Video games and kids – The good, bad and ugly

Are you aware that your child might be visiting a strip club as we speak?

Since video games made its first appearance in 1958 it became a world-wide form of entertainment for children as young as two.

Jeffrey van Camp, Digital Trends’ first deputy editor, confirmed that 91 per cent of children aged between two and 17 play games, whether it be console games such as PlayStation and Xbox, computer games for the PC and Mac or mobile games for smartphones and tablets.

We are familiar with the fact that video games primarily target children and teens, but what about the other category that targets persons aged 18 and up?

Blood and gore. Intense violence. Strong sexual content. Use of drugs. These are just a few of the phrases that the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) uses to describe the content of several games in the Grand Theft Auto series, one of the most popular video game series among teenagers.

Although the age rating of the latest addition to this series is 18+, teens stay awake at night thinking about games such as Grand Theft Auto V, Dead Island and Resident Evil.

It is very important to bear in mind that not all games are suitable for children.

The Pew Research Center reported in 2008 that 97 per cent of youths aged between 12 and 17 played some type of video game and that two thirds of them played action and adventure games that tend to have violent content. Less than half said their parents have rules about the games they play.

Dr Annelize Naudé, a Randfontein psychologist specialising in family orientation and conditions such as depression said that video-game abuse among children is nothing new.

She explained that studying children who play video games is a relatively new field. Although more research is required, some results prove what effect this has on children.

Firstly the positive impacts as explained by Annelize includes children learning how to follow instructions, planning, multitasking and analysing, which helps children do so in their daily lives.

As there are different types of video games, Annelize includes game platforms such as Wii and mentions Dance Dance Revolution, which keeps children active instead of being glued to a screen passively.

These types of activity games help children keep fit when they are unable to play outside, sometimes owing to a lack of space, and it also decreases the risk of obesity and depression.

She also mentions that playing video games gives children better social skills as they learn to accept the different types of characters displayed within the game and surprisingly, it also increases a child’s self-image.

However, Annelize warned that not every aspect of this digital trend is beneficial. As impressive as this may seem, it is important to know that there are negative aspects to keep in mind too, such as aggressive behaviour, confusing reality with fantasy as well as bad language form big chunks in the world of a young gamer. Most of these negative impacts are caused by violence-based video games.

Among the health risks, Naudé included obesity, insomnia, tendonitis (postural, muscular and skeletal disorders) and severe headaches.

But why do most children prefer violent games to non-violent games?

According to Annelize it could be attributed to the outstanding and attractive graphics of violent video games that educational games lack.

According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation for Health Care, Research and Education (PAMF), a 2010 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that “Youth age 8 to 18 devote seven-and-a-half hours a day to entertainment media.

Less than half of the kids surveyed said their parents have rules about the shows and games they can watch or play.”

Empowering Parents, who are committed to providing parents and caregivers with sound advice, also gave a few pointers on how parents know when their children’s video-game use crosses the line?
•”Your child’s life seems to be dominated by video games”
• “Your child has withdrawn from social activities he used to enjoy”
• “Your child’s grades are failing or his hygiene is chronically neglected because of his video game use”
• “If you identify any of the above in your child’s behaviour, you need to take action.”

According to Annelize the maximum time spent playing video games should be three hours per day and no less than an hour before bed, as it is very unhealthy when children play excessively.

However, too many video games tend to isolate children from their families. However, video games could serve as a bonding activity for the whole family that improves relationships.

Annelize said parents should monitor their children’s video-game use and talk to them openly about the games they play and how often, as the most important transformation stage for a child is between 12 and 16 years.

PAMF also revealed six tips on managing teen media consumption:
•Know the rating of the video games your child plays
•Do not install video game equipment in you child’s bedroom
•Set limits on how often and how long your child is allowed to play video games
•Supervise your child’s internet use – there are many “video games” available for playing online
•Take the time to discuss with your children the games they are playing
•Share with other parents information about certain games or ideas for helping each other in parenting

It is important to know that not all video games have a negative effect on children, as it mostly depends on the type of game, as well as the amount of time spent on it.

Aside from the brutal-cored video games, there are also games that strive to manifest curiosity and increase the general knowledge of the players.

Magic School Bus by Microsoft is a highly educational game consisting of a series of games based on actual TV episodes that was released on VHS by KidVision in 1994. These series contains a school bus filled with students, exploring every corner of the planet together, each sharing their own knowledge about every adventure.

Magic School Bus takes the player on journeys through the solar system, rain forests, Earth, ocean and the human body, also exploring the Age of Dinosaurs, as well as the World of Animals and Bugs.

This interactive game gives children the opportunity to explore different grounds and also provides a fun and interesting perspective of learning new things. The player has the power to determine the route of the bus, therefore decides about what he wants to gain knowledge about, each sub-adventure containing a set of questions and answers.

The learning material offered in this game is of a very high level, which exercises the brain and imagination. This game can be found on the PC using the following web address:www.magicschoolbus.com. The episodes of Magic School Bus are available on Netflix (www.netflix.co.za) as well.

Be a smart parent and be aware of digital dangers and what this hold for your child.

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