Will our children reflect on the toys and computer games that they have today with the same enthusiasm that James May exhibits for Plasticene, Meccano and Scalextric?
In the TV series ‘James May’s Toy Stories’ we see Mr May revisiting many of the classic toys that he enjoyed as a child. In the series Mr May builds a full size house from Lego, a huge bridge from Meccano and a massive 3 mile racing circuit from Scalextric.
Mr May clearly likes toys that involve building something. They come from a time when toys inspired an interest in construction, engineering and making things rather than escapism into a fantasy world of monsters and violence.
His TV programs are aired at a time of year when many of us are considering the Christmas gifts requested by our youngsters. For some years now these have been dominated by the latest games consoles and computer games. Last year they demanded a Wii Fit and Guitar Hero. This year they are hoping that Santa will bring them DJ Hero.
I’ve been wondering which form of plaything is actually most beneficial to their development? Computer games consoles or creative construction toys like Meccano, Lego and Scalextric.
I belong to the same generation as Mr May. I grew up with Action Man, Lego, Bicycles and Model Airplanes. Computer games didn’t appear until after I’d left school and I’ve never really understood why they have become so appealing. Personally, I would get a lot more enjoyment and satisfaction from building a Model Railway circuit than I would from pretending to be a disk jockey or pretending to play guitar. I suppose that building a model railway is actually pretending to be a railway engineer. Choo choo!
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