Video Game Culture- any way to avoid it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have them play sports! They will practice outside at home when they have free time instead of playing video games. Boys and girls bond over sports

My kid plays a travel sport, an instrument, is a Boy Scout, and has a niche hobby. He also reads for at least 30 min every evening before bed. His grades are good and he gets great reports from his teachers.

And *gasp* he plays video games!

Outside of school hours, there is a good 5 hours of free time to fill each day. That is 25 hours during the week plus weekends and various school breaks. Even if he plays video games for an hour each day that is still tons of time for other stuff!

Also, I think there are upsides to video games that you don’t get with passive tv watching. It’s a social activity for many boys and has led to bonding with a diverse group friends who play. Games like Minecraft are creative and involve building things. There are camps where kids can also learn to do some basic coding. It also allows them to have downtime in between all the other activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Yes, all the kids in school have them. My kids complain, and especially around birthdays and Christmas, that they are the only ones without a Nintendo or an x-box. I do that annoying mom thing of asking them if all their friends jumped off a bridge, would they jump, too. They get annoyed and exasperated and tell me I’m so, so mean, yadda, yadda.

I can’t control my kid from having a play date at someone’s house and playing Mario Bros., but I can stop it from entering my home.

I’m not a high powered businesswoman, but I can negotiate better than a ten year old. No video games in my house. PERIOD.

My DS has a friend like this and guess who is the one always clamoring to play the switch when he comes over while the kids who have access at home are up for doing other things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Yes, all the kids in school have them. My kids complain, and especially around birthdays and Christmas, that they are the only ones without a Nintendo or an x-box. I do that annoying mom thing of asking them if all their friends jumped off a bridge, would they jump, too. They get annoyed and exasperated and tell me I’m so, so mean, yadda, yadda.

I can’t control my kid from having a play date at someone’s house and playing Mario Bros., but I can stop it from entering my home.

I’m not a high powered businesswoman, but I can negotiate better than a ten year old. No video games in my house. PERIOD.

Why are you a killjoy?

Because video games are completely optional and starts dopamine seeking behaviors at a very young age. The meaning of life isn’t to chase dopamine rushes at every opportunity.

So does running, sports, shopping, anything that feels good to you.

Son's longtime friend has already paid for grad school with their gaming winnings. They attend college, have a social life, are physically active, etc. Yes, I am being intinially vague. And yes, he is an outlier. But the ZERO GAMES UNDER MY ROOF parents are nuts.

He’s an outlier re the money but the rest describes most gamers.

Some gamers are lonely isolated and depressed and their games are a respite from pain. Some let it get to be a problem but video games didn’t Create the problems. The vast majority are kids and adults , mostly male who enjoy playing for many reasons. Good luck to the middle schoolers who have never even seen a game.

Oh please. You have a bad, socially isolating, time wasting habit and are trying justify it. There is literally NOTHING to be gained from playing video games. Go ahead, do it if you please, but stop trying to act like it’s somehow beneficial, especially to a developing mind. You sound like a pothead yabbering about the benefits of medical marijuana.

The problem with saying things like this is that lots of us played games growing up, so we know you're wrong. Growing up I played games that taught me vocabulary, I played games that taught me history, I played games that taught me geography. I first learned the word "raze" from Warcraft II, I learned what a trireme was from Civilization, I learned geography and a lot of vocabulary from Carmen Sandiego, I learned about the four forces of flight from flight simulators, and history from wargames. (History shows up a lot in this because it's an interest of mine and video games were one way I developed that interest.

My kid isn't a big fan of video games, which is great, she's got other interests and thing she wants to do, but I also know what she could get from it. I don't expect this to sway you, you're obviously a zealot with your mind made up, but when we reject your ideas it's because we know better.

You sound like my son who’s in high school now and his large vocabulary is more based on cartoon books like Calvin and Hobbes and Foxtrot and other non traditional sources that uses adult language and nuanced humor. Elementary school books had value for their content but the vocabulary wasn’t as advanced.

He also learned the subjects that you list from video games. People don’t get that. My daughter was doing mythology and my son knew everything about it. I asked how he could remember them all and he said video games. He also took in a lot from the Simpsons as a kid. He appreciated The Simpsons satire style . All the writers have Harvard degrees, a lot of math and physics. And the Harvard grads wrote the Simpsons video games. These guys are classic gamers.

