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

[Matus 131]

I am your typical gaming-since-i-was-3 gamer, but my gaming is limited. Sure, there are days I've spent the entire day on just gaming, but i dont do it all the time. I play soccer, talk to friends, talk to my parents, and I take breaks every so often to go into the living room to just talk to my parents. My parents do not buy me games, and my mom let me play M games when I was 13, which, for kids nowadays, is extremely sad. Just today I was at the park for five and a half hours. I like to play sports, and just going to people's house to hog something electronic and not socialize is stupid.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,697]

I think kids get "wired" at far too young an age. It's not just video games, it's the Internet and cell phones as well. Unless your kids spend a significant amount of time home alone, I don't know how parents even think about getting them their own cell phones before they're at least 10. With games and net access they can start a bit younger but I think there should be time limits, like I had as a kid. The rest of the time I watched TV, played with Legos and went camping. As I got older and followed the rules, the limits expanded. And by the time I was a teenager I had learned how to use these things responsibly.

 

It also helped that, in my case, my parents *GASP* didn't buy my brother and I M-rated games as kids. Imagine that! I didn't have an email address till I was 19. I got my first cell phone a year later. I grew up one or two generations behind the technology curve, and am none the worse for wear. So this "not buying the kids this or that isolates them from their friends" excuse really doesn't hold up IMO. If families actually tried holding off on that stuff for a while longer, they will discover it's not that bad.

Edited March 27, 2013 by TailsIsNotAlone

[Shanks 10,817]

I think kids get "wired" at far too young an age. It's not just video games, it's the Internet and cell phones as well. Unless your kids spend a significant amount of time home alone, I don't know how parents even think about getting them their own cell phones before they're at least 10.

10 is a little young for a cell phone I think, I got my first cell phone at 18 and it was a crappy hand me down my Dad gave to me. My first e-mail address came a bit sooner though I think I was around 15 maybe 16 if I remember correctly. Oh well, I suppose I don't plan on being a Daddy for another couple of years at least so I have some to time to sort this out when I do that. I am 27 though so I still remember when the internet didn't exist and when it was too slow to be actually useful and when I only heard of cell phones thanks to this mention in an episode of Rugrats.

[ParsoOfEquestria 1,490]

I'm a gamer, I play games whenever avaliable, but I didnt start until I was 15. my younger siblings sometimes get mum to yell at me to get off just so they can play crappy online games when they have their own computer that I built for them. my point is, I didnt start until I was 15 and my 6 year old brother has consoles, pc, ipad, ipod. IT SICKENS ME that he wants me off my own computer because it "plays better"

[Monocerus 36]

Today i was walking home form school ( because id on't have my license  *insert sad face*) i saw a 5th grader with an ipod in one hand and a Ipad in another hand. Why the hell do you need an ipad if you got an ipod. XD I Don't even own either xD. im perfectly fine with my Droid 3. I don't need 2 devices that can pretty much do the same damn thing.  Granted if i wanted a MP3 player i would buy one from wallie-world or the dollar store* you know the cheap 5 buck kind*.

[wolfheartmoon 107]

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.

See, now you're just deluded, knock it off. Yes, there is such a thing as video game addiction. What comes from playing too many video games is bad eyesite, poor physical condition, violent tendancies, and bad social skills. Gambling is also an addiction, FYI.

[Pinkazoid 3,493]

Same thing could be said about anything really, video games, tv, the internet. I honestly don't see the problem in this, besides the iPad of course, but i think that can be resolved with talking with your parents about it.

[wolfheartmoon 107]

Same thing could be said about anything really, video games, tv, the internet. I honestly don't see the problem in this, besides the iPad of course, but i think that can be resolved with talking with your parents about it.

I've tried. -.- Her excuse is "he's just a little boy!11!" I've tried to say no, he'll go down to my mom and start crying and then she makes me give him it.

[FractalMoon 378]

 

See, now you're just deluded, knock it off. Yes, there is such a thing as video game addiction. What comes from playing too many video games is bad eyesite, poor physical condition, violent tendancies, and bad social skills. Gambling is also an addiction, FYI.

No. No they are not. According to the DSM (the big book of mental disorders) neither gambling nor playing games is an addiction. An addiction is characterized by PHYSICAL WITHDRAWL symptoms. Violent tendencies have nothing to do with games. No long term trial has proved that, and the only one that got conclusive results proved the opposite. Eyesight isn't adversely affected any more than having a day job in an office. Social skills are not adversely affected if you are playing with friends, or working with others.

[Aaramus 450]

As we're discussing video games and their affects I feel this will be more appropriate in the media discussion

 

My own opinion on the matter is that kids should be playing video games in moderation and younger children should at least be supervised. Whenever me and my brother played on the SNES/N64 at least one of my parents watched us. Our console was in the front room and plugged into the main television so they could watch us and I'm glad that they did. Our time on the computer and console was regulated so we never spent more than an hour or so during the day just playing video games.

The problem is now every household has a form of video game machine, be that a PC, console, laptop, smartphone or a tablet. It's lazy parenting just to leave your kids to their own devices. I can understand when they've become teenagers around the 14-16 mark but any younger and you should try to regulate their time on it. 

Unfortunately we live in a time were kids are now pressured into playing popular games other wise they're "uncool". It's the same as other media forms like popular bands and music.

[wolfheartmoon 107]

No. No they are not. According to the DSM (the big book of mental disorders) neither gambling nor playing games is an addiction. An addiction is characterized by PHYSICAL WITHDRAWL symptoms. Violent tendencies have nothing to do with games. No long term trial has proved that, and the only one that got conclusive results proved the opposite. Eyesight isn't adversely affected any more than having a day job in an office. Social skills are not adversely affected if you are playing with friends, or working with others.

