Do video games cause bad behaviour in children?

by The Rebel 29 Replies latest jw friends

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  The Rebel

  My boy is 10 and has got very interested in Pocamon cards. ( a game way to complicated for me to understand) But I've also noticed it's linked to a computer game, which seems harmless enough but I also noticed advertisements for more violent games appear.

  i would value people's opinion on whether, you think video games cause bad behaviour in kids. I should mention my kid says I limit his time on these games, much more than other children's parents, and I was thinking of reevaluating that rule.

  Thanks.

  The Rebel.
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  Barrold Bonds

  there's literally zero evidence that video games cause violent behavior. What has been noted is that kids with aggressive or violent tendencies can have bad behaviors triggered by video games. However, those same kids can also be triggered by literally any sort of stress, like a game of chess or monopoly.

  as for limiting video game time, that's a tough call. My parents severely limited my time. When i got older and they couldn't control it, i went overboard and spent wayyyyyy too much time with them. You gotta find the right balance. Let them play games but also get them outside and active with something like little league baseball.
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  Witness My Fury

  It depends, is the answer.

  Games have ratings much like films. He's 10, so would you let him watch adult rated films? I hope not at least until he's mid teens. Same goes for games.

  The quantity of time on the other hand needs moderating.

  Obviously this will change with his age.

  Edit to add: yes if you control and repress to much, they will rebel later probably more than if you are balanced when they are young.
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  Razziel

  Keep it age appropriate and you should be fine. Mind the ratings as Witness My Fury says above.

  Nudity hasn't found much traction in rated M games but everything else you would find in a rated R movie is there in many of them. I would keep it pretty strict at least until the child is old enough to understand they can't go around repeating everything they hear.

  Researching a few minutes of online game reviews will usually tell you about what to expect in any particular game your kid is interested in.
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  Razziel

  I should also mention that some M rated games have controls to remove or reduce the blood/gore or profanity to make them more kid friendly. Again, you'd have to research online to see which ones.
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  Sabin

  Why don't you talk to him about it. KIds are amazing, they are so more aware than we ever give them credit for. Tell him what worries you, ask him about the game what he likes about it, what other games the kids in school are playing, are there games that some of his friends play that he doesn't like & why. Knowledge is power. Go to a game store alone & ask about the different games, if you can play some of the more popular ones. Watch the expression on his face when he`s talking about them & you say "oh yeah I know all about that one".
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  TD

  My boy is 10 and has got very interested in Pocamon cards. ( a game way to complicated for me to understand) But I've also noticed it's linked to a computer game...

  I would value people's opinion on whether, you think video games cause bad behaviour in kids.

  My three daughters (And their boyfriends when they got older) were very much into Pokemon and I understand your concern. On the surface, it does appear like cockfighting, but I would point out that it is a Japanese game heavily laced with Asian martial arts philosophy where confrontation in the vehicle through which we learn and grow.

  In this mythical universe, preventing that sort of confrontation results in arrested development where the animal (The Pokemon) never grows or gets any stronger.

  Whether this adversely affects Western children or not depends entirely on whether they understand the cultural context in which it originated. I don't think ten is too young, but you know your son better than I do.

  As far as more violent video games go, as in would I let a ten-year-old play the Left For Dead franchise? Absolutely not.
  

  
  
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  adjusted knowledge

  I remember in 1994 a talk in the Congregation aim at us younger children because of Pokemon. It is funny how the meetings are suppose to be about upbuilding but usually about don't do this....
  
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  Twitch

  I dunno

  If I ever saw aliens descending from the sky, I might wanna have a laser cannon handy, just in case...

  Twitch, of the Atari 2600 Combat class
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  Diogenesister

  Yes unfortunately there is a bit of a difficult age sort of 9 to 14 where the 3+ or 7+ market like skylanders they find a bit babyish but games like halo they go for are 12+ and can seem too violent. Halo is a battle aliens game but no gore/ bood and ONE cuss word , how silly is that either cuss or don't but don't spoil it for the kid market but saying the b word once !

  I find it really difficult to deal with as one of my kids its litterally all he wants to do, ever. The worse thing is he's terrible at sports and hates it. Hates reading, can't spell but is nerdy about computers and science. It really is the only thing he is good at, that and music. He has a wicked sense of humour, like a youtuber so when I try and stop him I wonder am I trying to stop his future?