I Don't Know What That Wet Stuff Is, But I Like It!

All dad had to do was say "No electronics outside." Simple fix. Bonus if said dad brought out the kid's crayons and challenged the kid to turn the box into something -- a castle, a rocket, a house, a store . . . . Also, it's very possible that we're romanticizing the past. One kid and a box isn't much fun; it's probable that, in the past, there were multiple siblings and/or neighbors making up games with the boxes. (Of course, one of those games was probably "torment the smallest or weakest".)

We turn cardboard buildings into buildings for our Barbie Village. We have an elaborate cast of characters (I play a villain known as Dictator Barbie) and businesses.

Yes electronics could be useful : I brought back home the sturdy servers cardboard boxes from work. We made a castle and had fun during years. Yes we, me and the kids :)