Front Page

Content

Authors

Game Index

Forums

Site Tools

Submissions

About

KK
Kevin Klemme
March 09, 2020
35150 2
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
January 27, 2020
20830 0
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
August 12, 2019
7405 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 19, 2023
3967 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 14, 2023
3500 0
Hot

Mycelia Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 12, 2023
2076 0
O
oliverkinne
December 07, 2023
2583 0

River Wild Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 05, 2023
2255 0
O
oliverkinne
November 30, 2023
2496 0
J
Jackwraith
November 29, 2023
3017 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
November 28, 2023
1973 0
S
Spitfireixa
October 24, 2023
3694 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
October 17, 2023
2625 0
O
oliverkinne
October 10, 2023
2461 0
O
oliverkinne
October 09, 2023
2290 0
O
oliverkinne
October 06, 2023
2506 0

Outback Crossing Review

Board Game Reviews
×
Bugs: Recent Topics Paging, Uploading Images & Preview (11 Dec 2020)

Recent Topics paging, uploading images and preview bugs require a patch which has not yet been released.

× Talk abut Movies & TV here. Just tell us what you have been watching. Have hyper-academic discussions on visual semiotics. Whatever, it's all good.

Parenting, screens and games.

More
18 Nov 2014 16:29 - 18 Nov 2014 16:30 #190930 by OldHippy
Cailou sucks. My kid watches it too sometimes but I can't stand it. I can't prove this but it seems to me that a lot of these types of shows teach kids to be whiny pricks.

They always start off whiny, in pretty much every episode, and than learn a lesson by show's end that ends said whiny-ness. But then next show - pure whiny BS again. From what I can tell that seems to be teaching them that it's ok to be whiny most of the time. But like I said, I can't prove it and we pretty much accept it for now.

But I try to make sure that any show he's watching is given some context. We try to talk about what happens in the show (which means we watch them too) and we try to create conversations about it. This is nigh impossible for a three year old to take part in but our theory is that if we start this process now he will eventually be used to the idea in general, the idea of questioning what we see and discussing it afterwards. Making sure to allow him time to speak his mind (mostly nonsense) hopefully ensuring him that his opinion is still important to us.

Our son also likes a little TV before bed. That's the time we use it. Bath, a show, and then some books... usually 3-4 but I've had nights where I've read 10 of the damned things. I actually have come to love children's books and I don't look forward to not keeping up with what some of my favorite authors are doing once he's too old to enjoy them. Do I just stop reading Jon Klassen, Julia Donaldson and Oliver Jeffers? I suppose the library is my friend eh?

We treat TV and movies a little differently, but not much. He usually doesn't have the patience to sit through a feature film so it's rarely an issue. Even TV shows he won't sit through unless it's one of his favorite programs... in which case I bet we could leave him alone for a day. Once he clicks with a show it can become obsessive. That scares me.

I think that the more time I put into this and the more children I socialize with (his friends) the more it seems to me that the number one thing in all of this is really getting to know your child and keeping up with who they are. That means lots of listening and engaging. Knowing who this little person is makes these choices a lot easier to make. Not all children respond the same way.
Last edit: 18 Nov 2014 16:30 by OldHippy.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
18 Nov 2014 17:04 #190933 by Mr. White

Michael Barnes wrote: There is no biological or physiological reason that a child becomes addicted to playing them. No more so than playing Jacks or Hi-Ho Cherry O.


Not busting your balls or calling you out, but how does this jive with what you mentioned up-thread where River refused to let go of the iPad? Several of us have also mentioned how sometimes that period transitioning away from the device/game has caused fits/tears/frustration.

I don't think any of us have experienced kids getting upset over Hi-Ho Cherry O's time being up.

Again, I'm not taking you, specifically, to the carpet, but more a general observation. There's obviously more to videogames (whether it be by design or not) than many other forms of entertainment.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
18 Nov 2014 17:33 #190935 by Space Ghost
Yeah, Mike is wrong about that one. There is a well-documented dopamine and opioid response to video games that cause them to be addictive. That's why kids will stay up all night, skip meals, etc. This is especially pronounced in games with "progressive leveling".

Boyan A., & Sherry, J. (2011). The challenge in creating games for education: Aligning mental models with game models. Child Development Perspectives, 5(2), 82-87.

It doesn't mean it is all bad, though. There are as many physiological benefits to videogame as there are negatives.

Staiano, A., & Calvert, S. (2011). Exergames for physical education courses: Physical, social, and cognitive benefits. Child Development Perspectives, 5, 93-98.


This is just the tip of the iceberg -- there is a vast literature on the effect of videogames on all types of outcomes.
The following user(s) said Thank You: metalface13, Colorcrayons

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
18 Nov 2014 17:56 #190937 by metalface13

Michael Barnes wrote: Thing is, video games and such are only addictive if you let them be. There is no biological or physiological reason that a child becomes addicted to playing them. No more so than playing Jacks or Hi-Ho Cherry O.


Actually, there are a lot of biological and physiological reactions going on when people play video games. Heart rate goes up, blood pressure goes up, adrenaline levels rise, etc. Do a quick Google scholar search and you'll find a lot of literature on the subject. Does that make it "addictive"? Not necessarily, but it's part of the reason you feel excited when you play a game and what brings you back for more.

Jumping in on the conversation, I believe experts suggest kids under 3 years and under should be limited to 2 hours of screen time a day. Maybe it's 2 years old. Anyways, we have a 2.5 year old and we try to limit his screen time but we don't really time it. We don't have cable nor Netflix. So he has access to movies and shows on DVD and Amazon Prime. He watches Yo Gabba Gabba and Daniel Tiger a lot. I'm OK with most of it because when he watches something, he is also reenacting it. Jumping, running, getting his little Cozy Coupe car out to drive around in when the characters drive, etc. So he's at least active while watching.

