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Study Finds Video Games Are Not Bad for Kids
mcgrew writes with news that a study done by the Pew Internet & American Life Project has found game playing is all but universal among teens, and it provides a "significant amount of social interaction and potential for civic engagement." 97% of teens responding to the survey said they played games (75% played weekly or more often), and roughly two-thirds of teens use games as a social experience. The full report (PDF) and the questionnaire with answer data (PDF) are both available for viewing. From the report: "Youth who take part in social interaction related to the game, such as commenting on websites or contributing to discussion boards, are more engaged civically and politically. Youth who play games where they are part of guilds are not more civically engaged than youth who play games alone."
Shouldn't they be called Pew-Pew Internet and American Life? :P
Commenting on website boards? Well, it certainly doesn't help their grammar, if YouTube comment sections are any indication.
This "study" is about as worthless as they get. They ask a bunch of questions to both parents and teens and attempt to create a correlation to the questions they stuck in there. The parents are asked about their community involvement, and knowledge of current events. Teens are asked if they think communication is a good thing (paraphrased).
There's three numbers of any interest to me: ~70% of teens have high speed Internet at home. ~60% of them use the Internet daily. Finally, ~60% of parents think that their teen's gaming has no positive or negative effect on them.Overall, the study certainly doesn't make any quantifiable findings about the effect of video games on kids.
It does, however, show that kids today have a lot better access to the Internet than 10 years ago (surprise!) and that many of them use it on a regular basis (again, surprise!). I'd say that this study shows a stronger correlation between using the Internet regularly and civic involvement than anything to do with video games. In the end, however, it's still just correlation.
"Please describe the scientific nature of the 'whammy'" - Agent Scully
Moderation in everything you do. I believe these words of wisdom are mentioned in the Psalms as well.
"Thanks for all the money you paid to us. We've used it to buy off ISO among other things" -Microsoft
Yes, but children do a funny thing...they grow up. It's better to get them engaged at ANY age so that when they're 18, they have a better chance of having better formed opinions than their peers. Bonus points if you can get them interested before the teen years and raging hormones REALLY set in.
Not meaning to troll, but this aversion to politics and world-affairs as "stress inducers" seems to be uniquely American. Elsewhere, children are subjected to things called "Geography" and "Civics" from very early on.
An old-timer with old-timey ideas.
Maybe I'm just old, but when I was a kid, we left grown up matters like politics to the adults.
Well, that explains the ignorance of the modern voter. I kid... Mostly...
Umm.. how exactly is kids being interested in politics a good thing?
Exactly. Shouldn't we be teaching kids to avoid conflict, rather than create it? To seek peaceful solutions, and not rely on coercion?
"The state is that great fiction by which everyone tries to live at the expense of everyone else." - Bastiat
is it really a bad thing that kids are being interested in politics? I would rather a kid be interested in politics then a kid doing drugs or getting involved in similar activities any day of the week
I have a thorough and complete response, but there is not enough time to complete it before my matchmaking session is complete.
Every study hides and undisputable fact of life:
"People (and groups) are self-interested first and foremost."
Games aren't a public service -- there is a profit motive behind them whether or not they're bad for children. Likewise, studies that claim the opposite (in lieu of other child-vices) have the same root -- a profit motive.
Here is a study I'd like to see:
1. Which is better for children: Throwing rocks at my neighbor's window or playing GTA?
2. Which is better for children: Attending a public school or playing Age of Conan.
At the end of the day, I'm the parent and I'll decide what's good or bad for my children -- I don't need some pointy-head-pencil-pusher to feed me agenda-ized information.
... think of the children!
var sig = function() { sig(); }
Whereas the average adult has control over politics...
Nope, didn't think so.
Whether or not a person can vote is frankly irrelevant to the issue.
In general: Knowledge is Power. Kids will grow up and later be able to vote, and are directly affected by various issues under the control of politicians.
I am frankly surprised that anybody is worried that kids are taking interest in their surrounding environment and it's social mechanisms, I personally am more concerned about kids *not* taking an interest in politics, but then again I'm from the UK and currently living in France, where things are done differently to the US (which I assume is where you're referring to).
