Gaming Chapter Created 18 years ago2006-07-22 16:45:53 UTC by satchmo

Dear Editor,

As I finish up the asthma chapter, I ponder about the remaining unwritten ones. I am concerned that the "Infection Run Amok" chapter does not have enough topics to fill 4,000 words.

Instead of struggling with useless filler material, I would like to change the chapter to something entirely different. I was at the public library this afternoon, and I came across a book that addresses parents about their children's video gaming habit. I encounter these types of discussion regularly in my pediatric practice, and there are plenty of myths and misconceptions to talk about. The vast majority of today's parents do not know much about video games, yet their children spend significant portion of their spare time playing them.

Being a gamer and a pediatrician, I am in the best position to lead such discussion. Parents worry about their children's mental health and their behavior being influenced by these games. I think the most important reason why they worry so much is that they know virtually nothing about these games.

I definitely have enough material to fill the entire chapter, and I will focus the discussion on parental misconceptions and the ways computer games can affect their child's health. Here is the chapter outline (with the [H1]'s):

Chapter 14: Fun and Game

• It's Not All Bad
• A Brief Orientation on Video Games
• Violence in Games
• Sex in Games
• Gaming and Academics
• When to Say When (game responsibly)
• Monitoring Your Budding Gamer

What do you think?

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If you are a parent, would you be interested in a chapter on gaming?

me having several children of my own (although some of them older than me) yes, yes i would.

Me being the father of several of Hunter's children, yes, yes I would.

I honestly must say no. Gaming really has no effect on children's minds except making them spout words like: "owned" and "noob". Maybe the only signifigant thing to be worried about is children playing online. Theres not one child Ive played with that has not cussed. They all swear constantly online. This is the only concern. Its laughable to think things such as 2D blood sprites coming out when a polygon model is shot can influence childrens minds.

If a game does have a negative effect on the mind, then there must of been some logical reason. Such as the mind "infected" was already corrupt by sickness, or parental abuse. THe game only accentuates the violence brewing in their head.

BTW, welcome back Satchmo. Leave it to you to make the next interesting thread XD

Nonsense. Gaming has as much of an effect on children as film and suchlike. I feel sorta hyped after playing games for a while; probably more agressive.

I don't think there are many parents around, but I'd be interested, and it's nice to have you active-r again.

In my book, I will try to make the point that violent games do NOT make non-violent children into homocidal fiends. The cussing is part of the gaming culture, and I dare you to say that children do not cuss as much when they play hockey with each other (or any other thing without the direct supervision of parents).

Hmm, Seventh-Monkey has an interesting point. Sometimes I feel a bit revved up after shooting a bunch of people in the head. But I doubt that translates into real-world violent acts.

I haven't even fired a real gun in my life--only paintball guns.

make it a best selling book that the newyork times will promote for being such a good source. that way you can save a billion people from getting a hard time from their elders!

I'd like to see you shatter the lot of misconceptions that are propagated by parents and whatnot, so ye :]

Yah, I agree.

Children get easily influenced by anything they see around them, so also by video games, and im convinced that this can change there behaivior if there not monitored correctly by there parents.

Would definately be an interesting chapter Satch.

But I doubt that translates into real-world violent acts.

Eh, surely you agree that it could have a slight effect in a tense situation?

Eh, surely you agree that it could have a slight effect in a tense situation?

Music gets me revved up too, but we don't blame deaths on rock do we? Well, we used to. Rock music used to be the spawn of all evil and created reckless yobs that wondered the streets looking for hash and whatnot.

We are going through the same cycle but with a different scapegoat. Nations always need something/someone to blame to keep them satisfied. Jews, Islam, rock, video games. Some are more extreme than others, but you get my point.

I have the feeling I might have slightly digressed Ah well.

Yeah, I'd be very interested, even though I don't have any children (that I know of).

Videogames actually lower aggression because you're blowing off steam while playing them, so it's good to play them. Just keep the kids away from adults online, because that's when the swearing starts.

Nations always need something/someone to blame to keep them satisfied. Jews, Islam, rock, video games.

People fear the things that they do not understand. Parents are afraid of video game's influence on children because most of them have no idea what video games are. When their children spend more than four hours a day doing something that they have absolutely no clues in, it's understandable that they would be afraid.

The wise Yoda shall have the last word, unless the Vortigons have something to add:

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

As youngs gamers with ignorant and fearful parents, we all suffered at one point or another.

My thoughts: computer games affect behaviour, as does everything else. Free will? Hmmm. No.

