Why Is It That Games Are So Evil To Our Elders?
Quaunaut
The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
in Discussions
<div class="IPBDescription">My thoughts on the subject.</div> I'm stuck with a dad that thinks the computer is from Satan.
I'm stuck with a mom who is paranoid that I'm gonna go out killing people.
I was just gonna say..
Is it that they are truly afraid were gonna waste all of our time on these games? Or is it that they are afraid because of the columbine thing(which was bull, we all know that Doom didn't influence them, they were crazy to begin with). I personally would like to see some ACTUAL PARENTS answer this thread.
I'm stuck with a mom who is paranoid that I'm gonna go out killing people.
I was just gonna say..
Is it that they are truly afraid were gonna waste all of our time on these games? Or is it that they are afraid because of the columbine thing(which was bull, we all know that Doom didn't influence them, they were crazy to begin with). I personally would like to see some ACTUAL PARENTS answer this thread.
Comments
Hence why I left the house as soon as I could.
They still don't like the fact that I am a gamer, but what can they do? <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
First, let's don't kid ourselves: Some games can lead to violent behaviour. Keywords being 'some' and 'can'. If you look at the backgrounds of school-shooting kids, you'll find a few common points: They were all in a way socially inept, had taken a liking in weapons and the shooting sport, were in some way extremists, had recieved a large number of rejections, and were generally rather easily impressable.
Put a sociologic disaster like that in front of a game involving violence, and you <i>will</i> see them react. This does not mean that the games are to blame. The last drop isn't to blame for the dams burst.
Problem is that many aspects of this 'amoc-sterotype', particularily the points 'socially inept', 'rejections', and 'impressable' are also part of the publics idea of the average gamer. This makes it easy to connect both, although your true average gamer isn't at all like this cliché. Most parents aren't very much 'into' our hobby. They can thus not differentiate between the public image and reality, and thus, the fear of their children being somehow negatively influenced lies pretty close for them.
Imagine you are somebody who has NEVER played a computer game before and sees what a normal fps game looks like for the first time.
death! carnage! blood!
and don't forget, FPS games ARE murder-simulators.
It's a culture shock because _they_ have never 'trained' themselves to see computer images as totally fake..
(to your brain, there's not much of a difference between 'fake' and 'real' anyway...)
When NS came out, it was "ok" because it was aliens i was killing.
some of us are impressable as nemisis said, and yes, i have had thougths... but that's where the reseblance with the shooters and i end. I know better, i know the value of the human life is something more than i'de like to pay. and this is where i think the shooters need to realize, why kill somone that's just gunna grow up being that same (insert choice word here) and die being that (insert another choice word), while you on the other hand, are somone WORTH being around, someone worth having friends...
maybe not at your school, state, or whatever, but hop on IRC and make a few buds!
A. Go play outside. I'm not sure what you do when you play outside, but my experience in this area is limited to something like "throw rocks at things, then run away." I don't see how that's more wholesome then computer, unless Jimmy is a troglodyte or something and needs the vitamin D from the sun before he dies.
B. Read. Whoo. Books. At this point in little Jimmy's life, there probably aren't going to be any books that make him change the way he views the world. He'd probably get just as much goodness from the PC.
C. Eat. I guess everyone can just eat whenever they got bored. It works in America; we're all obese.
In short, the only time computer games are going to affect you are when you are young and impressionable, and even then it's not like they're going to change your life. By the time you're 13, you're not going to kill someone because of a game unless you are so messed up that you shouldn't be let outside. <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'><!--endemo-->
My parents don't mind me playing any types of video games, because I am 1) old enough to realize whats not real and what is 2) intelligent enough not to go around killing people 3) capable of showing morals.
Not only that, parents are worried about the influence it might have on you as a child. They think video games turn you into killers. In reality it might, but not very likely.