Children are not illiterate and incompetent sheep up until the age of majority, whereupon they suddenly become intelligent voters who know all about politics.
Worrying about things which you have no control of is often justified if those things have significant and pervasive control over you.
Although the leap from "interested in" to "worried about" is somewhat tenuous IMO.
Given the current political climate and pre-election/leadership issues publicity in many parts of the world including the US and the UK, a child would inevitably be exposed to significant quantities of information on the subject (in a easily digestible and hype-enhanced format most likely, too).
Disclaimer: I am 18 and about to commence university studies in the UK.
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face - Ben Williams
overly aggressive video games like manhunt and GTAx can be very bad for children who have not developed proper conflict resolution skills.
I certainly don't agree with banning games like that since they provide many hours of enjoyment to me.
I will not let my son play them until he's mature enough to demonstrate the ability to choose something other than aggression.
I do support game ratings and I wish retailers would enforce them. I don't agree with government regulation of games or movies. That would be censorship.
They're using their grammar skills there.
Exactly. Shouldn't we be teaching kids to avoid conflict, rather than create it? To seek peaceful solutions, and not rely on coercion?
Then point them to the Libertarian Party. Ignorance and disinterest in just how your government is screwing everyone, and what they should be up to, isn't the way.
This of course is only about video games in general, and only the social aspect. I think many people will extend this to the argument over violent video games, which is a whole different topic entirely. It also has nothing to do with fat kids who don't get any exercise because they're sitting on their ass all day. Just something to keep in mind before people start making conclusions about everything video game related.
I've never been a huge fan "educational" games. I do think there are some good titles, but I think that the majority of educational games fail because they think that the emphasis is on being "educational". The underlying game has to be fun or the kid will throw it aside.
That said, I think that *all* games are educational. When my daughter was three she picked up my wife's Animal Crossing game and fell in love with it. I sat down and played with her and read all dialogue. Eventually I had to read to her less and less as she was increasingly able to recognize words. Today she's five and reads at a 3rd-grade level. Obviously it's not solely due to games like Animal Crossing, but I think it certainly helped.
Yes. Because adults are so much better at decision making. (sarcasm should be dripping off your screen by now)
Quite frankly, my experience is that people who were idiots in middle-school still were idiots in middle-age. They even had the same attitudes. This means that age has little to do with whether you're worth listening to. And any attempt to deride someone's interest based on their age is merely an attempt by someone older to keep the competition out.
Not to mention that it is only beneficial to develop and study interests early rather than late.
I'm not sure where you got this idea from, but I find it highly disturbing.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
My daughter has been playing computer games ever since see was 3. This weekend she was locked in the computer room playing The Sims with Aerosmith Classics blaring on the other computer... in other words, she turned out just like her daddy. Of course, she's only 7... wonder what she will be like when she's a teenager!
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
... a study will find that Video Games *Are* Bad for Kids.
Umm.. how exactly is kids being interested in politics a good thing?
Because we can't expect kids to suddenly pick up a full set of political knowledge and opinions on their 18th birthdays. If they start being interested sooner, they'll be better prepared when they're finally able to vote, and we'll hopefully see higher turnout among young adults.
It's the same reason that kids who start drinking at a younger age, with their parents' supervision, end up with healthier attitudes toward alcohol. The ones who have no experience with alcohol before turning 21 (or moving out of the house) are the ones who turn into binge drinkers as soon as they have the chance.
Being that children can't vote, and no-one cares about their political opinions,
It's unfortunate that no one cares about their political opinions, because minors are certainly affected by political decisions. Recall that one of the reasons the USA split away from Britain was that it was being affected by decisions it had no power over ("no taxation without representation").
Still, for the health of our democracy, we should encourage kids to think about political issues before they start voting. That way, when the time comes, they'll be more likely to make a decision based on substance instead of treating it like American Idol.
Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
Repetitive strain injuries (RSI, OOS whatever you want to call it) and obesity are not mentioned. Other than the over weight dude in the picture.
Games are definitely a social activity for my children which is positive, but we limit their access simply because it is physically unhealthy.
So wait, Jack Thompson was wrong?
I am shocked, just simply shocked at this news.
Try to hack my 31337 firewall!
For instance, you can play a mayor in âoeSimCity,â and get a close-up look at what it takes to build and maintain a community. Helping a newbie get his sea legs in a game simulates the real-world experience of volunteering.
So what does mercilessly ganking a low-level player in Thousand Needles simulate?
But seriously, did they check how social these kids were before playing the games? Just because someone is being more civic in their gameplay doesn't mean that they got that way from playing games, they could've been that way in the first place.
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" - Patrick Henry
Money is power. With money you can "lobby" the politicians for anything you want.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
And don't forget those children [and adults too, come to think of it] who have difficulty distinguising right from wrong, fantasy from reality.
If each mistake being made is a new one, then progress is being made.
Nowhere else in the world is politics so uniquely American.
significant amount of social interaction and potential for civic engagement.
Keyword potential. In the wise words of penny arcade: SHITCOCK!
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/
Online videogames are terribly dangerous!
Ban everyone under the age of 18 from playing online. That way, I can finally play online without some prepubescent screaming in my ear about how much of a n00b I am for not playing 16 hours a day.
I mean... err... so the kids won't get exposed to violence and sex and become criminals...
I am the richest astronaut ever to win the superbowl.
You're telling me that the kind of people you see on Gamefaqs are more engaged civically and politically than their peers?
:(
Our nation is doomed.
QuantumG,
Your post prompted me to RTFA, at which point I came to the conclusion that you haven't.
To answer your post directly, the more civil/social capital (that the article says is increased by video games) a society has, the less power the government has over them. Definitely one of the founding principles of the US.
On the other hand, being an older person (I assume American), I imagine that you would desire a less educated/civic/political youth, so that the burgeoning retiring population will be able to control legislation to a greater extent than they already do. I congratulate you on your use of rhetorical propaganda to somehow get modded +1.
Jeezus. With an attitude like that, I hope you also choose to leave "grown up matters like politics" to others. The last thing this country's (or any's) politics needs is more people who didn't bother to contrive a political awareness until they were 18.
And who are you to assert no one cares about children's opinions, political or otherwise, asshole?
SIERRA TANGO FOXTROT UNIFORM
It's the same reason that kids who start drinking at a younger age, with their parents' supervision, end up with healthier attitudes toward alcohol. The ones who have no experience with alcohol before turning 21 (or moving out of the house) are the ones who turn into binge drinkers as soon as they have the chance.
Some of us don't drink and have no intentions to do so even if we "grow up" you insensitive clod. =/
However, point taken. Exposure now means understanding for later, for pretty much everything.
I assume American
Why does everyone assume this? Do I sound like an American?
I've had people say they assume I'm an American in response to posts where I've spelt words "behaviour" and "colour" and "learnt" and "spelt" and rather than infer that I might not be an American, they assume I must be a young American.
The vast majority of people on this planet are not Americans (let alone seppos). There's less than 300 million of ya. Stop assuming everyone is one of you.
Oh, and if you really must know, I'm an Australian.
How we know is more important than what we know.
Those were around before video games.
Not meaning to troll, but this aversion to politics and world-affairs as "stress inducers" seems to be uniquely American
Seems plausible to me that politics and world affairs are more stressful to americans because we feel responsible. "Oh crap, what has my country gone and done now?"
As an american, the answer is usually "I really don't want to know, it will only raise my blood pressure, I can only vote so many times each election."
If I were german, the answer might be "Well, probably nothing too bad compared to... you know..."
Fair enough. I did actually draw it from the "when I was a young lad..." (misquoted) sounds American, and Australian apparently. My next assumption is that you still have not read the article.
Since you are around, what is a Seppo?
