When I was a kid, my parents didn't like buying video games, but they eventually caved when I turned about 12. Of course, I wanted every system to ever come out, but my parents would usually make me chose one every few years. When I hit college, I pretty much bought them all, which ruined my freshman year. Some video games, although the minority, are very educational. I think we underutilize video games for instructional purposes. Having video games in a house with kids can be very beneficial and harmful. On one hand, the video games can be used as a powerful reinforcer for good behavior (All homework finished before 7:00pm). In the past I have worked with children with ADHD, and the promise of 5 minutes of video game time was the best way for me to get the kids to work for 15 minutes.
On the other hand, if not adequately supervised, kids can play video games for days at a time.
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