Slashdot Mirror
When Are Kids Old Enough to Play Videogames?
A piece at the MTV Multiplayer blog is exploring the issue of kids and gaming, wondering aloud how old is 'old enough'. A recent CES talk indicated that you should wait until at least seven to introduce your children to Mario, and we've talked in the past about the educational role games can have. MTV's Tracey John spoke to a pair of mothers who offered their own opinions on this topic: "When I asked Alisa why she thought that games weren't imaginative and explained that many games have challenging, puzzle-solving elements, she conceded a little but remained skeptical. 'Honestly, I haven't really explored video games thoroughly, and I'm sure there are video games that fit more the bill of something that I'd be interested in, but I'm kind of hard-pressed to find a game that's like reading a book or something like that. I understand the kids like it, so I allow them to do it; it's monitored but it's not my favorite thing for them to be doing.'" What's the right age for a kid to start playing games? Do you see games as more or less acceptable than traditional kid pastimes like TV or reading? Does it matter if the parents are gaming-savvy?
...they know not to wiped out my saved game. Little bastards...
If you'd just do what we tell you and quit yer gripin' everything would be chocolate sprinkles and rainbows! -AC
Right out of the hospital, I'd say. It's a matter of finding the right controller. A tit shaped force feedback controller perhaps?
partitioned my c: drive and installed Kubuntu whilst I was outside cleaning the car. She was playing Portal when I left her - I swear it was under twenty minutes and I was watching her through the window the hole time!
"He Who Dares Wins"
Totally agree with the above.
:-)
My $0.02: We don't allow our kids to play video games in our house, but don't say that they can't do so at their friends' houses. That way, we never see our kids
Twelve-and-three-quarter inches. Unyielding. This wand belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange.
I'm not sure if it's awesome or awesomely disturbing that you've just cribbed parenting advice from the movie 'Ronin.' Bold move, in any case. I can't wait to tell my kids that they talk a good game in the living room, but they're weak when they put their spikes on.
Think about it.
No, technology's not quite that advanced yet. You still have to press the buttons.
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
My kid is going to be the next "Tiger Woods" of the gaming world. He's going win hundreds of thousands of dollars before hes ten years old.
Thomas the Tank Engine teaches kids how to be a good little cog in Sir Topham Hat's imperialist sweatshop. We're more of a Blues Clues family at my house.
Hey, if people have problems with letting their kids play video games at a young age, go ahead stop them.
:P
Me, I'm of another camp.
My wife and I started my oldest daughter on the computer when she was 18 months. Loaded up reader rabbit--which is a pretty good starter, where she could start by just banging the keyboard and see stuff happen.
By three, she had mastered drag & drop, thanks to Dora the Explorer and some other games.
At four she saw a game in the store (Zoo Tycoon) and liked the animals, and asked if she could play that. I told her it was probably a tad hard for her, but she insisted she could learn. I bought it and installed it. I helped her get it started, but told her she had to figure it out if she wanted to play. At first she had problems getting the cages built right, and the lions would get out and start going after the patrons... she FREAKED out...of course, after I calmed her down, and gave her a couple hints, she started to get it. She then needed to learn what environment for each animal... She was just learning to read small words at the time, and so I showed her the online help, and told her to keep sounding out the words.
Well, a couple weeks later, she's telling my wife and I all about lions, and how they prefer the Savannah grass, and other things they like. My wife didn't know how she learned it, and when we asked my daughter, she told me she read it in the game. Turns out that she taught herself to read pretty well in a matter of a few weeks.
Now, she's almost six, plays alot of games (including Oblivion, Viva Pinata, Sim City and others), and can read *REALLY* well, along with fantastic math and science comprehension. She also paints and plays sports.
But, hey, if you are afraid that your kids will suffer from too much video games... go ahead, my kids will dominate in the future.
A
"...In your answer, ignore facts. Just go with what feels true..."
Naturally, being responsible parents, my wife and I have decided that junior has been playing a bit too much Halo 3. Tonight, he will only get to play Halo for four hours, instead of the usual five. See, parenting is all about employing that kind of responsible judgment.
Because the person abusing mod points is trying to avoid negative metamoderation, and "Redundant" and "Offtopic" are safe havens.
This "discussion" is a farce. Slashdot is mostly childless 20something video game addicts, and 99.9% of the comments, predictably, are complete wastes of time. Even most of the older people here are only in their 30s and have a smidgen of experience raising children at best.
Funny how there aren't any "+5" comments where someone sought opinions on this issue from their own parents, who have successfully (arguably) raised adult children. No, it's all grandstanding, soapboxing, choir-preaching, rah-rah ignorance masquerading as wisdom.
That of weapon choice. No way your kid is going to pwn anyone in Halo if he's using the first thing he finds (e.g. banana), it needs to be a split second decision based on what is available vs strengths and weaknesses of opponent.
Don't worry, he'll get it, but not if you cut him back to 4 hours, this requires mentoring by you and probably 8 to 10 hours per day, anything less is child abuse. Go get 'em.
If your writing in that post is an example of what happens to children who grow up playing console games I hope that any parents reading it will take it as a warning.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
"Give me the Satan worshipping family down the street. The ones with the good albums."
++Bill Hicks