Opinion on a Video Game

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I would like the parents of ‘video game age children’ to give me some feedback on an idea:

If there was a game that could be played on your PS2 or Gamebox or whatever they are (I am a bit challenged in this area) that was based on a Catholic kind of theme would you allow your children to play it?

An example: Say, St. Michael the Archangel battling demons…

I know that there are Christian games based on the OT out there but I was wondering how you all felt about this as parents.

Thank you for your feedback and your patience.
 
I have 3 video-game-aged children and I will not allow video games in my home. Not to judge people who do, but I think that video games (even if they are educational in nature) really hamper learning and social development. I would rather my kids pick up a book or hit each other with sticks than spend time interacting with a computer.
 
I have 4 video game aged children, and 1 video game aged husband. 🙂 I don’t love video games, but I have tried to let go of my distaste for them because the kids love to play them with each other, alone, and with my dh. They get a limited time to play them each day, and I would love to see a game like the one you described. I think they would love it, and maybe get some good Catholic character-building in the process. I would still limit the time they were allowed to play, however, because I do think that too much “screen time” of any kind is very unhealthy (physically, mentally, spiritually, etc).
 
susie g.:
I would still limit the time they were allowed to play, however, because I do think that too much “screen time” of any kind is very unhealthy (physically, mentally, spiritually, etc).
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That is very commendable, if I could do that I would allow video games in the house. But I know myself too well, I would always be playing games (I have little self-control in that area).
 
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arieh0310:
That is very commendable, if I could do that I would allow video games in the house. But I know myself too well, I would always be playing games (I have little self-control in that area).
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You are so funny:rotfl: and honest:clapping: !

thanks, people. I have a kinda idea brewing but I wanted to get reaction from REAL parents…I am an auntie, with five children waiting for me in heaven, so I wanted parents going through REAL stuff every day to give me some feedback.
 
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LSK:
I would like the parents of ‘video game age children’ to give me some feedback on an idea: have one “video game age” kid (14) and the little one is just too little.

If there was a game that could be played on your PS2 or Gamebox or whatever they are (I am a bit challenged in this area) that was based on a Catholic kind of theme would you allow your children to play it? Sure…why not!!! Has to be better than some of that garbage out there that they sell to kids!

An example: Say, St. Michael the Archangel battling demons…

I know that there are Christian games based on the OT out there but I was wondering how you all felt about this as parents. Really…what are they??? I have never come across any and what system are they for!?

Thank you for your feedback and your patience.
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There is a new series of RPG games coming out soon called the Chronicles of Narnia. The first in the series will be The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe/

As far as video games being counterproductive to a childs learning, I disagree if the playing time is limited. I’ve read several articles that it improves your hand-eye coordination, quick thinking skills, and improved tech knowledge.

Another interesting article I read not too long ago said that pilots in training in the military were having an easier time learning to fly, not only in the simulator’s, but also in the training jets b/c many of them grew up playing flight simulation games.
 
I wouldn’t. I used to get sooo mad at my parents for not letting me have a gaming platform like Playstation or Nintendo. I had my own computer, and I tried to use it for games faily unsuccessfully. But then…oddly enough and to my current pleasure…I developed other interests. I don’t think that gaming platforms is a good use of time for children. I have friends who had them, and I have friends who didn’t, and it’s funny how much more interesting and intelligent those that didn’t tend to come off.

I just don’t think much of video games at all.

Eamon
 
I do not believe that video games are all bad. There are many which are learning based and fine for children. I have a gaming aged child. I do allow him to play. The real issues are limiting the time playing and screening the games. I do not allow him to play or even watch others play games I have not screened.

I would much rather him play a game than just sit like a lump and watch TV. At least gaming is interactive. I highly recommend Bookworm, it is a great spelling game.

Just my :twocents:
 
Interesting thread. My daughter is not yet of “video-game-age” as you put it (shes only 10 months old) but I don’t plan to completly ban video games from my house-hold.

Problem with society is they always seek others to blame for their problems. Case in point, when murderers and rapists claim they “turned out that way” because of a bad childhood. Or when people blame Columbine High school shooting on video games.

Remember when Senator Libermann went on an “Anti-Videogame Crusade” because of the violence being displayed in a particular title, “Mortal Kombat”. Most of his rhetoric was completly un-true and gross exaggeration of statistics.

My parents divorced when I was 8 years old. My brother ( 4 years younger than me) and myself, lived with my Mom, and visited my dad on the weekends. For years, my mom and her various boyfriends beat my brother and I, told us how worthless we were. Videogames were like anything else, they were an escape for me from the pain of my everyday life.

