Do video games cause bad behaviour in children today?

[Alice in Blunderland]

Is it the lack of discipline ..............................or the current video games on offer for various games consoles and computers one of the attributes to the alleged worsening behaviour of children today..


debate............... ;)

[ShelleyCowie]

Personally im a bit of a game geek :rolleyes: So is my hubby. His 2 older kids have to earn any computer time (simple things like making sure washing is taken down etc etc) and with that they earn 1 hour a day.

Anyways, i also think it depends on what they play. Some games have been proven to stimulate the brain and strengthen hand-eye coordination.

I think that too much computer time can cause a change in behaviour.

So in our house reading is also encouraged along with drawing/crafts. :Razz

[onecalledk]

most of the video games on the market today are frightening in what they contain. The level of violence and the subliminal messages that this gives our young adults is scary indeed. Our teenagers these days are surrounded by violent video games and newspapers/news articles that are full of how violent human beings are to each other daily.

I personally dont think that you can lay the blame for the violence that is prevailent in todays society SOLELY on video games but they feed into the culture that is growing. Video games, music videos with very adult themes etc etc. Our children live in a world where they dont stay very innocent for very long.

In a societ which things its perfectly acceptable for clothes shops to sell bra and knicker sets for 3 yr olds the video games is just another cog in the wheel. Children dont get to be children anymore, they have access to video games, the internet, newspapers etc etc, all this exposes them to much much more than we were exposed to when their age.

I would say its a combination of a lot of things that is leading us into the troubled waters we are in. Young people are not equipped emotionally to deal with adult themes in whatever context they are presented so no wonder a lot of youngsters are going off the rails.

How many parents can keep their youngsters away from video games with a 15 or higher age rating? its impossible, if they decide to play these games then they will get hold of them. What chance also do they have of avoiding these if they are advertised on mainstream tv! The watershed used to be there so that younger viewers were not able to see adult themed programmes, how many trailers for violent films, dramas etc are advertised prior to this time ?

As a society we have to look at ALL the messages we give out. Personally I shudder when I see young children as copies of their parents. Recently in new york we were sitting in a restaurant when a mother walked passed with fur coat, high heels , make up the lot accompanied by her daughter, aged about 5/6 who was a copy of her, with little fur coat the works ....... what message does this give out?!

As parents we can but try our best to educate and bring up our children as decent , law abiding members of our community but we are powerless to protect them from ALL the messages that bombard them as they go through their day .......

K

[cemmts]

http://www.physorg.com/news5758.html

This has been in debate since packman

[Alice in Blunderland]

http://www.physorg.com/news5758.html

This has been in debate since packman

If only some of the games today were as tame as packman.:eek:

[orkneycadian]

... or if discipline could be what it used to be....

[teenybash]

It has been proven that video games based on violence desensitize [sp?] children within 20 minutes of playing. This was a programme screened on BBC4 about a month ago. It is certainly food for thought and perhaps suggests video games should be graded similar to films in order to protect young minds.

[Metalattakk]

It is certainly food for thought and perhaps suggests video games should be graded similar to films in order to protect young minds.

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z55/Metalattakk/f_doh.gif

They already do. In the UK, we follow the PEGI (http://www.pegi.info/en/index/) system.

As per usual, I blame the parents.

[teddybear1873]

Take a computer or game console, mobile phone and tv away from an under 20 year old for 1 month.

By the 30th day, they will be going bananas. They wouldn't know how to function with reality without those precious 3 things to them.

[onecalledk]

it would need ALL parents in the childs social group to adhere to the age ratings on the games for it to work. Some parents seem to not take seriously the age ratings of video games. The ages are there for a reason, I think that if some parents were to sit down and watch their child play with some of these games it might warrant a different choice. There are some SERIOUSLY disturbing video games out there as are there films.

Take the SAW films, now up to SAW3 or SAW4, sorry but just HOW is that entertainment ? general "horror" films are now more violent than ever before, blood and gore for the sake of it......

As a society we are surrounded by violent images and stereotyping wherever we turn, we need to start taking heed of how our children are reacting to the world around them. We created this world yet cry foul when the youngest amongst us starts misbehaving or acting up.

The media has also a lot to answer for in our everyday lives, how many of us watch the news at tea time and have youngsters close by or in the same room, the news goes into GRAPHIC detail of deaths , why ? surely it is enough to know that someone was killed/murdered etc without having to go into graphic detail about HOW this was done. Same with peoples privacy, why is it deemed appropriate to interview people who have just lost a loved one and then gain more graphic detail .......

