has some motor skill issues and i felt that this would help his eye hand coordination.

What I have found: Upon getting this, he has lost ALL interest in all the toys he used to play with...His trucks, and cars, etc. He wants to play the game cube ALL the time. Literally, if i let him, he would play on the Game cube most of the day. ( it makes an easy but unhealthy babysitter, much like TV).

We have carefully ( very carefully) chosen games that are appropriate for young children. cartoon characters that race in colorful cartoon cars, and Nemo fish characters that race etc. It is interactive, unlike the TV ( much like childrens computer games). Of the two, I prefer the Game Cube which hooks to the TV because the Small hand held game boy is hard to see and i think it contributes to eye strain. The game cube for the TV costs about $99.00 and EACH game can cost from $29 - $49. The game boy costs about $79 and each game costs somewhere around $30.00 .

Would I buy this for a 5 year old? No, No, and No. IMHO. here is why...A child that young is absorbing and learning sooo much, through play and interaction with people. there is something about this that TOTALLY ABSORBS a child, much like TV. Even though we have these for the reasons above, i can see that they are not healthy for my child, because it is all he wants to do now. from the moment he wakes up, and from the moment he walks in the door from school, it is the first thing he mentions. let your beautiful grandchild have the opportunity to grow up a little and be the child he is. there is plenty of time for this stuff a few years from now, and he will want it just as much then.

We have been sooo careful to choose very harmless games that are indeed childlike. You will find parents who choose very inappropriate games for these and very young children playing them. ( and i am talking about intelligent, educated people).

please feel free to ask any more questions.

My DD has a Game Boy. She enjoys it but we have rules about the games being age-appropriate, and I have rules about when she is allowed to play it. It's great when I have to bring her along on something that kids never enjoy (Like when we go get our taxes done) LOL and it's good on plane or car trips.

She has a little friend, though, who's like a zombie with it. Her parents use it as a pseudo-babysitter, and when she plays it, she's like in a trance. THAT, I feel, is not healthy.

So get one! Go to Costco for the best deal on the GameBoy (the kit comes with two game cartridges, and a case, etc) and Costco is very cheap on the cartridges. Next good deal location on games is Circuit City.

5 is too young!

i'm going to confuse the issue even more for you. i have a 5 year old daughter who so desperately wanted a gameboy because her teenage brother has one. i felt that 5 was too young so i looked into other options. we purchased a Leapster Learning System for her (manufactured by Leapfrog) and it is the best purchase i ever made. it is a handheld system similar to the gameboy, but all of the game cartridges are EDUCATIONAL. my child spends a lot of time with this toy. instead of killing monsters and bad guys, she learns to draw/write, she has learned some math and reading skills and has developed excellent hand-eye coordination. the Leapster is not cheap, it runs about 70.00 for the handheld system, new cartridges are 25.00 apiece and the charging system (definetely recommended by me because this danged toy eats batteries like crazy!) is 25.00. i have never regretted this investment, it keeps my daughter happy and amused during times that i need her to sit patiently, as well as reinforces things that she is learning in kindergarten.
my daughter did end up getting a gameboy very recently, my older son received a new one for his birthday and gave his old one to his sister...interestingly, she spends much more time with her leapster than with that gameboy.
take care!
jeana