Something funny happened in church yesterday . . .

[Lockridge]

Interesting discussion.
"Balance in all things" as they say.
I don't mind my child playing video games (and becoming familiar with that medium) but I would hate it if that were all my child was doing for entertainment.

The special challenge that video games represent is that it is a very fast endorphine injection. Everything moves fast with no attention span required. But the real problem is that video games are by their very nature marketing tools. They are designed to be addictive. We all know what its like to want to make it to that next level (and the one after and so on). Imagine that sort of influence on a kid - some adults lose sleep or miss work over it.

The worst that I remember when I was a kid was the need to collect cards or the desire to watch cartoons. But in that case the cartoons were over after a while. Collecting cards ends when you run out of money or can't get to the store.

Parents face a difficult challenge and must always work to allow (read: make) their children try different things.

 

[bento]

Given the choice between letting my kids watch network TV or play age-appropriate video and computer games, I'll opt for the latter thank you very much!

As a parent, I know what limits my kids have, and after school work is done, rooms are clean(er) and dinner eaten and cleared, it's perfectly fine to enjoy some electronic entertainment. My kids are avid video gamers and they still manage to attend their weekly gymnastics, visit friends, read books and get eight hours of sleep.

 

[Shortman McLeod]

I agree 100%. This is a problem. There is a fine middle ground there.

We agree on this. For instance, my wife and I want our daughter to learn computer literacy, which is arguably becoming as important as traditional literacy (at least in wealthy countries). To this end, we work with her on keyboarding, mouse skills, etc. She also has a little "Barbie laptop" computer with various educational type activities.

But sitting in front of a TV with an Xbox controller in her hands and drool dangling from her lips? No thanks. That's what **I** do in our family. And when she's older, she can do it too. She isn't missing *anything* by delaying videogaming. But I agree with you--she would be missing out by not learning basic computer skills.

Incidentally, Steve Jobs banned his kids from ALL television and video games for much of their childhood. His reason? "Television and video games destroy creativity."

Interesting.

 

[bento]

The special challenge that video games represent is that it is a very fast endorphine injection. Everything moves fast with no attention span required.

That's true with television and movies as well. Watch a television show from thirty years ago and you'll quickly be bored as they move much slower than shows today. Blame it on Madison Avenue or Sesame Street, but that's just how things are today.

But the real problem is that video games are by their very nature marketing tools. They are designed to be addictive. We all know what its like to want to make it to that next level (and the one after and so on). Imagine that sort of influence on a kid - some adults lose sleep or miss work over it.

Movies are used to sell more breakfast cereal. Golfing events are used to sell more Oldsmobiles. ENWorld is used to sell more games (look at the ads at the top and bottom of this screen). Marketing (and advertising) is how things like web sites are paid for. Just like they need to learn technology, kids need to be exposed to marketing, so it can be identified for what it is and some of its influence negated. To block it out as kids and expect them to function as adults is pretty naieve.

As for games being addictive, a big part of it is the by-product of immersion. One important element of game design is immersion - getting the players to feel they are a part of the game. Without immersion, players won't want to play very long, and won't think it's worth the money to purchase the game in the first place.

The worst that I remember when I was a kid was the need to collect cards or the desire to watch cartoons. But in that case the cartoons were over after a while. Collecting cards ends when you run out of money or can't get to the store.

Yep, wasting time on cartoons and collecting worthless junk are both rites of passage for kids. These are things kids should learn through experience.

Parents face a difficult challenge and must always work to allow (read: make) their children try different things.

Yes and no. I think kids need to learn their own lessons on managing time with some parental boundaries set. Where would the world be if Mozart's dad kept his son's music practice limited to 30 minutes a day? If your child has a talent, it should be developed within limits of being a child.

 

[hexgrid]

Is there anything new about this?

I'm in my early 30's now, and a string of console systems dominated the waking hours of most of my friends all through childhood- starting with Atari or Coleco systems as a small children and continuing all the way through to the Playstation when we reached college age.

 

[Cam Banks]

My geeks friends and I all have careers in the various engineering disciplines while a huge number of those "normal" kids are working at sock mills or pushing carts at Wal-Mart. Sure I got picked on as a kid, but who's laughing now.

Some of my geek friends got into engineering careers, which promptly imploded during the dot com crisis a few years back. Those who didn't are panicking because at their age they either have to move into management or face an early retirement.

I, of course, am completely useless at the engineering disciplines despite being a geek at school. But then I'm a liberal arts major, and now I write, edit, and design games for a living. But I had to put in my years as a retail supervisor first.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Lewis526]

I was an assistant teacher in a second grade classroom a few years ago. There was a kid in my class one year whose family did not own a TV. That meant he had no access to television or video games at home. He was an amazingly voracious reader, and probably the brightest kid in the class. It was such a striking example that I'd seriously consider following it if I ever have children myself.

TV will rot your brains and turn your children into zombies. Anything that encourages them to be creative, and anything that encourages them to excercise their bodies is a good thing. Outdoors or indoors, physical or mental, their brains should be engaged, not pacified.

 

[Arashi Ravenblade]

I was one of those poor kids that didnt have video games, cable or any other buttsitting entertainment until like I was 15.
Being outside and doing active stuff isnt all it's cracked up to be when you dont have a choice.

 

[dmccoy1693]

Everytime I see my daughter, all she talks about is pre-school and TV. I don't let her watch TV when she's with me except when I"m in the shower or when I have her for summer vacation weeks and we're watching a imagination-inspiring fantasy movie (the last unicorn, the secret of nimh, etc), I'm sure in a few years she's going to be doing nothing but playing WOW when she's with her mother.

How do I spend time with her? Taking her to the playgound near me that is made up to look like a castle. I kid you not, one time she said we wre going to get the green monster. when she got the imaginary monster cornered, she started stabbing it with an imaginary sword. I was never so proud of my daughter, nor have I ever laughed so hard. I work as hard as I can to encourage that imagination of her.

 

[Pielorinho]

After my first crazy week as a second-grade teacher, my mentor half-jokingly told me that I needed to be at least as entertaining as a computer game, since that's what I was competing against for kids' entertainment. I can make math fun, but frankly, I can't make it that fun.

About two weeks ago I was talking to one of my students who really, really can't pay attention in class (he desperately wants to, but the concept of self-control is totally foreign to him). I was trying to help him think of something to write about. "What do you do when you get home from school?" I asked.

"Play computer games."

"Aha!" I thought. "Me too! Here's a place I can make a connection with this six-year-old!" Out loud, I said, "Really? Cool! What's your favorite game?"

"Grand Theft Auto San Andreas," he answered.

Six years old.

Daniel