He retains information like a sponge, he got a 1560 on SAT, and it didn’t all come from school.
Sources that many parents who consider themselves “highly educated”, book smart, wouldn’t understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Yes, all the kids in school have them. My kids complain, and especially around birthdays and Christmas, that they are the only ones without a Nintendo or an x-box. I do that annoying mom thing of asking them if all their friends jumped off a bridge, would they jump, too. They get annoyed and exasperated and tell me I’m so, so mean, yadda, yadda.

I can’t control my kid from having a play date at someone’s house and playing Mario Bros., but I can stop it from entering my home.

I’m not a high powered businesswoman, but I can negotiate better than a ten year old. No video games in my house. PERIOD.

Why are you a killjoy?

Because video games are completely optional and starts dopamine seeking behaviors at a very young age. The meaning of life isn’t to chase dopamine rushes at every opportunity.

So does running, sports, shopping, anything that feels good to you.

Son's longtime friend has already paid for grad school with their gaming winnings. They attend college, have a social life, are physically active, etc. Yes, I am being intinially vague. And yes, he is an outlier. But the ZERO GAMES UNDER MY ROOF parents are nuts.

He’s an outlier re the money but the rest describes most gamers.

Some gamers are lonely isolated and depressed and their games are a respite from pain. Some let it get to be a problem but video games didn’t Create the problems. The vast majority are kids and adults , mostly male who enjoy playing for many reasons. Good luck to the middle schoolers who have never even seen a game.

Oh please. You have a bad, socially isolating, time wasting habit and are trying justify it. There is literally NOTHING to be gained from playing video games. Go ahead, do it if you please, but stop trying to act like it’s somehow beneficial, especially to a developing mind. You sound like a pothead yabbering about the benefits of medical marijuana.

The problem with saying things like this is that lots of us played games growing up, so we know you're wrong. Growing up I played games that taught me vocabulary, I played games that taught me history, I played games that taught me geography. I first learned the word "raze" from Warcraft II, I learned what a trireme was from Civilization, I learned geography and a lot of vocabulary from Carmen Sandiego, I learned about the four forces of flight from flight simulators, and history from wargames. (History shows up a lot in this because it's an interest of mine and video games were one way I developed that interest.

My kid isn't a big fan of video games, which is great, she's got other interests and thing she wants to do, but I also know what she could get from it. I don't expect this to sway you, you're obviously a zealot with your mind made up, but when we reject your ideas it's because we know better.

I played games growing up as well but it's naive to think the games of yesteryears are comparable to the games of today. And it's well documented that video games affect boys much more than girls. I wouldn't be as concerned about introducing girls to video games but would be much more careful with boys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Yes, all the kids in school have them. My kids complain, and especially around birthdays and Christmas, that they are the only ones without a Nintendo or an x-box. I do that annoying mom thing of asking them if all their friends jumped off a bridge, would they jump, too. They get annoyed and exasperated and tell me I’m so, so mean, yadda, yadda.

I can’t control my kid from having a play date at someone’s house and playing Mario Bros., but I can stop it from entering my home.

I’m not a high powered businesswoman, but I can negotiate better than a ten year old. No video games in my house. PERIOD.

Why are you a killjoy?

Because video games are completely optional and starts dopamine seeking behaviors at a very young age. The meaning of life isn’t to chase dopamine rushes at every opportunity.

So does running, sports, shopping, anything that feels good to you.

Son's longtime friend has already paid for grad school with their gaming winnings. They attend college, have a social life, are physically active, etc. Yes, I am being intinially vague. And yes, he is an outlier. But the ZERO GAMES UNDER MY ROOF parents are nuts.

He’s an outlier re the money but the rest describes most gamers.

Some gamers are lonely isolated and depressed and their games are a respite from pain. Some let it get to be a problem but video games didn’t Create the problems. The vast majority are kids and adults , mostly male who enjoy playing for many reasons. Good luck to the middle schoolers who have never even seen a game.

Oh please. You have a bad, socially isolating, time wasting habit and are trying justify it. There is literally NOTHING to be gained from playing video games. Go ahead, do it if you please, but stop trying to act like it’s somehow beneficial, especially to a developing mind. You sound like a pothead yabbering about the benefits of medical marijuana.

