Reply to Video Game Culture- any way to avoid it

Forum Index » Elementary School-Aged Kids

Reply to "Video Game Culture- any way to avoid it"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]Well, first off, video games are not all bad. Games that are appropriate for a kid’s level can actually be helpful for kids—building tolerance for frustration, problem solving, teamwork, etc. Many, many of these games are like puzzles. Unlike watching TV or a movie, which is more passive, games require cognitive engagement. If you play your cards right, you can leverage the skills they build in their games (like frustration tolerance)  and apply them to other things: struggling with this math problem/homework/book? What makes you want to keep playing a game after you’ve died 20x? How do you find the will in that scenario? Help them find it, use it, apply it.

The trick is how to manage the dopamine rush that happens for some people with these games (and with tv, too), and to pay close attention to whether or not your child has an addictive personality. We speak openly with our child about this, explaining how these games, and screens in general, can alter brain chemistry temporarily. We also play WITH our kid nearly every time (lots of games are cooperative) which helps us model self-regulation (“I’m getting frustrated so i want to stop”) and gives us something to work on together.

We also limit screens (television, movies, video games) to weekends only, and then plan things so that we are not sitting around all weekend. We keep the game system in family area so that kids can’t just go to their room and veg out—it’s a family affair when someone is playing and we are all discussing, contributing, and involved. Sometimes, on the week days, we’ll make maps of what we’ve discovered so far, or we’ll talk about strategies we could use to beat particularly difficult enemies.

I think it can be an asset. But you have to be creative about how games are introduced and how they are enjoyed in your home. Set clear boundaries. And talk with your kid about how screens are designed to be addictive and why it is not healthy to spend too much time on a screen.

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics