Game Guardian : Brilliant parenting tool or gateway to lackluster parenting? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

FngKestrel · 09-03-2005, 04:21 PM

Posted this originally in Tilted Gaming, but this is more of a parenting issue, so I want to see what parents think about this thing.
-------------------------------

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?

rashorangutan · 09-04-2005, 06:13 PM

I believe that this device is for lazy parents. My children have a PS2 and I allow them to play it so much a day. But when I feel that they are wasting their lives away in their bedroom, I tell them to shut it off and go outside for an equal amount of time.
But i also play games and feel that there are many benefits to playing some of these games.

FngKestrel · 09-04-2005, 09:55 PM

Thank you for your input. What do other parents think? I mean, there's so much controversy about games these days that I would hate to think that people would just gloss over on the ramifications of this 'tool'.

spindles · 09-04-2005, 10:34 PM

I don't think machinery of any type can really replace good parenting and mentoring. Having said that why not use technology to achieve the aim you want? I don't think using technology makes you a bad parent. That is a bit like saying that aeroplanes make for bad travelling.

If the TV/playstation/etc. is replacing a human as a babysitter, then that is pretty bad, but I don't see this particular item as "giving up parental control".

On a side note, I wonder if this would be bad in the case where you are saving data (like on the Xbox etc. It would be a bitch if it corrupted the high score table, or lost the saved game where you just defeated the boss...

Suzz04 · 09-06-2005, 08:21 AM

If a parent wanted to designate a time period for the child to play the computer/etc... , why not just get a egg timer? I mean.... sheesh... that's a heck of alot cheaper and would have multiple uses!

My daughter and I play Toontown together. Sometimes, we won't play together, but majority of the time we do. And that usually goes for about a hour each day on average. On the weekends, if it's too hot/cold to be outside, or all the chores/errands are done, then we might sit and "spaz" out playing most of the day.

If you don't want your child to be "babysitted" by electronics, either don't left them have it, or learn to play it with them! You'd be learning together. As well as, you would be helping them (in the case of the gaming consoles) helping there hand eye coordinations. Some games are about solving quests and such. That helps them to think about the ways to do something.

I'm a "gamer" mom. I wouldn't use this due to the fact that I'd be right there playing as well. Even if I wasn't right there playing, I don't have much problems in the "time's up!" deal. You set a firm rule on when it's time to stop, either child stops or you pull the plug and put the item up for "time-out". You don't have to punish the child, just put the item away until you feel that it's sufficent.

Bringing up the case of where you'd be saving data and it would cut of the console, whoops. That's a really, really bad idea. If you want to make a mortal enemy out of your child, unplug the box after they've done completed that quest/beat that uber mob, and they'll hate you for life.

I know I would!

-------------
This post is the view's of the poster. Your tendancy to agree or disagree is common.

f6twister · 09-06-2005, 11:57 AM

I'm not sure I would go as far as to call parents who use it lazy but will agree that it shouldn't be a substitute for good parenting. I can see how this would appeal to a busy parent but that is the point. Too many parents spend their time at work or doing other things rather than watching their kids and enforcing the rules. My parents didn't need a timer to control my activities and I don't for my kids either.

psylence · 09-06-2005, 12:43 PM

I am not a parent unless there is something my girl isn't telling me... but since I'm still young enough to have been on the other end of this fairly recently I think I can provide opinions from that point of view at least.

From a gamer's perspective, this kind of tool is not only intrusive but also unfair. Games are no longer the kind of thing that can simply be put down at any time such as board or card games. As it stands, your kid may have just beaten a level that was very tough and if the game shuts off before he/she has saved he/she will have every right to be angry with you. Some consideration on your part is in order when you impose something this oppressive on your kid/s. This is their hobby, their joy, and their way to relax.

Obviously I take it more seriously than some. I fully admit to being biased on this issue.

"if people were actually good parents, wouldn't such a tool like this be unecessary?"
I'd say, in most cases, yes.

Seeker · 09-06-2005, 03:48 PM

A device like this is actually negating parent/child interactions. Set and forget? I don't think so....

