Can Someone Explain How Video Games Are Worse For Kids Than Plain TV?
from the demonizing-video-games dept
For years, video games have been a convenient bogeyman/scapegoat for politicians to use in complaining about the sort of thing "kids these days" do on a daily basis. In the past, it's been other things -- from TV to music to comic books. But, these days, video games pop up an awful lot. So I guess it should come as no surprise at all that a recent study in Canada found that parents put much greater limits on how much time kids can spend playing video games than they do on TV or movies. Of course, this seems entirely backwards. Not that parents should let young kids just randomly play any video game, but if they're playing age-appropriate video games, you would think that would be a lot better than just sitting there watching TV with no interactivity whatsoever. Plenty of studies have shown that the interactivity of video games helps kids have better hand-eye coordination and (in some studies) problem solving skills. So why not encourage that? It's not examined in the study, but I'd guess that the constant complaining about these "awful video games" has an impact on a busy parent.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: canada, movies, parents, tv, video games
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I myself wasn't limited in my video game playing as long as I was doing well in school and did all my homework. Granted I was in a sport every season (3 per year) throughout highschool. So I was pretty busy, but I did get a decent amount of gaming in (when i was single) so overall I have no complaints.
The only limiting thing my parents did was refuse to buy me games that were in the news for being overly explicit, or if I already owned them they would take them away. That was annoying but not the end of the world. (like some kids tend to say in court when they lose their precious halo 3)
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right now i look like Dramatic Hamster
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I did get to play my games
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no
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Immersion factor
Kids tend to get very upset when they're forced to turn off the game in cases like that - and between the parents being mad 'cause they're being ignored, and the kids being mad 'cause the parents just don't understand, and they just beat that big bad guy they've been trying to defeat for the past 2 weeks, and they just want to hit that savepoint first, etc... things escalate in a hurry and all of a sudden everyone is screaming at each other (or worse).
From the (non-videogame player) parent's point of view, it's all the videogame's fault that their precious little snowflake has turned into a demon.
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Re: Immersion factor
Well, if the parents would play a game now and then they'd know to just BFG that sumbitch while shift-running and they'd be all set.
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Re: Immersion factor
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Of course, MMOs can have the greatest amount of personal interaction and team strategy, too, so YMMV.
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It's called a flying mount in WoW.
:)
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Man, now I have to go play...
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Re: Immersion factor
Honestly what parents should be doing with this is setting time limits and having those limits be hardlined. As in, daddy's going to turn the Wii off at 7:30pm and if you didn't budget your time right to hit a save point that's tough.
A friend of mine with a couple younglings doesn't allow TV or video games at all from Sunday at 8pm until Friday when they get home from school. Computer usage for school work is naturally exempt. That might be a little draconian for a teenager, but before that the little squirt should just succumb to your rule ;)
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Re: Immersion factor
As to the overall point of the post though, I don't think that there's a whole lot of value in comparing the benefits of TV to the benefits of video games. Like most forms of entertainment, they should each be enjoyed in moderation. Video games probably have a slight edge in benefit due to their interactive nature, but if you're devoting enough time to video games to actually notice this benefit you're probably just spending too much time playing them on the whole. And now that I think about it, I feel like most games that I've played in the last 5 - 10 years are designed to be just challenging enough to maintain the player's interest. They don't really require the player to dig deep intellectually. So there's probably some degree of problem solving to take away from a game, but I don't believe it to be all that significant. That's not based on anything but personal experience (nor is anything else in my response now that I think about it), but I feel that there are much more effective ways of developing problem solving skills.
