preoccupied with winning

[cbs62]

My son turned 6 in December and got a Nintendo DS for his birthday.  He started playing a game recently that his cousins play frequently (they are 9 and 12 yrs. old).  If my son has trouble doing something with the game he will actually start crying.  I tell himj it's suppose to be fun and when he cries it's no longer fun and we should put it away.  That makes it worse.  Is this game too advanced?  He can do many things but gets frustrated after trying to get through to the "next level" after 10 minutes.  I don't like this but don't know what to do.  He really likes playing but I don't like how it can upset him.

He also LOVES playing sports and outside and we do that frequently so we aren't on the DS for hours at a time.  What should I do??

[cbs62]

You are absolutely right.  He just wants to be like his cousins (he's an only child).  He has some others that are at his level.  We also limit his play to 30 minutes a day.  Thanks for responding.  I appreciate it...

[rilbrianne]

Sounds like he's too young for the game.  His cousins are much older, he's only 6.  Maybe you can find some games that are a little easier/more age appropriate and perhaps he'll do much better with the game and forget about the other one.  He's not obsessed with winning but is upset and frustrated at not being able to navigate well enough to get to the next level.  Kids get frustrated when they can't do something, it's perfectly normal.  Younger kids don't know how else to express their frustration.