Computer games have become a permanent and significant part of today’s youth. Even toddlers now learn how to play video games before learning how to read. Who among the older generation do not recognize the yellow chomping ghost sphere, Pac-Man? How many hours have we played Tetris on Saturdays, Sundays and on vacations? Who can forget Mario and Luigi, the Mario Brothers? How many high school students have not drawn the characters of Ragnarok or Final Fantasy in their notebooks? And how many encoders have played electronic solitaire to rest their tired hands from typing? How many hours have we played DXBall in our offices just to de-stress? We even have a channel in cable TV dedicated for computer games. Computer games are even in our mobile phones.
Concerns on gaming issues
My student asked my help to check the grades of her brother, a commerce student, whom she suspects of not attending class. I found out that he was not enrolled and actually hasn’t been for three semesters. She told me that her brother has been going out everyday, showing quizzes and grades, asking for allowances and school fees for the last two years. She found out that the brother is addicted to Ragnarok, and plays everyday in a computer shop until late at night. A cousin’s son, a brilliant BS Information Technology student, reaches very high job levels when playing Ragnarok and sells his skills to other players or trades it for different things.
He enjoys playing the game and at the same time earns money. Much to his mother’s lament, he dropped out of school. Educators in urban areas brand network gaming as among their top foes. The teachers said that most of the boys who miss class hang out in computer shops. For them, gaming is like a vice, they get hooked on computer games, and their allowances for school are spent there. They lose interest in school because of gaming and eventually drop out. Delia Rivera, a teacher in La Union, recalls that truant boys used to be out playing in the fields or swimming in the river, and would even attend class with wet pants. “Come the 1990s and now, boys are cutting classes and you find them in computer shops,” she says.
Anti-violence advocates and parent groups in the U.S. believe that the bloodshed in some video games triggers aggressive behavior in young people as proven by studies. Violent video games were blamed for such crimes as the 1999 massacre at the Columbine High School in Denver, USA where two students opened fire and killed 13 people. According to psychologists, Craig A. Anderson, Ph.D., and Karen E. Dill, Ph.D, violent video games may be more harmful than violent movies and television shows because of their interactive nature.
In Makati City, the City Council is set to approve an ordinance enacting the Makati Child and Youth Welfare Code.This code includes provisions regulating the exposure of children to violent video games. The authors of the code targeted violent video games because of their harmful effects on the intellectual, spiritual, social, and emotional growth of a child. Violent video games put kids in an active role of perpetrating violence. The ordinance classifies video games into nine categories, namely: (1) puzzle; (2) sports; (3) fighting/combat; (4) action; (5) racing; (6) adventure; (7) strategy; (8) simulator; and (9) space combat. Ratings are also provided for games, KF for kid-friendly. for non-violent video games; V for violent; and UV for ultra-violent. Ultra violent games are defined as those that contain profanity, bestiality, brutality, as well as pornographic animation, nudity, video carreras, and other forms of amusement exclusively for adults.The ordinance maintains that children below 14 years of age may play video games rated as KF (non-violent) under category sports, adventure, racing, flight simulator, and the like, in internet cafes and arcades. Those who are 15-18 years old may play less violent games under sports, action, racing, adventure, strategy, and flight simulator. The Code also restricts access of
minors to entertainment arcades and gaming places.
10 most violent video games
On November 28, 2005, the US Family Media Guide, an online parent and researcher group, presented list of the 10 most violent video games. Parents, family and friends should be guided in buying appropriate gaming titles. The list was made through an audit process where trained analysts capture and document instances of violence, profanity, substance abuse and sex through a database driven technology. The 10 most violent video games are: (1) Resident Evil 4; (2) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas; (3) God of War; (4) Narc; (5) Killer 7; (6) The Warriors; (7) 50 Cent: Bulletproof; (8) Crime Life: Gang Wars; (9)Condemned: Criminal Origins; and (10) True Crime: New York City.
Good benefits
Action packed computer games like Starcraft, Counterstrike. or Warcraft may sharpen your mind. Video games with high speed objects like car chases and the like, may improve visual skills of players because they keep better track of objects appearing simultaneously and process fast changing visual information more efficiently. Computer games can actually be educational, beneficial and helpful in children’s learning and development. Persons who play computer games have better vision compared to non-players. It improves cognitive thinking skills through maneuvering characters on screen. It stimulates a child’s imagination. Computer games also assist children “in improving hand-eye coordination and improve reflexes”, according to the Western State University study in Vancouver, Canada. The study said there is also evidence that computer games expand a child’s ability on spatial subjects. In the medical sector, games can be a diversion for children undergoing painful treatment. These could create distraction from pain and fear. Computer games can also help children with attention deficit disorders to gain social skills.