Nevermind
seppo
Slang for Americans - as septic tank rhymes with yank, but Americans are also full of shit like septic tanks
Nice
And here I thought that Ostriches came from Africa
Offtopic observation: posts in this page, and other slashdot stories concerning children are a good statistical sample for tracking and/or estimating slashdot user demographics concerning age and number of children in household.
You got that right. I think Roblox has helped my son (poor social skills, just like me) learn a little bit about conflict resolution. It's almost funny to watch: the first thing any of them do to anyone else new is frag them. Then comes the "you @#$#@ n00b" phase. After awhile they realize there's no winning, so they find some common ground, make up, and invite each other to be friends.
Dealing with my workplace IT staff is just like this, BTW: the first time I deal with someone I don't already know, I get the buzz-saw treatment. Then comes the short word war, and finally we figure out how to deal with each other and can work together after that.
All pass beyond reach of medicine. None pass beyond the reach of love.
Umm.. how exactly is kids being interested in politics a good thing?
Maybe I'm just old, but when I was a kid, we left grown up matters like politics to the adults. Being that children can't vote, and no-one cares about their political opinions, doesn't this survey say that they're basically worried about things they have no control over? Isn't that the definition of stress?
Wow. So you want kids to remain ignorant until they can vote. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!
Ignoring just how stupid that point of view is, it's still not stupid to be interested in things you can't influence. I'm English and as such can't vote in the US. That doesn't mean I'm not going to be interested in who wins the next US election. What with one-sided extradition treaties, US torture flights flying through London and your military refusing to cooperate when your pilots kill our soldiers in Iraq (even when one of our papers leaks the tapes), I care very much about the result in November.
Maybe I'm just old, but when I was a kid, we left grown up matters like politics to the adults.
And our politicians are still acting like children, so we can see how well that mentality worked out.
ZuluPad, the wiki notepad on crack
so until you turned 18 you never read the news or took any interest in current affairs? no wonder our democracy is in such sad state.
politics covers social issues that affect us all, regardless of one's age. it isn't just an abstract academic exercise to be left to professional politicians. public policy affects our daily lives and touches on issues of morality and justice--concepts which don't just suddenly become relevant only once you're eligible to vote.
personally, i've never considered being politically informed as stressful. forming my own views & opinions about the world i live in isn't a chore; it's my democratic prerogative. i know it's become trendy to act/be apathetic, but that has never appealed to me, not even as a kid. i've always found intellectual pursuits to be very exhilarating, and i like challenging my own assumptions to improve my understanding of the world.
long before i turned 18 i was already involved in community service and social & political activism in my local community. you don't have to be able to vote to understand poverty and social injustice. raising money for charities or working at a soup kitchen aren't just activities for adults. and it's not at all stressful. if anything it's spiritually uplifting and gives one a sense of empowerment.
Just today I read on /. that plastics cause heart disease and diabetes so the more time they spend touching anything plastic (including playing video games) the worse off they are unless they wrap the keyboard or controller in tinfoil I suppose...
Well then perhaps it's a good thing that you're feeling a little stressed -- if not for anything other than the fact that the repercussions of meddling (not mediating) in international politics are almost certainly going to be (and have been) felt in America. It's an unfortunate situation caused by rampant myopia, which reinforces the fact that educating kids about politics and the world is a Good Thing.
An old-timer with old-timey ideas.
If I'm old enough to be contacted in order to register for the Selective Service, I'm old enough to be politically active. In American schools, we're taught to love our country, to pledge our allegiance to it for the freedoms it gives us. The least we could do is learn what it means to exercise those rights.
Also consider that if kids learn to deal with politics as something they have no control over, they risk forming a very dangerous habit of political apathy. If you can manage to get kids angry about the status quo, eager for their chance to vote and anxious to earn the respect that will get their voice heard, then you can bet they'll actually do something with their vote when they get it.
Also consider that politics exists on many levels, and on some of those levels the opinions of kids can be very relevant. One example I can think of in my personal life is high school students and the district governing board. Although students do not have the final say in what goes on within the district, neither do the parents. Learning to tactfully but forcefully construct an argument can help these sway many people who have direct influence over their lives.
