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Dael · 12-30-2005, 03:49 PM

I like when posts like this come up, because I know a lot of older folks (friends of parents) that honestly believe that video games and TV violence are the sole reason for the problems with violence and crime associated with the world's youth today.

I'm 24 years old, and have had access to video games from a very early age. I can remember (probably not being much older than 6) when my dad picked us kids up a ColecoVision and we'd while away hours playing Mousetrap, Donkey Kong and Space Fury. The when I got a little older I managed to get myself a Nintendo for Christmas, and loved that console to bits. This i probably where the gaming started to get violent, with fighting games like Double Dragon and Street Fighter and such. As I got older and into my teens, I got away from consoles and got into computer games more, where I'd shoot people to death and be shot to death in a variety of games in a variety of ways (Ultima games, the Red Baron, Unreal Tournament, Starcraft, Warcraft, and many moer). Furthermore, all throughout my childhood I was never censored from watching movies that would be considered violent too... you know, the usual stuff nowadays and in the 80's and 90's full of blood, guts, swearing, and fornicating.

Now the point I'm trying to make here with all this is that I've never committed a crime in my life, I've obtained my Bachelor's degree in Biology and Chemistry, and am now a year into my Master's degree in Chemistry. Even without this education, I'm proud of the fact that I've done my part to contribute to society, working for 3 years as a lifeguard at me local pool in my teens, and then later on when at university working for an organizational that provides support services for people with mental and physical disabilities. Video games and TV violence have NOT made me a violent or even jaded person.

The trick is that, while I enjoyed games and movies, my parents made sure that there was a moderation involved, adn we did plenty of other things. I was involved in sports, and we'd also do all kinds of things outdoors and even indoors as a family. Other than having a friend over for a sleepover, I cannot think of a single time that I was allowed to sit in front of a screen for more than a couple hours at a time.

Again, my point here is the video games and TV violence aren't the cause of a lot of crime and violence in youth nowadays, but rather it's more likely to be neglect of these youths on the part of their parents. Other factors come into play, sure, but that's just my two bits.

In conclusion, to answer the question of this post, I think it's fine for kids to play videogames. Just don't let them turn into what a lot of parents do: an electronic babysitter to keep the kids occupied and out of their parents' hair.

12-30-2005, 03:49 PM	#46 (permalink)
Dael Upright	I like when posts like this come up, because I know a lot of older folks (friends of parents) that honestly believe that video games and TV violence are the sole reason for the problems with violence and crime associated with the world's youth today. I'm 24 years old, and have had access to video games from a very early age. I can remember (probably not being much older than 6) when my dad picked us kids up a ColecoVision and we'd while away hours playing Mousetrap, Donkey Kong and Space Fury. The when I got a little older I managed to get myself a Nintendo for Christmas, and loved that console to bits. This i probably where the gaming started to get violent, with fighting games like Double Dragon and Street Fighter and such. As I got older and into my teens, I got away from consoles and got into computer games more, where I'd shoot people to death and be shot to death in a variety of games in a variety of ways (Ultima games, the Red Baron, Unreal Tournament, Starcraft, Warcraft, and many moer). Furthermore, all throughout my childhood I was never censored from watching movies that would be considered violent too... you know, the usual stuff nowadays and in the 80's and 90's full of blood, guts, swearing, and fornicating. Now the point I'm trying to make here with all this is that I've never committed a crime in my life, I've obtained my Bachelor's degree in Biology and Chemistry, and am now a year into my Master's degree in Chemistry. Even without this education, I'm proud of the fact that I've done my part to contribute to society, working for 3 years as a lifeguard at me local pool in my teens, and then later on when at university working for an organizational that provides support services for people with mental and physical disabilities. Video games and TV violence have NOT made me a violent or even jaded person. The trick is that, while I enjoyed games and movies, my parents made sure that there was a moderation involved, adn we did plenty of other things. I was involved in sports, and we'd also do all kinds of things outdoors and even indoors as a family. Other than having a friend over for a sleepover, I cannot think of a single time that I was allowed to sit in front of a screen for more than a couple hours at a time. Again, my point here is the video games and TV violence aren't the cause of a lot of crime and violence in youth nowadays, but rather it's more likely to be neglect of these youths on the part of their parents. Other factors come into play, sure, but that's just my two bits. In conclusion, to answer the question of this post, I think it's fine for kids to play videogames. Just don't let them turn into what a lot of parents do: an electronic babysitter to keep the kids occupied and out of their parents' hair.