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government minister has made a plea to the games industry
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Member Posts: 528
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
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Member Posts: 528
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I just can't believe some people keep spouting this crap. The article does not in any shape or form address the basic question why video games are supposed to be bad for children, especially more so than the alternatives. These guys probably spent their own "healthy childhoods" mostly by experimenting with drugs and having unprotected sex with other hippies. I mean come on, "healthy childhood" is a contradiction in terms - kids and health just don't go hand in hand. Wanna know what my favorite hobbies were in that "healthy childhood"? They were, in this order: 1.) setting stuff on fire, 2.) doing naughty thingies to girls (yeah, it later became point 1) and 3.) doing risky things which could have gotten me killed (same as point 1 sometimes). And this was in Europe where people don't even shoot others.
Kids either watch TV or play games. When they're not doing one of these things, they're getting in serious trouble.
What problem ?
Parents of kids aged 1 to 15 atm only had kids because they were part of the generation that thought it was cool to have kids. When the finally had kids they realized it wasn't so cool and required hard work to raise them. So they sought out things like TV and video games to be their babysitters. Thats what most parents allow because its just easier to sit them in front of the TV or a video game than have to deal with the problems associated with raising kids. Now this isn't the case for all parents but it is for a lot of them. Have our electronics babysit them and then boot em out at 18.
Considering all the studies done by doctors who have shown that video games are actually beneficial to kids in that : they improve hand/eye coordination, problem solving skills, economic skills, mathematic skills, and others; I think these "games are bad for kids" asshats are full of bullcrap
I agree with the article, to a point. I agree that children should not be spending a great deal of time in front of a computer or console playing games. They can enjoy that when they are older. As children, they have a once in a lifetime opportunity to "be kids" and do other fun things that kids do.
My child, although still only an infant, loves to watch the screen while I play, but he'll be monitored closely when he gets older, and he'll be encouraged to spend more time outside with friends, doing a variety of activities, instead of sitting in the house playing games . . .
Parents have the responibility here, nobody else. We will be out there doing a variety of fun things with him, setting an example and hoping he finds lots of things he loves to do, as well as playing video games.
It's going to be good for me, too. I've spent a long time playing video games and neglecting to get out and do other fun stuff, but I'll never give up my favorite hobby
and I won't deprive my children of it, either.
Ok, that is some serious chick logic right there.
If kids actually knew something more fun than playing video games, what makes you think they would be begging you to let them "miss out on all the fun"? I mean most of the time kids are so bored out of their minds that they blow shit up or risk death just for laughs (ever watch Jackass?). My theory is that you just want the console all for yourself so you cooked up this story in order to avoid having to fight over it. 
Seriously, my parents tried to drag my butt to lots of places when I was a kid too; mostly because they wanted to go there themselves and were too embarassed to do it alone, but anyways. Did any of the stuff stick? Nah, I just made a mental note to avoid those things as much as possible. Ever heard of classical conditioning? Summary: kid doesn't want to do X but mom forces kid to do X because she thinks it's good for him. Kid associates all those negative feelings with X; when repeated forcefully or often enough, the kid will begin to avoid X instinctively even when mom is not around.
All things in moderation.
Instead of debating the 'content' of video games, I think it's just a matter of TIME... how much time are you sitting on your arse, and how much time are moving around breaking a sweat. And this ISSUE is not limited to just kids! I think MMO games are just amplifying the issue... MMOs are really just big time sinks. Kids have less experience/wisdom about time management, so they can more easily get lost in WoW for months. But that's where PARENTS come in and get their kids moving, not some government-agency with it's laws, or a gaming company doing stuff to limit the time involved in a game. Individual responsibility is a pre-requisite to freedom... and I like freedom :-)
Sorry but at the end I was distracted by this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5414098.stm
wow, just... wow. Never knew how much of European didn't support that much of religious freedom.
Mustache is a cat
That has to go to the vet
Do your taxes now
Dont go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. (Mark Twain)
.... but that wouldn't satisfy many voters now would it?
Oh yeah and Elvis's swinging hips and music will turn the teenagers into sex crazed fiends didn't you know?
Agreed. Unfortunately it has become popular to target the subject of the 'addictions' when people are unwilling to moderate themselves. Ban junk food, ban video games, ban SUV's...
everything new is rejected
my parants didnt had tv until me and my bros where over 5 years old , for them tv was bad for kids
i dont think anyone could live without at least one tv at home this days
today its the computer time to get kicked by parants , im sure with this kind of news , some parents dont have computers at home becose they dont want their kids to get adicted to internet porn and mmo games.
i can tell you , the effect will be the oposite , today i live alone , i have 3 tvs at home , one in the living room , one in the bed room and one in the computer room LOL revange !
so kids that today dont have a computer , they sufer a lot in school when the other kids talk about world or warcraft . when this kids have their own money and house , they will go living online .
i dont agree with playing computer games all day all life , i think kids should also put stuff on fire , steal fruit from the neibur tree , jump building roofs , raise girl dress to see the underwear .. but its not the computer game foult if they dont .
thats like blaming color sprys industry for the vandalism grafitys .
its the easy way to solve problems , cut the evil from the root.
i think its useless , we are in a point of no return , computer gamers are here to stay , and mmos are the virtual reality that was sci fi not so long ago.
Guild - http://lightness.goodforum.net/
Blog - http://www.pierrecarlier.com/
Which FF Character Are You?
yeah but you have youtube. ( internet )
i mean if you dont have computer , you have tv ... like if you dont have tv you have radio .. if no radio you have newspaper ... if no newspaper , you have to go to the coffe bar and see if you can hear any news.
Guild - http://lightness.goodforum.net/
Blog - http://www.pierrecarlier.com/
You play outside with them. It is a very little investment to go out and buy a football or a baseball/gloves. Heck of a lot cheaper then a 50 dollar game, plus you get excersise too.
This is like telling the cookie companies to figure out a way so kids don't become fat when they eat 20 of them a day. You know what the cookie company would say? They would tell the parents to STOP their kids from eating 20 cookies a day!
I believe that everything in excess is bad, whether it be tv, computer games, etc. A healthy time table would help get rid of this problem. The thing is, sometimes a little motivation is needed and get them to get into other activities such as playing sports etc. Its not that hard, its important so that they will realize that the world is not just about doing one thing that you like the most... its about balance... chi
i~ku~ra