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/video-game-addiction-no-fun

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/kids-addicted-video-games-violent-experts-article-1.1298338

http://www.video-game-addiction.org/ (Note that they're considering putting it into the DSM, and even though it's from 07, I studied psychology, it can take YEARS for something to become official in the DSM)

http://www.addictionrecov.org/Addictions/index.aspx?AID=45

http://www.freep.com/article/20130301/FEATURES08/130301009/Video-games-can-have-harmful-effects-for-addicts

http://addictions.about.com/od/lesserknownaddictions/a/videogameadd.htm

 

http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_results.php?city=Ottawa&state=ON&spec=207 (there's even therepists for it in someplaces!) Stop trying to justify it. Playing video games most of your day, isn't good.

[FractalMoon 378]

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/video-game-addiction-no-fun

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/kids-addicted-video-games-violent-experts-article-1.1298338

http://www.video-game-addiction.org/ (Note that they're considering putting it into the DSM, and even though it's from 07, I studied psychology, it can take YEARS for something to become official in the DSM)

http://www.addictionrecov.org/Addictions/index.aspx?AID=45

http://www.freep.com/article/20130301/FEATURES08/130301009/Video-games-can-have-harmful-effects-for-addicts

http://addictions.about.com/od/lesserknownaddictions/a/videogameadd.htm

 

http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_results.php?city=Ottawa&state=ON&spec=207 (there's even therepists for it in someplaces!) Stop trying to justify it. Playing video games most of your day, isn't good.

I'm not trying to justify it. I'm stating facts. The DSM-V (the latest version, comes out next month) is considering adding it as a compulsion. Not surprised that there are therapists, seeing as a compulsion is purely psychological. The word addiction is thrown around too much nowadays.

[Skycoaster 698]

When I was a kid.....I feel old now...I played my N64 like it was going out of style.I wanted to play outside more, but I have and overprotective mother. She wanted my in the house as much as possible.

 

Going to my uncle's house was the best time of my childhood. Playing baseball and football in the back yard was great.

?In my opinion, a lot of parents are afraid to let their children outside, thinking something bad is going to happen. While it is rare that bad things happen, they sometimes do.

 

In my 20's now and still overprotected.  

[wolfheartmoon 107]

When I was a kid.....I feel old now...I played my N64 like it was going out of style.I wanted to play outside more, but I have and overprotective mother. She wanted my in the house as much as possible.

 

Going to my uncle's house was the best time of my childhood. Playing baseball and football in the back yard was great.

 

In my opinion, a lot of parents are afraid to let their children outside, thinking something bad is going to happen. While it is rare that bad things happen, they sometimes do.

 

In my 20's now and still overprotected.  

O_o Wow. Back then was when parents told their kids to get their bums outside and play.

And yeah, so am I. My mom is convinced no one online is my "friend", and that everyone I meet online is actually some crazy psycho. I can't wait to move.

[Broseph Stalin 103]

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/video-game-addiction-no-fun

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/kids-addicted-video-games-violent-experts-article-1.1298338

http://www.video-game-addiction.org/ (Note that they're considering putting it into the DSM, and even though it's from 07, I studied psychology, it can take YEARS for something to become official in the DSM)

http://www.addictionrecov.org/Addictions/index.aspx?AID=45

http://www.freep.com/article/20130301/FEATURES08/130301009/Video-games-can-have-harmful-effects-for-addicts

http://addictions.about.com/od/lesserknownaddictions/a/videogameadd.htm

 

http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_results.php?city=Ottawa&state=ON&spec=207 (there's even therepists for it in someplaces!) Stop trying to justify it. Playing video games most of your day, isn't good.

Those are very good reasons to not play video games, but most gamers bring up this one reason: Wheres the fun in looking at plants, play pre-schooler games or sports with kids outside? I myself would like an anwer to that.

[wolfheartmoon 107]

Those are very good reasons to not play video games, but most gamers bring up this one reason: Wheres the fun in looking at plants, play pre-schooler games or sports with kids outside? I myself would like an anwer to that.

That is true....... I mean, you have to have the right kid to be into reading, or any art form, it takes large amounts of skill to play sports and do them well. I suppose you could teach your kid to draw, or dance or something. And if the kid doesn't enjoy reading, there goes that. I guess parents just need to work with their kid from a young age to find what they enjoy that isn't centered around a lighted box.

[FractalMoon 378]

Those are very good reasons to not play video games, but most gamers bring up this one reason: Wheres the fun in looking at plants, play pre-schooler games or sports with kids outside? I myself would like an anwer to that.

I wholeheartedly agree. I mean nature is fun and all, but sports are always about the person that's the most talented, and if you don't spend every waking minute practicing or a have a natural talent you will never be successful. I've always had a talent at broadcast, and if I don't find football fun why can't I play games? If you've never seen a GSL or LCS player, they require the same amount of skill as any football player.

[Scootalove 10,692]

I would worry about it, especially when your the parent. Besides, when the parents buy the video games and not raise their kids themselves instead when the video game does pretty much shows bad parenting sometimes.

Take Call of Duty for example, kids will beg, moan, and cry so their parents can buy the game and the parents refuse to give the kid their full attention. I'll just buy the video games for my kids to enjoy, I know that they will probably enjoy it but I will still raise my kids.

[Skycoaster 698]

For me, going back to my overprotective mother growing up, I was lucky the few times she let me go hunting and fishing with my grandfather and dad.