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Re: Immersion factor
As to the overall point of the post though, I don't think that there's a whole lot of value in comparing the benefits of TV to the benefits of video games. Like most forms of entertainment, they should each be enjoyed in moderation. Video games probably have a slight edge in benefit due to their interactive nature, but if you're devoting enough time to video games to actually notice this benefit you're probably just spending too much time playing them on the whole. And now that I think about it, I feel like most games that I've played in the last 5 - 10 years are designed to be just challenging enough to maintain the player's interest. They don't really require the player to dig deep intellectually. So there's probably some degree of problem solving to take away from a game, but I don't believe it to be all that significant. That's not based on anything but personal experience (nor is anything else in my response now that I think about it), but I feel that there are much more effective ways of developing problem solving skills.
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Re: Immersion factor
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Wow
Swear to God, I read that 3 times with my mouth open before I realized that didn't say, "...than Palin TV?".
Because I'll tell you this, regardless of your political affiliations, there could be NOTHING worse than Palin TV.
Unless it was on the Spice Channel.
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Re: Wow
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Re: Wow
dark helmet win.
m3mnoch.
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Not surprised.
Were you expecting something else?
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No.
No. Even discussing it lends credibility to the notion.
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One problem
I read somewhere (it may well have been here) that historically, movies only came to be treated (by viewers and creators) as a serious art form when the government stopped censoring them. Even today, movies in Europe are less censored than movies here in the US, and on average (I think most people would agree) European films tend to have more artistic value/integrity, and are approached as an art rather than simply as a spectacle.
Maybe when they stop censoring video games, they'll be elevated to an art as well, and then I'd feel better about letting my (theoretical future) kids play them.
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I'd hate for my kid to be ACTIVELY killing within context of a video game.
But I have no kids... so what do I know
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Experience will teach you. Kids are GOING to have play warfare. While I do agree that moderation is a good idea - what is the difference if a kid is "actively killing" within context of a video game, or "actively killing" being outside and using a stick as a rifle/sword/grenade/lasergun/whatever? I have 3 kids and they'll use anything to mock a weapon. Guns, swords, or if they have nothing handy they wave their arms around and it's karate or casting magical spells.
Let them have their imagination and social interaction. Use moderation to vary it and get them to experience new things, but let them play games.
This does NOT extend to games where they are pimping whores and shooting the police. The line does need to be drawn somewhere, after all.
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I'd hate for my kid to be ACTIVELY killing within context of a video game.
But I have no kids... so what do I know
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I think everything in moderation is the message we have to read here, a bit of tv, a bit of gaming, a bit of footie isn't going to damage anyone's intellect. However, both TV and Gaming are detrimental to intellect, literacy, socialising etc if used excessively. Particularly if inappropriately aged material is allowed.
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Video games are preferable
My son's play Zelda, Advanced Wars, Mario Kart, and about a dozen games I have bought for them. Every one of them is preferable than TV. Heck, even Plants vs. Zombies is better.
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800 lb gorilla
Oh for the good ol' brain-rotting TV days.
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Screen Time
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to answer mike's question
I do not buy it, but in my perfect world, professional wrestling would not be on TV and any act that relied on hitting people in the back of the head with a folding chair as entertainment would have the whole lot being arrested and jailed for assault and battery.
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VG vs. TV
im passing all my classes and i tried out for baseball. they tell me to go to my friends houses but they live to far away to walk or bike. they tell me to get their phone # but i dont have a cell phone to call/text them.
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All you need to know and then some
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Final thought, if you let a child sit and watch tv for 3 hours after school every night before bed BEFORE they play video games, why is it suddenly bad that its an INTERACTIVE game with PUZZLES, STORY, CRITICAL THINKING and MORAL CHOICES(A few things out of the hat). That last one, games ram home the your choices have consequences. Lots of games do this. Yes you can do bad things in games, but most games have a consequence for that, others generally give you a different view on the situation. Im counting out games like GTA etc because children SHOULD NOT BE PLAYING these games. I played them as a child and can say it did me no harm, but they shouldn't play them for the same reasons children can't watch a lot of movies.
I think its time for some PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY in vetting what kids get to play, not an extreme total ban.
Just my thoughts, I hope it adds to the conversation.
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