Eventually I told my father, and he got custody of me. I never saw my mother for 10 years, until about the age of 20. I forgave her for her past transgressions (hardest thing I’ve ever done).

Did I turn out to be a murderer? A rapist? No
Did I smoke marijuana or drink alchohol like everyone else in Highschool? No.
Did I go to partys and have sex? No.

Even after my father kicked me out of the house at age 18 for “not-being-Christian-enough” (he was a hardline Protestant).

How did I turn out?

I have a wonderful marriage of 3 years, a beautiful 10 month old baby at home, and I proudly serve my country as a Military Police officer in the US-ARMY.

Am I a violent person? Nope.
Do I ever hit my wife? Nope.
Have I ever been arrested for ANYTHING?? Nope.

Needless to say, I have a good feeling that videogames do not create murderers and rapists, and wife beating husbands.

I can tell the difference between reality, and fictional video games, thank you. I don’t need the government stepping in and telling my children what is right and what is wrong, I can, and I prefer to do that myself.

The problems we face today regarding video-games have everything to do with the parents not taking responsibility and monitoring their childrens actions and nothing to do with the videogame industry. After all, if you do not allow your children to play video games, you might as well remove your TV, so that they can not watch the violent, sexual innuendo filled trash that is currently being pumped into your home. Of course that means you as the parent won’t be able to watch TV as well. After all, you can’t expect the old “do as I say, not as I do” comment to work on your children forever.

What do I suggest? All Video-games are marked with a rating scheme similar to movies. I suggest parents take a long hard look at the product their child wants, look at the rating on the box, do their homework (I.E you can look up information on the particular game in question on the Internet), and possibly limit their game time to 2-3 hours per day.

Laws are currently being implemented that would hold the stores that sell Mature rated games to children responsible for civil actions. I believe this is great, but I do think this is as far as the government should go.

Its time for parents to start being responsible and quit blaming the media.
 
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LSK:
If there was a game that could be played on your PS2 or Gamebox or whatever they are (I am a bit challenged in this area) that was based on a Catholic kind of theme would you allow your children to play it?

An example: Say, St. Michael the Archangel battling demons…
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Yes, I would.👍 At least there is some type of lesson associated with that entertainment. I agree that it is imperative that children’s time in ANY type of entertainment be limited to reasonable amounts of time.
 
LSK, My 11 year old son would probably love such a game. St Michael is one of his heroes.
He plays more now than I like, but I try to screen his games. It’s amazing to me how many parents let their kids play any old thing, even kids in Catholic school.
 
I can’t agree that video games hamper a childs learning. I’d say video games are what turned me into a tech geek. Something as simple as Super Mario Brothers being introduced to a five year old boy is enough to spark a lifetime love of technology, and the learning that goes along with it. I know pre-teens who can disassemble, re-assemble, build and program computers. And that’s just from what they’ve learned tinkering by themselves. I don’t know of any other toy that in your leisure time can put you into a career as easy as computer gaming. Moderation’s key. There’s a time for a few hours of slaying dragons, and there’s a time for kicking a soccer ball around. Too much of anything is a bad thing.

As for Doom inspiring mass murders… I sincerly doubt that. I’ve been blowing up, tearing apart, burning to a crisp, mutiating, and poisoning baddies and my friends in Deathmatches for 15 years and I’m totally opposed to violence. I guess having a parent on my shoulder telling me it’s all just pretend helped ground me in reality. Which is what I bet was lacking with those boys that shot up Columbine.
 
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Rhubarb:
I can’t agree that video games hamper a childs learning.
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As a teacher, my experience is that video games often hamper a child’s learning. So do television, DVDs, the internet, sports, et cetera. Why? Because too often children are not doing their assigned work but instead are playing video games, watching television or DVDs, playing on sports teams, et cetera.

So, parents with school age children, if you want to help your children succeed as students: School work gets done first, and if that means coming off the football team, so be it. No more than one hour of any form of electronic entertainment per day, and that includes the telephone.

😃

– Mark L. Chance.
 
As I said, moderation is key. I guess I was lucky to be a student who never needed to do my assigned work to ace the tests. More time for my video games!
 
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Rhubarb:
As I said, moderation is key. I guess I was lucky to be a student who never needed to do my assigned work to ace the tests. More time for my video games!
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In my classes, you’d have still failed (not to mention spent an extremely large amount of time in after-school detention). Tests are only half the grade. 😛

– Mark L. Chance.
 
My son has been a gamer since kindergarten (he has ADD).

My hubby won’t play because of his ADD, he knows he’d get addicted.

