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| qwertyman |
 Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:39 pm Post subject: Computer games: do they affect people? |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 62
Location: England
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a broad topic here, basicaly i want to know peoples oppinion on games here. do they affect kids? if so in what way? why do people enjoy them? anything realy.
first off, heres my thoughts, oh and i am a gamer, so my opinion is a little one sided.
very young kids (younger than 10 or somat similar) should have very limited acces to games as kids of that age should learn about the real world.
(i could bore you to death with psycology in young kids and stuff but i woud get carried away,basicaly games arent good for them)
but when parents and politicians ect moan about computer games, it annoys me. as with any form of media there is a lot of rubbish, not naming any games, but things where you mindlessly shoot things arent exactly mentaly stimulating (but fine in moderation as with most things)
my favorate games i like to play invlove thinking and logic, and usualy involve a strong plot. there are some games that i would consder masterpeices to rival classics like tolkien. if a moaning parent were to play on one of these(again no names mentioned, i dont know if your allowed to advertise on this thing  ) the parent would most likely change their oppinion of games.
and for the argument that games effect people, i say its rubbish. if i were playing a game where i shot someone, i would not then go on to think "oh that looks fun lets do it for real!" because i can get rid of any fustration by getting it all out on someone that doesnt exist.
surely taking any stress and anger out on a fictional character is better than doing it to someone for real.
(again games for small kids is a different issue, but i cant be bothered to write up my arguement for that right now)
thats all for now ill get ranting again after some replies
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'if one man beleaves in fairies its called madness
if one million men beleave in faries its called religion'- Richard Dawkings
(but i think he was quoting someone when he said it...but who cares) |
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| paralith |
| Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:53 pm Post subject: Re: Computer games: do they affect people? |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 06 Jun 2007
Posts: 959
Location: Washington, DC
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| qwertyman wrote: |
| a broad topic here, basicaly i want to know peoples oppinion on games here. do they affect kids? if so in what way? why do people enjoy them? anything realy. |
Definitely a hot-button question. But I think you should try to be a little more specific. Do games have an effect on people? Of course they have some kind of effect. That's the point of entertainment. They effect people by making them happy while playing it. I think what you're trying to say, is do games have a negative effect on people. And is the negativity based on reducing people's social skills? Reducing people's analytical skills? Reducing their ability to make moral judgments? As you see, just saying "does it have an effect" is an extremely broad question.
I'm not hardcore or anything, but I still consider myself something of a gamer too. And my general opinion (which I've stated here before) is that like any fun activity, games can become an obsessive addiction if you lack self control. The same can be said for alcohol and a lot of recreational drugs. They may have a negative effect on a person's understanding of morality if games are the primary media through which a young person learns about morality, and if that's the case, then that particular child is probably experiencing some serious family issues. In that sense, I agree that very young children should be a little more limited, at least until a good basis of moral understanding and self control is taught to them. But I definitely don't think games in general should be condemned en masse.
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| surely taking any stress and anger out on a fictional character is better than doing it to someone for real. |
Before you take that stance you might want to consider how this general philosophy would apply to other areas. For instance, a certain camp of people condones the distribution of porn (often of a highly questionable moral nature, eg kiddie and rape porn) to sex offenders, the theory being that if they can view their fantasies in an imaginary context, they won't feel motivated to go act them out on real people. I'm not sure where the evidence on this theory stands, but I don't think there's any solid support for it yet.
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Man can will nothing unless he has first understood that he must count on no one but himself; that he is alone, abandoned on earth in the midst of his infinite responsibilities, without help, with no other aim than the one he sets himself, with no other destiny than the one he forges for himself on this earth.
~Jean-Paul Sartre
Monkeys in Clothes - hosted by SFN blogs |
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| 425 Chaotic Requisition |
| Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 4:11 am Post subject: |
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The Doctor
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 2682
Location: UKGBNI, England, Derbyshire
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I've played games since I was a child, from the age of 4 (starting with Sonic). I've played them A LOT. I've turned out fine. I was a shy child though, who grew up in mildly fearful household. I played various games, scary and not scary at all. They gave me A LOT of nightmares when I was a child.
