Ok so I have another blog post in the works but I just had to post this . . .
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1220221
Roxbury mom calls cops because her son has a videogame obsession . . .
Does anyone see anything wrong with this article?
I remember when game systems were new and, you know, you COULDN’T SAVE! This basically meant in order to beat a game without losing all of your game time you had to either a) Keep playing or b) turn the TV off, keep the system on, and risk someone pulling the plug while you were out of the room.
I also remember my mom’s reaction to gaming, if she thought we’d played too much nintendo it was either go outside or she’d pull the plug on the game. If she found a videogame she didn’t like she threw it away, no questions asked. She didn’t care whose it was or how we got it, it was in her house and that was it.
WHY WAS THERE A TV IN THIS KID’S ROOM?!?! Honestly! If he has a videogame obsession and she is so worried about it why is he still allowed full access to the system and his TV?
I started reading down into the comments and I just felt sick to my stomach. Videogames promote poor social skills and low self esteem? Boys play videogames to fit in? Okay . . . obviously if they are playing games to fit in then that would make it SOCIAL and would mean that they make friends through their gaming. I can’t tell you how many weird moments I’VE been in and yet I’ve been able to jumpstart the conversation by referencing something on a videogame. How did I get to know Brad? Through gaming.
How did I meet my first group of friends at college? Gaming
I understand that I’m only one person, but honestly, generalizing game players? We aren’t all socially inept dolts, most of the guys I know who play games and are GOOD at them are extremely intelligent.
I do not agree that kids should be playing games 24/7, I’d be worried if my kid was doing anything for twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. I’d feel uncomfortable if my son obsessively played basketball or my daughter obsessively knitted . . . or something. There is a time to stop a behavior that seems unnatural, but in order to do that you have to set boundaries.
I don’t think I can count how many times my parents took the TV away from my brothers and me when we were younger. Did we deserve it? Yes. Did it work? YES!
The fact of the matter is, none of the people in the older generation knows how gaming effects kids, why? Because they never did it. They are making guesses and conjectures about something they know nothing about. Brad and I are very happy to know that we have an edge when it comes to raising our children because we play videogames. I know parents that never had a chance to have that kind of edge and they really watched their kids. I never heard of these kind of problems. I just think parents are too nice these days . . .
What do you think of the story? Really, I want to know.
(btw I found it funny that someone mentioned how U.S. kids are so lazy and that’s why jobs are being sent overseas, you know, where people have virtual girlfriends and die playing WoW)
The funny thing is, they probably had something like this in their generation. For example, before video games became the scapegoat of… well… pretty much anything, it was films.
Back then, the generation that didn’t grow up with films generally didn’t get what the fuss was about. And look at it now, it’s effectively an artistic medium (you could argue that games are too). And if you want to go even further back, books and comics caused some controversy at certain points too.
The fact of the matter is, most parents just don’t get it. The points you make are correct, if she really was worried about his “addiction” then remove the TV/gaming console. Doing nothing and just worrying is the worst possible thing she could have done. Oh wait, she then called the cops which is completely unnecessary.
Like you and Brad, I’ve gained many friends through gaming. Hell, our university Computer Society holds a LAN gaming night bi-weekly and I’ve come to be great friends with most people there (hell, for some reason I’ve become good friends with most of the board of the Computer Society).
If I talk about gaming, I would get called a nerd or a gamer(as a mocking term). So, gaming is nothing about fitting in, for me at least, but simply a way to have fun.
It is way stupid that she called the cops. But then, maybe she had already removed the t.v. and he snuck in and took it while she was asleep. Alot of times you get less than half the story with these news articles.
On a different note, any news concerning world three?
Happy Holidays!
For starters, I’d just like to say NEVER read the comments of a news article on the internet. People today are just too idiotic to ever say anything intelligent in those things.
Continuing on with the low intelligence theme, I think a lot of parents today just have no idea how to raise a child. Which is why you get stories like this, where the parent was simply too stupid to just unplug the TV or have a serious discussion with their child. The only thing they can think to do when something goes wrong is to call 911. Because clearly they know everything and can solve everything.
Also, I agree with you 100% about gaming being a scapegoat. Although really this applies to anything that the previous generation didn’t know about. Like how every parent blames AIM/Facebook when their child does badly in school. I remember times where parents have at least cut them off from these (it’s even happened to me once), even though that may not have had anything to do with the grades.
