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Go outside, make a mud-pie, gather up some acorns & count them (our 6 year old did just that only yesterday, and was enjoying it), swing on the swings--later, on the inside, read a book, straighten up your room, stack some blocks, assemble something with Lincoln Logs & TinkerToys.
I was recently in a museum (not a children's museum) that had several inter-active computer displays involving maps. I'm pretty savvy with such things and still had a bit of a problem figuring out how to get it to do what I wanted. (The instruction page wouldn't display.) A child, about 6, walked up to it and Bam! he understood what he needed to do to use it almost immediately. This wasn't a kid's game.
I was tremendously impressed and asked him what I was doing wrong. He told me and explained how to use another display as well. (Nice kid.) THAT child is going to be prepared for the rest of the 21st century.
I think there is a problem with too much screen time for the eyes. Also watch if your kid plays the same game over and over or tries a bunch of different ones. If they play only one game, it may be an issue.
This is an oft discussed topic in the context of parenting. I found this article interesting, particularly from the perspective that many parents who are vehemently opposed to video games are not well informed regarding their content.Are Video Games Killing Childhood? - Speakeasy - WSJ
The funny thing is that they're actually driving up our IQ.
I think there is a problem with too much screen time for the eyes.
hmm source?
or is this something you just made up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil P
Also watch if your kid plays the same game over and over or tries a bunch of different ones. If they play only one game, it may be an issue.
Yeah, the issue is one game kicks serious #@$@!
I mean seriously. . .my go to game, in a household of more games than I can every play, is Injustice Gods Among us. There is nothing more fun that fighting (and beating) people in a game. Multiplier games can be played over-and-over-and-over-and-over. . .
Though I'm curious on what the threat is? What is going to be the issue? What happens if you don't mix-and-match games
Because to moderate that would entail me having to "hover" over them constantly & probably get downright ugly to have them stop when the time is up, because the tendency is for them to protest at that point. I am of the "let them play BY THEMSELVES" school of thought--yes when needed I intervene, but I shouldn't have to hover over & supervise their play, play should be "free range" as it were.
So you won't let your kids play video games because setting limits is too hard?
So you won't let your kids play video games because setting limits is too hard?
Settings limits is easy enough in theory, but in practice I've not seen a person who's tried that approach who wasn't constantly having to remind them, and I'm very much a "don't chew my cabbage twice" kind of person (that is, repeating myself, going over something numerous times, having to remind someone of whatever) and also whining is something that I have about zero tolerance for. (During the infant years, MP3 players and earplugs were my best friend, I kept them very close by.)
Yes parenting your kids is your responsibility & you shouldn't shirk from it, but making it a less drudgery-based sort of thing is something I can't find fault in, and highly promote myself frankly. Heck I know a young mother of 22 who uses CLOTH diapers, yes cloth--I'm like, man, that's OLD school right there, but I bet you 95% of young mothers use disposable to make it easier on themselves, and I say "no problem with that." I cook homemade meals, even for breakfast often-times, & I think such enhances a child's life in terms of having GREAT food to eat & they've seen their parent put in the time in the kitchen to make it for them, yet I can't fault a mother who gives their child cereal in the morning or something zapped in a microwave for dinner so as to make it easier on herself.
And the various studies notwithstanding, ones that say games can boost brain IQ, I side with those who feel that kids are better off playing outside or reading a book etc. (I guess Kindle is okay, that's a book too, especially if it's the Kindles that are pretty much books only.) This is one of those things, I think, where you will find a study that supports your view, and a study that supports the opposing view, so it comes down to what you feel in your heart, and this is what I feel in my heart.
Studies also show that kids who sit around playing video games are much more likely to grow up into adults who want to do very little else.
Nonviolent video games are okay in moderation, but I've seen even those wreck people's lives when the games became more important than, for example, school. Yes, other things can have the same effect (was your high school's quarterback a very good student?), but most video games are specifically designed to be addictive, and they're dangerous because of that.
