Experts worry that violent games and macho toys promote aggression in our young boys.
One result is that young boys miss out on valuable play experiences, especially those involving caretaking, creativity, flexibility, and fantasy play that goes beyond whomping bad guys. If a boy doesn't experience particular types of play during childhood, it's harder to learn those skills. Children are being steered toward stereotypical play at ever younger ages. In previous generations, male and female play patterns emerged at age 5 or 6. That's when boys started to act like boys, and girls like girls.