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Games - The Jury Is Out And Confused

Posted by simoniker on from the no-gta-for-toddlers dept.

Thanks to Blue's News for pointing to a New York Times article entitled 'On Video Games, the Jury Is Out and Confused' (registration required). It talks about the mixed messages being given to parents about video gaming, especially with regard to violent content, and its effect on their children: "In the face of contradictory, inconclusive or just plain confusing evidence, some parents... agonize over what limits to set." One concerned mother even has to keep her spouse in check as well: "My husband is a little hard to control. Sometimes he lets them rent games with little figures on top of buildings trying to shoot each other off." What limits do you or your relatives put on their children's gaming, and why?

2 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. Here's an idea... by Smidge204 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How about parents actually act like parents and take some responsibility for their kids?

    Which do you think would be more like a responsible parent:

    a) Reviewing the games/movies/etc your child wants, and deciding if that's the kind of thing you want him/her to have.

    or

    b) Letting a bunch of people you don't (and probably never will) know tell you wht they think your child should be exposed to?

    =Smidge=

  2. This is ridiculous. by Executive+Override · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Every time you prohibit a child of committing virtual violence you're somehow assuming that that's real somehow. Video game violence is _not_ violence, and if you put it in the head of the child that doing that is wrong, you're completely blurring the notion of what's real and what's not.

    I think it's OK for parents to limit the amount of video game a child plays, but it shouldn't have anything to do with morals. Its more of health issue. Kids should be out and playing more...