It sounds like an excellent topic for a book. It should be very informative for the ignorant parents (and all others that fall in the catagory of ignorance to games) of the world XD

We can all agree that gaming either violent or general role play does not breed killers or violent people, the majority of the human race use these type gaming situations to emulate situations that we can safely do without hurting anyone.
For example: I have shot many a terrorist/counter terrorist and feel no remorse (except for the accidental team kill *cough), I have played all the Tomb raider games and have no passion to have a sex change (although it would be nice to have my own boobies to play with).

In all that I am saying is we might be able to pick the kids that will see these games as a reality check and feel the need to act out the fantasies in real life and feel no remorse for their actions (the Charley Manson?s of the world), these people are a minority in society, they where born defected/damaged.

Oh in answer to your question satchmo, I would like to see your chapter on the subject

We had a guy in Tasmania (Martin Bryant) who went and shot men woman and children at a fast food outlet and in the street, he had no remorse, no emotion, was this from a computer game or a movie that he related to? Sadly we may never know, he has not talked since the time it took place.

Yes video games can affect a child's behavior, but never so much as to make this child a serial killer. Serial Killer's brains act different than ours and they react differently when we feel emotions of love and ect.

I enjoy video games very much. Probably too much, but the only bad side of a child playing a video game is if the parent doesn't control the child's time playing video games.

The child might get so involved in the game he'll forget about things around him. I've experienced this myself.

It's just like tv. It's the parent's responsibility on what the child comes in contact with. As far as sex in video games... TV is full of sex. The term that "sex sells". This is true. Sex does sell but it still doesn't make it a good thing.

On the main note, video games for children aren't a bad thing. I've seen younger kids do worse things than shoot a virtual being in the head for pointless fun.

Lets put it like this:

If computer games would train excellent killers then the army wouldnt need any MOUT camps or similair things.

1 percent of the population are born pshycho-killers and the other 1 percent are people that can kill without training. The other 98% is afraid to kill/shoot.

That is why the military developed these urban training camps to learn people to pull the trigger.

MOUT

What are those? I could Google--of course--, but I'm interested to know how you know

Military Urban Operations Traning facility.

Geus i got the letters wrong, quite sure that i got it right this time round.

Its an military camp in wich soldiers are trained to handle urban enviroments, playing there painfull version of paintball.

It's Military Operations in Urban Terrain, so you got it right the first time ;]

They have a course in AA like that that you have to complete in basic training now.

It really depends on the games and the way the kid plays them.

Personally, I know some CS-obsessed 3rd graders, who talk in radio commands all the time and play it 24/7.
Yes, that really damaged them, although it's mostly the parents' fault for not controling their playing times.
Even if I played any game 24/7 all the time, I'd end up totally fucked and socially degraded.

I have a classmate, who calls playing WoW an 'art'. He's 16 fucking years old and yet - he's obsessed with that crap.

Now I don't say, that games or game violence should be banned, hell no. I don't think, that parents should control their childrens' gaming 100% cause, that wouldn't work.
I say - if the kid likes some game - push him into development, not only endless playing. E.g - if a kid is a cs-maniac - give him a link to TWHL or any other mapping/developing site. Fuck it, give him a link to FPSB, where he could post his crappy csgeek skins, huds, etc.
Making all of that will actually give him some useful experience in 2d graphics/level design and actually weaken his game addiction.
I mean - I got into coding, because I wanted to mod for HL and now I can use that c++ knowledge anywhere, where I want to.

Imo - this way is one of the best ways of actually getting some use of the endless hours spent in front of the screen.

Even if I played any game 24/7 all the time, I'd end up totally fucked and socially degraded.

I sit infront of a screen 6 hours a day, for the last 6 years. and im pretty sure some other part of my brain has encroached upon the vocal part of my brain, because while my ability to creativly use english has grown, I have slowly waned in my ability to accually speak it.

so ya, im guessing everybodies right about it being damageing. but I don't mind

This is something I've had to consider increasingly over the last few months. Whether to decrease the amount I compute and concentrate on other areas eg. education or.. a social life. Whether you like it or not, anyone who maps is already pretty addicted and spends the majority of their time in front of a computer screen, let alone coding or other more intense acitivities. There's something about this pc thing, I've never heard of a console affecting a person, only computers that can perform more than one task and therefore explore many more areas.

I'm kinda playing devils advocate here a bit, but also digressing a lot.

see, all of us don't mind the addiciton, its because of the access to pure information and such I think, something educated human minds are attracted too.

Satchmo, you going to give us a better outline as to what your going to write? some of us might have some things to add to it.

I played BF2 for four hours the other day. Longest I've played anything for a very long time. Great fun.

My editor axed the idea. She said it does not fit in well with the rest of the book.

Oh well, maybe I'll have to write a separate book on the subject.

ya, you should