Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Video games--Good or Bad?

Are video games good or bad for our kids? Being a gamer myself, I would say they can be good, but only to an extent. They keep your hand-eye coordination up, and now the military is starting to use the controllers to fly unmanned aircraft into battle.

What is your take on this? Should the games children play be cut back on hours playing, or do video games help in some way?

Mike McClure

23 comments:

English student said...

I used to play video games as well but quit because they took up so much of my time and I couldn't keep track myself. For our children hell yeah like an hour to 3 maybe a day but more than that no way. The reason I played so much is because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next so I would stay up SUPER late, if our children only play a couple hours maybe it could help teach some patience as well?

Matt Funk

English student said...

I have two views on video games. The first is they do help the military. I have seen then used to help pilots and to help injuried soldiers recover faster- that is a plus. I think kids and some adults use video games WAY to much. They spend hours on games instead of homework or playing outside. Parents need to take more control over the time they let their kids play video games. My son has lots of vidoe games but, is only allowed to spend 1 hour a week on them. With that said he really doens't like to play them, and only in the car if he does.I think kids also learn to much violence on some of the games they play. I guess you could blame that on parents not paying attention to what their kids are doing. So they do have a negative and positive side. Just use them wisely. Dawn Smith

English student said...

i think playing video games is just fine, just dont do it all day and night and parents should make sure their children are playing the right games. video games and tv influence children and you need to make sure they are being influenced the right way. id say theyre good, just as long as there are rules and restrictions that go along with it. sam tomson

English student said...

Yes I feel games are good. not only are they good to help with hand eye coordination, but things like leap frog and other learning video games can also be used to help teach. Also with some of the newer Games like dance dance revolution which involves a pad and moving your whole body is a great way to exercise.

English student said...

Kids need to stop playing video games all day anyways and be active outside, its ok to play for a few hours a day and who cares what they play, their is violence anywhere you look, a shooting game is not gonna make a bigger difference in whether or not the kid is gonna be crazy. With the way our obesity rate is kids need to go play outside and stop focusing so much on video games, Dont get me wrong i love video games but, i find myself being more productive in other things like staying outside most of the time, being social, being active, and thats what kids need to do too, they are the ones with all the energy why not use it?

Kevin McBride

English student said...

Back then... even now, I tend to get to absorbed in video games with my conscience mind thinking 'what will happen next?' I can't say that it is a terrible thing but for some people managing time can be very difficult. I won't lie, in the past it was very difficult for me also. At times I would play for 1-2 days straight with no sleep. So I can't say that everyone has the same problem but I believe that if you can prevent it from happening at an early stage? It's best to take initiative.

Quantia Braziel

Tracey said...

My son is also a gamer. I believe that parents should always teach their children about timing on t he video games. Some parents just allow their children to play on the video games ,just so they will not have to concern them selves with their own children .They just want them out of their faces. I believe that a parent should be involved with their children's free time.

English student said...

I have very mixed feelings on video games; I personally just don’t see the point. Most people get so worked up in them and they're not even real. But if someone is just playing just an hour a day or maybe 2, I don’t see I problem with that. But those people who just sit on there Xbox and play from 12 hours straight are just kind of sad. There is so many other things that people could do with there time that is real vs. being fake. People should spend time with friends and family first, but if you have some left over time, a little gamming never hurt anyone.

Melody Nelligan

English student said...

I play video games but not like i use to. They can be good and they can be bad. Some video games these days are bad for kids at a young age i think. I remember all the fun games that i use to play when i was younger like: Mario Kart, Bird shooting game, paper boy, and more mario brothers games. Its just that the parents should control how ofen there kids play, don't let them play for hours. If the child is young i think the parent should know what game here playing and make sure its an ok game and not something dangerous that teaches them bad things.

Aubrey Welch

English student said...

I think it's good. It does help with eye coordination and it actually helps the kid focus and be relaxed. If they can concentrate on one thing, their more likely to concentrate more in class. Of course it depend on what they play and for how long. If they can lead a healthy and active life style along with playing video games, then why not. There are non violent games if parents don't want their kids to be exposed to anything they don't want.

Samantha Odendaal

English student said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
English student said...

It could be both way Good and Bad. Good because video games can help you on Following instructions, Problem solving and logic, Hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills,Multitasking, simultaneous tracking of many shifting variables and managing multiple objectives, and Quick thinking, making fast analysis and decisions. I been a gamer since i was 3 and i still play games, currently own a Xbox 360. I have been playing a game that came out not to long ago, a racing game called Split/Second. That game alone is realy good on making quick decistions.Most of the bad effects of video games are blamed on the violence they contain. Children who play more violent video games are more likely to have increased aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and decreased prosocial helping, according to a scientific study. Too much video game playing makes your kid socially isolated. Also, he may spend less time in other activities such as doing homework, reading, sports, and interacting with the family and friends. And lastly Games can confuse kids from reality and fantasy.
Mohammed Ahmad

English student said...

i dont think video games are bad at all. yes there are some games out there that has killings and bad lauguage but everything that a video game has the child would see on tv or from his or her parents. i use to be a big game head i played every game from wwe raw to football even the grand thift auto. i supper loved that game but at first my mother would never let me and my sister even play that game intil we told her that we play it with are cousins all the time. after a while she started letting use play the game but i really dont see the big deal with childeren playing rated r video games. i think if america does not want there childeren to be playing video games then they dont need to create no more rated r games.
ASHIA STEVENS

English student said...

