Being a reformed video game junky, I can attest to the notion that life has a wicked sense of humor.
We got the kids a Wii video game system last Christmas. Now, having familiarity with video games growing up, I was well aware of the possibility that the kids would be smitten with it to the point of obsession. Fast forward a year later and I have the following conversation with each kid almost daily:
Child: Dad, can I play the Wii?
Me: No.
Child (whining): OHHHH, I want to play the Wiiiiiiiii. Why can’t I play the Wiiiiiiiiii?
Me: Because I said so.
Child (still whining): That’s not fairrrrrrrrrr…. I want to play the Wiiiiiiiiiiiii
On a few occasions, I strayed from the above script by taking the time to explain that they need to find other ways to play. That they have other toys and games that they need to explore. That they should be using their imagination to invent worlds and scenarios and whatever else they can come up with. The Wii substitutes someone else’s imagination and it isn’t healthy for them to play the Wii all the time, or even some of the time, at their tender age.
Every now and again, the boy will try reverse psychology on me:
The Boy: Dad, I’ve been trying to think of something else to play and all I can think of is the Wii.
Me: Well, try harder.
The Boy: Don’t even tell me what else I can do. All I can think of is the Wii.
Me: Well, that’s the problem.
The Boy: Can I play the Wii?
Me: Nope.
The Boy: GRRRRRR!!!! (stomps off in frustration)
When I really want to flummox them, I go all Zen and tell them that they can only play the Wii when they don’t want to play the Wii. That’s usually good for a confused look, an eye roll, or a huff as they stomp away.
So, based on my experience, I would advise parents to save themselves a headache and put off video games for as long as possible. The headache of putting it off pales compared to the headache of keeping them from it.
9 replies on “Kids and Video Games”
There is still a visible knuckle imprint in the wall of the former family room…I believe it was Blades of Steel and my domination of you that made you quite upset…that is the true gift of video games, the competitive spirit.
Funny, I recall it being a lucky goal that denied me ANOTHER shutout victory…
Hmmm … maybe you just have to pack it away for a period of time … out of sight might eventually lead to out of mind. Get them to a library and let them start reading books or maybe listening to audio books.
You kids were older when Kings Quest and Snafu occupied your time … but they can be addictive but the lad and lass are just too young …
I guess there is only one solution …..
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…let them watch more tv
I remember being older as well. Of course, it could be that the technology wasn’t really available until we were older…
Either way, it’s just another cog in the wheel or raising kids.
When we first started using computers and video games, you had to work for it. Finding a program on a cassette tape for instance. Also, don’t forget the role playing games that we played consistently, there was advanced problem solving, memorization…Zork for God’s sake was a black screen with a cursor, you had to imagine the whole game in your mind. It was brilliant really, just like the Bard’s Tale, meticulously drafting map after map in order to plot a strategy for conquering the game. There was definitely much more involved than the video games now, where you just have to remember what button to push. Heck, even Intellivision Football made you design your own plays in order to make it work.
Wii is the closest thing to old school video games, in the sense that it is not just sitting and pushing a button. You actually have to work for your prize, the problem is that it does not force an imaginative or intellectual process. It is more of a release or a way to relax, which kids do not need in the same way older teenagers and adults do regularly. Developing hand eye coordination and working to get better at a task or skill, the Wii delivers there, but in the end, too much is too much for a little kid. At a young age, Wii can be a gateway drug to a more advanced system like Playstation or XBox.
One of my partners has a very interesting system for video game play with his kids. He requires ten repetitions of some physical activity for every 15 minutes of game play. If his kids play for an hour, then they owe him forty sprints around the outside of the house, or forty up downs, push-ups, whatever strikes him at the moment. His kids have learned that video games are not a substitute for activity and that playing the games has its consequences over the long term. The more you play, the more you owe. Oh yeah, and there is no partial time segment, if you play for a minute, you played for 15 and if you played for 16 minutes, you played for a half hour. There are no decimal points in the ten rep rule!
That’s pretty good stuff, actually. I really like the idea of making them “earn” their playtime like that. I think I’ll work with that goal in mind, rather than denying them without instilling a firmer sense of why.
Oh, and I definitely beat you pretty bad that day, I believe I figured out a rather unstoppable scoring method and I used it to my advantage…repeatedly. Your punch to the wall was your physical representation of the realization that I was no longer one to be taken lightly.
This is rank hyperbole. A SMEAR on my superior BOS skills.
Dust off the equipment and name the time and place pal…
I have it on my Wii, all downloaded and ready to roll.