Sage · 09-06-2005, 08:47 PM

Man, whatever happened to "That's enough TV for today, hon, go outside and play"? My mom wouldn't let me zone out in front of the TV all day, and I seriously don't think any parent worth their salt would let a piece of electronics do their job. Sounds like they're just asking for some "Where's my chocolate milk, BITCH?" in the future....

DEI37 · 09-11-2005, 09:48 AM

I don't think it's a completely bad thing, but it's not a step in the right direction, either. More child/parent interaction is always a good thing, even if it is to say, "your hour is up, shut it off, please." I feel that eventually, somebody's gonna wish they'd never thought of this.

Catdaddy33 · 09-12-2005, 04:06 AM

I agree it's not a substitute for the necessary interaction.

The gamer side of me would be pissed if I was in the middle of a game and it just shuts off before I can save or get to a save point...

analog · 09-12-2005, 03:04 PM

You could set your own timer and just go and tell them when they've had enough. You don't need a device to do it for you.

It'll get turned on, set, and put in the machine, and the parents will walk away and ignore the situation. This is just another thing that will make lazy parents even lazier, and pay even less attention to what's going on.

This needlessly takes away interaction between parent and child, when a lot of kids don't get the attention and interaction they really need to begin with.

shakran · 09-13-2005, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by analog

You could set your own timer and just go and tell them when they've had enough. You don't need a device to do it for you.

It'll get turned on, set, and put in the machine, and the parents will walk away and ignore the situation. This is just another thing that will make lazy parents even lazier, and pay even less attention to what's going on.

This needlessly takes away interaction between parent and child, when a lot of kids don't get the attention and interaction they really need to begin with.

plus bear in mind that just about any technological parental-responsibility-replacement you come up with is probably gonna be defeated by the kid within the first 10 minutes. They're a lot smarter than you think. . .

meembo · 09-13-2005, 04:03 PM

I thinbk it can be a tool to help monitor what your kid is or isn't doing. I think the tool is more accurately timing the length of the use of the PS2 than any busy parent could over the days and weeks. If I'm fixing dinner or doing homework with another child, it's good that my discipline can be practiced at least in part even if I'm not able to physically present at the time. Any tool can be abused, but it doesn't make the tool intrinsically bad for that measure alone.

fyrehair · 10-05-2005, 07:40 PM

I think that I have to agree with many of the other posters here and say the item is a bad idea. I'm a gamer mom with a 2 yr old son....in a few years I'm hoping that we can sit and play together. It's all about being involved in your child's life. No, you don't have to be breathing down their necks 24/7, but it's good to know what's going on. And, in the long run, they'll appreciate it. I know I appreciate the involvement that my parents had in my life...maybe I didn't at the time, but I do now! LOL

2quillmadness · 10-06-2005, 05:28 PM

I don't have children, but I am a parent to my nephew.
I really don't see a place for this...
I mean, if my nephew were caught up on his school work and just wasting away his day, I would at least let him reap the benefit of reward that video games give to kids and let him save his game before I made him go outside, not just switch off the console like an ass as the tool does.

And if it were a contest between his responsibilities and the game, you can bet yours that the system would be locked in the closet until he were caught up.

sashime76 · 10-07-2005, 09:34 AM

My brother in law is a smart kid but barely graduated high school at the age of 19 - PlayStation, PC games, Nitendo.... I suggested to my wife to have her parents uplug and take away the machines but they didn't/couln't do it.

My sister has a couple of game consoles at home and my 7 year old nephew knows only when he has finished his homework then he is allowed to play - for an hour or a little longer.

I'm sure someone will come up with hack for the game guardian or a chip to bypass the device.

raeanna74 · 10-07-2005, 11:37 AM

I can see some parents using this to avoid a confrontation with their kid. If the kid is gonna argue with you over how long he's using the game I see that as a negative thing that could benefit from the parent actually physically intervening. When the kid would be argumentative it would be best for them to learn NOT to argue and it's a teaching opportunity that the parent would miss out on.