K

[Metalattakk]

it would need ALL parents in the childs social group to adhere to the age ratings on the games for it to work. Some parents seem to not take seriously the age ratings of video games. The ages are there for a reason, I think that if some parents were to sit down and watch their child play with some of these games it might warrant a different choice. There are some SERIOUSLY disturbing video games out there as are there films.

Take the SAW films, now up to SAW3 or SAW4, sorry but just HOW is that entertainment ? general "horror" films are now more violent than ever before, blood and gore for the sake of it......

As a society we are surrounded by violent images and stereotyping wherever we turn, we need to start taking heed of how our children are reacting to the world around them. We created this world yet cry foul when the youngest amongst us starts misbehaving or acting up.

The media has also a lot to answer for in our everyday lives, how many of us watch the news at tea time and have youngsters close by or in the same room, the news goes into GRAPHIC detail of deaths , why ? surely it is enough to know that someone was killed/murdered etc without having to go into graphic detail about HOW this was done. Same with peoples privacy, why is it deemed appropriate to interview people who have just lost a loved one and then gain more graphic detail .......

K

Much wailing and gnashing of teeth here. :roll:

Point your finger at whatever you want, but it still doesn't change the fact that the parent is the sole guardian of the kid - the sole arbiter of what that child experiences - and it is the parent's responsibility to care for that child, to bring it up to be a balanced member of society.

Blaming video games, or sensationalistic news programmes achieves nothing except to divert the blame from its true target.

[teddybear1873]

Much wailing and gnashing of teeth here. :roll:

Point your finger at whatever you want, but it still doesn't change the fact that the parent is the sole guardian of the kid - the sole arbiter of what that child experiences - and it is the parent's responsibility to care for that child, to bring it up to be a balanced member of society.

Blaming video games, or sensationalistic news programmes achieves nothing except to divert the blame from its true target.

And the end of the day, It's up the to parents to expose and give whatever it is to their kids.

It's the parents, who let them play video games and how much time they spend on there.

It's the parents who gives them mobile phones with all the video and picture messaging at the age of 8 or whatever age.

It's the parents who gives them their own laptop or pc in the bedroom, so they can do what they bloody want on there.

It's the parents who gives them 32" HD TV with digital satellite.


Now i'm not saying all parents do the above, but I bet a good high % do. What teenagers have in their bedroom, is the same in whats in the living room. Their shut away in their own little dream world with all the tools they need and want in life.

[Dadie]

Im shocked by the amount of under 5s with tvs in their rooms...never mind the teenagers....
We have a tv in the livingroom, the family room and our bedroom (only really used for an extra 10mins eyes shut by putting on cbeebies)
That is the way I want it to stay for ages!
No one will be getting a tv, puter or games console in their bedrooms (unpopular mum im gonna be) as it can all be done in the family room where I can keep an eye on what they are doing! And see how long they are on it and the time of night it is!

[_Ju_]

No. Video games do not cause bad behaviour. Parents relying on the square screen baby sitter, parental indifference and inability to accept reponsibility for anything (including their own children and their failings) causes behavioural problems.

[oldchemist]

No. Video games do not cause bad behaviour. Parents relying on the square screen baby sitter, parental indifference and inability to accept reponsibility for anything (including their own children and their failings) causes behavioural problems.


Totally agree - and if the little darlings cause damage or mayhem the people who complain or try to do something about it are sometimes found guilty of an offence by our brain-dead legal system.[evil][evil]

[pottheed]

I grew up playing "violent" video games & I had my own computer since I was 9 (I am now 19). I played grand theft auto & Saw etc on a regular basis. I would say that It has had no effect on me, I am studying Law and I conduct volunteer activities for over 25 hours a week for the benefit of the community, but some poorly raised people who cannot separate fiction from reality may be affected by them, but I think that it depends much more on the way the person is raised.

[Alan16]

it would need ALL parents in the childs social group to adhere to the age ratings on the games for it to work. Some parents seem to not take seriously the age ratings of video games. The ages are there for a reason, I think that if some parents were to sit down and watch their child play with some of these games it might warrant a different choice. There are some SERIOUSLY disturbing video games out there as are there films.

I disagree with this idea that the ages on these things are some sort of perfect arbiter of what's suitable for specific children. It seems to rely on the idea that everyone matures at an equal rate which I can say with some certainty just is not true.