... 30 something year olds living in their parents basement?
Have gnu, will travel.
because as you know both Bill Gates and Donald Trump used to play Monopoly a lot, and it taught them how to do business.
George W. Bush used to play a lot of Risk, Advanced Squad Leader, and Stratego games to help him figure out his foreign policies.
Linus Torvalds used to play a lot of Life and Scrabble which taught him sharing and unscrambling things to make them into something useful like Open Source Software.
Steve Jobs played Candy Land and Go, and got ideas from them how to make the Macintosh with eye candy and making it easy to use like Candy Land but complex like Go.
Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
Studies can be made to show anything by simply selecting which data proves your point. Take them with a grain of salt.
DNA -- National Dyslexic Association
Yes. Because decision-making skills disintegrate rapidly after birth.
You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
Shouldn't we be teaching kids to avoid conflict, rather than create it? To seek peaceful solutions, and not rely on coercion?
And be taken advantage of by every kid that didn't get this pacifistic brain washing.
Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
Hey, I thought the political discussion was up a couple of posts?
... say the same thing.
Don't we have enough adults now who grew up playing videogames, that could tell you that it was an enjoyable activity and that's it?
As in everything, it's bad without moderation (re: 18 hour play sessions on WoW), but really, this debate is as ridiculous as they get.
Well then perhaps it's a good thing that you're feeling a little stressed -- if not for anything other than the fact that the repercussions of meddling (not mediating) in international politics are almost certainly going to be (and have been) felt in America.
OOOH, I SEE! Thank you so much for pointing that out! I never would have recognized that on my own!
Hey by the way, Mr.Preacher man, what's this sign I have around my neck? "Choir?" What's that mean????
Could you educate me a little more on things I already clearly know? Or maybe I should start playing that game myself...
It's an unfortunate situation caused by rampant myopia, which reinforces the fact that educating kids about politics and the world is a Good Thing.
Well you know, caffinemessiah, I think america has done some meddling in the world, and it has created an unfortunate situation. America is going to be feeling the reprecussions from it as well. You guys shouldn't be so myopic about world politics and should start educating your kids about politics and the world! :-P (note that the intentional overreaction is for comedic purposes only)
America is also unique in that we are more proud of our politics than we are of our culture. Ask a frenchman or englishman which he would rather live without, his parliament or his favorite food?
You are right about one thing however, in the US our social studies (which encompasses politics, geography, etc) has declined severely from what it should be. I'm only just now learning in my college courses that half of my elementary teachers blatantly lied in some subjects.
Getting back to the point though, I'm not sure this survey is anything more than an outburst-of-common-sense. The main assertion is that games can be used for social interaction, not columbine practice. This isn't exactly a groundbreaking discovery. Games have definately become part of this culture, and should be taken seriously as a medium by all segments of that culture. It is unfortunate that some educators and interest groups still view games in this archaic fashion, and i hope i live to see the day that this digital medium is recognized universally as an art form.
In general, peaceful solutions only work if the other side is willing to be peaceful.
Still, peaceful solutions are the best, so try those first, but always have a non-peaceful backup plan handy for when they don't work.
upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
Here you go
Actually I remember hearing recently that if you want to spot a loner/Columbine Candidate then you should look for kids that play no video games at all. Not playing games excludes children from their peers and can isolate them or it may that they lack the social skills to go play round at their friends. A healthy kid plays.
My kids have gone with me to vote most every year since they were born. They even go into the booth with me. Even though they no longer live with me, they live with their mother, I still go pick 'em up and take them voting.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
I kid but, well, only a little...
What he's saying is that those who aren't exposed to political awareness/functions/effect turn 18 and vote Republican.
Side note: I'm neither a Democrat nor a Republican (I personally believe that they're the same party other than rhetoric) but I did vote for a Republican once. I voted for Olympia Snowe as she has typically done good things for her constituents.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
If you scroll through some of my older posts, hell my newer ones as well, you will see that I too often post on /. while drinking heavily. I think it is high time we stop it before we offend the masses. Don't MAKE me go on a long tirade that takes us so far off topic that there's no hope for return. I'll do it you know... Oh I will.
