When I was a kid I played a lot of video games. My favorite games were (now) classics like Missle Command and Centipede. It was a simpler time for video games. The games were so basic. Nobody considered them violent at the time. But, I guess, when I consider the premise of those games now, there was an awful lot of “blowing things up”.
Today, there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding video games. Granted, the games are much more graphic and life like than in my day. But I’m still not sure what all the hoopla is about.
Are there games which are violent and inappropriate for kids? Of course. There are also inappropriate movies, television shows, and comic books. Yet I don’t hear (too many) calls to outlaw or limit those.
There are video game ratings to help parents, just like movies and TV. In the end, it is up to parents to decide what is appropriate for their kids to see, regardless of the medium. And also to limit how much time and when their kids watch/play them.
To paraphrase the NRA, Video games don’t harm kids. Their misuse does.
[poll=10]
Previous parenting polls of the week.
A great deal of parents pay absolutely no attention to what their children are doing a great deal of the time. Nothing wrong with video games unless that is the only thing the child does all day long. Parents don’t pay attention to age appropriateness either.