It's that time of the day, boys and girls, time for another bit of "research" that tells us all how mentally unhealthy videogames are. Today's slice of alarm-flavored study pie suggests that children under the age of seven should be banned from games because it can "damage their attention spans," and is leading to a rise in attention deficit-disorder which has nothing to do with the over-diagnosis of kids who act like kids.
Jane Healy, in a talk at the Consumer Electronics Show, declared that because most games provide only a "fight or flight" stimulus, and do nothing for the brain's ability for higher reason, they are surely dangerous and should be swept away from a child's range of playthings. Banning things makes everything alright.
I am vehemently against the false belief that it is the responsibility of any form of entertainment to educate children, which is why I'm calling this statement out on its bullsh*t. Back in the day, cartoons, television and games were about fun. I fail to see the educational merit in Tom & Jerry, for example. Nowadays, however, it seems everyone expects every single kid's TV show to be educational or steeped in morality. As usual, parental responsibility is not mentioned once, despite the fact that it's their job, not a videogame's, to help their child's mind develop. While games can have higher purposes, and I'd like more to aspire to intellectual challenges, not every title needs to be mentally stimulating. Old fashioned fun, a chance to switch off, is just as important.
It's rather sad that a so-called expert seems to believe that just because something may not have a positive effect on one aspect of the human brain, it MUST therefore have a detrimental effect. Who wrote that particular biological law? I don't remember learning that in school (where minds are supposed to develop, in theory). I want to see evidence of this so-called damage games are doing before I believe such a flawed and unfounded theory.
In short, Jane must have played a lot of videogames in her time, because I see very little reason behind what she claims.
Contest:
10:01 PM on 01.12.2008
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Bleached paper < plastic, laminated disks
Part of me wants to make a poor taste school shooting reference, but that's just not funny.
But surprise surprise, another 'expert' who in actually doesn't know shit about what they're talking about... in other news the sun rose in the east this morning, film at 11.
Also, associating ANYTHING with ADD is bullshit. ADD is nothing more than just finding everything boring. Kis being kids, like you said.
This vilification of the game industry is simply the latest stage of the ignorant blaming mainstream pop-culture for behavior that they don't like seeing. In the 70's it was Rock Music, in the 80's it was movies, in the 90's it was television, and in the...00's it's videogames, and only now because the game industry is so absolutely successful that it draws this kind of bullshit from the ignorant soccer moms that feel their already mentally-insufficient spawn are suffering from the latest form of saturating media. Rock Music, survived it, movies and television survived it, and video games will survive. The industry is far too successful to be put down a bunch of idiots needlessly worried about violence, education and society's problems.
Perfect example: WiiSucks.
"As a result, she believes children's brains are now developing differently and that games can be linked to a rise in the diagnosis of attention-deficit disorder in children."
Or it could come from the fact that parents don't discipline their kids as much as they should, so their kids get out of control and they use attention-deficit disorder as an excuse for their poor parenting.
On a completely WTF note, I believe that massacre is just fallout from a lack of contextual violence. No more wars? Shoot up your school. Somebody's always going to be dying, species-wise. I'm sure if goats had guns, they'd do it, too, and it'd make great reality television.
Just by the way, it's not completely bullshit. It's a hysteric overdiagnosis, and it's an epidemic of it, but it's not made up. I had/have ADHD and when I decided to venture off of medication when I was 16 in order to be eligible for candidacy at USMA-West Point, I was honestly so distracted, so often that I could hardly cook breakfast. It was one of the worst times of my life.
Because it's not the fact that we have the lowest standard of education in this country, it's that the kids are playing videogames.
It seems that if you were to TEACH the kids (since apparently parents aren't in a position to do this.), the difference between right and wrong, and what is acceptable in society, we wouldn't see a bunch of anti game propaganda.
And did some kid fly a plane into his school or something? Last I checked no kids have really been violent in a while.
I mean, if a five year old walks into his preschool class with a Guy Fawkes mask and a torso wired with dynamite, then I'd be concerned.
But no kid violence is ever that badass.
