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Parents often bungle gaming gifts

By Mike Snider, USA TODAY Tue Nov 20, 7:34 AM ET

Video games are on most children and teens' holiday wish lists, and they do expect to get a game as a gift. But the bad news, in their opinion, is that their parents - and even a seasoned gift giver such as Santa Claus - are unlikely to give them the game they really want.

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The mixed shopping signals come from Weekly Reader Research, which surveyed 1,000 children, ages 8 to 17, about video games Aug. 17-20.

Eight of 10 children said they would ask for a video game; the five favorites, the survey found, are Guitar Hero, Mario Party DS, Super Mario Galaxy, My Sims and Halo 3.

And nearly six out of 10 (59%) intend to ask for a console game system as a holiday gift. Most popular? The Nintendo Wii (32% plan to ask for it), followed by the Sony PlayStation 3 (19%) and Microsoft Xbox 360 (17%).

However, 60% expect to either get a game they did not want, get a game for the wrong video game system or not get any or all of the games they asked for according to Tanya Khamis, senior marketing manager for specialty game retailer Game Crazy, which commissioned the survey.

"Kids don't want to hurt their parents' feelings, but they are saying, 'My parents don't really get it.' But maybe they don't really understand the difference between the Wii and the Sony PlayStation 2," Khamis said.

Grandparents, relatives and Santa were also likely to give unwanted video games as gifts, respondents said.

The 580-store retailer opted to do the survey to smooth over holiday giftgiving, and perhaps increase some sales along the way. "Overall, we just want to say, 'Come to Game Crazy, so you can be a hero.' " Khamis says. Her advice for parents and other shoppers who want to get the right games:

? Ask the child to write out a wish list.

? Know what game system the child has. "A lot of parents come into the store and we have to show them a picture of the systems," Khamis says.

? Know the child's interests, whether they like music or sports games, for instance. "Oftentimes, they would like to get a few other things they didn't ask for, to surprise them," she says.

A child's age can come into play because many of them (62%) said that they would ask for a game that they know has a rating over their age level. "Say a child wants Halo 3. We know that's a Mature-rated game. But every parent has a different comfort level for their child," she says. "Let the store staff play it for you and look at the content."