Only real benefit that I can see is if the kid is old enough to stay home alone, the parent works long hours and wants to be sure the kid doesn't play games all afternoon after school. Though even in this situation and kid shouldn't be left alone that long if they are unable to self regulate their activities better.

Pretty much a cop-out in my opinion and not worth the effort to build it.

777 · 10-07-2005, 02:00 PM

Interseting little thingy. When I was a kid, and my mom limited my game/tv/movie/etc. time, I just went over to a friends house and played over there

ChistledStone · 10-08-2005, 11:35 PM

While everyone is bitching that it could 'd3l3t3 ur savz0rz b4 u c4n lik3 s@v3' - no-one has thought about the life lessons it teaches. Discipline. Planning. Finding out how to break it by tinkering with the electronics.

BTW It still is lackluster parenting.

psylence · 10-12-2005, 06:54 PM

Ah... systems of control.

I managed to either work around or fully disable each and every kind of limiting software or hardware that my parents used. I actually enjoyed the challenge quite a bit. This kind of joy in "defeating the system" was made much more public when I was caught stealing at ______ (your local Best Buy equivalent). Although, to my credit, (or discredit perhaps) I had often stolen from other stores and managed to get away with it. Eventually I became a bit too confident and slipped up. But let's get back to the point...

My point is that despite the good intentions of my parents I think perhaps my appreciation for defeating oppressive systems across the board was nurtured (in part) by the employment of those systems in my youth.

Just something for your consideration.

09-03-2005, 04:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
FngKestrel Junkie	Game Guardian : Brilliant parenting tool or gateway to lackluster parenting? Posted this originally in Tilted Gaming, but this is more of a parenting issue, so I want to see what parents think about this thing. ------------------------------- 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?

09-04-2005, 06:13 PM	#2 (permalink)
rashorangutan Tilted Location: Pennsylvania, USA	I believe that this device is for lazy parents. My children have a PS2 and I allow them to play it so much a day. But when I feel that they are wasting their lives away in their bedroom, I tell them to shut it off and go outside for an equal amount of time. But i also play games and feel that there are many benefits to playing some of these games. __________________ There's a whole world all around us and we don't even realize it!

09-04-2005, 10:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
spindles Mine is an evil laugh Location: Sydney, Australia	I don't think machinery of any type can really replace good parenting and mentoring. Having said that why not use technology to achieve the aim you want? I don't think using technology makes you a bad parent. That is a bit like saying that aeroplanes make for bad travelling. If the TV/playstation/etc. is replacing a human as a babysitter, then that is pretty bad, but I don't see this particular item as "giving up parental control". On a side note, I wonder if this would be bad in the case where you are saving data (like on the Xbox etc. It would be a bitch if it corrupted the high score table, or lost the saved game where you just defeated the boss... __________________ who hid my keyboard's PANIC button?

09-06-2005, 11:57 AM	#6 (permalink)
f6twister Addict	I'm not sure I would go as far as to call parents who use it lazy but will agree that it shouldn't be a substitute for good parenting. I can see how this would appeal to a busy parent but that is the point. Too many parents spend their time at work or doing other things rather than watching their kids and enforcing the rules. My parents didn't need a timer to control my activities and I don't for my kids either. __________________ A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin

09-06-2005, 03:48 PM	#8 (permalink)
Seeker Getting Clearer Location: with spirit	A device like this is actually negating parent/child interactions. Set and forget? I don't think so.... __________________ *To those who wander but who are not lost...* ~ Knowledge is not something you acquire, it is something you open yourself to.

09-04-2005, 09:55 PM	#3 (permalink)
FngKestrel Junkie	Thank you for your input. What do other parents think? I mean, there's so much controversy about games these days that I would hate to think that people would just gloss over on the ramifications of this 'tool'.