That's why I won't allow my kids to play them. They may or may not be slightly helpful for cognitive development, but completely aside from whether they make people more aggressive or less social or less literate, they have an extremely high opportunity cost.
Most people I know who play video games have played thousands and thousands of hours of them. Some have even spent thousands of hours on the same game. I once tried out one of those massively multiplayer online RPGs, and I ran into someone claimed to have been playing the game for a year. "So, you started playing a year ago?" I asked. "No," was the reply. "Three years ago" That person had a year of time logged on that one game.
Given that much free time, a person could learn easily become fluent in at least two new languages, learn an new instrument or two, learn enough about programming to snag a job with a six-figure salary, or do enough research to earn a Ph.D. (assuming one already has a Master's). This person put that kind of time into a children's game and came out with nothing to show for it.
That's all aside from the fact that gaming culture has gotten more toxic over the years, and the popular games have gotten more vulgar, violent, and misogynistic. Since shock value sells, publishers have been pushing the envelope more and more in order to stay ahead of the shock value curve. Even the more innocent games have an online culture that consists largely of teenagers cursing up a storm in YouTube videos about their favorite games.
It's kinda depressing to see.
While I have some good memories of games I played when I was young, a lot of the time I spent with games was completely wasted. The good memories all come from games with interesting, inspirational stories and beautiful music. I know there are still a few of those being made today, but the more popular titles consist mainly of games saturated with violence or, at the other extreme, those that are stripped of all artistic quality and reduced to timewasting addictions.
I can still remember the dramatic moments from some of my favorites, like when Cecil the knight redeemed himself at the top of Mount Ordeals and became a noble paladin or when Setzer the dashing rogue stole the wrong singer from the opera house in the middle of the show or when the former squire, Frog, chose to forgive the wizard who killed his former master in a previous war or when star-crossed lovers Fei and Elly were finally reunited after many lifetimes of struggling to find each other. Some of these stories can be very beautiful. They're also designed to end at some point.
However, the mindless action games? I don't remember anything from those at all. Those are the games kids are playing, and those are the games on which they're logging hundreds or thousands of hours. Many otherwise very bright people fail out of school because they become addicted to video games, and this can lead either to completely ruined lives or lives that are stunted. Millions more kids are finding their social and moral development polluted by the atmosphere of the more vile games out there.
If I could guarantee that my kid only played the games that are both wholesome and worthwhile (games that are basically long books with soundtracks), then I'd be okay with that, but it's very difficult to guarantee that, and there is a lot at stake. Part of a parent's job is to keep kids away from bad influences, so I think the easiest way to be completely safe is to lock these dangerous games away, especially while kids are at critical stages in their development.
I grew up when nintendo was getting big so I have been around video games my entire life. I find the biggest problem with modern gaming is the ability to play with real people all day. I have some cousins that practically have an addition to it.
I also find alot of the younger generation(bornin the 90's) kids have a hard time carrying on a normal conversation, and have a very hard time getting with women due to their lack of communication skills. I guess if your raised entirely on video games, you miss out on the whole playing with kids outside and communicating what you guys are going to do that day.
My son plays video games but he still has a life outside the video world while he is home. he also communicates better than I do in a group setting. like most have said, everything is ok in moderation.
But what about the super violent games which show heads being blown off and blood and gore? Aren't they inappropriate for kids? I think they can numb some kids to the horror of violence and it's repercussions.
I grew up in the 80's and 90's playing Mortal Kombat and other violent video games. I played first person shooters throughout college. (Doom, counterstrike, etc).
I grew up, became an engineer, and had a family and have become successful. Playing video games since I was 7 has not affected me negatively. Playing violent video games did not cause me to be a violent person.
I'm 34 years old now. I do still own a PS4. However, now with kids, i'm lucky if I play 1-2 hours a month with it.
The key with video games is moderation. I wouldn't let my kids sit around on a sunny day playing ps4 for 10 hours. I'd tell them to get outside.
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