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?
You're talking piffle mate. I'm a video game addict. I'm 37, and have a wife and two kids aged 2 and 6. So I think I can speak with some degree of authority on this subject. Certainly more than most of the people on here (by your generalisation). I've had an account on here for 9 years now.
This is just yet another story of some new medium our children have access to that we didn't. I'm fairly certain if Ye Olde Slashdot had been around at the time of the printing press some "educational psychologist" would be decrying how Gutenberg was the devil (the printing press inventor, not the erstwhile "Police Academy" star) for the printing press and how books were going to ruin children.
Consulting your own parents would be rather pointless. Why? Well for starters they grew up pre-video games, so if anything will be less informed on the benefits and negatives than us. Secondly, my parents are gamers anyway!
You've cleverly constructed your argument to render anyone under the age of 50 who has an opinion as irrelevant. Well played. Too bad your posturing is facetious and flawed.
For what it's worth, my six year old, who has played games since around the age of 3? Everyone says he's smart, funny, nice to be around. This whole argument is flawed because it doesn't take into account HOW they play the games. The kid who is plonked in front of a Playstation and left on their own for hours on end is going to be impacted in a far different and probably negative fashion than someone like my kid, who plays with his Dad, takes regular breaks etc...
It's not just a black and white issue, which is sadly what people like this stupid woman in the article seem to think. Not to mention the fact that different things effect people in different ways. If I let my kid play GTA, with me involved and guiding him he'd grow up knowing the gang members are idiots, guns are bad, and probably abhor violence. You let your kid play GTA (assuming any woman would let you put your penis inside them for long enough, which with your attitude is debatable), and he'll probably grow up to be a serial killer.