The problem with saying things like this is that lots of us played games growing up, so we know you're wrong. Growing up I played games that taught me vocabulary, I played games that taught me history, I played games that taught me geography. I first learned the word "raze" from Warcraft II, I learned what a trireme was from Civilization, I learned geography and a lot of vocabulary from Carmen Sandiego, I learned about the four forces of flight from flight simulators, and history from wargames. (History shows up a lot in this because it's an interest of mine and video games were one way I developed that interest.

My kid isn't a big fan of video games, which is great, she's got other interests and thing she wants to do, but I also know what she could get from it. I don't expect this to sway you, you're obviously a zealot with your mind made up, but when we reject your ideas it's because we know better.

You sound like my son who’s in high school now and his large vocabulary is more based on cartoon books like Calvin and Hobbes and Foxtrot and other non traditional sources that uses adult language and nuanced humor. Elementary school books had value for their content but the vocabulary wasn’t as advanced.

He also learned the subjects that you list from video games. People don’t get that. My daughter was doing mythology and my son knew everything about it. I asked how he could remember them all and he said video games. He also took in a lot from the Simpsons as a kid. He appreciated The Simpsons satire style . All the writers have Harvard degrees, a lot of math and physics. And the Harvard grads wrote the Simpsons video games. These guys are classic gamers.

He retains information like a sponge, he got a 1560 on SAT, and it didn’t all come from school.
Sources that many parents who consider themselves “highly educated”, book smart, wouldn’t understand.

+1. There is a lot that can be learned from playing video games. I loved Carmen Sandiego as a kid. It taught Geography and you learn to pay attention to what you were reading and listening to. Video games can also be great bonding time. Mario Cart or Super Smash Bros or gasp even Fortnite. Video game creators also spend a lot of time on story creation and build in many things from literature and history (Think God of War and Assassins Creed). And there have been studies that show that video game playing can build decision making and dexterity skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Yes, all the kids in school have them. My kids complain, and especially around birthdays and Christmas, that they are the only ones without a Nintendo or an x-box. I do that annoying mom thing of asking them if all their friends jumped off a bridge, would they jump, too. They get annoyed and exasperated and tell me I’m so, so mean, yadda, yadda.

I can’t control my kid from having a play date at someone’s house and playing Mario Bros., but I can stop it from entering my home.

I’m not a high powered businesswoman, but I can negotiate better than a ten year old. No video games in my house. PERIOD.

My DS has a friend like this and guess who is the one always clamoring to play the switch when he comes over while the kids who have access at home are up for doing other things.

Yeah, I get that and I don’t care. So what if my son clamors to play that switch for an hour the two or three times a year he has a playdate at your house? He’s not doing it every day. It’s like having an huge sundae twice a year and eating healthy the rest of the time vs having a scoop or two of ice cream everyday. Which one do you think will make you fatter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Yes, all the kids in school have them. My kids complain, and especially around birthdays and Christmas, that they are the only ones without a Nintendo or an x-box. I do that annoying mom thing of asking them if all their friends jumped off a bridge, would they jump, too. They get annoyed and exasperated and tell me I’m so, so mean, yadda, yadda.

I can’t control my kid from having a play date at someone’s house and playing Mario Bros., but I can stop it from entering my home.

I’m not a high powered businesswoman, but I can negotiate better than a ten year old. No video games in my house. PERIOD.

Why are you a killjoy?

Because video games are completely optional and starts dopamine seeking behaviors at a very young age. The meaning of life isn’t to chase dopamine rushes at every opportunity.

So does running, sports, shopping, anything that feels good to you.

Son's longtime friend has already paid for grad school with their gaming winnings. They attend college, have a social life, are physically active, etc. Yes, I am being intinially vague. And yes, he is an outlier. But the ZERO GAMES UNDER MY ROOF parents are nuts.

He’s an outlier re the money but the rest describes most gamers.

Some gamers are lonely isolated and depressed and their games are a respite from pain. Some let it get to be a problem but video games didn’t Create the problems. The vast majority are kids and adults , mostly male who enjoy playing for many reasons. Good luck to the middle schoolers who have never even seen a game.

