Video Games - good or evil? (TV, Family, 60s, gaming)

[The A-Team]

Originally Posted by L4P12

I was a country kid growing up. Played in every mud puddle, snow pile, tree house, and just plain running through the sprinkler. Sure nintendo came out when I was a kid, but it wasnt as fun as playing outside.

Now video games are the norm... I am a super computer user and see the benefit of learning to use the computer. However I am still "old school" in thinking the video game is rotting childrens brains.

Thoughts, opinion... do you own video games? If so is it a privilege for the kids to play? Do you stick to the rating system keeping games age appropriate?

Any old schoolers out there like me who want to see their kids play outside?

I find nothing wrong with video games. I grew up playing them (used to play the final fight arcade in food-4-less when i was like 2 lol, my dad would hold me up to the machine ) Growing up, my parent's would sometimes check the ratings, but i started playing mortal combat when i was probably 6 or so. I still play video games to this day on a daily basis, i've never been in trouble, am in college, have lots of friends, many other activities, etc. Nowadays, my dad plays video games maybe more than me (lol) and he is a retired corperate lawyer. I found video games to be an entertaining, sometimes informative, non destructive hobby that is great for people of all ages. My children will definatly have video games if they want them, and I will continue to play.BTW i grew up in Arkansas and played outside plenty too as a kid. I love video games!

[Radek]

I think that we're becoming too dependent on our computers (consoles these days ARE computers).

And that is the problem, not video games, not TVs, etc. Its the psychological dependence and attraction to them.

I'm really glad the Wii came out, because it keeps things physical. I'm waiting for the day when someone builds the first virtual window, or 'windowed, windowless office'. Basic idea behind it is, You have an office that just pretends to have a window that will mimic the view from outside, etc. Some advantages are that we could have it be perpetually sunny, etc. But you lose those sun rays, and its just not healthy.

My two step-brothers are somewhat physical active... but they're so attached to their video game systems its ridiculous. Im sure I was the exact same way, but it doesn't make it right.

I've been trying to establish better boundaries for myself with gaming. For instance, if its a nice day, I'll make an effort to go outside and do something there. If its at night, I have no problem playing video games, etc.


Its not the games themselves, its the fact that we're not being active, and we're learning more and more... through our jobs and our lives that sitting on your butt all day isn't just okay... its the norm.

That being said, I now return to my 12 hour shift of sitting and watching a monitor refresh.

[**NoodLes**]

I don't think they are good or bad, but I do think that they can improve hand-eye coordination and problem solving. Some of the games these days require alot of thought and planning, not just button mashing. Anything done too much is bad, of course, but I see nothing wrong with games. I play all the time.

[jfre81]

Once I first played Donkey Kong and smashed a barrel with a hammer on a video game screen, my innocence was smashed along with it. Some 23 years or so later I am evil incarnate.

[Tricky D]

When I was little I used to love playing tag. I got a real kick out of being the last man not being tagged. Nowadays I play war games with capture the flag themes or last man standing (which is a lot like tag) except that playing video games is not physical anymore.
I still get a kick of being the last man standing, but it's not a 'physical buzz' anymore like when I used to play tag.
I do admit that I miss the experience of dodging my chasers or simply outrunning them.
Whenever I played tag I got a physical exercise for free.
Unfortunately this is not the same with videogames.

[jfre81]

As a kid I played sandlot ball and street basketball and such just as often as I played video games. The latter didn't preclude being active, as it wasn't something I did all the time (just more than a lot of the adults in my world seemed to think I should). Some times it'd be the same kids I was playing ball with I was playing Street Fighter II or whatever with later.

Where I grew up and still live (at least in the same area), there's a lot of rain and can get dangerously hot during the peak of summer days, so there are plenty of opportunities to do active stuff outside as well as do stuff inside (like playing video games). No one activity has to be exclusive. Any kid who really does nothing but play video games probably has some issues that go a lot deeper than the video games.

Then there's the violence. Well, of course, not all video games are violent, and this is as good a time as there's ever been for video games without violence (Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution, lots of Wii games and others). Even before you had stuff like Tetris that was worth owning a Game Boy for if you weren't into shooting and explosions. For that matter, not every game with violence necessarily "promotes" it as a way of handling problems. The Metal Gear series, for example, does exactly the opposite of that, even though it can get as bloody as GTA or something else that gets the attention of the Jack Thompsons of the world (Jack Thompson is a blowhard lawyer in Florida who has sued - thus far unsuccessfully - Take Two Interactive and other game makers for supposedly corrupting America's youth). MGS is rated "M" for Mature just like GTA. I play that all that now and I did before - well, GTA came around a little later, but there was Mortal Kombat when I was a kid. And yeah, 15 years or so later, I haven't killed anybody.

Stupid drivers on cell phones make me want to go off on a homicidal rage than any video game ever did. Video games are what I do to keep me from killing those bastards. It's a lot safer, all in all, if I blow up rows of cars with rocket launchers in Vice City (fictional city) than Houston (real city), right?

[Tricky D]

Violence itself is not good or evil, but depicting violence as fun or 'harmless entertainment' is. When taking life is seen as a game, the purpose of taking life (for food) is easily forgotten. Throughout time man has proven that trophy hunting is not only evil but also harmful to life in general.
So I guess that games that glorify violence and/ or only pass it as harmless fun poses a threat to our young ones.
Especially when they still cannot make the difference between reality and make-believe.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by Tricky D

Especially when they still cannot make the difference between reality and make-believe.

Who are "they?" I had a pretty good grasp of reality and what wasn't when I was a kid. Either I was just weird or brought up differently?

[Tricky D]

Originally Posted by jfre81

I had a pretty good grasp of reality and what wasn't when I was a kid. Either I was just weird or brought up differently?

Those (little) children who still believe in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus.
If children had a good (logical) grasp of reality they would have been mini-adults who don't need parents instead of children.

[Rita Mordio]

Originally Posted by Tricky D

Those (little) children who still believe in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus.
If children had a good (logical) grasp of reality they would have been mini-adults who don't need parents instead of children.

And if they still believe in such things, why are their parents letting them play games that are beyond their age group and mentality? Ratings are there for a reason... and the rating even explains the reason for the rating received.

In fact, if a child still cannot grasp the difference between reality and fantasy - should the parents even allow video games at all?