The violence in the world today is getting worse. If playing video games is keeping children in the house and out of trouble, I think it is a good thing. If is doing the school year, their grades are up, getting homework done,along with whatever else they need to do, then they should be able able to play. Maybe parent should buy them some educational games to stimulate they mind even more. I feel it is up to parents, to know the amount of time their children spend on a video game. The video game should not consume all of their time. If you see a negative affect on you child because of the game, then take it.

Brittany Williams

James Koltz said...

There's always going to be something that older generations object to regarding the newer, younger generation. I think you can see plain as day that some young people are too big (heavy) for their own good, so maybe they should play outside for an hour for every hour they play video or sit in front of the TV. Not a new idea, I know, but a good one.

Video games are not all bad by any means, but what does it say about a kid who likes to shoot people point black and watch the blood spurt? "Whoa, good shot, dude!"

James Koltz

English student said...

Let kids be kids.You are only young once and so therefore why not enjoy it by doing something you love. Playing video games teaches children self control when they play against others because it allows them to see that you win some and lose some but its ok because you can always play again. I do feel its ok for children to play video games but just not all day, they should spend time out doors playing with friends and enjoying the sun instead of being on the game. I don't like to see children play violent video games but educational games are always a plus, since you learn and play at the same time
S.Cooper

English student said...

The number of hours that a child plays video games shouldn't be that high! Kids spend way to much time in front of a tv set as it is. Video games and tv have become the electronic babysitter. I'm not saying that children that play video games are more prone to shooting someone after they play a video game that involved shooting the enemy. Video games are just making kids spend too much time indoors, and it's keeping them from getting out. It's also can't be that good to stare at a tv for hours on end.

Sarah Albin

English student said...

I do not think video games are that harmful to our children but there should be a limit to use. I use to play video games as a child and I would sometimes spend ten hours out of a day trying to complete a story. I agree that it helps with hand-eye coordination but it also hinders a child from going out and getting the exercise that they need. Instead of going out and playing with their friends many kids are stuck in the house glued to the television playing games while enjoying snacks.

Whitt. M said...

I don't know much about video games, but when I do see kids playin them It's like their in a whole different world. I've actually seen them act out things such as blasting something away. It's funny to see something like that but then again kids shouldn't spend half their day on playin video games

English student said...

Video games do nothing for children except make them lazy, maybe not all, but most. Kids will sit around for many hours straight and play video games; some kids will play games all day and do nothing else. Children are supposed to receive at least an hours worth of exercise a day. How are they supposed to achieve that when they do nothing but sit around all day? I believe that video games is part of the problem as to why some people are overweight simply because they do not exercise.

Kenneth East

English student said...

Different games are built to access people's minds in different ways, but all games are built to hold the interest of people. I think today's video games are designed to constantly throw new and interesting events at a player in order to hold their interest for as long as possible. While this might sound like a good thing, I worry that for children, this method of information input may harm them in the long run. If a child learns to learn from bright lights and loud noises (i.e. video games) then I think that it would make it difficult for that child to go into a classroom and focus on getting information from a teacher. To that extent, I'm against letting children play video games more than a few hours a week, or even watching TV for more than a few hours a week. On the other hand I think that teenagers and adults, whose brains are already mostly developed, can play video games for much longer.

David Nadermann

English student said...

Video games are addicting. Much like gambling, there is always the, "I can get it this time!" thought process. Even a game as simple as the computer solitare can hold people captive, trying to win. Children are extremely susceptible. With the increase in computer technology today, parents often want their children to be skilled, starting them early by playing games, but do not realize the door they are opening by feeding them video games to the point of addiction.

Video games rob valuable time. As a former landlord in a college town, I cannot count the number of students that I have dealt with, often evicting, that have dropped/flunked out of school because they let gaming take over their lives. They stayed up all night playing, then could not get up in time for class. The gaming took all the time they could have/should have been working on homework or sleeping. The apartments would be set up with the video games the center of focus, games galore. I would always get the same response, "I didn't realize how much time I was spending."

Studies show that children (and adults) are spending too much time vegging in front of TV and video games, to the detrimate of their health. From obesity to carpal tunnel, overdoing video gaming can be harmful. Wii systems are getting that idea and now making more interactive games that, at a minimum, cause movement for the participant.

While I'm not a complete boor, I limited my children tightly on video gaming. I could see the tendencies of them being "sucked in". Parents MUST take their roles seriously in protecting their children, even when it's not popular. One problem today is, many of the parents are often addicted themselves. I have watched games pull parents/people in so badly that they are not paying attention to anything else. With a toddler, that can mean disaster. Do video games affect children? You bet! and it doesn't stop there.

Joann Logsdon

Unknown said...

The reason I play games is just for fun. I don't spend much time playing games online. So I would suggest if you play games then do carefully choose the game and limit the play time.
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