10 Jun PC and Console Gaming is NOT Bad for Kids
Many people have had many different things to say about this matter. Some say that, due to graphic violence that is most certainly present in games, children tend to develop certain violent urges. You might have come across a headline in the newspaper that looked something like this: “Teenager Commits Mass Murder after Playing Max Payne 3” – this is something that I came up with to explain my point; such an article was never published (I presume). And yes, there are children who will take games too seriously, but I am here to tell you that this doesn’t necessarily have to be so.
Video games have developed a lot in the past 3 years, let alone in the past 10. Now, you have Landscapes that look so realistic that you can really imagine yourself right there, in the middle of the adventure, and characters are developed meeting all the highest standards of character development, like in, for instance, Shakespeare’s plays, or in Dostoyevsky’s novels. I would dare to state that games are a form of art. If movies are a form of art and you can say that games are interactive movies if you will, why wouldn’t you consider at least some games as art. For instance, one of the most popular games nowadays is titled Assassin’s Creed. This is a game that puts you in the shoes of Desmond Miles, who explores memories of his ancestors. For instance, in Assassin’s Creed 2: Brotherhood, you have the ability to explore Rome, as it was in the Renaissance Period. The game developers have worked with numerous historians, and they have designed the whole city as it was, according to various historical facts. Since the main protagonist is very agile, you can climb buildings and literally explore each and every corner of the city. For example, the Coliseum is designed to the tiniest detail and you can climb your way on top and enjoy the wonderful view of 16th century Rome. In order to understand all this better, here’s a screenshot:
When you think about it, although Assassin’s Creed is a fictional story, some of the occurrences and characters are real, and this game can serve as a good history lesson for a young person in the 21st century.
What can a child learn from gaming?
Almost each and every video game requires that you use some of your skills in order to win. There are games that test speed. For instance, the key is to quickly press a series of buttons. On the other hand, there are games that test your patience. For example, stealth adventures, where you have to crouch and crawl silently so that the enemies don’t spot you are perfect for this. There are games that test your intelligence and you really have to think in order to realize what to do next. You really, really have numerous opportunities.
On a totally different subject, the story that follows certain games can be highly educative as well. A child can learn about certain morals and if the game is cooperative, or if you have the ability to go online and play with people from all over the world, a kid can develop a sense of responsibility, and he or she can develop communicative skills as well.
Some games teach physics, some teach chemistry, some teach geography and the list goes on and on. Logically, if your child is engaged in something like that, when he or she goes to school, the learning process will be a bit more fun, since the child can relate to it more. For instance, at one point in the above mentioned Assassin’s Creed game, the main protagonist encounters Leonardo Da Vinci, who helps him make various gizmos. Although this historical figure is not represented that accurately, when the kid learns about him in art class, he or she will most certainly want to learn about him more, since Leonardo helped him or her develop a flying machine in the game.
Some kids, who are not native English speakers, have learned English just by playing video games, and when I say “learned English”, I mean really learned the language, thus being able to communicate with native speakers with no problems whatsoever.
How to choose games for your kid?
The perfect game is the one your child can relate to. Pick a topic that the kid is familiar with and start exploring games that are adequate.
Let’s say that your kid watches cartoons (and who doesn’t). A good move would be to get a game that carries the same title as the favorite cartoon of your kid. If your child is a 12 year old boy who loves Spiderman, you should let him play the latest Spiderman Game. He will be able to swing his way across town, fight bad guys and save innocents. If you have a daughter, and you’ve come back from watching the new animated movie entitled “Brave”, and your kid liked the movie so much, you can surprise her by getting her the “Brave” video game so that she can relive the adventure, but from a more personal perspective.
If your kid is very young, you can use certain educative games that will help you in the process of getting a child to know some basic things like writing and math for instance. The interfaces in these games are very interesting and most of these are designed and developed with the collaboration of a pedagogue, so that everything will be child friendly, so to say.
The key here is to choose something that will be fun since fun is the essence of games, right?
Keep in mind that you have to be careful only when choosing your child’s first games. Later on, he or she will be able to do that all alone.