Saying that video games affect children and such is crap. If the child has good parents who teach them good morals and are good parents. The child has a decent ring of friends and peers. They'll be fine. But see how I had to go out of games to explain how other factors are more important?
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"There is no knowledge, that is not power" - Ralph Waldo Emerson. |
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| qwertyman |
| Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:20 am Post subject: |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 62
Location: England
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as i said, i could not be bothered to type out my argument for small kids, so you may of misunderstood me, i dont think games 'affect kids' as most people would say
i myself grew up with video games and turned out fine (ish), and i still now spend a lot of my free time on games.
all i am saying is that so long as a child learns morals and learns about the world he/she can play games as much as they like.
they should have controlled access to games, if a child played something like manhunt or silent hill it would seriusly freak them out big style.
but games like you say, sonic and the like are fine.
(i was playing the metal gear solid games at a young age, if somewhat badly)
games dont 'affect' people as such, but if a child were to spend all his/her free time playing GTA, they would learn things that we would rather them not do.
games, like anything, are good in moderation.
oh and there is evedence that games can actualy help learning and some life skills (and im not talking about those crappy educational games)
_________________
'if one man beleaves in fairies its called madness
if one million men beleave in faries its called religion'- Richard Dawkings
(but i think he was quoting someone when he said it...but who cares) |
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| paralith |
| Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:32 am Post subject: |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 06 Jun 2007
Posts: 959
Location: Washington, DC
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I will ask you again to clarify what you mean by affect. Affect how? The word by itself is practically meaningless. I'm assuming you mean a negative effect, but again there are many possible negative effects one could say video games have on children, even besides moral issues.
_________________
Man can will nothing unless he has first understood that he must count on no one but himself; that he is alone, abandoned on earth in the midst of his infinite responsibilities, without help, with no other aim than the one he sets himself, with no other destiny than the one he forges for himself on this earth.
~Jean-Paul Sartre
Monkeys in Clothes - hosted by SFN blogs |
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| i_feel_tiredsleepy |
| Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 10:46 am Post subject: |
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Forum Senior
Joined: 21 Mar 2008
Posts: 373
Location: Montreal
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Well there were studies that showed that playing shooters increased a person's hand-eye coordination, and that other games improved problem solving skills in children. However, I think other games would be more fruitful for children, especially those of a social aspect, or those that promote creative thinking, such as playing with lego.
Like anything though too much time spent on computer games will be bad for you. |
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| danspurs |
| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:09 am Post subject: |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 07 Mar 2008
Posts: 43
Location: U KNOW
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well i played games all my life and im perfectly healthy! lol
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I quote; "why does my life always co-inside with violence" |
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| 425 Chaotic Requisition |
| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:12 am Post subject: |
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The Doctor
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 2682
Location: UKGBNI, England, Derbyshire
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Except putting lol after every sentence. Get some confidence, and if anyone thinks your being arrogant when you show it, screw em.
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"There is no knowledge, that is not power" - Ralph Waldo Emerson. |
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| i_feel_tiredsleepy |
| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 8:41 am Post subject: |
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Forum Senior
Joined: 21 Mar 2008
Posts: 373
Location: Montreal
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| 425 Chaotic Requisition wrote: |
| Except putting lol after every sentence. Get some confidence, and if anyone thinks your being arrogant when you show it, screw em. |
Yes because nothing shows that a person is confident like attacking people on the internet  . |
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| 425 Chaotic Requisition |
| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:09 am Post subject: |
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The Doctor
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 2682
Location: UKGBNI, England, Derbyshire
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I'm not attacking, I'm directly addressing the point that would help him/her appear more strong, which could help in someway.
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"There is no knowledge, that is not power" - Ralph Waldo Emerson. |
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| Pong |
| Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 6:44 am Post subject: |
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Forum Senior
Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Posts: 304
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My son is in first grade, and I encourage him to use computers for all they're worth. He has pals at school, and on Club Penguin. I tell him these are all real people too. He learns to write with a pencil, he learns to touch type. I rather he search content through Google and Youtube than vegetate with what TV will feed him. We play games together - one could say that's "quality time".
My son is a guinea pig, isn't he? |
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