Take the SAW films, now up to SAW3 or SAW4, sorry but just HOW is that entertainment ? general "horror" films are now more violent than ever before, blood and gore for the sake of it......

Well there are actually 7 Saw films now, but that's not the point. I've seen the first three of these and to be honest they didn't do much for me. I wasn't particularly enthralled nor was I horrified, and that is not because I've become desensitised to the violence, it's because it's a fictional film that just wasn't to my tastes. And well we can argue endlessly about these films, but I know some who would argue there is more to them than just the pure blood and gore. As for "how is that entertainment?", well some people find the psychological/physical horror to be a fascinating, if rather morbid, viewing, never mind that some consider it an exercise in some sort of philosophy as well.


As a society we are surrounded by violent images and stereotyping wherever we turn, we need to start taking heed of how our children are reacting to the world around them. We created this world yet cry foul when the youngest amongst us starts misbehaving or acting up.

A parent should teach there children about these things, and about the difference between things that are right and things that are wrong, but to be honest, I don't honestly believe that a murderer's thinking or actions can be blamed on the parents. Parents do what they can, and if the child turns out to be some sort of murderer than I think it was probably always going to be that way.


The media has also a lot to answer for in our everyday lives, how many of us watch the news at tea time and have youngsters close by or in the same room, the news goes into GRAPHIC detail of deaths , why ? surely it is enough to know that someone was killed/murdered etc without having to go into graphic detail about HOW this was done. Same with peoples privacy, why is it deemed appropriate to interview people who have just lost a loved one and then gain more graphic detail .......

You think the news is too brutal for your children there's a simple solution. Don't let them watch it. And seriously, you think that knowing how someone died is more shocking than just the fact that one human being took another's life? I don't agree. Not at all.

[teddybear1873]

I grew up playing "violent" video games & I had my own computer since I was 9 (I am now 19). I played grand theft auto & Saw etc on a regular basis. I would say that It has had no effect on me, I am studying Law and I conduct volunteer activities for over 25 hours a week for the benefit of the community, but some poorly raised people who cannot separate fiction from reality may be affected by them, but I think that it depends much more on the way the person is raised.

Mmmmmmmm, interesting coming from a username called pottheed................Not that i'm saying anything bad about it.

[squidge]

Parents are responsible for what their children watch and what they play. They are also responsible for the context in which they play and watch things. By this I mean I might let my 14 year old teenager watch an 18 film where there is sexual content in a funny humorous or silly manner. But I might not let him watch a fifteen where the violence is graphic and realistic or a drama on tv where the violence is realistic... Prime suspect or cracker springs to mind. The same applies to video games. I think that a normal well adjusted teenager can separate the real from the fantasy and therefore a couple of hours on a game is not going to turn these children into crazed violent people. The problems are caused where a child is already exposed to violence as the norm, and many children do come from abusive and violent homes. Also problems can arise where children are left for hours and hours to do nothing else except play violent video games. And actually never mind children. Where adults do nothing but play violent video games they too can lose their grip on reality.

There is also nothing wrong with teenagers having laptops, tvs etc In their own rooms as long as they are not allowed to eat sleep and live in their room. My 15 year old just got a laptop off his dad and he loves it. However he is just as likely to be seen with it on his knee in the living room as in his own room. I don't get why people allow their teenagers to eat in their rooms for example. Laptops, mobiles, Internet, video games, tvs all these things only become a problem if there is no proper parenting.

[teddybear1873]

There is also nothing wrong with teenagers having laptops, tvs etc In their own rooms as long as they are not allowed to eat sleep and live in their room. My 15 year old just got a laptop off his dad and he loves it. However he is just as likely to be seen with it on his knee in the living room as in his own room. I don't get why people allow their teenagers to eat in their rooms for example. Laptops, mobiles, Internet, video games, tvs all these things only become a problem if there is no proper parenting.



Maybe some of the parents weren't brought up correctly.

Blame the grandparents lol.

[Sandra_B]

I don't think it's video games that cause bad behaviour, I think it's poor parenting. A good parent will make sure that whatever their child watches, plays or reads is appropriate for their child age (physical and emotional age). I believe an apple doesn't fall far from the tree and a nasty, bullying, rude person will have children that copy their horrible behaviour.

