Many parents yell at their kids and say that they are not active. They tell kids to put away their video games because they are not productive and are just a waste of time. The mass media also agrees, they say that video games cause violence in younger children and expose them to things that they should not see at their age.
The debate is that video games cause violence in younger children. Video games are similar to movies, they are not real and are just for entertainment. Also, video games have ratings on them; they tell you what age group should be playing what game. Parents should be responsible for letting their children play a game that has a mature rating, just like they should be responsible for letting their child watch a rated-R movie. I think that video games are a scapegoat to bad parenting. As a parent, they should know what their kids are playing and watching. Even though it’s inevitable to block everything that they see, they should still be able to monitor what they watch or play. I don’t get why no one puts any blame on television and movies and always are quick to blame video games.
There are far more positives than negatives when it comes to video games. Video games keep kids away from the violence. Kids are safer inside of their house shooting imaginary aliens rather than out on the streets causing chaos. Video games help keep kids and their minds active, instead of them going out smoking and drinking like many kids are doing in our generation now. There are even video games that are educational; there are games that help kids learn even more than they do in school. Let’s face it, what kid pays attention in class, I know I never did. I can honestly say I learned more jumping from platform to platform in Mario and trying to collecting rings in Sonic than learning useless equations in math.
Most parents want kids to sit at home and read books. Sorry, but no twelve-year-old wants to jump into an exciting book. They want to pick up a controller and try to catch every Pokemon they can. If you can get your kid to read book after book, then I give you all the credit in the world. Sure, reading can be good, but so can video games. You can learn the same amount in reading a book as you can playing a video game.
Take away video games and see what happens. Kids would go crazy; there would be more kids in trouble than ever. Video games are more than education, and they are fun as well! Video games can help you learn without even knowing that you are learning. Playing puzzle games such as Tetris can help you learn the concept of recognizing and putting things where they belong and following an order, tell me how this is different from what you learn in math class, it is not. I say kids should play, under the right supervision.
vinnylanni 
Reblogged this on RRB's Games Blog and commented:
Love this post by VinnyLanni. An objective view on the Video Game world we love, and why some people should think before they judge.
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It helps to keep things in perspective, video games as a medium are still VERY young and an emerging art form. Because of this there are inherent ‘growing pains’ and credibility that come with it that every medium has faced. If you don’t believe me just do your research and look at what books/art/music all had to go through before they were a truly an establish medium.
We have a lot of growing to do as a medium/industry, and it’s our job to dispel ignorance and foster understanding. It will be an uphill battle because people hate change and love to blame their problems on an exterior force or object.
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I agree that parents really do need to get a good deal of the blame. They are the ones who have control over what their children can or can not do. Going out and buying a game that is M-rated is totally their fault to what their children are viewing.
I think that video games are defiantly becoming more main-steam. There are games like Heavy Rain for the PS3 that are pretty much interactive movies. I definitely like the direction that video games are going. Besides the motion controls lol
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Exactly, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a video game store (when I used to shop at those places) and I would see a parent purchasing mature titles like Gears of War 3, or Dead Space for their very young child. So like I said, it’s a lack of accountability.
I think things are still going to get a lot more interesting as far as the direction games are going, we are probably only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
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What a controversial topic..I love it! I like your take on this, and I applaud you!
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Why thank you ever so much!
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Anytime, my dear fellow!
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Oh yeah :)
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I left this comment like months ago and you answer now! :O lol
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lol yyyeeeeah. I have been absent from my wordpress for a very long time! I need to get back into the habit of blogging for sure!
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^Agreed. You totally need to get back to blogging!
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Believe it or not, I was addicted to my PS One then PS2. But it wasn’t bad at all, I developed fine motor skills and my hand eye coordination was phenomenal, (and I haven’t been able to prove this yet but I’m convinced I drive better because of it haha). I really do believe that everything can be enjoyed in moderation and video games are no exception. People are pretty surprised when they find out I love video games because of the stigma associated with gamers as lazy, useless, and unsuccessful. Some people may be like that but that’s not what I know to be true.
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I agree! I don’t like the stereotype that gamers get. Video games are almost like becoming the next form of movies. People spend hours a day watching movies and no one categorizes them. Just because someone plays video games people are quick to affiliate them with a certain type. It is not fair!