My daughter enjoys watching my son play some video games (the ones with story plots - like watching an interactive movie for her), but she’s never been very good at playing the games herself. She likes SSX Tricky (snowboarding) and the SIMS, for the most part. She has ADHD, and finds art is her outlet…she prefers painting or sewing or reading or drawing or jewelry making when she has her bursts of energy.

My son finds the video games with plot the most enjoyable…with the movie clips in between levels revealing where the story is heading…especially when the way you play the game alters the storyline (he gets to play the game over 3-4 different and essentially gets 3-4 different experiences off the one game).

The more ethereal the plot the better, for him, so a Michael the archangel game would not be undesirable off the bat…there’s a lot of potential there, so long as it isn’t ‘in your face’ theology. He prefers nuance, the kind which gets one to ponder the true meaning of the message. Japanese storyboards are full of this type of stuff which is why they are so popular here. There’s room for interpretation of the gaming experience.

Of course, no matter how intriguing the plot, or slick the movie clips between levels, the game play itself has to be challenging. First person perspective is preferred among teens, and a bonus is if several people can play together through ethernet connections.
 
I’ve played games since I was a kid. If I have ADD, it’s not because of the games but more likely because of the internet (I never showed any symptoms of ADD before I got connected to the internet (quite the opposite in fact), but I’ve been playing videogames a lot longer than that). Games focus my attention a little too well really, almost meditative.

I don’t think having games in my home hurt me in any way (I know it helped me develop problem solving skills that I’ve put to good use throughout my life and I also know that I’m comfortable with computers and technology due largely to playing games, and that will become more important over time as the world continues to change thanks to telecommunications tech). I love to read, fiction and non (mostly non) and I love classical theatre (and anglicisms apparently judging from how I spelled that). I go outside and I exercise as regularly as I can. I am not violent in any way (I’ve never hit a person in my life except for gentle horseplay with friends maybe).

As for developing christian-themed games, I’m wary sometimes. To me, an archangel battling demons doesn’t sound like any less violent a game than a thug beating up cops – you’ve just changed the perspective to make it somehow OK? It’s still rewarding kids for engaging in violent play, even if the bad guys do technically “deserve” it for being demons or whatever. Technically, all the bad guys in Doom were demons too and the main character was fighting to defeat the forces of hell. Does that make it Christianly acceptable? Most would say no.

If you want games that are good for kids, find games that develop problem solving skills. Puzzle games are good and difficult to object to in most cases. Push someone to develop a Christian themed RPG, where kids take on the role of early Christians trying to live a good life in the days of Roman persecution or something. Or an RPG where kids just try to live a good life in the modern world while facing various challenges. I personally think the RPG space is overlooked by Christian game developers who could really learn a thing or two from the best games in genre (like the Knights of the Old Republic series or many of Square/Enix’s games) and apply those lessons to making great, fun and compelling content that any kid would love to play and could also teach them important lessons about being a good person.

It’s important for people to remember that games are about making choices. You want to make a game where kids are not allowed to do anything bad, but what does that really teach them? If you give kids options in their games and then provide meaningful consequences for the decisions (like losing an in-game ally or friend if they behave in a mean way toward them) then they learn so much more. In order for a game to be really educational, it has to mirror life to some extent and that means letting the player make their own choices and then rewarding/punishing them accordingly. The problem with most games in the market today is that they reward bad choices and punish good ones (or reward them poorly compared to the bad choices). If you really want to make a game that people will play and enjoy and will be good for kids, don’t remove choice from the game. Just adjust the rewards to present the message you want to get across.

And don’t make the mistake of thinking that violence against demons is better than violence against good guys. It will still teach your kids that violence is the answer to the problem and the next time they get in an argument with somebody, they’ll just think of them as being “evil” and use the only technique they know to solve the problem. Make a game where you have to defeat the forces of evil in a truly Christian way if that’s the path you’re going to take.

Maybe a guardian angel game where the player has to follow their charge around in life and protect them from harm (think of something like Lemmings, but make it more in the vein of Ico (if you don’t know what Ico is for the PS2, get it and play it. It’s a work of art and pretty child friendly. You’re a lost boy in a castle and you have to help a young girl (who you can’t talk to) escape from the castle all the while protecting her from the various dangers that exist in the castle)).

Or a game that’s like Grand Theft Auto, only instead of being a thug in a giant city doing whatever you want, you’re an angel in a giant city and you have to help people in need as you come across them (look at the most recent Spiderman games for an example of how GTA-style hub-based gameplay can be made heroic when creative developers put their minds to it).
 
Oh yes, I should have been more clear…my son’s ADD benefits from gaming.

My husband and daughter do not, perhaps because they have the hyperactive component to theirs?

Who knows? All I know is their symptoms are different.
 
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