Wtf is it with parents randomly giving away older consoles? Do they not realize that each has different games and you can play with more than one? Thankfully mine were not like that, but I've heard a lot of the same sort of stories.
I think that generation views video games stereotypically as a "lesser" form of entertainment, like watching TV all the time. My mom was the same way (as in, thinking of restricting TV or games if I was bad), but ended up not bothering because I wouldn't care if I couldn't play video games for a week or whatever, because I could just read -- and books she wouldn't restrict.