My thoughts on Video Games

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! I’m here today talking about video games. My kids love them and when I was a kid I loved them too.

They could play them for hours if I let them. The game they love to play now is called Mine craft. At first, I didn’t get it. It seemed like such a pointless game. But then I had someone explain it to me and they put it in terms I could understand. It’s like Digital Legos and can be addicting. Well…Digital Legos… it can’t be that bad. I mean how violent can Legos be?

So, in that respect I don’t have a problem with Mine craft. In fact, it can be quite educational. I’ve explained to my boys that what is happening on the video game is Fiction. They learned about fiction and non-fiction in first grade so whenever I can I reinforce those lessons.

By playing Mine craft, my boys have been questioning what is fact and what is fiction. They will ask me questions like, is iron ore real? And I’ll say I don’t know, let’s look it up on the Internet. Well, after we research it and they learn iron ore is real…they’re on to the next question. Are cave spiders real?  And on it goes. We can spend a couple of hours researching these things that they were not even aware of if they hadn’t played Mine craft. So, in that respect, I’m glad my kids enjoy the game.

However, I do have a problem with video games as a whole. In my opinion, video games are a passive activity. What I mean is; it doesn’t require a lot of physical activity to play them. The industry is trying to combat this by attempting to make them more interactive. There are now dance games and sports games where the individual has to get up and move to play. This is a step in the right direction.

But, it doesn’t take the place of really getting involved and playing a game of soccer or baseball. This is where video games are unhealthy if they are played too much.

When kids play video games for hours on end or shut themselves in their rooms and play into the wee hours of the night then parents need to curtail their use. In my opinion, video games are okay if used in moderation.

Think about this, a child can’t play baseball for hours on end because they get tired and need a rest. I feel we should take that as a guideline, your child’s brain needs a rest too. But since playing video games is not physically taxing it’s easy to let an hour stretch into two… or three… or four.

As a parent I don’t ban video games from my home because they can be educational if used in the right way. But I do feel that they shouldn’t be the only activity my kids engage in. So, I limit the time my kids can play them.

In lieu of video games, I get the board games out. 🙂 That’s right good old fashioned board games…you remember those, right? Monopoly and Clue?

Just last night my sons and I played Monopoly. It was a great bonding experience, plus it’s educational too. They are still learning about money and how to count it in school, what a great way to reinforce that learning experience by playing a game about the exchange of money for goods and services.

Don’t overlook those oldies but goodies! We play Clue too! What a great way to teach your child to use their powers of deduction. 🙂 Kids will need that skill in life too!

And if all else fails…you could get the books out! 😉

Thanks for stopping by my blog and reading my post. I would love to read your comments on video games or the oldies but goodies! So please share!