IMO each generation faces blood and war, your grandparents, your ancestors, and almost everyone went to war and faced the horrors of each day. People would bring the law into their own terms and shoot people just because they stole some food from you. In today's world people don't really experience this, we are more modernized in the sense that we know what being human is. Video games are just an over-exagerated substitution of what reality is or was, were just instinctively curious.
Games are just not as real, maybe when they invent holographic simulators, I won't be as well stimulated doing the real thing.
Parents want to see their children in the sun, outside, playing like 4 year olds.
Not clustered in front of a little doom box <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
I personally don't have any issues. My mother leaves me alone as long as I do whatever's asked before I get on my "doom box" <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Parents want to see their children in the sun, outside, playing like 4 year olds.
Not clustered in front of a little doom box <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
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But what are you supposed to do outside, play jumprope? It's not exactly what I would want to do (waste my time outside). At least with gaming you could have a future at programming, which is $$ if you sell it in stores and stuff.
Parents want to see their children in the sun, outside, playing like 4 year olds.
Not clustered in front of a little doom box <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
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But what are you supposed to do outside, play jumprope? It's not exactly what I would want to do (waste my time outside). At least with gaming you could have a future at programming, which is $$ if you sell it in stores and stuff. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I didn't say that's right, I'm just saying what parents want. They just see you sit on a chair in front of the computer, they want you to play outside tho <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
There's nothing to do outside. My mother tried to make me "do" stuff, activities, etc, but I just sat her down and asked "Do what?". She couldn't answer that and hasn't bothered me since.
In addition, it won't prove to be the only factor in any person's life, you will find that people who are violent do much more than gaming, and you will find certains events in their life or similarities with their relatives. There are so many factors that debating the significance of gaming alone is almost negligible.
While we agree, I'd like to point out that the word '<a href='http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=catalyst' target='_blank'>catalyst</a>' does in fact referr to something amplifying already existing characteristics (for example chemical reactions, which is where the word comes from), as opposed to creating new characteristics. Thus, according to your argumentation, games can have catalystic effects: They don't change someones personality, but can amplify certain aspects.
[/nitpick] <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
Don't have enough friends nearby to play outside with? Neighborhood too dangerous for a kid your age to go outside? Already tried the organized sports suggested in previous posts? Well, at least when <i>I</i> grew up, there were still plenty of options. I grew up on the following:
Constructive TV shows, including (but not limited to) Sesame Street and the original Ghostbusters TV series. Sesame Street is, always has been, and in the forseeable future always will be an excellent show for children. Ghostbusters was an extremely good show to help children conquer childish fears, and the line of toys could help boost that even further.
Legos (and for younger kids, Duplos). No computer game today has the physics model and open-endedness of good 'ol classic toys.
I'm posting from a public library and have to leave soon, but I may add more later.
*hires hitman*
EDIT: Oh, and I'm technically a pacifist. I hate all violence in the "real" world, and I won't strike someone unless severely provoked (apart from my Dad, who I beat up regularly because he's just a general idiot <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> ).
<img src='http://www.penny-arcade.com/docs/policar.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
<img src='http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2003/20030811l.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
But the first one makes me mad.
Second would have if I hadn't known that it was from PA(saw it on release day)
Hrm, I grew up with sesame street, but also with the SNES. Born in 87', I was given a SNES for christmas some vague year when it was still new. I was living in a neighborhood with lots of kids, learning to ride my bike, making friends, some of them had a NES. We would all sit around playing Super Mario Brothers 3 for hours (the magic whistle ruined this, btw). Anyway, parents were getting better salaries, so they move our family to Plantation. Nice house, clean neighborhood, great schools. One problem, I was now living in a gated community, where there were literally only 5 people under the age of 30.
