If you’ve not yet (and I’m writing this on Monday, so I’ll be surprised if you haven’t), it turns out they printed an article called ‘Stoned with tiredness: Generation of children are becoming zombies because of late-night gaming sessions, claims charity’. Yep, it’s another anti gaming piece, but the real kicker is it’s turned out that they have completely fabricated anti gaming quotes and put them in the mouth of an actually pro gaming charity worker.
The article strives to point out that gaming is tiring out children so they come into school looking ‘stoned’ from tiredness, using an interview from Radio Devon where Kids and Media social worker Robert Hart-Fletcher actually stood up for gaming as a way to help kids connect in a relatively safe environment. The following quotes, he claims, never came from him and beefjack.com have examined the evidence and back him up on this:
When I see something like this it makes me want to reach through the monitor and shake whoever was responsible for the latest bit of scaremongering claptrap. I really have no idea why the media have such a vendetta against gaming, and let’s be honest, that’s a whole other conversation to be had later. If gaming isn’t creating unstable killers, though, it’s warping our children’s’ fragile minds. Explain, that, Daily Mail and friends.
I wonder whether it’s all come from the recent culture of trying to protect kids from any kind of threat around them. After all, we’re pelted with stories about how they can’t play outside anymore for fear of predators, how they can’t be protected from the evils of the internet, and how we’re killing them all slowly with fast food and TV. Video games are just another horror to add to the list. Because it’s a newer threat, though, it’s treated as one of the worst offenders!
The problem is, outside of the gaming community, games just look like blood splattered murder simulators. What used to be a ‘kid’s thing’ has now grown up, but no one seems to have realised that yet. Instead, it becomes the easiest scapegoat to use when atrocities happen, most famously perhaps Doom after the Columbine Massacre. It’s just ridiculous!
What the Daily Mail has tried to say here is that kids are becoming addicted to video games (especially Call of Duty and FIFA, which are for some reason singled out). I’m sure for a small subsection of children that’s true, and needs to be investigated. For the vast majority however, what’s happening is a lack of decent parenting.
There, I said it. As a parent, you have the responsibility of keeping an eye on what your children are playing, and how long for. It only takes minimal effort. First off, if you’re letting your ten year old play Call of Duty then you have failed miserably. It’s not hard to check if a game’s suitable. There are (admittedly confusing) age ratings on the box, and if you’re not sure, you can quickly look up the content online or hell, even ask a sales assistant, as they usually have a good idea of what’s going on now.
As for the tiredness angle? Turn the console or PC off. TURN IT OFF. You’re the adult, you have the final say in what your child does, as you arguably know what is best for them. If you can’t do that, then what else are you letting your child do? You can’t call yourself a good parent if you’re incapable of laying down the law for their benefit.
This is what the whole issue boils down to. No one wants to take responsibility for their children’s behaviour. It’s too difficult to instil discipline into our offspring, so we offload the blame onto today’s media, crying that violent videogames are addicting our children. Outlets like the Daily Mail are equally to blame, running with the blame and periodically releasing scaremongering articles like this one to reel in the readers. It’s tasteless and pathetic, and above all horrible, horrible journalism. It has to stop.
1 comment:
Well said Voni, well said. It's cliche to say it, but it is the parents responsibility to monitor what their kids are doing. Sure, the older they get the harder they become to keep in line, but the parents are buying the games and the hardware and setting it up for their kids, and ultimately what the parent says goes. If the parent has a legitimate concern about gaming then they should take greater interest in it and monitor it when applicable.
And yes, FIFA is addictive. Trust me, I know. :(
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