Oh please. You have a bad, socially isolating, time wasting habit and are trying justify it. There is literally NOTHING to be gained from playing video games. Go ahead, do it if you please, but stop trying to act like it’s somehow beneficial, especially to a developing mind. You sound like a pothead yabbering about the benefits of medical marijuana.

The problem with saying things like this is that lots of us played games growing up, so we know you're wrong. Growing up I played games that taught me vocabulary, I played games that taught me history, I played games that taught me geography. I first learned the word "raze" from Warcraft II, I learned what a trireme was from Civilization, I learned geography and a lot of vocabulary from Carmen Sandiego, I learned about the four forces of flight from flight simulators, and history from wargames. (History shows up a lot in this because it's an interest of mine and video games were one way I developed that interest.

My kid isn't a big fan of video games, which is great, she's got other interests and thing she wants to do, but I also know what she could get from it. I don't expect this to sway you, you're obviously a zealot with your mind made up, but when we reject your ideas it's because we know better.

I played games growing up as well but it's naive to think the games of yesteryears are comparable to the games of today. And it's well documented that video games affect boys much more than girls. I wouldn't be as concerned about introducing girls to video games but would be much more careful with boys.

I think I really benefited from Math Blaster, and I have fond memories of Zork Nemesis, Zork Grand Inquisitor, and Myst. These were games that forced you to solve puzzles and think through problems. I also played Commander Keen, Sim City, Civilization, Age of Empires, and Eye of the Beholder, which were less educational. And I went to a top-5 university, so these games definitely didn't hurt me. All of that said, I have some concerns about today's games--both in terms of the potential for child predators to talk with your kids over the games, and their addicting qualities. Same reason I'm really opposed to having my kids on social media (and also stay off it myself). My kids haven't played video games yet, but I'll likely allow some old-school games (or games in that style) with time limits, and take away permission if it's creating bad behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you manage this stuff?

Have something planned after 1 hour of Saturday video games so you can drag him away to whatever it is.

I allow one hour and then have something planned and my kid complains the whole time "This isn't fun". I'm at my wit's end.
I kept it away from him for as long as possible but the other boys are all obsessed and he wants so much to be part of the crowd.
It was much easier in summer since he loves being outside when it's warm but he doesn't enjoy winter stuff, museums, etc. at all.

Insist he plan something fun and worthwhile, if he doesn't like your ideas. Support him with information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Yes, all the kids in school have them. My kids complain, and especially around birthdays and Christmas, that they are the only ones without a Nintendo or an x-box. I do that annoying mom thing of asking them if all their friends jumped off a bridge, would they jump, too. They get annoyed and exasperated and tell me I’m so, so mean, yadda, yadda.

I can’t control my kid from having a play date at someone’s house and playing Mario Bros., but I can stop it from entering my home.

I’m not a high powered businesswoman, but I can negotiate better than a ten year old. No video games in my house. PERIOD.

Why are you a killjoy?

Because video games are completely optional and starts dopamine seeking behaviors at a very young age. The meaning of life isn’t to chase dopamine rushes at every opportunity.

So does running, sports, shopping, anything that feels good to you.

Son's longtime friend has already paid for grad school with their gaming winnings. They attend college, have a social life, are physically active, etc. Yes, I am being intinially vague. And yes, he is an outlier. But the ZERO GAMES UNDER MY ROOF parents are nuts.

He’s an outlier re the money but the rest describes most gamers.

Some gamers are lonely isolated and depressed and their games are a respite from pain. Some let it get to be a problem but video games didn’t Create the problems. The vast majority are kids and adults , mostly male who enjoy playing for many reasons. Good luck to the middle schoolers who have never even seen a game.

Oh please. You have a bad, socially isolating, time wasting habit and are trying justify it. There is literally NOTHING to be gained from playing video games. Go ahead, do it if you please, but stop trying to act like it’s somehow beneficial, especially to a developing mind. You sound like a pothead yabbering about the benefits of medical marijuana.

How does a pothead sound anyway? Isn’t pothead an outdated word used by old cronies back in the day?

Mark Zuckerberg, a lot smarter than you or me got his start with creating video games. He wanted to learn programming after that.

