Should you Encourage Kids to play PC games?

[Zak33]

Just had this discussion with a couple of people and it all seems to be about "moderation"...ie nothing is bad in small amounts.

But I dont see it like that. More real world skills than most people admit, can be learned in PC and console gaming. One that springs to mind is very simple.....its timing.

Why is it that both me and Sair can walk up a garden with a water sprinkler on, and time it perfectly to not get wet, but anyone who has not played PC or console games, just can't do it? Did we really learn that skill on a PC, or are we into PC games because of that skill.

OK< that might be a far cry argument "for" gaming, but some of the best God Sims get players to make hard descisions and for me, PC and Console Gaming is only good for kids.

SO WHY is it so decried by somany people?

What do you think?

[TiG]

Simple rule for me is not too much too young. It should not completely overtake kids being outside in the outdoors running about and enjoying themselves. Social interaction in person is so much more preferable to interaction via pc or console.

For me its a building up of priveleges, the computer/console is not in the kids room either and i personally don't believe that kids should have a TV in their room below the age of ten.

Why?, well its the way i was brought up and i like to think that i know right from wrong. I've made my parents proud and thats what i'd want from my kids when i have some. Is it the only way - goodness me no, but its what i personally believed works.

My parents also made sure that i earnt my consoles, had to be good, i learnt the value of money from that which is also something that is very important. I also couldn't have two consoles at the same time, as i can't use both at the same time, so if i wanted a new one i had to sell the old one.

Its all about giving kids the right lessons of what PC games bring. If the parents play games with the kids thats also a HUGE improvement than them playing on their own.

TiG

[Richdog]

Why is it decried? Simple really, because games are psychologically very addictive, this I know from experience, and it can also be seen in any young teen you ever see who plays them. While you are playing games you are sitting on your behind, you are expending very little energy, which isn't good for your weight or your health over the long-term depending on how you eat. There's also the social aspect, the majority of PC games players are in a room by themselves for hours on end, and I don't care whether there are poeple on the other end of the modem or not, it is not real interaction, which kids need to gain the essential skills for later life and careers.

Sitting at a computer teaches you very little, and if you want your kid to be truly happy and build up quick reflexes and agility then make sure he gets into sports at a good age before laziness can set it, and get im to do other mentally stimulating hobbies that don't require sitting in forn of a screen for hours on end. It ain't healthy in many respects, as far as eyesight, muscle strain and probably many other ways.

I love computing and get a lot of enjoyment out of it, but this has always been tempered by playing sports and going out a lot with my mates. I'm a bit of a closet geek as it were, lol. I see so many kids nowadays and people my age who sit gazing at a computer for hours and you dont learn anything, it's just a very very effective way of passing time (don't hours just "slip" by?) and keeping your mind engaged, which isn't always a good thing.

People survived for centuries without computers and we've only really had them in the last 20 years, and while we need them for technology and lots of things in life, they aren't the be-all and end-all of a good upbringing. get your kid computer literate yes, make sure he can play games too, but if you don't give him sports and an active social life out of the house you're doing him far more damage than good in my eyes. Human beings are social animals... and you want to drill this into your kid while he's young rather than let him sit and vegetate to his detriment.

Just my opinion

[Galant]

All the above definitely. Plus I think they can contribute to a lack of patience - as with TV, movies, etc. More and more kids these days want everything served up with flash, bang, and a quick pace.

Life doesn't work that way. It screws with their expectations, attitudes, and I think their potential to produce true, astounding quality, which only comes with time, patience, and effort.

[Zak33]

blimey....three of you who are ok to accept games on a controlled level, but not to let kids sit and play whenever they want. Thats a suprise. Good news I guess for kids fitness, health and social skills, but suprising none the less.

What are you ages guys? Anyone got kids? Just wondered if you were all from the same mould....ie you'd all seen what it does to kids and worked out you got lucky and avoided it!

[Howard]

The amount of children that play video games and/or watch lots of TV nowadays is ever increasing. I'd argue that it's down to the parents not putting their foot down and forcing their kids to "do other stuff", and the truth is many children (me included) prefer to have their entertainment put infront of them on a plate, and not to exercise their intelligence by, say, reading a book, where imagination plays a big part.

