Game Guardian : Brilliant parenting tool or gateway to lackluster parenting?
 

The Game Guardian is a device that a parent attaches to their PS2 that does a countdown timer and then shuts the PS2 off.

The link to the device is as below:
http://www.gameguardian.co.uk/pages/home.php

Now, I ask you, gentle readers (with a possible bias), does this lead to more effective parenting, or does this just make it easier for parents to slough off duties to an inanimate object, much in the way a lot of kids were just plopped in front of TVs to act as babysitters?

And the followup question, if people were actually good parents, wouldn't such a tool like this be unecessary?

This is not an effective parenting tool. It's pretty much a reaction to "Oh shit, I haven't taught my children to not play video games 10 hours a day, and I don't feel like telling them not to." It's a way to anti-parent, in a sense.

Yes. I go through periods (usually when I get a really good new game) where I play a lot. But then it drops off. Some days I play nothing and some days I play a few hours. Has this melted my brain into slush? I'm starting college this year in a fairly difficult major. I'm a science dork. I don't think so.

Maybe this is the latest response to violent video games? Well, if a parent is so worried about children turning into killing machines after playing, wouldn't it be better to teach them the difference between fantasy and reality than limiting their playing time?

I think the real issue that needs to be addressed is parenting. Parents need to be parents and enforce rules themselves. When you acually need a machine to do your job, then you need to think a bit.

My ps2 has this already its called a power button.

I suppose that this audience is biased. I wonder how readers who frequent Tilted Living and Tilted Parenting would respond to this.

Possibly, but you could replace video games with a bunch of other things and my point would still be valid. Such as TV, computer time, reading, talking on the phone, playing/hanging out with friends...

If you need a machine to help you control your child's behavior in any of this, then you need to reconsider your parenting style.

my dad had a method similar to this when I was slacking off in my studies long, long ago.
He took the cords away. Left me the SNES (it was a while ago) but took all the cords. I was allowed to get them back only after I could prove I had studied enough for him. No machines necessary.

Well, I think the point of the machine is not so much to take it away. After all, if you don't want them playing it at all, just scrap the damn machine. I think it's more to limit the amount they play.

Is this machine effective? No. Not a chance. This machine assumes that 1) That these kids don't have friends who have consoles and 2) That is these kids do have friends who have consoles, their parents will have them also.

No chance. This is kind of like cigarettes. If a kid REALLY wants cigarettes, there is little chance from stopping them from getting them even with all the fines and such.

It also assumes the kids are stupid and will not figure out how to bypass it (ie. taking it out of the machine.)

I'm going to watch there me mod chips for the game guardians :lol: Unlimited play times.. mwahahah

coiuolnd't u just take it off the ps2??

No, somehow it locks in... with a key lock.

Lockpick, breakage, memcard exploit, new modchip version, software bypass, etc..

Children are resourceful.

My coworker had this to comment on it.

:lol:

especially with some games like GTA, you can only save at very specific points, and those are sometimes 30mins away or more. Infact, most console games are like that. i think the aftermath of loosing hours of gaming progress cause the ps2 decided you had played enough will be far worse than just letting the kid finish the mission.

This is very slack perenting, I cant imagine how pissed i would be loosing that much progress. And the threat of game save corruption is huge. I would somehow find a way of playing more to make up for what i lost.

One thing I couldnt find on the site. What happens if the kid immediately switches the ps2 on again. how does it stop that. Maybe there is some cooldown time. But then what if I want to play and my kid just triggered this. I have to wait a few hours.

If you have multiple kids, this is going to cause fights as one kid will invairiably monopolise the game time preventing the others from playing completely.

Basically all its going to achieve is a disruptive family environment which I doupt is the aim. So its a complete failure

This is not a good idea.

I forsee many of these broken, and many kids in trouble.

Stupid parents.