09-06-2005, 08:21 AM	#5 (permalink)
Suzz04 Crazy Location: Virginia	If a parent wanted to designate a time period for the child to play the computer/etc... , why not just get a egg timer? I mean.... sheesh... that's a heck of alot cheaper and would have multiple uses! My daughter and I play Toontown together. Sometimes, we won't play together, but majority of the time we do. And that usually goes for about a hour each day on average. On the weekends, if it's too hot/cold to be outside, or all the chores/errands are done, then we might sit and "spaz" out playing most of the day. If you don't want your child to be "babysitted" by electronics, either don't left them have it, or learn to play it with them! You'd be learning together. As well as, you would be helping them (in the case of the gaming consoles) helping there hand eye coordinations. Some games are about solving quests and such. That helps them to think about the ways to do something. I'm a "gamer" mom. I wouldn't use this due to the fact that I'd be right there playing as well. Even if I wasn't right there playing, I don't have much problems in the "time's up!" deal. You set a firm rule on when it's time to stop, either child stops or you pull the plug and put the item up for "time-out". You don't have to punish the child, just put the item away until you feel that it's sufficent. Bringing up the case of where you'd be saving data and it would cut of the console, whoops. That's a really, really bad idea. If you want to make a mortal enemy out of your child, unplug the box after they've done completed that quest/beat that uber mob, and they'll hate you for life. I know I would! ------------- This post is the view's of the poster. Your tendancy to agree or disagree is common.

09-06-2005, 12:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
psylence Upright Location: DFW	I am not a parent unless there is something my girl isn't telling me... but since I'm still young enough to have been on the other end of this fairly recently I think I can provide opinions from that point of view at least. From a gamer's perspective, this kind of tool is not only intrusive but also unfair. Games are no longer the kind of thing that can simply be put down at any time such as board or card games. As it stands, your kid may have just beaten a level that was very tough and if the game shuts off before he/she has saved he/she will have every right to be angry with you. Some consideration on your part is in order when you impose something this oppressive on your kid/s. This is their hobby, their joy, and their way to relax. Obviously I take it more seriously than some. I fully admit to being biased on this issue. *"if people were actually good parents, wouldn't such a tool like this be unecessary?"* I'd say, in most cases, yes.

09-06-2005, 08:47 PM	#9 (permalink)
Sage hoarding all the big girl panties since 2005 Location: North side	Man, whatever happened to "That's enough TV for today, hon, go outside and play"? My mom wouldn't let me zone out in front of the TV all day, and I seriously don't think any parent worth their salt would let a piece of electronics do their job. Sounds like they're just asking for some "Where's my chocolate milk, BITCH?" in the future.... __________________ Sage knows our mythic history, King Arthur's and Sir Caradoc's She answers hard acrostics, has a pretty taste for paradox She quotes in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus In conics she can floor peculiarities parabolous -C'hi

09-11-2005, 09:48 AM	#10 (permalink)
DEI37 Go faster! Location: Wisconsin	I don't think it's a completely bad thing, but it's not a step in the right direction, either. More child/parent interaction is always a good thing, even if it is to say, "your hour is up, shut it off, please." I feel that eventually, somebody's gonna wish they'd never thought of this. __________________ Generally speaking, if you were to get what you really deserve, you might be unpleasantly surprised.

09-12-2005, 04:06 AM	#11 (permalink)
Catdaddy33 Psycho Location: TN	I agree it's not a substitute for the necessary interaction. The gamer side of me would be pissed if I was in the middle of a game and it just shuts off before I can save or get to a save point...

09-12-2005, 03:04 PM	#12 (permalink)
analog Banned	You could set your own timer and just go and tell them when they've had enough. You don't need a device to do it for you. It'll get turned on, set, and put in the machine, and the parents will walk away and ignore the situation. This is just another thing that will make lazy parents even lazier, and pay even less attention to what's going on. This needlessly takes away interaction between parent and child, when a lot of kids don't get the attention and interaction they really need to begin with.

