Quite fed up with parents who let the video games do the parenting

[Shanks 10,816]

As much as I love video games I am going to have to agree, I have played video games from a very young age and will admit that there were some occasions where I did it a bit excessively. But I also played outside when I was a kid though not nearly as much as my brother who my Mom often had to chase around the neighborhood to get him to come home for dinner but still a fairly decent amount. And my parents always made sure I knew right from wrong and were there to support me, but I see alot of these kids today where the parents are never around and just let things like video games, tv and the internet do their parenting for them which is creating a lot of self entitled spoiled brats who don't know how to behave.

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

What is this "gamer lifestyle" you speak of? I've never heard of, and I'm a pretty big gamer... I don't mean to antagonize you, but I've never heard of any sort of lifestyle other than playing games as much as you feel is fun for you.

Well, major gamers, basically.  You wake up, and play video games for about 4-5 hours then do something else then come back to the game.  Basically major gamers are to whom I'm speaking of.  Actually your definition is pretty close.  

[Monocerus 36]

           Honestly, Growing up i was glued to my gameboy color. xD i was always playing pokemanz :3 and to this day i still enjoy a nice time full of pokemon. Of cours ei have changed my gaming tactics.

          Well honestly im more glued to the computer than i am anythign and i have a total of 24 hours maybe per week. which isnt that good considering i shoudl be training for the air-forces, getting my liscense or even getting a job. I'm not always playign a game on the computer though. I am usually on here, on youtube or looking up weird space articles. ( i do enjoy lonog hours of Steams wonderful games )

          But 6 years old and glued to the tv already -.-" thats almosta s bad as my brother, he almost failed 3 and 4th grades for xbox :l Honestly why xbox? i can understadn the computer but the xbox?
 
          kids these days just don't know good gaming when its directly in their faces. 

(I may have changed topics xD)
 

[wolfheartmoon 107]

I'm sorry, I don't care who you are, playing video games, or sitting around as much as this kid does isn't healthy. He's actually overweight, doctors have told his parents he needs exercise, but they won't listen and let him sit on his butt and play games.

I think video games are fine, so long as they do not become your child's major source of entertainment. They should be balanced. Books, board games, coloring, outdoor activites, video games, etc. Your kid shouldn't be sitting there in front of a TV screen for four hours straight.

 

 

I'll still go outside and mess around with friends (water gun fights get quite epic around here), but it's not "being raised" by a game any more than going outside is being raised by plants.

 

I more mean this recent trend of "this and that tv show/movie/game must be child friendly", many parents expect the companies to do that for them.

[FractalMoon 378]

I'm sorry, I don't care who you are, playing video games, or sitting around as much as this kid does isn't healthy. He's actually overweight, doctors have told his parents he needs exercise, but they won't listen and let him sit on his butt and play games.

I think video games are fine, so long as they do not become your child's major source of entertainment. They should be balanced. Books, board games, coloring, outdoor activites, video games, etc. Your kid shouldn't be sitting there in front of a TV screen for four hours straight.

 

 

 

I more mean this recent trend of "this and that tv show/movie/game must be child friendly", many parents expect the companies to do that for them.

Trust me... If I wasn't already used to being a slacker (Teachers complained that I read too much while they were trying to lecture... I don't think I cared.) I wouldn't have as high of a GPA as I do... I play games maybe 3 hours a day (a hell of a lot more on weekends), but I always get my work done. I get enough exercise to balance my intake of food, and that's enough for me. I think that games can (and should) be a major source of entertainment, but only good games. I've got harder math problems from doing market calculations in EVE than I have in math class.  I got my obsession of military history from Advance Wars and Fire Emblem. The key  isn't how much time they're spending, it's how they're spending that time.

[wolfheartmoon 107]

I have to disagree. Something that leaves you sitting on your butt, or barely moving, should never be a major source of a childs entertainment. And three hours isn't what I consider "a lot". I consider "a lot" to be freaking 5-10 hours. Which is about normal for this kid.