But seriously, I'm liking my idea of just taking children from the womb to a sensory deprivation chamber for the first 18 years of their life.
Yes.
And, yes.
Allow me to be blunt.
Kids now in days are basically pussies, stay inside nearly 90% of the time, and if they're not using Daddy's computer to yell via VOIP to adults in games, they're doing something else that is completely taking away from their childhood.
Gaming, or TV for that matter has never been and never will be a good replacement for outside activities. You know, making real friends, gaining social skills and common sense? All of which the generation past 1985 severely lacks.
Now if you're apart of this generation your opinion is completely irrelevant to this question that Jim asks.
ADD is a serious problem, and outside of it occasionally making a good excuse for those who have it as 'Boredom' relates closely to the fact nothing is sacred anymore, kids of this generation are used up, unoriginal, self-centered, easily amused vanity whores. Simple as that.
I'm actually looking forward to making fun of this generation when I'm older in regards to all the shit they haven't experienced in their life. It's going to be completely opposite from the elders point of view, instead young ones being too wild & crazy, they'll all just be pussies that haven't done jack shit with their lives. No revolutions, no amazing moments in time or historical worthy achievements. Just internet slang, pushing buttons with the picture of what you want on it, and useless pissing contests about useless issues forever resulting with - still sucking at life.
- And I completely recognize the irony of posting this on a website, hahah.
Or it could come from the fact that parents don't discipline their kids as much as they should, so their kids get out of control and they use attention-deficit disorder as an excuse for their poor parenting.
How dare you make such wild claims! All parents are perfect and flawless in all their judgment calls in every way! How dare you call their parenting into question... I thought you knew better.
Seriously parents, move to a place with some woods and creeks and hills, not a crappy expensive suburb prison. Then maybe some kids wouldn't have to play video games. =p (Luckily, I don't live in a modern prison suburb, just an old one with trees).
"I do try and talk about our hobby's social impact" Sorry but I'm behind grimlock, I see an article like this from you almost daily and it seems like you don't like to talk about our hobby's social impact so much as vilify and sensationalize people who do. The fact is that videogames are a very young and unique medium. Their effects should be studied and looked at. Next time something like this comes up I'd like to see a detailed step by step look at the person's argument with carefully developed and researched rebuttals rather then your usual rantings full of pseudo-logical statements phrased in a way to make them look like common sense. I realize that this comment isnt as detailed as it should be so I suppose I had better go back through each one of your posts of this nature and write a clog carefully critiquing your methods.
This, of course, would not be for thier benefit...at all.
I type at 80-85 CWAM and I correlate that with all the ass kicking I did in Mavis Beacon back in fourth grade.
So why is 1985 the cut off? I was born in 1986. I have my own r760 30-06, that I've put more than enough rounds through. I've helped my dad build a hotrod. I'm working on my own more modern hot rod. I wrestled in high school, I've skied I've snowboarded (failed hard at both not gonna lie) hiking camping boating basically a ton of anything that anyone who lived in northern lower michigan would do. I also have a 70 and a 64 in WoW, and I play on XBL quite a bit. I'm a software development major as well, spending a lot of time on the computer. Am I basically a pussy?
What revolutions have you spurred, and what historical moments have you achieved?
And I do agree. As a kid, I'd play outside with my friends. We'd play action figures inside. We had an imagination. I look at kids these days and they do spend too much time at the controls of a game. They should be pushed into playing with some toys, using their imagination, and going outside. This, however, should be enforced by the parents and nothing more.
It's not the government's place or anyone for that matter whether a kid should be playing games. It isn't porn and it isn't something that's life threatening. If anything, some games even teach you a little. Die, old people. For goodness sake just go away.
Time would be better spent on studying why some idiots on XBL spew racist, homophobic and numerous other disgusting rants, and more importantly, why their IP addresses aren't banned quicker.
That is bullshit. Videogames are suitable for kids because they are not responsible for developing that part of the brain. School and parents are. She seems to imply otherwise, that anything let near a kid has to assume responsibility for that kid's development.