Parents’ role
Parents should minimize the effects of video games. Parents need to know the content of the games that we let our children play. We should also set house rules, i.e. no video games during schooldays; they can play during weekends only when schoolwork or house chores are done, etc. Emphasize the difference between the game and reality. Get more involved with your children’s leisure time. The best thing to do is to play with them.
Concerns on gaming issues
My student asked my help to check the grades of her brother, a commerce student, whom she suspects of not attending class. I found out that he was not enrolled and actually hasn’t been for three semesters. She told me that her brother has been going out everyday, showing quizzes and grades, asking for allowances and school fees for the last two years. She found out that the brother is addicted to Ragnarok, and plays everyday in a computer shop until late at night. A cousin’s son, a brilliant BS Information Technology student, reaches very high job levels when playing Ragnarok and sells his skills to other players or trades it for different things.
He enjoys playing the game and at the same time earns money. Much to his mother’s lament, he dropped out of school. Educators in urban areas brand network gaming as among their top foes. The teachers said that most of the boys who miss class hang out in computer shops. For them, gaming is like a vice, they get hooked on computer games, and their allowances for school are spent there. They lose interest in school because of gaming and eventually drop out. Delia Rivera, a teacher in La Union, recalls that truant boys used to be out playing in the fields or swimming in the river, and would even attend class with wet pants. “Come the 1990s and now, boys are cutting classes and you find them in computer shops,” she says.
Anti-violence advocates and parent groups in the U.S. believe that the bloodshed in some video games triggers aggressive behavior in young people as proven by studies. Violent video games were blamed for such crimes as the 1999 massacre at the Columbine High School in Denver, USA where two students opened fire and killed 13 people. According to psychologists, Craig A. Anderson, Ph.D., and Karen E. Dill, Ph.D, violent video games may be more harmful than violent movies and television shows because of their interactive nature.
In Makati City, the City Council is set to approve an ordinance enacting the Makati Child and Youth Welfare Code.This code includes provisions regulating the exposure of children to violent video games. The authors of the code targeted violent video games because of their harmful effects on the intellectual, spiritual, social, and emotional growth of a child. Violent video games put kids in an active role of perpetrating violence. The ordinance classifies video games into nine categories, namely: (1) puzzle; (2) sports; (3) fighting/combat; (4) action; (5) racing; (6) adventure; (7) strategy; (8) simulator; and (9) space combat. Ratings are also provided for games, KF for kid-friendly. for non-violent video games; V for violent; and UV for ultra-violent. Ultra violent games are defined as those that contain profanity, bestiality, brutality, as well as pornographic animation, nudity, video carreras, and other forms of amusement exclusively for adults.The ordinance maintains that children below 14 years of age may play video games rated as KF (non-violent) under category sports, adventure, racing, flight simulator, and the like, in internet cafes and arcades. Those who are 15-18 years old may play less violent games under sports, action, racing, adventure, strategy, and flight simulator. The Code also restricts access of
minors to entertainment arcades and gaming places.
10 most violent video games
On November 28, 2005, the US Family Media Guide, an online parent and researcher group, presented list of the 10 most violent video games. Parents, family and friends should be guided in buying appropriate gaming titles. The list was made through an audit process where trained analysts capture and document instances of violence, profanity, substance abuse and sex through a database driven technology. The 10 most violent video games are: (1) Resident Evil 4; (2) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas; (3) God of War; (4) Narc; (5) Killer 7; (6) The Warriors; (7) 50 Cent: Bulletproof; (8) Crime Life: Gang Wars; (9)Condemned: Criminal Origins; and (10) True Crime: New York City.
Good benefits
Action packed computer games like Starcraft, Counterstrike. or Warcraft may sharpen your mind. Video games with high speed objects like car chases and the like, may improve visual skills of players because they keep better track of objects appearing simultaneously and process fast changing visual information more efficiently. Computer games can actually be educational, beneficial and helpful in children’s learning and development. Persons who play computer games have better vision compared to non-players. It improves cognitive thinking skills through maneuvering characters on screen. It stimulates a child’s imagination. Computer games also assist children “in improving hand-eye coordination and improve reflexes”, according to the Western State University study in Vancouver, Canada. The study said there is also evidence that computer games expand a child’s ability on spatial subjects. In the medical sector, games can be a diversion for children undergoing painful treatment. These could create distraction from pain and fear. Computer games can also help children with attention deficit disorders to gain social skills.
Parents’ role
Parents should minimize the effects of video games. Parents need to know the content of the games that we let our children play. We should also set house rules, i.e. no video games during schooldays; they can play during weekends only when schoolwork or house chores are done, etc. Emphasize the difference between the game and reality. Get more involved with your children’s leisure time. The best thing to do is to play with them.
1 comment:
There are so many kids who can play video games now, why not make it a learning experience. My kids love this site as do I. I can see how they are doing and assign the areas they need help in.
http://www.k5stars.com/parents1.php
Thanks for the post!
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