Anyhow... Drunk slashdotting != wit... I wake up in the morning and read some of the posts and all I can think of is, WTF?
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
Wildly off topic but on the topic of the off topic post (which is not a GOOD THING®) but the PlayStation A-Train game was kick ass. Not really roads but, still. Just sayin'...
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
As an american, the answer is usually "I really don't want to know, it will only raise my blood pressure, I can only vote so many times each election."
But if your district is using Diebold machines, this can be several thousand times in each election...
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
a small script written by any slashdotter that takes care of this debate once or twice a month, randomly. there are only two possible outcomes based on the jack.thompson randomizer, which decreases in value daily.
Good people go to bed earlier.
I think you're right... I have been interested in politics for as long as I can remember. I was one of the kids who enjoyed listening to the speeches on the news and even watched C-Span a couple of times. I didn't understand some things, which led me to look up words, even research topics. It helped me develop a picture of how government works and how my beliefs and values translate into political concepts. I was on the debate team in high school and even got to help out with some campaigns and work the polls a couple of times. I doubt I would have been that interested in the process at high-school age had I not taken an interest when I was younger.
I guess what I'm saying, while we're off on this tangent, is that knowledge and interest in politics doesn't have to translate into worry and fear. (Of course... it inevitably does later, here in the US anyway... but an interest in the process precludes a usefulness in working with the process.)
10 FILL MUG WITH COFFEE
20 DRINK COFFEE
30 GOTO 10
Oh, no. It's just that they frequently fail to materialise in the first place.
Reminds me of a quote: When your enemy chooses war, you cannot choose peace.
My version of that is: When your enemy chooses war, your only choice is to resist or submit.
Utilizing the synergization of benchmark e-solutions to pre-workaround action items!
Ban everyone under the age of 18 from playing online.
So how would multiple children play an indie game together? They can't play together in person because (with few exceptions such as Lego Star Wars) most PC games require one PC per player, and neither child is allowed to remove the family PC from the house. They can't play on a game console because console makers have historically shut out indie developers. Would you settle for Nintendo-style "friend codes" to protect kids from pedophiles and protect some adults from screaming kids?
I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, I was pretty darn smart and I might even let me vote today.
Thing is, however, that I know that I definitely have one thing that I didn't when I was a kid: experience at doing just about anything.
When you're a kid, saving the animals is good because animals are cute. When you are in the student government, you pretty much write resolutions to save the environment based on information fed you by someone else which you then proceed to ape so you can seem like you are "really doing something".
There are some dumb kids out there who will never be worth anything in terms of being decision makers, but there are many out there who will vote much better once they have actually had to say, pay for their own place to live and make sure that their wives/husbands and kids have food on the table and medical care. No child even considers these things from any sort of vantage point where they know how it works in the real world.
There's a reason people don't get to vote until they are all 18. You can't discriminate based on intelligence. Again, there are smart kids out there I'd let vote at 12, and some adults that I wouldn't allow to vote ever. But that's an egalitarian society for you, everyone is assumed to be equal, so I'll take what I can get.
So let's put this stupid notion aside. If a kid isn't responsible for taking care of themselves and being responsible for their actions before the law, they shouldn't be able to vote on anything, ever.
Maybe I'm just old, but when I was a kid, we left grown up matters like politics to the adults.
I'm 56 and we didn't leave them to adults when I was a kid. Politics were discussed in school, both the classroom and playground. I discussed politics with my parents and afaik maybe even influenced their votes. I saw Jack Ruby murder Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV; they cut onto the Saturday morning cartoons to show the alleged Kennedy assassin being escorted, and Ruby walked up and shot him!
Now if by "children" you mean preschool, well DUH. Of course small children have no concept of politics. But "children" are those not old enough to vote.
