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This Year's MediaWise Videogame Report Card
Mercury News has the complete, unedited release of this year's MediaWise videogame report card. The bottom line of the release is that "Parents Can No Longer Ignore Their Children's Video Game Habits". Citing evidence that games are responsible for increased aggression and poor health, the report urges parents to take a more active role in their children's lives, and moderate their game usage. In many other areas of the report (which is typically quite negative) high marks were handed out. Gamespot has a synopsis of the findings. From that article: "Specialty game retailers were given an 'F' for allowing anyone to purchase titles rated M for Mature, despite whatever store policy might have been in place. Also, in a category that wasn't present in last year's report, the NIMF gave an 'incomplete' grade to Parental Involvement for the year. 'As the world of video games continues to evolve, parents are falling behind,' the group said in a statement. 'As we found last year, this year's parental survey uncovered an alarming gap between what kids say about the role of video games in their lives and what parents are willing to admit.'"
If TV can't raise America's kids, and now Videogames can't either, who is left?
All I can say is it's about time the parents are being talked about here. I'm sick of everyone thinking the government should regulate what kids can and can't play (they do that with other things too, like abortion, and it's sickening). It's the job of the parents to raise their own children. Make sure the parents are informed and the games have the proper labels so everyone knows what the content is (which the game makers are doing). Then tell and let the parents do their job.
The National Institute For Saying Modern Society Is EVIL!!! EVIL I TELL YOU, BURRRN THEM ALLLLL!!!!! (erm, sorry) says that videogames are as evil, bad and wrong as they said last year.
Shockingly, the rest of the world still continues about its business, igoring the weirdos on the street corner.
"I Know You Are But What Am I?"
Look, this isn't really anything different from the past few years. "The games are violent and kids are getting violent because of it" and "Parents are failing to monitor the kids play"... hmm could there be a link? Perhaps the problem isn't about the violence of the game, but rather a failure of parents to manage the kids time playing the games.
I applaud the earlier poster who stated that his kids don't have time for games because they keep them busy with chores, etc. I believe kids should be able to play but their time should be moderated and limited.
I have several friends that use games as a carrot for good behaviour. If the kids are behaving, doing their chores, and getting good reports from school etc, then they get a hour or two credited to their "playtime bank". The kids have learned that failing to do as expected will cost them the credit and maybe cost them some time they have stored up. These same kids are learning to save up time so that they can go with dad to LAN parties and play, or spend a little more time one night playing that favourite game. But they are still limited in the amount of time they can play.
The games they play are checked out by the parents before the kids even get to play them. It helps that their father is a gamer as well, but at least he is taking the initiative to monitor what his kids are doing. I wonder if a large portion of the problem comes from the way many of our generation was raised. Our parents would put a tape in the VCR and let the boob tube babysit us. As we grew up we began to trust the screen to be friendly and so if the game is on a square glowing screen it must be OK, and we don't have to be engaged with our kids at all. Just feed them, send them to school and take them to sports.
Here I come to save the da... *thud*
I gotta get me a shorter cape.
"The National Institute on Media and the Family, the nation's leading resource on the effects of media and video games on children..."
Yeah, I remember the last few reports they put out:
Seasame Street: This Whole Snuffleupagus Thing Really Pisses Off Kids
Mortal Kombat: DUDE TURNED INTO A FUCKING TIGER AND BIT THE GUYS HEAD OFF
3DO: Your Kids Will Fucking Hate You And Kill You In Your Sleep If You Buy This Thing
Capital Letters: Are Totally Awesome