Could Video Games Possibly Have Redeeming Value?
Many parents worry about the amount of time their kids spend playing video games. Does video game play – especially in excessive amounts – have an effect on a child’s health and well-being? Perhaps also on his social life? If you’re inside in front of a video game screen, you’re not outside absorbing Vitamin D, you’re not socializing with friends, you’re not getting good physical exercise.
A website called Empowering Parents shared some research in an article by Melissa Maypole (an executive with a parental control software company and a parent) in which Melissa reveals that she believes that some video games actually have some redeeming value for children.
What?!?! You may say. A positive attribute to those dreaded video games that parent love to hate?
Actually, yes.
Melissa discovered that there may be as many benefits to gaming as there are drawbacks – and to her – mom to an 11-year-old Minecraft crazy boy – that information is heartening.
And if there is benefit to be gained from playing video games, how van parents help their kids to get the most out of playing them?
First of all, don’t discount paying video games as a social activity. Often children enjoy playing video games together even more than playing them alone. Whether they are games where they work together – cooperative games – or competitive games, these activities can teach children teamwork, sportsmanship and even negotiation. Generally, today’s adolescent video game player isn’t the zombie in the dark. It usually doesn’t take encouragement for them to want to invite friends over to play. And social play doesn’t have to be just with adolescent friends – you can jump in there and play video games with them too.
There should be limits to screen time whether with friends or with you. According to Melissa’s article, your child should have no more than 2 hours in front of a screen per day.
How can you help your child manage their screen time? Quality of the game being played does matter. Don’t lump all of the game time together. There are some games that are much better than others for developing positive skills. The comparison that Melissa uses with her 11-year-old is an hour spent playing Angry Birds vs. an hours engaging in creative play with Minecraft. Actually, there is no comparison here. The latter is light years better. In fact, Minecraft is touted as one of the most educational games available for kids.
Teacher Joel Levine believes that Minecraft can be a valuable tool in the classroom in helping some students to get a better grasp on computer skills, increase their interest in computer programming and even help those who are deemed too geeky to make friends more easily. Read more about Minecraft’s positive attributes.
The second part is the signals that the games send to them. What does that mean? Melissa’s research shows that violent, first-person shooter games may send kids questionable messages. These violent choices also have been shown to increase aggressiveness in the kids playing them. Don’t think it’s just violence that makes games inappropriate. There is a popular game called It Girl. This game challenges its players to be the “hottest girl in town” by purchasing clothes, attracting boyfriends and trying to be as popular as possible. Is that the message young girls need? Look at the titles and read the descriptions so one of these games doesn’t slip through your filter to your kids.
The resource that Melissa has found valuable for learning more about games kids are playing is Common Sense Media.
Melissa’s research is reassuring news – maybe her 11-year-old isn’t destined to be a recluse or – as she used to fear – rot his brain. Just remember that it does matter what they play, how much they play and who they play with. There is no replacement for good old fresh air and sunshine, physical exercise and real live team sports! But a couple hours of screen time with the right games can keep the positive vibes going.
Read Melissa’s complete article.
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