We also have a Wii and he "plays" it by us playing it. But most of the games are getting really scratched up, so that's not going so well. He really likes Just Dance, and again he's dancing and moving.

He also plays on the iPad sometimes, we have numerous age appropriate apps on there he plays with. Though he also likes to go into Lords of Waterdeep, heh. They are mostly creative things, make a monster, make a bug, explore the ocean or space, etc. They're cute.

His screen time did become an issue while my wife was experiencing morning sickness (BTW Announcement: Wife is pregnant with kiddo #2). Upon waking up he was handing us DVDs to put in. I can't blame my wife for letting him watch movies so much when she was laying on the couch trying to keep herself from throwing up. But it got to be a problem afterwards.
The following user(s) said Thank You: OldHippy

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
18 Nov 2014 18:03 #190938 by SuperflyPete
All I know is that twitch-playing Duck Hunt and Super Mario made my hands and eyes much faster, making me a better martial artist and shooter. Or at least, that's the only thing that I can imagine explains my hand speed.

Well, besides masturbation. Lots and lots.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
18 Nov 2014 18:10 #190939 by Michael Barnes
Not busting your balls or calling you out, but how does this jive with what you mentioned up-thread where River refused to let go of the iPad? Several of us have also mentioned how sometimes that period transitioning away from the device/game has caused fits/tears/frustration.

River is not physically, chemically or emotionally addicted to playing with it. He just didn't want the fun he was having to stop. There's no need for clinical literature or other over-analysis to work out what was going on there. It's just good old fashioned common sense. Kid is having fun, adult says "stop", kid says "I don't want to". There's no dopamine involved there. If a kid is having the time of his laugh playing with a paddle ball and you take it away and they flip out, was he "addicted" to it? if that's case...Jesus effin' christ, we're in a bad way as a culture.

I've binge-played video games many times...thinking about when I played the first Final Fantasy on a rental cartridge almost all the way through in one sitting (summertime, nothing to do...) or when I played Dragon Age for like 15 hours straight one day (before kids...) At no point was I "addicted" or unable to put the game down. At no point was I unaware in BOTH situations, one where I was 12 and one were I was 35, that I was being lazy and that I should have been doing something else. But I was enjoying the games and had nothing better (read: more fun or interesting) to do at the time. No biological chemicals were at work there. I could have turned it off at any time. Just didn't want to.

Which isn't to say that people or kids DON'T or CAN'T get addicted to video games- witness the video poker machines down at the gas station or these people that get really hardcore into MMORPGs or Candy Crush Saga. But I think strong-willed, independently minded people that have a good sense of balance in their lives don't get anywhere near that- because as is usually the case, addiction to ANYTHING is usually symptomatic of other emotional or psychological issues. There is nothing about the product or media itself that innately cause your child's mind to disintegrate and refuse food in favor of playing.

Think about this. So much of what kids do today even in play has to be so fucking structured. We've been to a couple of birthday parties where it was like this big, scheduled to-do where everybody had to do certain things at certain times. We've had play dates that were these big set-ups for particular activities. I read an article about this phenomenon a few months ago that stated something to the effect that parents today are often like cruise directors, always trying to keep their kids occupied and not bored. People don't just let their kids loose to find their own fun like they need to sometimes. The result of that is that a lot of kids don't have a clue what to do when they aren't directed to do something. So if there's something like a video game- something that is very immediate, very immediately gratifying and FUN then why the hell wouldn't they go to do that if they aren't being engaged by a parent?

I see it out in public all the time- kids retreating into video games because the parents are disengaged and also because they haven't learned to manage themselves and find fun or engagement wherever they are. I never had a DS when I was at the furniture store with my parents. But I had a comic book, a toy or I just found something to do.

So if a kid for whatever reason isn't able to find something to do and their parents are off in their own world, why WOULDN'T they be nose-down into an iPhone game? Can you really blame them?

But then parents- "these games are addictive, clinical studies, blah blah blah".

It's just overthinking it all. Sorry Doug, I'm not trying to discredit some very valid research in this area (some of which I've looked at in the past) nor am I trying to debunk what you are saying, but a lot of times it's just a matter of *gasp* looking back at what the parents are doing and what they've taught their kids to do.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
18 Nov 2014 18:27 #190940 by OldHippy

metalface13 wrote: (BTW Announcement: Wife is pregnant with kiddo #2).


Congratulations!!

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
18 Nov 2014 19:07 #190941 by iguanaDitty
A couple of people have noted the tv helped their kid calm down for bed - interestingly that was true for us until about 4, 4.5. Then some brain growth happened I guess and bam it made her hyper. Took us some time to adjust. Parenting is a continual process...
The following user(s) said Thank You: ubarose

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
18 Nov 2014 19:10 #190942 by Michael Barnes
Well that's good news, Casey! Don't sweat it, the second is easier in a lot of ways.

We do some TV time before bed. Usually River or Scarlett will say "I'm ready to go to bed" and then ask for a story. Doesn't matter what they're watching.

We have an odd schedule that most parents would flip their shit over. They usually don't go to bed until 11, get up around 9. With school in, they usually fall asleep at 9:30-10:00.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
18 Nov 2014 19:41 - 18 Nov 2014 19:42 #190943 by ubarose
Every kid is different. You, the parent, are probably the person most tuned into your kid. And believe me, you will know how much screen time is too much. Just like you know when your kid hasn't gotten enough sleep, or enough run-around-outside time, or is hungry, or is coming down with something.
Last edit: 18 Nov 2014 19:42 by ubarose.
The following user(s) said Thank You: iguanaDitty

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Moderators: Gary Sax
Time to create page: 0.303 seconds