Who's up for some delicious stupidity? A mother is taking her son's "Nintendo" back to the store after he had some kind of nervous reaction to it, and now she's decided that videogames are rubbish. Thanks to some diligent and thorough mainstream reporting, we also have no idea as to what system this "Nintendo" is, because, y'know, Nintendo is a publishing company and not a console.
The report claims that 5-year-old Michael had a "panic attack" after playing on "his Nintendo" for half an hour.
"He then began to complain and cry, saying he was experiencing pain in his hand and that he wasn't feeling well," claims his mother, Isabelle Clingerman. "He began to scream and what he was experiencing was a type of motion sickness due to the game."
Of course, it's entirely the game's fault, right? We all know that videogames are a bad idea for epileptics and what-have-you, but rather than be sensible about this and focus on the boy's problem, Ms. Clingerman is placing the blame squarely on Nintendo, planning to take the unspecified machine back to the store and claiming that no child should be playing videogames, because now she's decided to suddenly hate them all.
"I can't recommend this game to any parent," she says. "It's not a substitute for reading a book or doing an outdoor activity with your child."
I love how she was fine with using it as a substitute for those things before her son got sick. What is it about parenthood that turns most people into such stupid, unaware hypocrites? I mean, more than usual.
[Via Negative Gamer]
Contest:
10:20 AM on 01.14.2009
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As a parent, I definitely would have been more concerned that my kid may have a neurological issue and take him to a doctor, not take the "Nintendo" back to the store and start a campaign against video games. The kid could require medical attention, and all this mom probably will do is write angry letters to Nintendo.
And who the hell is Nicolo?
I hope someone pushes him down at recess.
It's obvious that the kid has a serious problem with epilepsy or seizures, it's no joke. His parent, obviously is though.
Thats not epilepsy, thats "I waved my arm around for a while now I have an ache in my wrist"
unless it's a virtual boy in which case it's totally understandable.
And judging from your post, you wouldn't pass it.
2 could the game have been a M rated game and the kid was just scared? in that case the parents are to blame for getting it for a 5 year old
3 it could have been her shitty cooling that made him sick
there will always be over protective mothers...
damnit
I'm all for freedom of speech and media participation, I live in a country in which such primary right was abolished for 20 years. Unfortunately, lately it's become a white letter for gibberish-tossing.
People should learn to not say a word once in a while.
he's gotta do certain things before he can play a game, like play outside for a certain amount of time and do his homework and get a good color in school for that day (green, yellow, red, green is good, yellow he has to earn the privivedge to play and red he won't play anything that day) video games are something he has to earn to play and he can't spend more than one hour playing a game. so when he does play a game, he really enjoys it and cherishes the time on it.
lbp is too much fun with him in co-op. jellybean cavern is awesome and his favorite level by far.
Also, it sounds like this lady hates videogames. My understanding is that this attitude towards videogames is quite common amongst American mothers.
You and I obviously are from the first video game generation when it was in its infancy. In the next 5-15 years just about every new mother and father will have grown up with video games to some extent, so I think the negative opinion on video games will start to fade away with the older generations.
Teenagers nowadays have had far more exposure to video games than teens of our generation did and girls are definitely more exposed to video games nowadays. (Don't get me started about that Ubisoft statement.) So, I still don't think we'll see this animosity towards video games in the next 10 years or so, except from the older folks.
Kepp in mind, these are the same types who think that "computer games" and "video games" are different, because they like videogames on their computer like Minesweeper and Solitare, but hate stuff like Gears and GTA.
{face palm}
... What is it with today's parents and having no clue about a) Video games & popular culture, B) parenting, C) all of the above ?
I pray that when I have children I'll know what the hell they're doing and talking about and act appropriately instead of going "TECHNOLOGY BAD ! D:"
Granted, he doesn't play anything like GTA or God of War...because I'm a smart parent. He plays Wii Sports, Wii Music (yeah, I know, not really a game...but he has fun with it), and does a decent job with the GC Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction.
I also make sure he isn't spending copious amounts of time playing, even if it's on his plug-n-play kiddie systems...because I'm a smart parent. And because my parents did the same for me; play for a little bit, then take a break. Or play and then go do something else for a while.
That said, I know plenty of parents who are my age that will not let their children near a gaming console. It's weird, too, because they played games in the past, and some own gaming consoles. They just think that it'll rot their kids brains or turn them into killers.
Kinda sad, really. I totally see it as a bonding thing, where, when the kids are older, we can sit down and play a game together. Maybe while the other kids are off shooting heroin and banging hookers, my kids will be knocking off headshots in Halo 16 with dear ol' dad.
Well hell, we should ban Stores, after all, I've known quite a few children to throw the biggest of tantrums in those moral cesspools that are ripping apart the very values of America at the seams. I just can't recommend stores to any parent. Shopping is just no substitute for reading a book or doing an outdoor activity with your child.
"In 30-40 years, most of the bigots will be dead, and we'll be able to teach tolerance and understanding to our posterity".
Really though, there are a lot of idiots who blame popular media, bigots who hate gays, race, religion, and what have you. With the advent of a black president, eventual laws passed to legalize gay marriage, and familiarity with new media, we'll finally be able to move on.
Anyone recall all the mothers who thought Elvis Presley sung "The Devil's Music?" Same thing
Simply because hating gays is immoral does not make gay marriage moral.
Also, bigotry will always exist. Elvis Presley may not be "The Devil's Music," but Ozzy Osbourne is still considered as such. The point is that people tend to find new scapegoats as time goes on, and once they do, whatever they find replaces the scapegoat that came before it. Videogames will always be a scapegoat, but perhaps not as a whole. Remember when there was a fuss over Mortal Kombat? I bet none of these people gave a damn when the more recent iterations came out. It's all about GTA now.
I agree that it doesn't make gay marriage moral. I was just noting that gay marriage will inevitably be passed in America, and due to that, the social perceptions of gays as a whole will change. Whether or not it is moral, I'm not arguing; I'm just noting that when it's passed, there will be more tolerance than before, because some people will be raised into a society where gays are more normal than preceding generations.
Children like this just need a good smack to the back of the head. That'll stop their bitching. And I know that I advocate violence against children as a solution to many problems, even those totally unrelated to children in any way, but I honestly think it might work in a situation like this. If little Johnny is out of his mind because he's hopped up on video games and sugar, just smack him back into it.