I played games, but I also played baseball, football, street hockey with my friends. Then bam, suddenly all the kids are moving away, and it's me and my new N64 left. Now i'm staying inside all day, I read avidly, but I'm also playing games, not going outside. Fast forward to my early teens, same community, same schedule, still no kids. Except now my parents are bothering me to go outside. "Mother, there are no kids in this neighborhood, there is nothing for me to do." "Make your own fun, get off of that game box, I shouldnt have to provide your entertainment." We had gotten a PC, but it had nothing interesting on it (it cost almost 3,000 US and was..I'd have to say running at 150 Mhz), and all I ever found on AOL were Sailormoon chatrooms and whatnot, hardly good communities. So it's back to reading and the "game box", which my parents are now stating they wish they had never gotten me. Now, since the "game box" is such a large part of my day, it's also my major interest.
Until late middle school though, I never met people who were interested in games, I had nothing to talk about. Then bam, highschool, there's an entire nerd clique for me to hang out with, and they all love games! Suddenly I had many friends and we all shared a common interest. Now that I'm in highschool I was going over peoples houses to play Goldeneye, Super Smash Brothers, Mario Kart (later on multiplayer GCN titles), going to the LAN games we had every lunch at school. But my parents now view me as an antisocial shmuck obsessed with games (I spend a large part of my day on the PC now, meeting people with similar interests). I cant get them to see past it. Everytime I ever brought up a valid point explaining I'm spending time with friends (even when I'd spend multiple days over a friends house, the truth is i'm still playing games with him or her, not football or going outside, so my parents don't agree with it), I would be told to shutup.
My parents let videogames raise me, and now they are surprised I'm addicted to them. You'd be lucky to have parents who would rather you spent time with them than your "game box". I guess i'm just lucky I was playing mario,zelda, etc. rather than first person shooters on my PC, or I might have turned out rather worse. I honestly can't figure out why many elders believe this stereotype of playing games will have you killing 50 people when your 17, and make you an anti-social ****, considering i'd probably have no friends right now due to living here if it hadn't been for my interest in games.
/me notes definition. I hate making mistakes :P
I'm stuck with a mom who is paranoid that I'm gonna go out killing people.
I was just gonna say..
Is it that they are truly afraid were gonna waste all of our time on these games? Or is it that they are afraid because of the columbine thing(which was bull, we all know that Doom didn't influence them, they were crazy to begin with). I personally would like to see some ACTUAL PARENTS answer this thread. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
If you spent 10-12 hours per day in front of the computer you are retarding yourself in your lack of different kinds of stimulation. I see no problems in video games. But I see problems in people (of all ages) obsessing with them to the point where they forget about everything else. Colombine shooters were already ostracized by their surrounding community and school mates werent they? Alienation creates monsters, video games dont.
So I understand your parent's fear. I'd not allow my kid to spend too much time on a computer simply because it is important that they get to do other things. A varied mental diet is as important as the nutritional diet.
then Ill continue playing it and He'll ask to play it, I let him and he owns people... while LAUGHING its scary.... (hes almost 60 and he was in the SWAT)
Parents are often at work and kids are left at home or in a daycare only to play super mario bros 3 on nintendo.
And how does this effect me now?
Well, I often find myself restricted a lot from going outdoors, since I am yet to young to drive. I often find myself bored really quickly in the house and thus turn to video games. It makes me lazier, because I don't want to do chores. Also the older I get the less motivated I want to go around and do stuff, don't know why, and it is making me anti-social too.
I use to live in a town of 2000 during my elementary life (7 years) and even though we sorta had video games, like consoles, we would have rather spent the time in the fields. Like shooting our pellet guns at pigeons at the grain elevators, fishing at the pond nearby, building treeforts by the railroads, where the grain elevators were, but now destroyed. Building huge snowforts was a lot of fun, toboganing, playing ice hockey, and whatnot.
Once I moved to the city, everything was different, although it seemed there was a lot more to do in the city than a small town, I quickly found out that in my case that wasn't true, especially in my city...I dunno, but it seems that what most kids are doing in my school are 1)drugs 2)alchohol 3)partying 4)clubbing 5)chilling.
I honestly think we are losing the past, the old ways, and traditions, as we slowly advance into huge technology-infested cities.