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All things in moderation, right? I think it’s funny that video games are either “we should get rid of them,” or “we should be allowed to play until our brains rot.” Too much of anything (e.g. TV, movies, books) could make someone violent or antisocial or inept in some way. Video games can enrich lives just as much as any other media, and can be as detrimental as other media as well, if we let it.
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I totally agree. I don’t think kids should go out and become addicted to video games. Like you said an a addiction to anything is a bad thing, even if it’s something simple like chocolate (Just like Chocolate Boy in Hey Arnold. I might be going over your head on that one lol) I just think video games should be given more credit than the negative feedback it always seems to get.
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Video Games suffer from being the “new” media. Every time a new form of media is introduced, it is readily accepted by the new generations and demonized by the old. Books, Film, and television have all gone through the same process and are all now perfectly acceptable in today’s society. It’ll just be a matter of time before the stigma attached to video games is lost as well.
That being said, I don’t think it would really hurt kids to go without games for a time. Games may encourage problem-solving and hand-eye coordination to a certain degree, but interaction of the analog world in which we live will always carry greater benefit than interaction in the digital realm. In the real world you have to entertain yourself and have to interact with real people. It’s a much more tangible experience and gamer or not, those interactions are most often the base of our fondest and most vivid memories.
There is value to games, just as there is value to exercise, sports, and reading. I agree that some demonize games far too excessively, but there is a point in there. Your digital life must be balanced by “real” life, and that’s often a balance that kids cannot reach without some restriction.
Good post, looking forward to the next one!
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I agree that younger kids need “real-life” experience and stuff. I’m not saying to stay home and play games 24/7. There are also video games that you can exercise with and learn at the same time so you are not just sitting on the couch for hours.
It’s just that people always assume if you play video games than you are automatically a lazy bum with no life. That is not a true statement at all. Video games keep not only kids, but older adults as well, out of trouble while educating them at the same time.
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I agree, take away video games and TODAYS kids would probably just curl up and die. OR, they could turn to old fashioned fun, which I guess a lot of what me and my brother did as kids was certainly more dangerous than playing video games, but it was also a hell of a lot more fun! Plus, active, outdoors, mischief, (causing chaos on the streets even =P) = more life experience than sitting indoors fixed to a screen thats for sure. Kids these days need to get out more, I always found learning from your mistakes works best when you don’t have a “return to last checkpoint” or “restart level” button =P
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Yes, the restart button would totally come in handy if it was real :P lol It’s just hard to encourage kids to go out and play. Especially in the crazy world we live in now I much rather my kid safe at home playing games than out in the crazy world doing all kinds of different things!
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It comes back to bad parenting once again, you have to regulate what your children get and how much of it. Video games are just like anything else in life, anything in excess can be bad for you. The right video games, in the right proportions can be beneficial. Just as much as wrong video games in excess can create laziness and complacency.
Unfortunately, bad parents tend to use video games as a digital babysitter. Before video games it was cartoons or TV. So before parents start blaming something like video games, they need to honestly evaluate their own standards of parenting.
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There has to be balance to everything. I have two boys and my oldest (9) loves video games and loves to play outdoors. My youngest (4) isn’t quite to the place of enjoying video games but likes television. He, too, has a healthy love of the outdoors and playing outside and being active. There are days when they want to go out at first light and stay out til dark. Other days (when it’s 109 degrees) they want to be inside. Makes sense to me. A parent’s reaction to behavior does more to encourage a child than anything else. If they go out and find a bug/flower/leaf, etc. and show it to me and I get totally excited about it and praise their good eye and attention to nature, they are encouraged to continue getting out and doing those things. The same holds true for reading, etc. And yes, it is the parents’ responsibility to control what shows their kids see and games they play. If it seems that control is being lost, out goes the TV and games – easy fix.
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Well for kids that are 9 and 4 they really don’t understand much at their age. Once they get to about oh lets say 13 or 14 they begin to develop more a personality and ability to do think and do what they want. I just think that video games help kids stay off the streets and keep them entertained. I much rather my kid fighting off enemies in a virtual game than going out and doing it in real life. As for parenting, it seems many are just quick to blame the media for their problems instead of looking at themselves first.
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Just as a side note and not to disagree with you, but as far as kids understanding things at a young age, when your 4 yr old looks out at the chicken coop and tells you, “when the rooster sits on the hen that means they’re getting married” you damn well better realize they understand some things… lol (which reminds me that the environment may play a larger role in this discussion too – we’re in a very rural area).
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