The video games got him into computer programming.
And it's why Zuckerberg believes more kids need to be allowed to play video games if they want.

According to Zuckerberg -

"I do think this dynamic around kids growing up, building games, and playing games, is an important one because I think this is how a lot of kids get into programming," Zuckerberg said. "I definitely wouldn't have gotten into programming if I hadn't played games."

And that can go a long way to solving the gender and racial imbalance in tech, Zuckerberg added. A big reason for those gaps is the relatively small supply of female, black, or Hispanic programmers, and Zuckerberg believes having them learn programming themselves, through self-interest channels like video games, could solve the issue.

"It's why questions on gaming is important. Most of the engineers I know, who are some of the best engineers in the world, are self-taught," he said. "We need to work on this to get more exposure out to people."


https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-let-your-kids-play-video-games-2015-5

So, dumb dumb, there are good aspects. By the way I’m female and last played Mario Bros in the 90s.

Sounds like you have a weed problem, too. That’s not surprising, marijuana addiction and gaming do often go hand in hand.

Zuckerberg programmed the games Einstein, he didn’t play them. That’s for the plebeian sheep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Yes, all the kids in school have them. My kids complain, and especially around birthdays and Christmas, that they are the only ones without a Nintendo or an x-box. I do that annoying mom thing of asking them if all their friends jumped off a bridge, would they jump, too. They get annoyed and exasperated and tell me I’m so, so mean, yadda, yadda.

I can’t control my kid from having a play date at someone’s house and playing Mario Bros., but I can stop it from entering my home.

I’m not a high powered businesswoman, but I can negotiate better than a ten year old. No video games in my house. PERIOD.

Why are you a killjoy?

Because video games are completely optional and starts dopamine seeking behaviors at a very young age. The meaning of life isn’t to chase dopamine rushes at every opportunity.

So does running, sports, shopping, anything that feels good to you.

Son's longtime friend has already paid for grad school with their gaming winnings. They attend college, have a social life, are physically active, etc. Yes, I am being intinially vague. And yes, he is an outlier. But the ZERO GAMES UNDER MY ROOF parents are nuts.

He’s an outlier re the money but the rest describes most gamers.

Some gamers are lonely isolated and depressed and their games are a respite from pain. Some let it get to be a problem but video games didn’t Create the problems. The vast majority are kids and adults , mostly male who enjoy playing for many reasons. Good luck to the middle schoolers who have never even seen a game.

Oh please. You have a bad, socially isolating, time wasting habit and are trying justify it. There is literally NOTHING to be gained from playing video games. Go ahead, do it if you please, but stop trying to act like it’s somehow beneficial, especially to a developing mind. You sound like a pothead yabbering about the benefits of medical marijuana.

The problem with saying things like this is that lots of us played games growing up, so we know you're wrong. Growing up I played games that taught me vocabulary, I played games that taught me history, I played games that taught me geography. I first learned the word "raze" from Warcraft II, I learned what a trireme was from Civilization, I learned geography and a lot of vocabulary from Carmen Sandiego, I learned about the four forces of flight from flight simulators, and history from wargames. (History shows up a lot in this because it's an interest of mine and video games were one way I developed that interest.

My kid isn't a big fan of video games, which is great, she's got other interests and thing she wants to do, but I also know what she could get from it. I don't expect this to sway you, you're obviously a zealot with your mind made up, but when we reject your ideas it's because we know better.

I played games growing up as well but it's naive to think the games of yesteryears are comparable to the games of today. And it's well documented that video games affect boys much more than girls. I wouldn't be as concerned about introducing girls to video games but would be much more careful with boys.

Yes you do have to choose the right games. They have ratings and make your kids follow them. Girls are not the primary consumers. They’re too busy at Sephora

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Yes, all the kids in school have them. My kids complain, and especially around birthdays and Christmas, that they are the only ones without a Nintendo or an x-box. I do that annoying mom thing of asking them if all their friends jumped off a bridge, would they jump, too. They get annoyed and exasperated and tell me I’m so, so mean, yadda, yadda.

I can’t control my kid from having a play date at someone’s house and playing Mario Bros., but I can stop it from entering my home.

I’m not a high powered businesswoman, but I can negotiate better than a ten year old. No video games in my house. PERIOD.

Why are you a killjoy?

