Recently while having a discussion with a friend about gaming, a by stander decided to throw in her two cents. This woman all but scolded me, saying that she can’t believe I support such an “evil” industry. She went on to say that video games teach children that violence and killing is acceptable, and that kids who play games grow up to be fat. For obvious reasons (anger issues) I did not respond.
I play many roles in my life. I am a son, a brother, a manager, even an artist. My most important role, however, is being a single father. I have a three year old son named Carter and he is my world. As a gamer, I have been in many discussions about video games and today’s youth. Many people blame the gaming industry for rising crime rates and the obesity epidemic sweeping the nation. I use to just shrug these conversations off and get back to eating cheese curls and busting heads on Godhand. Now that my son is old enough to play games, my attitude has changed a bit. I have formed some strong opinions on the matter and wish to share them. I would also like to hear what you guys think.
Too many times I have heard about lawyers defending young criminals by using violent games as a scape goat. Sure, I agree that children are very impressionable. I see it everyday with my son, but lets not forget that the ESRB rates the content in games before the game reaches store shelves. If you are not familiar with ESRB, check out thier site, www.esrb.org. Every retailer I have ever been in prohibits the sale of mature games to children based on these ratings. That means that an adult had to have purchased that copy of GTA for the child before he or she stole a car and slapped a prostitute. The key to avoiding these situations is to be involved in every aspect of your child’s life. Go ahead and check out my Gamertag, lpm1, on XBOX LIVE. You will see some really kiddy stuff on there, as well as some mature games.
My method of playing games with my child is simple; we play his games ( Kung Fu Panda, Cars, etc.) for no more than an hour a day. We then go outside for no less than an hour. We also read and write and draw together. Most importantly, I never let him see my games with mature content. To summarize, I am his father. I am responsible for teaching him right and wrong, that responsibility doesn’t fall on Kratos. I am in charge of his daily activities, and it is my duty to check the content in games before he plays.
So please, lets stop blaming the video game industry for our short comings as parents. Instead, lets take responsibility for our children and learn to use gaming as a bonding tool. My son and I are inseparable, and a big part of that is our daily gaming hour.
I would love to hear your comments on this topic, and any stories from fellow gaming parents have to share. Now if you will excuse me, my son is with his mom today and Bioshock isn’t going to play itself.