I know the generation from the 60’s had similar problems, where parents hated the whole hippie movement and all the ‘rebelling’ that was going on, just because it was different. And that’s why video games get the blame, because they’re “new”, and can easily take the blame.
Also, I’m sure you and Brad will make great parents since you won’t be idiots like this.
Hey I know a family where it did get so bad that they couldn’t have a TV in the house, they just got rid of it. Wheee family game night! Who is up for Scrabble?
Whenever this new fangled stuff comes up and bad stuff happens, Brad and I chalk it up to stupidity or ignorance. Either the parents didn’t clarify things to the child or the kid’s common sense just wasn’t there.
I’ve just seen so many parents blame their childrens’ problems on outside influences or OTHER people, and it drives me nuts.
A lot of the time, I see articles like this and I just think: “Where has common sense gone?”
I swear, we wouldn’t have half the problems we have today if everyone just had some common sense.
It’s not like he’s a keyboard warrior or anyting right?
That is serious parenting fail.
Videogames aren’t the source of all evil, not will they be the downfall of the western world. Just like many other things, its effects depend on how it’s used. You can use it to make friends, as you have shown, but for socially inept people who don’t have/want any friends, it can be a way to drown themselves further in a negative spiral. People who see that say “Playing video games helps develop poor self esteem and social skills.” In a way they are right. Videogames can do that, if you use them for that. But videogames won’t make you do that.
For the people who don’t understand much of videogames, you can sort of compare it to alcohol (might not be a very good comparison). That can be used in those two ways even more, it can help you have a good time with your friends, or, when abused, it can make you addicted, constantly drunk and help you completely throw away your life. Does that mean alocohol should be completely forbidden? No, it should be used sparingly. Just like videogames. Too much of anything is never good.
Secondly, I get the idea some people don’t know these days how to lead a family, how to do parenting. When both parents have a full time job, they usually have just enough time left to raise their kids, but not to teach them how to raise kids themselves. I can understand that that mother wanted to do something about her kids videogame-obsession (which she should have done before, actually). But calling 911? That’s a sign that you’re really desperate, and you probably don’t know anything better. That’s why in my opinion, in secondary school / college / university / whatever there should be about 1 hour per two weeks dedicate to learning how to run a family, ie: how to raise kids, how to cook, and other practical things. I find that I don’t know enough of these things, but luckily my parents are teaching me how to live by myself more.
Ha, overseas, that kind of sounds like me, virtual girl friends and death in a mmo, haha
Hello everyone!
I’d like to give my oppinion as the father I am.
Well, I think the behaviour of this mother was a bit crazy. I’d have turn off the video console and that would have been all.
But I understand some times children and teenagers become crazy about video games and they don’t understand why you tell them to stop. (well, they also become crazy about lots of things as they’re in their ages of becoming crazy about everything).
I have two children, a boy, 11yo and a girl, 12yo. they love playing video games but I sometimes get worried about him. She loves playing Nintendo Ds and loves her fashion games, so It’s perfect for us, their parents.
About him, he loves playing the Xbox 360 but he’s not allowed to play everything he wants. He has also time limits.
And I’d like to share with you what I do if it’s interesting for someone, in order to not get as crazy as that mother from Boston.(although sometimes I undersand her).
I play with my son the games he likes so I can control what he plays, I can control how much time he’s playing and he has fun with dad. Most of times he forgets he’s not allowed playing what they want to play.
Well, we like playing MMO games, so we have become crazy about World of Warcraft, we love this!! and we are now playing the game from the movie Planet 51 http://www.planet51online.com
Well, in conclusion: you have to establish some rules before so they won’t become crazy and if they become, you should show you are the father/mother and face him/her in order to make some disciplined behaviour because kids can’t do whatever they want whenever they want.
hope my comment is worthy for you and thank you for this space to give my oppinion.
happy new year to everyone, and bye!
1) that was a selfish waste of a public service.
2) not social? my best friend, who really wasnt the social type, got an Xbox, with live, and hes become one of the funniest chattiest person in my group of friends
3)funny how it only mentions boys. i presume girls are exempt from these claims too.
Well, I don’t really play video games that often. But it is definitely a form of SOCIAL entertainment. The problem with this kid was that he was OBSESSED, according to the article. But he could have been obsessed with anything.
About the mother’s reaction: Yes, there were better options