Why can't it just be left to gamepolitics.com. :(
General Statement. And yes, I did read the topic. I also used the government as an example. My point was that no one but the parents should be responsible for what a child views.
I didn't say anything about the government pushing kids outside, either. What I was saying is that in my opinion, I believe that parents should push kids outside or do things other than sitting in front of the TV. I was making a general statement about all these studies. I'm sorry if it was against the rules.
The rapid pace of computer games is only stimulating basic "fight or flight" sections of the brain rather than parts responsible for higher reasoning, educational psychologist claims. As a result, she believes children's brains are now developing differently and that games can be linked to a rise in the diagnosis of attention-deficit disorder in children.
Jane Healy spoke of her fears at a seminar discussing the effect of technology on children held at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas."
She said it.
"When did ADD become debilitating? "
I suggest you read another post in this very thread in which an ADD sufferer talks about what he went through.
Furthermore, ADD is considered a largely genetic disorder and falls under neurology, that is to say that there are physical elements to ADD. This psychologist is suggesting that videogames can help change somebody's brain, overdevelop parts of it while underdeveloping others, and give them what is mostly believed to be a genetic disease. If you think there's nothing wrong with suggesting that, well then ... okay.
Her entire argument is illogical and badly researched and she is using it as grounds to suggest something as extreme as banning. I actually cannot understand how you think that's cool.
Headline quotes her as saying videogames can "scramble young minds."
Here's a doozy of a quote from her, in which she states that children are being "trained" to have ADD (http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/archives/18/healy.html):
" The computer software that’s being rushed into market is training kids to be attention deficit disordered. It’s training them to be impulsive, to have meager finger control because they’re just using a small part of their motor system. These are the hallmarks of attention deficit disorder.
Every major culture has risen or fallen because of things they failed to notice. And we’re not going to be any exception. I’m not going to say that TV and computers bringing down the culture, but I truly think they can start a process that will dramatically change the character of the culture. And whether people will like what they get is a question no one can answer. "
Your ADD might not be as harsh as someone else's.
Also, that was hypocritical, since you applied your own feelings as an ADD (sufferer? pwner? I don't know what to call you now that ADD isn't damaging) somethinger to judge someone else with the disorder and claim that they were making excuses.
I really have the urge to write a lengthy reply to this discussion but I really just can't bring myself to do it. Before video games it was TV, then before that comic books and rock and roll music, seriously.
I do like how she admits it's easier to claim brain disorders before going around that videogames train kids how to have ..... brain disorders.
Is ADD overdiagnosed? Yes. Part of this is because kids are being diagnosed by doctors going off of a checklist of symptoms, rather than the DSM criteria. This isnt to say that most general practitioners are bad at what they do, but they are generalists and don't always have a nuanced answer for things.
There is a pervasive opinion in our society that children are just little adults mentally and this is just simply not true. While I'm sure that hour after hour of videogames is bad for a developing mind (we have plenty of evidence VIA WoW as to what hours of gaming does to an adult mind), the same could be said of TV or any other form of passive entertainment. A little parental example goes a long way for stimulating a young mind.
had to chime in. Nursing student, and I did an hour long presentation+research paper on ADD for part of my human development class.. you learn all sorts of interesting things that way.
And yes please, can we ban kids from online games? Or at least set up a sub-18 server? Whatever game company sets up an adults only server is the one getting my money :)
Gaming, or TV for that matter has never been and never will be a good replacement for outside activities. You know, making real friends, gaining social skills and common sense? All of which the generation past 1985 severely lacks.
...kids of this generation are used up, unoriginal, self-centered, easily amused vanity whores.
Way to make sweeping generalizations about anyone under the age of 28. No one is saying that kids shouldn’t spend more time outside, but it’s a huge jump from “kids should watch less TV and play less video games” to “kids of this generation fail at being model human beings”. I’d like to think that I’m not a self-centered vanity whore, but hey, what do I know? Because I’m 21, my opinion on this entire discussion is invalid. Wait a minute...what you were talking about doesn’t really have all that much to do with this discussion at all, now does it?