Because video games are completely optional and starts dopamine seeking behaviors at a very young age. The meaning of life isn’t to chase dopamine rushes at every opportunity.

So does running, sports, shopping, anything that feels good to you.

Son's longtime friend has already paid for grad school with their gaming winnings. They attend college, have a social life, are physically active, etc. Yes, I am being intinially vague. And yes, he is an outlier. But the ZERO GAMES UNDER MY ROOF parents are nuts.

He’s an outlier re the money but the rest describes most gamers.

Some gamers are lonely isolated and depressed and their games are a respite from pain. Some let it get to be a problem but video games didn’t Create the problems. The vast majority are kids and adults , mostly male who enjoy playing for many reasons. Good luck to the middle schoolers who have never even seen a game.

Oh please. You have a bad, socially isolating, time wasting habit and are trying justify it. There is literally NOTHING to be gained from playing video games. Go ahead, do it if you please, but stop trying to act like it’s somehow beneficial, especially to a developing mind. You sound like a pothead yabbering about the benefits of medical marijuana.

The problem with saying things like this is that lots of us played games growing up, so we know you're wrong. Growing up I played games that taught me vocabulary, I played games that taught me history, I played games that taught me geography. I first learned the word "raze" from Warcraft II, I learned what a trireme was from Civilization, I learned geography and a lot of vocabulary from Carmen Sandiego, I learned about the four forces of flight from flight simulators, and history from wargames. (History shows up a lot in this because it's an interest of mine and video games were one way I developed that interest.

My kid isn't a big fan of video games, which is great, she's got other interests and thing she wants to do, but I also know what she could get from it. I don't expect this to sway you, you're obviously a zealot with your mind made up, but when we reject your ideas it's because we know better.

You sound like my son who’s in high school now and his large vocabulary is more based on cartoon books like Calvin and Hobbes and Foxtrot and other non traditional sources that uses adult language and nuanced humor. Elementary school books had value for their content but the vocabulary wasn’t as advanced.

He also learned the subjects that you list from video games. People don’t get that. My daughter was doing mythology and my son knew everything about it. I asked how he could remember them all and he said video games. He also took in a lot from the Simpsons as a kid. He appreciated The Simpsons satire style . All the writers have Harvard degrees, a lot of math and physics. And the Harvard grads wrote the Simpsons video games. These guys are classic gamers.

He retains information like a sponge, he got a 1560 on SAT, and it didn’t all come from school.
Sources that many parents who consider themselves “highly educated”, book smart, wouldn’t understand.

+1. There is a lot that can be learned from playing video games. I loved Carmen Sandiego as a kid. It taught Geography and you learn to pay attention to what you were reading and listening to.

There's a whole world of difference between Carmen Sandiego and the games of today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Yes, all the kids in school have them. My kids complain, and especially around birthdays and Christmas, that they are the only ones without a Nintendo or an x-box. I do that annoying mom thing of asking them if all their friends jumped off a bridge, would they jump, too. They get annoyed and exasperated and tell me I’m so, so mean, yadda, yadda.

I can’t control my kid from having a play date at someone’s house and playing Mario Bros., but I can stop it from entering my home.

I’m not a high powered businesswoman, but I can negotiate better than a ten year old. No video games in my house. PERIOD.

Why are you a killjoy?

Because video games are completely optional and starts dopamine seeking behaviors at a very young age. The meaning of life isn’t to chase dopamine rushes at every opportunity.

So does running, sports, shopping, anything that feels good to you.

Son's longtime friend has already paid for grad school with their gaming winnings. They attend college, have a social life, are physically active, etc. Yes, I am being intinially vague. And yes, he is an outlier. But the ZERO GAMES UNDER MY ROOF parents are nuts.

He’s an outlier re the money but the rest describes most gamers.

Some gamers are lonely isolated and depressed and their games are a respite from pain. Some let it get to be a problem but video games didn’t Create the problems. The vast majority are kids and adults , mostly male who enjoy playing for many reasons. Good luck to the middle schoolers who have never even seen a game.

Oh please. You have a bad, socially isolating, time wasting habit and are trying justify it. There is literally NOTHING to be gained from playing video games. Go ahead, do it if you please, but stop trying to act like it’s somehow beneficial, especially to a developing mind. You sound like a pothead yabbering about the benefits of medical marijuana.