I'd also say that commenting on slashdot probably holds more political sway than your single vote. If a fifteen year old can change the minds of ten twenty-five year old voters, he has influenced politics more than anyone's single vote.
Free Martian Whores!
Quite frankly, my experience is that people who were idiots in middle-school still were idiots in middle-age.
Yes, but they're experienced idiots. Some tasks don't need brains, but do need experience.
One of my professors in college (back in the stone age) often said to his students "I've forgotten more than you've ever learned", and he was right.
And any attempt to deride someone's interest based on their age
is stupid, agreed. However, to deride someones lack of experience based on their age is often valid.
Not to mention that it is only beneficial to develop and study interests early rather than late.
No, it is more benefitial to develop interests early rather than late, but it's always beneficial regardless of one's age.
I agree that the GP you responded to was not thinking clearly.
Free Martian Whores!
Shouldn't we be teaching kids to avoid conflict, rather than create it? To seek peaceful solutions, and not rely on coercion? And be taken advantage of by every kid that didn't get this pacifistic brain washing.
You teach them gungfu. Avoid conflict when possible, check rather than hurt, hurt rather than maim, maim rather than kill.
That said, I put up with a bully who was taller and heavier than me for three months in the seventh grade, and finally beat the hell out of him in front of the whole gym class. Nobody messed with me after that.
"Walk softly and carry a big stick".
Free Martian Whores!
They didn't prove a negative. The proof wasn't that games aren't bad for kids, but that they were GOOD for kids.
If they're good they can't be bad.
"Proving a negative" would be proving the nonexistance of something, such as proving that God doesn't exist, or proving that games are never good (or bad) for children.
Free Martian Whores!
In many places a "kid" becomes responsible before the law at 14 or 16.
Um....ok..? Bit much coffee today? I joke...
An old-timer with old-timey ideas.
Nah, you can easily fix myopia with a $99 exam with two free pairs of glasses at LensCrafters.
There are a lot of bad things rampant in the US (including myopia, incidentally), but I don't think myopia is the cause of the problems you indicate. Calling it myopia lets the responsible parties off the hook too easily. I think it's something much worse, and much more insidious. Obviously, I wear a (metaphorical) tin foil hat to protect against such things, but the rest of the public, phew... they're in for it.
My parents, for example, get probably 90% of their political news from Fox, and claim every other new source has a liberal bias, and that the internet is not a credible source of information. This is not uncommon in my experience.
That's not myopia, that's stubborn resolution to not care what the facts are, or what the truth is.
"That which does not kill us makes us stranger." -Trevor Goodchild
I'm hardly a pacifist. By "peaceful solutions" I mean ones that don't involve initiating aggression. Acceptance and support for aggressive actions is the primary, and perhaps sole, distinction between voluntary/economic means and political means. I have no problem whatsoever with employing proportional levels of coercion in self-defense.
"The state is that great fiction by which everyone tries to live at the expense of everyone else." - Bastiat
The "Libertarian" Party is a pro-government, pro-aggression organization. It may not be as bad as the others, but it's still on the wrong side. Any political party necessarily supports the use of force against non-aggressors to get its way, otherwise it wouldn't be seeking a place in the government to begin with.
I'm not advocating ignorance of politics, or disinterest, but the article measures political interest as involvement in the political process -- joining a political party, voting, and generally doing what one can to take control over other people's lives. So far as I'm concerned this is something kids should be exposed to as little as possible, and never in a positive light.
"The state is that great fiction by which everyone tries to live at the expense of everyone else." - Bastiat
Seriously, where are people getting the idea that I'm some kind of pacifist? I only advised against teaching kids to rely on political means to achieve their goals. Politics equal aggression: initiation of coercion against non-aggressors. I have absolutely no problem with the use of proportional levels of coercion in self-defense against other people's acts of aggression.
"The state is that great fiction by which everyone tries to live at the expense of everyone else." - Bastiat
those kids yelling racial slurs over xbox-live are the leaders of tomorrow
You know, that explains why the leaders of today are apparently so set on bringing about the Ragnarok...