What in the world were you expecting? Of course they do! It's the ultimate handheld gaming machine, running a full-fledged PC operating system and capable of playing almost anything a PC can. I would have loved a device like that when I was little.
I ended up setting up a couple of emulators on an old laptop so I could have it back. She's more of a gamer than I am and I've just about got her convinced to grab a deck for remote play on her PS5. If I don't convince her soon I'm getting a second one because I know I'm gonna lose it again once she's done with NES.
Set her up with Chrono Trigger for SNES once she's done with NES era and you'll have about four days all to yourself to plan more defenses, such as Final Fantasy and Metroid
Fortunately we have a couple switches and the kiddos are a lot more interested in those games now. I've definitely set a boundary that the steam deck is mine for 90%+ of the time.
At the time my kids were late teens, so they used their own money to create their small "console museum".
Added plus is that godparents and grandparents don't need to think what to get as gifts. Grandparents are a bit clueless about the matter, but godparents are knowledgeable and are aware of the state of the collection.