[brandy]

i both agree and disagree with everything said above.
for instance.. i dont allow games like grand theft auto and saw or whatever like games are on the market.
however, we do allow wwe and call of duty war games.
Sam is fascinated with the war, and loves tanks.
in fact he asked for a book the other day. i think its the first time he has ever willingly
wanted to read!
it was the war in photos by the daily mail.
i looked through it and felt that it was ok.. even though it does have about 3 pictures that show dead bodies.
we sat down and i told him about the pictures and that they were real people that had died in the war a long time ago. and basically that what war is about.
he gets it in a way, and even wants to be a soldier when he grows up.
in fact have had several conversations with him about being a soldier as its a very scary thought.
we have talked about how its not like the games. that the good guys dont always win. and unfortunately a lot of the times the good guys loose and get killed and die.
but hes very pragmatic about it.. and basically well thats how it is mum.
sometimes i think we censor our kids to much about some things yet give them to much freedom about others.
in my humble opinion it needs to be a balance.
I dont mind my kids knowing about the bad things in life.
I think that they need to be aware of the dangers and how to deal with them.
yet at the same time be children.
children take in a lot more than we give them credit for, they generally dont need to be
coddled to much, are very adaptable and accept things better than most adults.
we make our children what they are.
and we have to take that great responsibility and treat it as such.
their is no how to manual.
i wish their was.. but we just stumble though and hope for the best at the end of the day.


ohh just had a thought.. Sam will get so embarrassed when he sees some one kissing on tv! even in a family program! he hides his face and turns his head.. and says tell me when its over mum!

[pottheed]

Mmmmmmmm, interesting coming from a username called pottheed................Not that i'm saying anything bad about it.


it is because my sir name is potts :)

[teddybear1873]

it is because my sir name is potts :)

So your called Sir Potts lol?

[ducati]

Yees in my yoof I tried my hand at Space Invaders, PacMan and Galaxian. I turned out terrible. :cool:

[brandy]

ohh i played those games as well.. dont forget mrs pacman!

[ah_hasda]

Upbringing.

If you can’t distinguish between reality and fiction then it isn’t the computer games fault, you’re just mental!

Violence has been around since the dawn of time and always will be! People just like having something to blame.

Also any old folk greetin they never had this in their day.......eh 2 world wars! (bit extreme maybe but theres a point in there somewhere)

[Scarybiscuits03]

Im shocked by the amount of under 5s with tvs in their rooms...never mind the teenagers....
We have a tv in the livingroom, the family room and our bedroom (only really used for an extra 10mins eyes shut by putting on cbeebies)
That is the way I want it to stay for ages!
No one will be getting a tv, puter or games console in their bedrooms (unpopular mum im gonna be) as it can all be done in the family room where I can keep an eye on what they are doing! And see how long they are on it and the time of night it is!

We have a tv in every room of the house apart from the bathrooms (if the OH had his way they'd be in there too!)
My kid has a tv in her bedroom but we haven'a connected it to sky or freeview - she can just watch dvd's which we have bought for her. Nowt wrong with that and it's handy when they dont wanna go to bed but are tired - u let them watch tv and they drift off within 5 mins!
Godsend!....when not everyone wants to watch the same thing!

[Dadie]

We read a story!
And let the kids look at books in bed.
DVDs get used in the kitchen/family room while I do dinner.
Bed is for sleeping not watching telly.

[Scarybiscuits03]

We read a story!
And let the kids look at books in bed.
DVDs get used in the kitchen/family room while I do dinner.
Bed is for sleeping not watching telly.

Their room is their private space, if they want to use it during the day to get away and watch their own thing (within reason) then that is a good thing. My daughter never wants to watch the same as us i dont like Cbbc and she isn't too keen on Neighbours. Surely ur kids are the same.......and she chooses to read books in bed.
Everyone has their own opinions but my daughter loves having her own space that is the equivelant the the living room and she thrives on it.
Not that Im saying she spends a lot of time in there, most of her time is spent gluing herself to my leg!

[Dadie]

The telly is not on much through the day...but if it is its because I need 10mins quiet to do something without "help" (usually dinner).
We usually have craft stuff on the go or baking...and if engrossed in something else the tv is off!
They can play in their rooms/family room or the livingroom wherever they want with their toys.
But the telly isnt on 24/7.
They can also play on the cbeebies website if they wish but the laptop is in the same room as me (usually Lauren prints off craft activities to do though).

