Web: Kids and Gaming at Flixya
I’ve got two kids, and a third on the way, so one of the things I think about a lot is how gaming affected me and how gaming affects my kids. Mrs Teh Bagder and I have even spoken to the kids teachers about how we in fact encourage gaming in our family because it helps develop a number of logic and interpersonal skills.
There’s an excellent article at Flixya.com discussing “7 Steps To Make Video Games Good For Your Kids”. The best point made in the article is the last:
“Don’t believe all the popular media about violence in video games. While there have been a great deal of sensationalist news claims over the years, little legitimate supporting research has been presented that makes a strong link between games and violence. In 2001, the Surgeon General of the United States released a report that concluded, “[t]aken together, findings suggest that media violence has a relatively small impact on violence.” Besides, the debate becomes mute if you pay attention to the content of the games your child is playing.”
We’re always hearing about the bad stuff that gaming causes, in particular by self-aggrandizing self-proclaimed saviors such as Jack Thompson, but we never hear a great deal about the good side of gaming. I’ve spoken about violence in games before, and my view is that people who are drawn to violence will find it in whatever form they can, and video games just happen to one of those forms. I enjoy playing violent games myself, and I’m not a particularly violent person myself, actually priding myself on my self-control and ability to avoid and control situations that violence can occur in.
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