Edited March 27, 2013 by wolfheartmoon

[Broseph Stalin 103]

Trust me... If I wasn't already used to being a slacker (Teachers complained that I read too much while they were trying to lecture... I don't think I cared.) I wouldn't have as high of a GPA as I do... I play games maybe 3 hours a day (a hell of a lot more on weekends), but I always get my work done. I get enough exercise to balance my intake of food, and that's enough for me. I think that games can (and should) be a major source of entertainment, but only good games. I've got harder math problems from doing market calculations in EVE than I have in math class.  I got my obsession of military history from Advance Wars and Fire Emblem. The key  isn't how much time they're spending, it's how they're spending that time.

Someone else who likes strategy games and fire emblem I am happy now.

I agree with him, videogames give better simulations of the world.

 

I have to disagree. Something that leaves you sitting on your butt, or barely moving, should never be a major source of a childs entertainment. And three hours isn't what I consider "a lot". I consider "a lot" to be freaking 5-10 hours. Which is about normal for this kid.

Do you consider from 3:45 to 9:00 to be long? or 277 hours on a game you've owned for 3 months a lot?

[wolfheartmoon 107]

Someone else who likes strategy games and fire emblem I am happy now.

I agree with him, videogames give better simulations of the world.

 

Do you consider from 3:45 to 9:00 to be long? or 277 hours on a game you've owned for 3 months a lot?

Not if it's not an everyday thing.

I mean, I have gotten so into a video game I've played it for nine hours straight. But when it's a dialy thing, that's not good.

[FractalMoon 378]

I have to disagree. Something that leaves you sitting on your butt, or barely moving, should never be a major source of a childs entertainment. And three hours isn't what I consider "a lot". I consider "a lot" to be freaking 5-10 hours. Which is about normal for this kid.

Sorry, let me rephrase my statement. I play 3 hours a day on weekdays, and around 6-9 hours on the weekends... I get paid (a rather poor amount) for sportscasting games on Twitch, and 90% of my social interaction is online. And physical activity isn't the only way to burn calories. Doing complex brain work (dynamic strategies in Starcraft, Market equations in EVE, reflex actions in Dark Souls, builds and games of LoL) burns more calories than doing cardio, in addition to providing a boost to your critical thinking skills and reflexes. And RE: your comment Oi, no... that's not really that long. I have a friend (who is in 4 AP classes with As and Bs) who is able to practice for his APUSH class by playing Red Orchestra about 2 hours a day. It's not how long you play, but what games. CoD is not a game that you should be playing at all, let alone for that amount of time, unless you get payed the big bucks.

[Broseph Stalin 103]

Not if it's not an everyday thing.

I mean, I have gotten so into a video game I've played it for nine hours straight. But when it's a dialy thing, that's not good.

Ehm.... i might play a certain game for that amount of time after school.

But to me, it's justified! I do karate. I hate it, i'm forced into it. I ride my bike to/from school everyday (1 1/2 mile)

Video games would help me escape from the living hell i'm forced to live/

[wolfheartmoon 107]

I'm mostly irritated that everyone lets him play video games ALL DAY. Like, he gets like, two hours, if that, of non-tv/video games. Not good for a kid I don't think.

[hawkflame 3,310]

I have to wonder if any of this has to do with the fact that we have a generation of parents now that grew up as gamers themselves.  People my age or my brothers ages who grew up on the NES, SNES or Genesis now have kids of their own playing the Wii, PS3, etc.  I don't know about the rest of you, but my parents- they just never "got" video games.  I think they thought it was just a strange distraction that was fine as a distraction but ultimately thought it was healthier to spend more time with friends.  And I think we were better off for it.  Not that I didn't play a lot of video games back in the day, but I never got the impression that it was basically an electronic babysitter.

[FractalMoon 378]

My dad was a hardcore gamer. By that I mean he built up a caffeine resistance to the point that he was kicked out of a study because it would have skewed the result. I'm no worse off for it. It's not an electronic babysitter, it's a fun distraction, like a book or a game of football, but without the brain damage that comes from the latter.

[wolfheartmoon 107]

See, "distraction", that is what video games are SUPPOSED to be. They aren't supposed to be a thing you spend a majority of your day doing. Even I realize me spending most of my day on my computer is a bad thing.

