Video Game Culture- any way to avoid it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our family has a no video games rule. We now live in Seattle where there is plenty of nature and moderate weather year round. There is absolutely no reason to be plugged into a fake virtual world designed to keep you addicted to it for hours on straight. Go for a hike. Catch some crabs or clams. Build a fort on the beach. Kayak and paddleboard in the summers and snowboard or snowshoe in the winters. Do outside activities.

So there isn't one hour you can let your kids veg for a bit? It has to be go, go go?

TV and movies are better screen options than video games.

And sometimes it’s good to just be a little bored and putter around. It’s probably not great for the brain to be on constant video game dopamine drip.

Totally disagree! Quite the opposite.

You have to be a special kind of parent to think that TV is worse than video games.

+1

[Anonymous]

I have wondered about this too so thanks for this post. My girls are too young but the video game usage I’ve seen with older kids looks like addiction. And honestly, just seems lame compared to participating in real life. I just hope my girls stay interested in sports and art and will try to give them every opportunity to be active.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My MIL loves to tell the story about how she realized her two boys would rather play video games than play outside so she unplugged the TV and took it to the trash. She still brags that she’s never had a TV since, and she hasn’t.

Neither my DH or his brother watch TV (his brother doesn’t even watch sports), so maybe there’s something there. But you asked how people manage it. There’s one approach.

That visual of the MIL dumping the TV is funny! Bold move!

[Anonymous]

My son played simple computer math games at 18 months. At 3 we bought him Nintendo with Mario games that he loved. He plays Mario Go Carts with his sister who only likes that game. There’s a group of his nerdy friends play video games but they do other things.

As long as your child isn’t isolated in the basement for hours alone or gets addicted and can’t stop, kind of
like girls who are addicted to social media, I don’t see an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a mom of a 13 yo who once loved videogames I can tell you that they grow out of it - at least they realize that one has to have other interests and abilities to be able to fit in. Nobody wants to be a videogame dork. They start paying attention to the outside world and become more or less normal teens.

Many don’t outgrow it though. I know childhood friends who as adults quit good careers because they liked video games more.

Learning how to deal with boredom without the need to be constantly stimulated or seeking escape is an incredibly valuable skill growing up.

I need to know more about quitting “good careers”. What did they do instead? Everyone needs money to eat and pay for housing?

They quit a good career with lots of promotion potential for a bare minimum show up and get paid job which supplied rent and money for basic food and video games.

I am sorry but since they are paying their way and not freeloading I can’t really judge them.
And yes I will be ok with my son living like that - not super happy but as long as he doesn’t ask me for money he is free to do what he wants within the legal limits

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son played simple computer math games at 18 months. At 3 we bought him Nintendo with Mario games that he loved. He plays Mario Go Carts with his sister who only likes that game. There’s a group of his nerdy friends play video games but they do other things.

As long as your child isn’t isolated in the basement for hours alone or gets addicted and can’t stop, kind of
like girls who are addicted to social media, I don’t see an issue.

Computer games at 18 months and a Nintendo at 3. I just…wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son played simple computer math games at 18 months. At 3 we bought him Nintendo with Mario games that he loved. He plays Mario Go Carts with his sister who only likes that game. There’s a group of his nerdy friends play video games but they do other things.

As long as your child isn’t isolated in the basement for hours alone or gets addicted and can’t stop, kind of
like girls who are addicted to social media, I don’t see an issue.

Holy mackerel. You can’t be serious.

You are just asking for problems.

[Anonymous]

Hanging out with friends IRL > texting with friends >> watching TV > playing video games >>>>>>> scrolling through social media

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son played simple computer math games at 18 months. At 3 we bought him Nintendo with Mario games that he loved. He plays Mario Go Carts with his sister who only likes that game. There’s a group of his nerdy friends play video games but they do other things.

As long as your child isn’t isolated in the basement for hours alone or gets addicted and can’t stop, kind of
like girls who are addicted to social media, I don’t see an issue.

Holy mackerel. You can’t be serious.

You are just asking for problems.

Yes. I’m a PP (not the one you quoted) and my girls are 18 months and 3 years. They are so busy running around and being creative. The idea of little ones their age in front of video games makes me so sad. They deserve so much more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son played simple computer math games at 18 months. At 3 we bought him Nintendo with Mario games that he loved. He plays Mario Go Carts with his sister who only likes that game. There’s a group of his nerdy friends play video games but they do other things.

As long as your child isn’t isolated in the basement for hours alone or gets addicted and can’t stop, kind of
like girls who are addicted to social media, I don’t see an issue.

🤮

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son played simple computer math games at 18 months. At 3 we bought him Nintendo with Mario games that he loved. He plays Mario Go Carts with his sister who only likes that game. There’s a group of his nerdy friends play video games but they do other things.

As long as your child isn’t isolated in the basement for hours alone or gets addicted and can’t stop, kind of
like girls who are addicted to social media, I don’t see an issue.

Holy mackerel. You can’t be serious.

You are just asking for problems.

What is the problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son played simple computer math games at 18 months. At 3 we bought him Nintendo with Mario games that he loved. He plays Mario Go Carts with his sister who only likes that game. There’s a group of his nerdy friends play video games but they do other things.

As long as your child isn’t isolated in the basement for hours alone or gets addicted and can’t stop, kind of
like girls who are addicted to social media, I don’t see an issue.

Holy mackerel. You can’t be serious.

You are just asking for problems.

What is the problem?

Ask that inane question when your kids are teens and young adults

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son played simple computer math games at 18 months. At 3 we bought him Nintendo with Mario games that he loved. He plays Mario Go Carts with his sister who only likes that game. There’s a group of his nerdy friends play video games but they do other things.

As long as your child isn’t isolated in the basement for hours alone or gets addicted and can’t stop, kind of
like girls who are addicted to social media, I don’t see an issue.

Holy mackerel. You can’t be serious.

You are just asking for problems.

Yes. I’m a PP (not the one you quoted) and my girls are 18 months and 3 years. They are so busy running around and being creative. The idea of little ones their age in front of video games makes me so sad. They deserve so much more.

In other words not showing any signs of a high intellect? Just kidding but don’t be ridiculous, it’s a long day and there are many hours to go be running around and “be creative” whatever that means. We would walk to the library every day and they had a computer. He saw some kids that looked about five playing games. He wanted to so he played the math games created for slightly older kids. Big deal. He loved his Mario game at three years old and would play it after preschool. He never had a problem leaving it to go do something else. All the tech entrepreneurs played video games as a child. Some kids aren’t interested that’s ok too.

Video games a just like any activity. There are good ones and bad ones. There are obsessions that need to be controlled. But most have video games as one of many things they do on a given day.

My son beginning programs in math was self started. Not like so many parents signing their kids up for online math tutors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son played simple computer math games at 18 months. At 3 we bought him Nintendo with Mario games that he loved. He plays Mario Go Carts with his sister who only likes that game. There’s a group of his nerdy friends play video games but they do other things.

As long as your child isn’t isolated in the basement for hours alone or gets addicted and can’t stop, kind of
like girls who are addicted to social media, I don’t see an issue.

Holy mackerel. You can’t be serious.

You are just asking for problems.

What is the problem?

Ask that inane question when your kids are teens and young adults

He is a teen and no different than most teens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have wondered about this too so thanks for this post. My girls are too young but the video game usage I’ve seen with older kids looks like addiction. And honestly, just seems lame compared to participating in real life. I just hope my girls stay interested in sports and art and will try to give them every opportunity to be active.

1. Video games are not the problem
2. Parents be lazy is.