06.30.08
Kids and Video Games: Friend or Foe?
Wii, Playstation, XBox 360, kids and video games are out of control already - or are they? Video games are more sophisticated and therefore more expensive. The fully loaded average video gaming system can run in the $500 range. The games start at $50, with bundles like Rock Band going for upwards of $150.
Plus it’s an addicting time drain when your kids can be outside playing sports and socializing. But yet, many of us are falling prey. Why?
Well, I certainly do my share of yelling to shut down the video games, put them on timers and play referee to my 3 boys that all want to be on the system at the same time. I also lose my mind when a $50 game gets scratched because they “forgot” to put it back in it’s case or the drums from Rock Band break because they hit them too hard (of course we’ll never know which one of them was the culprit) . But lately I’ve backed down a bit because I must admit many of the games are quite fun, interactive and engage a team (not just solo play) of players at one time.
Take Rock Band or Guitar Hero for instance. My boys love this game, in fact I love it too. To get the most out of these games you need team participation. Believe it or not, there are times my kids actually invite me to do vocals (of course it’s a bit self serving as not one of them can remotely carry a tune, but I really don’t mind at all). Imagine a 14 year old boy “hanging out” with his friends and family? That’s just unheard of right? And the Wii sport games like tennis, golf, boxing and many more actually make them sweat and again, are best played as a team.
And I don’t believe for a minute that a child will use Rock Band as a substitute for playing the real instrument. In fact, in addition to the saxophone and trumpet my kids are now interested in taking drum and guitar lessons.
Of course like anything else video games can be used to excess. But isn’t that true of anything? Our job as parents is to exercise good judgment in the amount of time spent and the type of games played by our children. But I will say, when I have a ton of kids partying with Rock Band in the basement at least I can say I know exactly where my kids are and to me it’s worth the investment, how about you?
Stumble it!
Daniel Craig said,
July 3, 2008 at 11:11 am
Hows it going?, I was looking around for a while searching for guitar lessons about com and I happened upon this site and your post regarding ames: Friend or Foe? | Credit Mom, I will definitely add this to my bookmarks!
CreditMom said,
July 3, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for checking out my site. One of my sons is into the guitar and I’ll make sure he checks out your site as well.
THanks for reading.
Creditmom
Kids Games said,
July 10, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Hi there , I agree with this article, just sometimes I read so fast everything and I miss things that after read them again, I can understand it better.. ;). Your ames: Friend or Foe? | Credit Mom Blog Stumbled up and Bookmarked, so I keep updated on every article you write from now now on kids games.
Video Game Site said,
July 20, 2008 at 9:27 am
Good site I \”Stumbledupon\” it today and gave it a stumble for you.. looking forward to seeing what else you have..later
CreditMom said,
July 20, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Thanks so much for reading!
Jessica said,
July 25, 2008 at 11:44 am
I was going through your old posts and this one caught my attention. I agree that games engaging more than one person, like rock band are a great way to connect. However, I do feel kids spend far too much time playing these games. I’m not a mother…I’m 21 the oldest of four children and my brother can literally spend 10 hours playing video/computer games. It has affected his school work and his weight/health as a result of no physical activity…some of his friends have similar problems as a result of video games. My parents have tried everything to help solve these problems but nothing seems to work….I think that for some kids, like my brother, video/computer games can become very addicting.
Catherine said,
July 25, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I think Rock Band and Guitar Hero are great games for kids and families to play together. If your kids are serious about learning real drums though, that’s when the headaches will really begin!
CreditMom said,
July 25, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Catherine and Jessica, thanks for your responses.
These games are great for family entertainment when they are regulated. Your parents have a tough battle on their hands. We live this every day. But we regulate the time. The bottom line is we are the parent and that’s the rule. I give them a time and tell them by 9pm shut down. If they don’t listen they lose the computer the next day. It’s actually a pretty simple concept. It’s about consequences and they must be enforced for them to take you seriously.
Also, my kids are involved in many activities. They must sign up for at least one sport. I don’t care what it is or how they perform, but I view it as exercise and learning about teamwork.
There’s nothing wrong with throwing them out of the house when they’re playing with the Wii on a Saturday afternoon. At this point my kids know better. They know if I catch them playing video games in the middle of the day I’m going to lose it so they don’t even try it any more.
It’s just a matter of putting in guidelines and enforcing. Once they take you seriously you’ve won most of the battle.
Jessica said,
July 28, 2008 at 8:46 am
I agree kids need guidelines and restrictions and my brother has them…he gets a small amount of time for his games but he also has to spend time with after school activities, reading, and playing outside when its nice out….but i’m sure if he had the choice he would be playing his games more often than he is permitted……it just amazes me that video/computer games can become addicting
CreditMom said,
July 28, 2008 at 6:52 pm
You’re right….Computer games are addicting just like anything else….look at the blackberry!
Jessica said,
July 31, 2008 at 3:13 pm
A.K.A the crackberry!!
Cell Phones for Kids - 6 Things to Consider Before Buying | Credit Mom said,
August 15, 2008 at 10:21 pm
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