WILL THE VIDEO GAME CRAZE RUIN YOUR SUMMER DAYS?

"Video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock and roll." by Sjogeri Miyamoto

Video games are a waste of time for men with nothing else to do. by Ray Bradbury

And the controversy rages on!

Only a few more days until Seattle kids clean out their desks and lockers signaling the end of the 2009-10 school year. I remember two things from that glorious time. First, I would check my report card to make sure that I was advancing to the next grade. There was never a doubt, but somehow I felt a shiver of anticipation at seeing the next grade listed.

More important, however, was looking forward to endless days full of "Kick the Can", our neighborhood's Bird Club, playing Sardine, climbing favorite trees where I could perch for hours engrossed in a favorite book, roaming the woods on our property where I would "walk logs", and just plain live life in the moment. I also had many responsibilities: Milking cows, picking berries to earn money, mowing the lawn, weeding the garden, and helping out when asked. I don't remember chafing at these jobs. They were part of life and had to be done, and, actually, except for the weeding, I enjoyed the work.

Now, as an older person who sees what goes on with kids today, especially in the classroom, I find myself feeling sad and worried. Sad because most urban kids will never have these kinds of life experiences. Worried because it seems like many of them, particularly boys, spend too much time playing video games and watching TV - becoming observers rather than participants in life.
Here is something that happened last week when I was subbing that adds to my concern. My job on this day was to help third graders continue writing their autobiographical stories by telling something they had done that made them proud. After a lot of brainstorming, a UW tutor and I worked with small groups to generate ideas and get the creative juices flowing. A handful of kids buckled down immediately, but many sat stumped, victims of writer's block. A pattern emerged.
Girls seemed to have a better handle on the assignment than boys. Their proud moments included helping mom clean house, cutting vegetables, or taking care of younger siblings. One stood out. She was proud of helping a friend in swimming class overcome the fear of putting her face in the water. Apparently her little swim mate had nearly drowned in the past and was deathly afraid of the water.

Most of the boys, on the other hand, sat blank-faced and silent. The one activity they all agreed on was playing video games. They were proud of their skill at playing video games. That was it! One, at least, carried it a step further by saying he was proud of being the "go to" person for video game advice. This is absolutely shocking to me!

I went on line to see if there were any articles to support or dispute my concerns. I found several. All you have to do is key in "Are video games bad for kids?" OR Are video games good for kids? There is even an article for children: Are video games bad for me?

Most articles seem to be pro games. But one interesting article by Steve Olson caught my eye. He was concerned about his 4-year-old's obsession with a game called Sypro 2: Ripto's Revenge. After four days he removed the game, then questioned whether he should have done it, remembering how his son had been equally obsessed with learning about Africa, Dr. Seuss's dictionary, and the ABCs. I think he was right to have been concerned. Here is an opportunity for him to parent his child by monitoring and directing what he is doing.

I think it's o.k. to give kids time in the day to play video games, but they should also have time devoted to things like playing ball, drawing, making things, cooking, dictating stories, reading and being read to, and best of all, having meaningful conversations with adults. This is also a great time for children to become interested in things a parent enjoys, perhaps learning to like those things as well, i.e. fishing, golfing, shooting baskets, cooking, etc. In other words, for Steve and other parents who struggle with how to handle video games, and TV watching for that matter, consider doing this: Structure a balanced life for your children so that their main goal for the day is not seeing how many video game levels they can achieve.

In today's world I find myself wondering if there is a happy medium between an idyllic summer like the ones I remember, and those of children who are enthralled with their DS, X-Box, PSP or PC games. If a neighborhood kid knocks on the door and wants to ride bikes, or build a fort, does your child drop the joy stick and have some real play time outside, or does he grunt "hey" and keep wiggling the stick to kill that last ninja? Sadly, I'd bet on the latter if the kid's a boy. Here is some unscientific support for my belief.

I asked my grand-daughters what they liked to do at various places they routinely go. At our beach place they cited beach combing, looking for agates, playing cards and doing arts and crafts. At their other grandparents' place they love playing in the yard, swings, and Grandpa Clayton's "pig's delight." Note: If you are on a diet, you don't even want to go there. At their aunt's house, they loved playing with their cousins, riding bikes and watching HGTV. At their house they love making forts down by the creek, inventing things and playing with their toys. I asked them about video games, and neither admitted to an interest. I asked them about how boys felt about them. They both rolled their eyes and agreed that aside from a couple of cousins, most boys they knew spent most of their time on video games. Hmmmmmm. What does this say about our young people's future? What does it say about emotional growth gender wise?

Kids aren't the only ones who spend too much time gaming. I know of a man who along with his wife, is raising three young children. I understand that playing video games is so important to him it's the first thing he does when arriving home. He plays until dinner, then continues playing after dinner, until bedtime. He even plays while holding the baby - an interesting message for the growing child. If this is not addiction, at a minimum it does not bode well for family relationships.

I don't know this family well, but I do know about "families" in general, all members of which have roles to play resulting in learning about cooperation, caring, compassion, meeting each others' needs, and values, etc. There is a domino effect when family members are not participating fully which can lead to resentment, anger, and dysfunction. As teachers we see many products of seriously dysfunctional families making the teaching day hard on everyone, particularly the hapless child.

The video game controversy with its pros and cons has been going on for years. In a l983 speech Ronald Reagan said "I recently learned something quite interesting about video games. Many young people have developed incredible hand, eye, and brain coordination in playing these games. The air force believes these kids will be our outstanding pilots should they fly our jets" This prediction has proven to be true.

In 1999, following the Columbine shootings, President Bill Clinton said this:“As Hillary pointed out in her book, the more children see of violence, the more numb they are to the deadly consequences of violence. Now, video games like ‘Mortal Kombat,’ ‘Killer Instinct,’ and ‘Doom,’ the very game played obsessively by the two young men who ended so many lives in Littleton, make our children more active participants in simulated violence.”

In June, 2006 Joseph Pitts, MEd said “I think it is safe to say that a wealthy kid from the suburbs can play [the video game] Grand Theft Auto or similar games without turning to a life of crime, but a poor kid who lives in a neighborhood where people really do steal cars or deal drugs or shoot cops might not be so fortunate. And I should add that this isn’t a hypothetical question: Grand Theft Auto is one of the best-selling video games in America. There is almost certainly a child somewhere in America who is going to be hurt by this game. Maybe his dad is in jail, or his big brother is already down on the corner dealing drugs. Maybe he has just fallen in with the wrong crowd. But this game could be all it takes to nudge him on to the wrong side of the fence."

For my part, I spend many hours on the computer every week playing bridge, Hoyle games, and Free Cell. It IS addictive, and sometimes I have to pull myself away to do other things that are very important. BUT, I have the will power to do so, even if guilt plays a role. I also have a strong belief in doing no harm and loving my fellow man. I'd never be swayed into hurting people by playing a video game. Kids, however, are still learning such concepts and may not yet have these kinds of control mechanisms. If I were a parent of young children today I wouldn't take chances. I'd restrict such activities as video games, TV watching, and Facebook. I'd find some trees to climb, bring out some recipes for making popcorn balls and homemade ice cream, teach the kids to play card games like King's Corners and definitely get up a neighborhood game of Kick the Can. No kid should leave childhood behind without these kinds of experiences!