09-13-2005, 04:03 PM	#14 (permalink)
meembo Junkie Location: Connecticut	I thinbk it can be a tool to help monitor what your kid is or isn't doing. I think the tool is more accurately timing the length of the use of the PS2 than any busy parent could over the days and weeks. If I'm fixing dinner or doing homework with another child, it's good that my discipline can be practiced at least in part even if I'm not able to physically present at the time. Any tool can be abused, but it doesn't make the tool intrinsically bad for that measure alone. __________________ less I say, smarter I am

10-05-2005, 07:40 PM	#15 (permalink)
fyrehair Upright Location: Western NY	I think that I have to agree with many of the other posters here and say the item is a bad idea. I'm a gamer mom with a 2 yr old son....in a few years I'm hoping that we can sit and play together. It's all about being involved in your child's life. No, you don't have to be breathing down their necks 24/7, but it's good to know what's going on. And, in the long run, they'll appreciate it. I know I appreciate the involvement that my parents had in my life...maybe I didn't at the time, but I do now! LOL __________________ I do not envy you the headache that you will have in the morning. Until then, sleep well and dream of large women.

10-06-2005, 05:28 PM	#16 (permalink)
2quillmadness Upright Location: Arsecrack California	I don't have children, but I am a parent to my nephew. I really don't see a place for this... I mean, if my nephew were caught up on his school work and just wasting away his day, I would at least let him reap the benefit of reward that video games give to kids and let him save his game before I made him go outside, not just switch off the console like an ass as the tool does. And if it were a contest between his responsibilities and the game, you can bet yours that the system would be locked in the closet until he were caught up. __________________ _"Can the omnipotent God create a stone that he himself cannot carry?"_

10-07-2005, 09:34 AM	#17 (permalink)
sashime76 Addict Location: Hoosier State	My brother in law is a smart kid but barely graduated high school at the age of 19 - PlayStation, PC games, Nitendo.... I suggested to my wife to have her parents uplug and take away the machines but they didn't/couln't do it. My sister has a couple of game consoles at home and my 7 year old nephew knows only when he has finished his homework then he is allowed to play - for an hour or a little longer. I'm sure someone will come up with hack for the game guardian or a chip to bypass the device.

10-07-2005, 11:37 AM	#18 (permalink)
raeanna74 I'm not a blonde! I'm knot! I'm knot! I'm knot! Location: Upper Michigan	I can see some parents using this to avoid a confrontation with their kid. If the kid is gonna argue with you over how long he's using the game I see that as a negative thing that could benefit from the parent actually physically intervening. When the kid would be argumentative it would be best for them to learn NOT to argue and it's a teaching opportunity that the parent would miss out on. Only real benefit that I can see is if the kid is old enough to stay home alone, the parent works long hours and wants to be sure the kid doesn't play games all afternoon after school. Though even in this situation and kid shouldn't be left alone that long if they are unable to self regulate their activities better. Pretty much a cop-out in my opinion and not worth the effort to build it. __________________ "Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

10-07-2005, 02:00 PM	#19 (permalink)
777 drawn and redrawn Location: Some where in Southern California	Interseting little thingy. When I was a kid, and my mom limited my game/tv/movie/etc. time, I just went over to a friends house and played over there __________________ "I don't know that I ever wanted greatness, on its own. It seems rather like wanting to be an engineer, rather than wanting to design something - or wanting to be a writer, rather than wanting to write. It should be a by-product, not a thing in itself. Otherwise, it's just an ego trip." Roger Zelazny

10-08-2005, 11:35 PM	#20 (permalink)
ChistledStone Crazy Location: Australia	While everyone is bitching that it could 'd3l3t3 ur savz0rz b4 u c4n lik3 s@v3' - no-one has thought about the life lessons it teaches. Discipline. Planning. Finding out how to break it by tinkering with the electronics. BTW It still is lackluster parenting. __________________ A.minor.fall.then.a.major.lift

10-12-2005, 06:54 PM	#21 (permalink)
psylence Upright Location: DFW	Ah... systems of control. I managed to either work around or fully disable each and every kind of limiting software or hardware that my parents used. I actually enjoyed the challenge quite a bit. This kind of joy in "defeating the system" was made much more public when I was caught stealing at ______ (your local Best Buy equivalent). Although, to my credit, (or discredit perhaps) I had often stolen from other stores and managed to get away with it. Eventually I became a bit too confident and slipped up. But let's get back to the point... My point is that despite the good intentions of my parents I think perhaps my appreciation for defeating oppressive systems across the board was nurtured (in part) by the employment of those systems in my youth. Just something for your consideration.