At the end of the day it's up to the children how they spend their time. All the parents can do is explain to them how important socialising with other people and using their creative skills is. Cos it's very important. I fully agree.

[IBM]

I've been playing games since I my dad bought an Amstrad 8256 word processor many many years ago, a lot of them involving both addictive and violent gameplay, and yet I've turned out to be a well adjusted, socially adept and physically fit individual.

There are lessons to be learned with gameplaying as with anything else, and as TiG pointed out, as long as you're willing to set down some ground rules for your children and (most importantly) stick to them, it can only contribute towards producing well balanced individuals....with well developed motor skills....

I'll let my kids play computer games...as long as it's no 'Better Than Life' software screwup...but even then I'll probably be there before them

[Galant]

24, no kids, but involved with youth work, and I've seen and experienced enough to know what's valuable and what's not. I know what it's like to get sucked in so you don't see the light of day, and what it's like to come out the other end.

[Allen]

Most parents these days seem to prefer buying their children video's and games and sitting them in front of the TV/PlayStation/PC, rather than interacting with the child themselves. These 'lazy' parents are breading more and more 'lazy' kids, who will grow up fat and unhealthy and in turn buy video's and games for their kids.

I disagree with Howard about it being the kids decision about what they do. When I was a youngster wanting to play games, I wasn't allowed to till after I'd done my homework! (until I got old enough to pretend I'd done it and play them anyway, or had my own comp in my room!) I grew up with the ability to converse easily with strangers (social skills) and a lot healthier that I would've been if I had've sat infront of the comp all day. Proof of that is now that I do sit infront of a comp all day, I am totally unhealthy!

If I ever had children (god forbid) then I wouldn't allow them to play computer games all the time, I'd prefer to take them over the park or go out for a bicycle ride along the river. I would allow them to use computers as long as they are the learning type where you can get involved rather than the shoot 'em ups or beat 'em ups that any brain dead idiot could play. They don't use any imagination, intelligence, thought and probably bore people more than amuse.

[kushtibari]

Got two kids that are five and seven. I have sorted them out a little second hand computer system - intention being that they use it for educational type games e.g. 'Arthurs Reading Games' and that sort of thing. My little girl hasn't the greatest hand/eye co-ordination so I was hoping that using the mouse to play these games and other action type games might help. The computer is downstairs in a family room so I can control it and its not to use all the time. They've got computers in the classroom and some of the other kids obviously use them all the time. I wanted to make sure my kids got the necessary computer skills without going overboard.
Having said all that you can't beat taking them out into the countryside and going for decent walks or spending any sort of time with them, even just going to the park. I only live 5 miles from Ullswater so spoiled for choice really. It's only when you spend a decent amount of time with them you realise how much they want to know. My lad is 5 and Its like a 4 hour nonstop interview, he just bombards you with questions. If you just sit them in front of a computer and bugger off all the time then you shouldn't really have bothered having kids.

[Zak33]

I wondered that, as all jobs now have PC realted tasks, and that by the time your kids are 18 - 20 years old, almost every job will be PC based to some extent, maybe we need to sit our kids in front of MORE software, not less.

Give you an example......Paintshop Pro. If you show a kid of 10 the basics of PaintShop Pro and imported a few pictures for them to mess with, and then within a week explained how to save and re load the images, surely their knowledge of PC's and filing systems and so on and so forth, would improve.

So if you get your kid to draw a hat on a picture of Grandma and then save it in a new file called "Little Kids Documents" and then show them how to hold 2 pictures open at once and to "clone" from one to another, they are gonna learn LOADS of skills.

[Allen]

Zak, that's a valid point, and yes, parents should do that... but your original question was 'Should you encourage kids to play PC games?'. Games probably won't help many real life skills, IMHO. Games for me are a type of escapism, kids shouldn't have anything to escape from as most of them have easy lives and don't have the stresses of work and bills to deal with!

[Nick]

I strictly control the kids gaming time... but only cos I'd never get a look in otherwise!

[Richdog]

Hahahaha thats reason enough.