Edited March 27, 2013 by wolfheartmoon

[Betez 1,734]

I blame our society. But it is parents' faults too. When I was a kid, I used to play with Legos all the time. I really didn't start going obline regularly until I was in 4th grade.

 

I try to go outside, go for runs, or just to lay in my hammock. (During the summer, obviously.)

 

I mean, I like technology because it allows us to communicate with far away people far more effectively, but for people who aren't far away, it makes communicating more difficult it seems.

 

Anyway, that's just how it is for now. My friend's grandpa, who apparently used to be quite involved with technology, said it's possible that in the next 25 years, all school and learning will either be done online or on the computer, which, quite honestly, frightens the living hell out of me. While I love technology, I really feel like it's something you shouldn't really spend too much time with until you're at least 10, in my opinion at least. In a way, it's like lifting weights. You don't want to do it when you're a kid.

 

So, I guess the main thing to take away from this post is: some parents are lazy, they don't really think about the consequences of what they let their kids do, so they just do it. It's sad, but that seems to be the reality.

Edited March 27, 2013 by Link

[wolfheartmoon 107]

I blame our society. But it is parents' faults too. When I was a kid, I used to play with Legos all the time. I really didn't start going obline regularly until I was in 4th grade.

 

I try to go outside, go for runs, or just to lay in my hammock. (During the summer, obviously.)

 

I mean, I like technology because it allows us to communicate with far away people far more effectively, but for people who aren't far away, it makes communicating more difficult it seems.

 

Anyway, that's just how it is for now. My friend's grandpa, who apparently used to be quite involved with technology, said it's possible that in the next 25 years, all school and learning will either be done online or on the computer, which, quite honestly, frightens the living hell out of me. While I love technology, I really feel like it's something you shouldn't really spend too much time with until you're at least 10, in my opinion at least. In a way, it's like lifting weights. You don't want to do it when you're a kid.

 

So, I guess the main thing to take away from this post is: some parents are lazy, they don't really think about the consequences of what they let their kids do, so they just do it. It's sad, but that seems to be the reality.

About the only reason my fiancee and I consider online schooling, is because we are a same sex couple, and we're terrified that our future child(ren) could end up hurt or regularly harassed because of it. So we might turn to online schooling.

Edited March 27, 2013 by wolfheartmoon

[FractalMoon 378]

Regarding the idea of online schooling. There are kids (like me for example) that loathe school in a physical medium. I feel like I have to fake everything so that people will like me. I get harassed for having opinions, having psoriasis (I was called f^^^ing SNOWFLAKE for all of middle school), and supposedly being gay. I would jump at the chance to do classes online. It would mean I could actually talk to my friends more (Skype was invented for a reason), I would be learning things I want to learn, and I wouldn't have to deal with bullies.

[Betez 1,734]

About the only reason my fiancee and I consider online schooling, is because we are a same sex couple, and we're terrified that our future child(ren) could end up hurt or regularly harassed because of it. So we might turn to online schooling.

That I can understand. Public school's not the most accepting place on earth. I just hate when online school is funded and promoted over public school.

[wolfheartmoon 107]

That I can understand. Public school's not the most accepting place on earth. I just hate when online school is funded and promoted over public school.

Yeah, public school, under normal circumstances, is better for them. They develop leadership, social, and other skills. Like they can learn how to play an instrument if their school has that, or they can have art if the school has it. But no, online schooling shouldn't really be so promoted. If we lived in an ideal world, we'd have smaller classes, and better teachers. Teachers should be FIRED for saying horrible things to students, like one of mine said I'd never go anywhere in life so I may as well give up.

[FractalMoon 378]

 

Yeah, public school, under normal circumstances, is better for them. They develop leadership, social, and other skills. Like they can learn how to play an instrument if their school has that, or they can have art if the school has it. But no, online schooling shouldn't really be so promoted. If we lived in an ideal world, we'd have smaller classes, and better teachers. Teachers should be FIRED for saying horrible things to students, like one of mine said I'd never go anywhere in life so I may as well give up.

