35% Of Parents Game

Next Generation is reporting on an ESA study indicating that something like 35% of parents play games. Most of them play with their kids, and a large percentage say that gaming together knits their family closer together. From the article: "'The data provides further evidence dispelling the myth that game playing is dominated by teens and single twenty-somethings,' said Doug Lowenstein, ESA president. 'It tells us that parents see games both as an enjoyable activity on their own, and one that allows them to engage with their children as well.'"

Comments

Makes sense

[MikeRT]

Many parents today grew up with video games and it's a great way for the busy mom or dad to bond with their kids, at least in a superficial way given the probability that it will be the extent of their bonding. Also, it makes good sense that they are voters because to be able to easily afford a new game system and spend $50-$60/game, you'd have to have disposable income and IIRC, studies have shown that disposable income correlates to higher voter participation.

Re:The family that games together...

[Dr. Manhattan]

My five-year-old and three-year-old like to play Half-Life (original) with me. Well, really, watch me play, though if I turn on god mode I can let the five-year-old run the mouse and I use the keyboard. We finished Tron 2.0 that way. I do the same with Descent 3, he uses the mouse and I use the joystick (it's like having really noisy controls).

They love it. So much so that when our three-year-old drew on our carpet, the punishment my wife gave (in addition to helping clean it up) was "No Blue Shift for three days!" They have imaginary pet headcrabs and bullsquids, I kid you not.

Now, we worked up to HL from D3, and I stick to the parts where you're shooting at monsters, not people. I've determined that my kids are not traumatized by the images and don't have nightmares or anything from them. They don't get in fights (indeed, from the comments we get from other parents they're unusually well-behaved), no signs of hyperactivity or poor attention span. Our five year old's first report card was quite good.

Since they like games so much, we try to encourage the kinds we like. They love playing with the Eye Toy and dance pads we have for the PS2. (Okay, the 3.5-year-old doesn't do so hot with the dancing, but he has fun anyway...) Good exercise.

(Just to forestall the trolls, we also go swimming, camping, biking, and the 5-year-old loves his karate class. It's winter so no soccer or baseball, but we do that too.)