[Scarybiscuits03]

The telly is not on much through the day...but if it is its because I need 10mins quiet to do something without "help" (usually dinner).
We usually have craft stuff on the go or baking...and if engrossed in something else the tv is off!
They can play in their rooms/family room or the livingroom wherever they want with their toys.
But the telly isnt on 24/7.
They can also play on the cbeebies website if they wish but the laptop is in the same room as me (usually Lauren prints off craft activities to do though).

My telly is on all day - but usually the music channel !
Same as mine then, she usually spends her time making stuff out of rubbish....which makes her room look like a tip but Im not allowed to get rid!
Kids dont have to be dependant on tv/video games but they are nice for them to use if they are there. We have 3 games consoles in the house but they are rarely ever used. We dont encourage it but if she wants a game then she can because we have bought and checked the games. No harm there.
She also learns a lot from tv....surprises me more every day! Different languages, etc

[Dadie]

I just like to know what my horrors are up to...
And think the longer I can keep a tv out of their rooms the better.
Game consoles are not a problem at the moment, but, when asked for they will be put in the family room and not holed away in bedrooms so I will know how long they are on them...
Bedrooms are "private" places and are for sleep primary in our house.
And you can only play in someone elses bedroom if invited in.
And you can have your special toys you dont want to share in your room but anything in the familyroom or livingroom is fair game!
If I can instill the rules at this age hopefully it will be easier to keep the rules when they are teens...plus if they want to watch tv or use the puter they will have to come out their bedrooms!

[KennyL]

“Computer games don't affect kids, I mean if Pac Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music”

[Aaldtimer]

Whatever happened to playing outdoors?:confused

[teddybear1873]

Whatever happened to playing outdoors?:confused

That went oot the window many moons ago. I don't even know if kids know how to play outdoors. I can't mind the last time I seen a skipping rope, playing kirby, british and jerries etc etc.

[ShelleyCowie]

That went oot the window many moons ago. I don't even know if kids know how to play outdoors. I can't mind the last time I seen a skipping rope, playing kirby, british and jerries etc etc.

I loved Kirby!!!! :Razz But playing outdoors is fine....if there is somewhere quiet to go! If i was to go out and play kirby with the kids and a car came then chances are i would get shouted at because everybody seems to be in such a hurry nowadays. Swing parks are being dismantled so thats rather boring now. Luckily we have a large garage park behind us and we take the kiddies out there.

Tv is usually on here, cbeebies til 6pm haha! But Athrun only likes certain things. At this very moment he is watching Mr Tumble and he loves it! He has learned lots of words and sign language. He comes up to me and asks me for something in sign (i watch it with him and do it together) and then he says please or thank you in sign. Now someone tell me thats not good tv?

Now if you will excuse me Mr Tumble needs us! [lol] Wonder whats in his spotty bag!

[RecQuery]

I've played all the violent video games of the times since I was about 8 and continue to do so, I'm 26 now. I've laughed at some rather gruesome things (I do this with TV shows and movie also). Anyway I consider myself an inherently non-violent person, I've always been well behaved etc.

Most legitimate studies show that playing violent games actually lower a persons violent tendencies, even most of the studies with dodgy methodologies show the link is only the same as watching Tom and Jerry cartoons. It's only the really dodgy, disingenuous studies that say otherwise; those sponsored by various special interest groups etc. They're all the wider media seems to talk about though.

Video games are just the latest scapegoat, previously it was horror movies, violent TV shows, rappers, toy weapons, violent sports, heavy metal, Marilyn Manson, rock music, Elvis, a variety of books now deemed classics.

If you're interested, this is worth a watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWr4htYp9dM - Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ7comwLPFY - Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLBx9XOhsm8 - Part 3

As for those 'rose-tinted glasses, things were better in my time, kids don't do what I did' people, you are aware that's a logical fallacy, things change. I'm sure the people before your generation expressed the same sentiments ad infinitum.

[brandy]

Sam goes out to play all the time. unfortunately its getting dark early now so he isnt allowed out as much. Ben is not allowed out at all on his own for obvious reasons. but we have made the back garden safe for him so he is able to go out and play in a safe environment. and they go out on dog walks with me.. in fact in the better months we spend most of our free time at either dunnet forest or reiss beach. usually both since after a trip to the forest we need to go to the beach so spot can get the black off him!

[teddybear1873]

It's not so much the little toddlers that dont go outside, it's the 12 and up that don't. What 12 year old do you see playing outside with his mates, for hours on end playing and running off energy?

NONE as far as I'm aware off.