I believe you mean forced to take time out of their day to learn a hunk of plastic that they had to buy, and told just "draw" with no sort of structure and their GPA (and thus college) on the line. In an ideal world, teachers would be paid, we would have smaller classes, and both parents and students would take responsability for their actions and grades. I know several teachers, so my opinion may be skewed, but a teacher shouldn't be punished if a student refuses to learn. Today I had sat next to a girl that was putting on makeup while the teacher was lecturing. If a teacher isn't allowed to say "put that shit away and listen" then nothing will ever get taught.

[wolfheartmoon 107]

I believe you mean forced to take time out of their day to learn a hunk of plastic that they had to buy, and told just "draw" with no sort of structure and their GPA (and thus college) on the line. In an ideal world, teachers would be paid, we would have smaller classes, and both parents and students would take responsability for their actions and grades. I know several teachers, so my opinion may be skewed, but a teacher shouldn't be punished if a student refuses to learn. Today I had sat next to a girl that was putting on makeup while the teacher was lecturing. If a teacher isn't allowed to say "put that shit away and listen" then nothing will ever get taught.

Most children enjoy having band or art or home ec. and those aren't huge facotors for anything really. When you give transcripts for college, they don't give a crap about those extra classes unless it has something to do with what you are going into. You aren't FORCED to take band either, nor are you FORCED to take art, you take them willingly. There is always a few "extra" classes that require no money on your part.

You already have to be there for 7 hours, make the most of it and do something that you might actually enjoy.

 

Stop being so negative.

Edited March 27, 2013 by wolfheartmoon

[FractalMoon 378]

Most children enjoy having band or art or home ec. and those aren't huge facotors for anything really. When you give transcripts for college, they don't give a crap about those extra classes unless it has something to do with what you are going into. You aren't FORCED to take band either, nor are you FORCED to take art, you take them willingly. There is always a few "extra" classes that require no money on your part.

You already have to be there for 7 hours, make the most of it and do something that you might actually enjoy.

 

Stop being so negative.

Welcome to the California public school system, you must be new here. I'm just going to quote the state standards here. "Every student must take at least 10 credits of a visual or performing art." And as for "extra classes" your national merit GPA (the one that colleges care about) only drops physical education classes. Mandatory electives (foreign languages, 'Healthy Living', and both your required VPA and CPE.) count for whether you will be able to get into a good college or not. I only actually care about three of my classes, four on a good day. Those being Chem, Algebra, and World Civ. I only occasionally enjoy Lit, mainly because the teacher is amazing, but I hate the books. Nevertheless, I am forced to take both a foreign language and a phys-Ed course.

[Celtore 2,770]

I too am upset with parents using video games to distract their kid, these parents need to grow up and be adults. Take responsibility for your child, do stuff with them, and most important of all, pay attention to them! Video games are an easy solution for lazy parents, sit your kids in front of a TV screen, pick them up any game they want (while ignoring the ESRB) and they'll just do their own thing for hours. I'm not a child psychologist, but I'm sure that that can't be a healthy environment.

 

I know I'm throwing busy parents under the bus as well, but the fact still stands that video games and television are not a replacement for parenting and it's not right. It saddens me to hear from my best friend that his 10-year-old cousin plays call of duty with him every weekend and that he's also pretty much addicted to minecraft. When I was 10, I was at the library in my spare time with my parents at some kind of program, like Mad Science for example.

 

This isn't a contrast of cultures though, I am cutting down that fallacy now. I had pokemon blue and paper mario and I genuinely thought they were the pinnacle of gaming, but I lived out a full childhood thanks to the guiding (not dominating, mind you) powers of my parents, and for that, they have my gratitude.

Edited March 27, 2013 by Celtore

[Gone Airbourne 21,977]

I used to play outside as a kid all the flipping time and honestly it is so much more fun to get out with others family and friends alike. When I was a kid I liked video games but when I had the option to go outside and play with my friends I took that route all the time. It is a shame that some kids are really addicted to it as bad as some are. It is healthy to be active outside and way more fun too.

[FractalMoon 378]

Alright, let me clear something up. There is no such thing as a person being "addicted" to playing games. There is no physical damage that comes from not playing games. It is instead a compulsion, like gambling for gamblers or art for artists. It makes you feel good, so you want to do it. No one is forcing kids to play games, if you made outside more enticing (allow them to meet people with similar interests, in my case D&D) then more kids would go outside.