Video Games - good or evil? (PS3, guitar, Wii, Nintendo)

[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?

[regarese]

My husband plays them, so they will be in our house. Everything in moderation I believe. If they're interested in it, I will let them play (and will monitor based on ratings and what we feel is appropriate), but I want them to play outside and learn how to throw an actual ball, not some Wii simulation of what a ball "used" to thrown like.

[KristyLiz]

I say, everything in moderation.

My husband got PlayStation for Christmas and my two boys (7&5) do play it, but they only have one game (Lego Stat Wars) and can only play it every once in a while - maybe 3-4 times a week, and for no longer than 30-40 minutes.

When we first got the gaming system, I wasn't as strict, but my 5 year old's behavior would be horrible after he played the game for too long, so I had to set limits.

My 7 year old is very imaginative, so he doesn't care too much about video games, it's my 5 year old I really have to police - he loves them!

[hypocore]

I think my two youngest kids (5 and 10) have a healthy mixture of both worlds. They play outside hours at a time on the weekend (like I did as a child) and after school we are usually outside for a couple of hours when weather permits. They have a climber/swingset they love, a sandbox, basketball goal, bikes and all sorts of other outdoor activiites that are all well used. (including the butterfly nets and bug catchers haha)

Then they also have time spent on the computer and watching TV as well.

My husband is in the computer business and a PC game player more so than video game systems, so we have a decent variety of PC games and that's where my kids spend most of their game playing time. (The newest video system we have in our house is PS2 and we rarely buy anything but used games) So, the kids have learned computers at a much earlier age than most.

They both love to play the usual things such as Webkinz, Zoo Tycoon, Roller Coaster Tycoon and such. My 5 yr old son basically learned to read playing Roller Coaster Tycoon a year ago or so and my 10 yr old daughter has now learned to animate videos after searching the web for videos of Zoo Tycoon. Then they also play some of the PC games that their dad plays, although in a controlled environment.

The computer is not treated as a priviledge in our house, it's just part of life. However family things come first and computer time is if there is time. Homework, meals and family gatherings take precedence. Somehow we still manage to have plenty of time for all of it.....probably because we don't have them in all sorts of extra curricular activites that soak up all their time. :-)

The games they play have never affected their behavior, nor do they interfere with just being kids since I make sure they stay very well balanced. They are not couch potatoes nor are they overweight. They are both very advanced academically and that may indeed be due in part to their learned abilities on the computer. They are also both very well behaved kids.

So bottom line....with proper guidance and supervision, video/computer games can be a great addition to the whole household.

Guidance and supervision being the key and where many parents go wrong in just letting their kids do whatever they want, whenever they want and feeding them all new and improved products as soon as they hit the market.

[GoCUBS1]

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'm another "old-schooler". We have no video game system. My kids have not requested a system and we are such a busy family I don't think we would use it. For us, there are so many more interesting things to do then sit around playing video games. The kids play several sports and are outside every day - in all types of weather. When we're inside, we read, play games and chess, play the piano/guitar, dance, cook, sketch, have conversations, etc...

Our kids (including a 9 y.o. boy who is prime "video game age") have played game systems at friends houses occasionally though. I'll call the parents to check the rating and/or my child will call home to check if it's ok to play a certain game.

[SMCS]

I think they are neutral. I played them when I was growing up and that is what first exposed me to the stock market. Wall Street Tycoon or something like that was the game. I was more interested in that genre of game than the shoot em ups.

For my kids we have a WII and a PS3. They are only allowed to play video games on spring break, christmans break, and summer vacation. My oldest son loses his ability to focus on everything "real" when he has been playing video games. My kids are still young (8,6,5) so we only get the E games. I have been really surprised at what content is in the T games. Some T games I don't see why they are T and then some T games I think should be M.

[austinsmom]

I've posted about this before but my husband is a big video game player. So is our son. He knows which games he can play based on ratings and he's good at them. I don't play but I'm not good at them either. He is very smart and does well in school. He also goes outside and plays. He plays a sport each season and is very active. I think they have helped him in many ways: great hand/eye coordination, good reasoning skills, reading. As long as parents are involved and monitor what they are playing and how long, there is nothing wrong with video game systems. It's the people who say they are so horrible that drive me crazy. Just b/c you don't like something or don't approve doesn't make it horrible for everyone.

[Tzaphkiel]

i too am old school when it comes to kids playing outdoors climbing trees and riding bikes. I made a point to buy a house with trees and a creek and a yard. So they did get to do all that, had great fun with the neighborhood kids. They also are computer nuts from day 1. Their dad is a computer nut so he sees nothing wrong with it at his house. I worried about it though, so at my house I made sure (in addition to the trees and swings and creek) that we had lots of books and reading time and art projects too.

By middle school age and high school age, computer games are their fun of choice, and by that age it's ridiculous to think you can "make " a kid (young adult by then) do this or that. I worried they'd turn into brain-dead violent no-social-skills zombies, and I was dead wrong. One got into computer animation at a very young age and ended up taking college classes learning state of the art software when he was 15. He is now a computer science major at university, and works jobs doing design and animation.

Another son started testing computer games and got job experiece there, active in on-line multi-player gaming meeting people one of whom is now a business partner and graduating university in combination computer science/business. The third son also an avid gamer is majoring in mechanical engineering at university. I have to say their computer experience has served them well in academics, university, job skills, and even interpersonal skills (have you ever seen the teamwork and leadership skills needed to start and successfully run a clan on a multi-player game?)

An offshoot business was e-bay sales from related game items (they make characters and then sell them). Each of the boys sold their "character" once they tired of using it for close to $2,000. I must say I'm quite jealous. One month they were "bored" and invented a robot that they didn't even have to run themselves, to go around and collect stuff, then when they got out of school they'd post that stuff to sell. This brought in several hundred dollars until they got "bored" and did something else.

It's different than what we were brought up with. But I've seen nothing but good come from it.

[slove1106]

Another old schooler here... Trees, running around, playing outside... All the good stuff I want my kids to have/do is missing where I live (CA) so I'm moving to a rural area so they can do that stuff.

As far as video games, I just bought my kids (7 and 4) a Game Cube and a GameBoy Advanced just to have it around. Yep, years after these systems came out. No $400 WII or $600 PS3 for them. I know they'd end up playing it a few times and getting over it anyway so all I'd be doing is saying good bye to hundreds of dollars that'll soon collect dust. Besides I don't want them getting addicted to it. My ex husband was a gameaholic and never left the TV... (Even to go to work! Hence... my EX husband lol) So yeah, I only bought it just so they have a "back-up" thing to do when they're bored. They actually played it like once or twice and haven't picked it up since. They prefer to be outside and do the whole bike, skateboard, running around thing. I'm glad.

[Shopaholic]

I think in moderation video games are okay. The problems start when it one of the only activities the child participates in. I think that allowing kids to play video games should be seen as a treat, and not just an acceptable way to spend all of their free time. Kids need to also be doing things that stimulate their intellectual curiosity and things that keep them active. What do you all think about the Wii? Do you think it has an merit as a form of exercise? I came across this poll on ParentsConnect that asks people to weigh in on the question. Pretty interesting.