The problem with saying things like this is that lots of us played games growing up, so we know you're wrong. Growing up I played games that taught me vocabulary, I played games that taught me history, I played games that taught me geography. I first learned the word "raze" from Warcraft II, I learned what a trireme was from Civilization, I learned geography and a lot of vocabulary from Carmen Sandiego, I learned about the four forces of flight from flight simulators, and history from wargames. (History shows up a lot in this because it's an interest of mine and video games were one way I developed that interest.

My kid isn't a big fan of video games, which is great, she's got other interests and thing she wants to do, but I also know what she could get from it. I don't expect this to sway you, you're obviously a zealot with your mind made up, but when we reject your ideas it's because we know better.

You sound like my son who’s in high school now and his large vocabulary is more based on cartoon books like Calvin and Hobbes and Foxtrot and other non traditional sources that uses adult language and nuanced humor. Elementary school books had value for their content but the vocabulary wasn’t as advanced.

He also learned the subjects that you list from video games. People don’t get that. My daughter was doing mythology and my son knew everything about it. I asked how he could remember them all and he said video games. He also took in a lot from the Simpsons as a kid. He appreciated The Simpsons satire style . All the writers have Harvard degrees, a lot of math and physics. And the Harvard grads wrote the Simpsons video games. These guys are classic gamers.

He retains information like a sponge, he got a 1560 on SAT, and it didn’t all come from school.
Sources that many parents who consider themselves “highly educated”, book smart, wouldn’t understand.

+1. There is a lot that can be learned from playing video games. I loved Carmen Sandiego as a kid. It taught Geography and you learn to pay attention to what you were reading and listening to.

There's a whole world of difference between Carmen Sandiego and the games of today.

Different Age groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Yes, all the kids in school have them. My kids complain, and especially around birthdays and Christmas, that they are the only ones without a Nintendo or an x-box. I do that annoying mom thing of asking them if all their friends jumped off a bridge, would they jump, too. They get annoyed and exasperated and tell me I’m so, so mean, yadda, yadda.

I can’t control my kid from having a play date at someone’s house and playing Mario Bros., but I can stop it from entering my home.

I’m not a high powered businesswoman, but I can negotiate better than a ten year old. No video games in my house. PERIOD.

My DS has a friend like this and guess who is the one always clamoring to play the switch when he comes over while the kids who have access at home are up for doing other things.

Yeah, I get that and I don’t care. So what if my son clamors to play that switch for an hour the two or three times a year he has a playdate at your house? He’s not doing it every day. It’s like having an huge sundae twice a year and eating healthy the rest of the time vs having a scoop or two of ice cream everyday. Which one do you think will make you fatter?

So you’re admitting your kid has no idea how to self regulate and will ignore his friends to get his fix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I manage this by refusing to buy video games. We don’t have them and don’t play them. My kids hate me, but that’s okay. It’s called parenting.

Their friends will have them.

Yes, all the kids in school have them. My kids complain, and especially around birthdays and Christmas, that they are the only ones without a Nintendo or an x-box. I do that annoying mom thing of asking them if all their friends jumped off a bridge, would they jump, too. They get annoyed and exasperated and tell me I’m so, so mean, yadda, yadda.

I can’t control my kid from having a play date at someone’s house and playing Mario Bros., but I can stop it from entering my home.

I’m not a high powered businesswoman, but I can negotiate better than a ten year old. No video games in my house. PERIOD.

My DS has a friend like this and guess who is the one always clamoring to play the switch when he comes over while the kids who have access at home are up for doing other things.

Yeah, I get that and I don’t care. So what if my son clamors to play that switch for an hour the two or three times a year he has a playdate at your house? He’s not doing it every day. It’s like having an huge sundae twice a year and eating healthy the rest of the time vs having a scoop or two of ice cream everyday. Which one do you think will make you fatter?

So you’re admitting your kid has no idea how to self regulate and will ignore his friends to get his fix.

In the end he’s gonna self-regulate way more than the kid who plays everyday. Just like the occasional ice cream eater will do far better with diabetes control than the daily vanilla scoop for breakfast.

This is no duh common sense that seems to evade you.