Oh, and one other thing. Since you are reading this piece of text, you are most probably a gamer yourself. A mistake that most people make is that they start their child’s gaming experience with their own favorite games, which are, more often than not, very, very old. When you were young, you had your Sega Mega Drive, and you enjoyed playing Sonic, and Booger Man, and you will want your child to start off just like you. This is wrong. You should go for new games, with quality graphics; games that are flashy and lively and that look appealing and amazing. Later on, you show your kid how it was “in the old days”…
Gaming is good for bonding with the child
You don’t want to leave your kid alone to play video games – you should stick around. While your child is playing, you can be there to help, if help is needed. Keep in mind though that under no circumstances should you take away the controller from the kid in order to show “how the pros do it”. This can be very annoying even for advanced gamers, let alone for beginners. If you meddle, the results will be counter-productive.
Furthermore, there are numerous games that provide the players with the co-op experience, meaning that both you and your kid can go on an adventure together. For instance, the new Lego Batman 2 video game is a child friendly game where your kid can go fight bad guys as Lego Batman, and you as Lego Robin (no matter how much you want to be Batman, you should let your kid be Batman). Another great game for you and your kid to play together is Rayman Origins. You are surely familiar with Rayman, since this title has been around for quite some time now, but this game is the latest in the series, and it is fun in the purest sense of the word. With each and every level you pass, you and your kid will bond on a new level (wordplay).
Should you go for a PC or for a console?
If you ask a PC gamer what is better, a PC or a console, he or she will most certainly praise the PC and say that console gamers are “dirty peasants”. On the other hand, things will be vice-versa if you ask a console player. The reality is that with a PC, you get better graphics, meaning that you have the option to adjust the graphics and make it the way you like it. On the other hand, a PC is not meant for gaming only, and a console is. And with the upcoming new generation of consoles (XBOX One and PlayStation 4) the graphics problem will surely be solved. A modern PC (one that has multiple cores in the processor and more than 4GB of RAM, with a new generation graphic card), no matter how great it is for gaming, will most probably have loads of important files, some of which can be photos that you hold dear, or something that is very important for your business. A child can get confused, and it can mess something up by chance. On the other hand, a gaming console is, well, just for gaming (although nowadays, consoles have other features as well).
It is up to you to decide. I, for one, think that a PC is an inevitable piece of technology that every household should have. But, if you want your child to indulge in some healthy gaming, you should get a console. With new generation consoles like Nintendo Wii, and XBOX Kinect (an additional piece of hardware that you connect to the XBOX console, sold separately), there are games that will indulge your kid in physical activities, which is nothing but healthy. So, you can deduce that, for the “ultimate gaming experience” you will need both a PC and a console, so start planning your finances.
Be Careful
You don’t want your child to develop a gaming addiction (yes my friend, such a thing exists). A good thing is to reward your kid with a few gaming hours. You don’t want your child to grow into some loner who doesn’t leave the house because he or she has to finish the level with 100% success. Gaming should be just another fun activity. You play an important role here. If your kid sees you playing video games for countless hours, he or she will think that this is something cool and normal – but it is not. Your kid should socialize, go for walks, play board games, study, and well, to put it in one word – live. So, you play your games at night, when the kid is sleeping, or when he or she is not home. Furthermore, the games that you will be playing are not for kids – they are filled with violence and gore, and you don’t want your kid seeing that, because you might end up coming back home just to find out that your 5 year old daughter is slaying demons as Kratos, the God of War, which is an excellent game, but not for kids. Actually each and every game has to undergo certain checks, and on the cover of each and every one, you have the “Pegi” sign, which states how old your kid should be in order to play the game.
To wrap up
If you are not someone who is into gaming, do not deprive your kid of it. No matter how skeptical you are about the matter, gaming can be very productive for a child’s development. If it is controlled adequately and if you are careful, your kid can grow up to be the best student in class. Its brain will develop in such a way that it will be able to learn things fast and keep that information in its head for a long, long time. If you are a gamer, well, you have an excuse to get all the gaming equipment you want, without your wife nagging behind your head, and you will have to try each and every game out – just to see if it is “safe” for your kid. Of course, you realize that this is a joke, and I like to end my articles with a joke of some kind. So, there you have it!
