“To get kids outdoors, some parents barter for TV time” plus 2 more

To get kids outdoors, some parents barter for TV time
Why does the media still think video games are bad for kids?
Rs 35,000 cr for Games waste, should?ve gone to poor kids: Mani Shankar Aiyar

To get kids outdoors, some parents barter for TV time

Posted: 28 Jul 2010 12:07 AM PDT

It's summer! So why are those kids still inside? What is the best way to get kids off the couch and away from computers, video games and TV?

Parents' advice

I plan something for every day in the summer: a museum, the lake, a public pool, a walk through an interesting neighborhood, the skateboard park, a simple visit to the local park. As long as my kids play outside two to three hours a day and read for a bit and do a chore or two, I don't really care if they spend the rest of the day playing video games or watching TV.

--Sharon Brinkman

Sit the child down and say that you are setting up the summer rules and you want input. Tell him/her that the video games can be played for X amount of time each day and what time frame does he/she want to help set?

--Verna Schmidt

Use the barter system: For every hour they spend outside, they get 20 minutes of video game time. Yes, I know it doesn't exactly seem fair, but summer comes but once a year, and there will be plenty of time inside during the winter.

--Marie Grass Amenta

Expert advice

During their childhood, Barbara Tulipane's two sons loved video games, which wouldn't immediately qualify them as poster children for her work as CEO of the National Recreation and Park Association.

Despite her job, Tulipane never banned video games. "As soon as you forbid it, it becomes forbidden fruit with kids," she said.

Nor did she allow them to play without limits, even though, as she pointed out, "I was a single parent; it would have been easy to sit them in front of the TV to keep them occupied."

Instead, they were allowed to choose an hour of video games or TV a day -- after chores/studies/outdoor activities were done. "They could break it up -- a half-hour of TV and a half-hour of games. It would put the responsibility on them."

She walked the talk: "You can't bark at your kids to get outdoors if you're not outdoors."

She took them to Montana for a hiking trip. "Once we got out there, and I put my foot down, they finally got into it," she said.

As typical kids, they didn't say much about it afterward.

Six years later, one son was planning his college applications. "He said he knew where he wanted to go: Bozeman," she said. "He said he wanted the beauty of Montana and the parks out there. I had no idea."

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Why does the media still think video games are bad for kids?

Posted: 28 Jul 2010 06:54 AM PDT

Scott Steinberg says the media focuses on the negative aspects of video games instead of their redeeming qualities.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Media attention focuses on the negatives of video gaming, author says
Gaming expert says video games "entertain and inform" kids
Another misconception: That games are only for kids, not adults, too
Expert: "Games ... can enhance the relationship between parent and child"

Editor's note: Scott Steinberg is the head of technology and video game consulting firm TechSavvy Global, as well as the founder of GameExec magazine and Game Industry TV. He frequently appears as an on-air technology analyst for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CNN. His most recent book is "Get Rich Playing Games."

(CNN) -- History has a funny way of repeating itself, especially when it comes to concerns over the cultural and psychological impact of video games on children.

In 1993, the Senate's hearings on video game violence gave birth to the Entertainment Software Rating Board and the industry's current rating system: E for everyone, M for mature (17 and older) and so on. Later this year, the U.S. Supreme Court will test the constitutionality of a California law that would make it illegal to sell violent video games to minors.

But what gaming insiders find most surprising isn't that such arguments remain topical. It's that some 30 years after video games became a popular form of mainstream entertainment, we're still liable to hear less about games' positive impact on kids' lives than sensationalistic accounts of their hidden dangers.

"Games are an amazing invention that entertain and inform in ways different than traditional media," says Joseph Olin, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. "But many critics have little or any experience with them and therefore don't understand where there could be artistic or educational value. No different than with film and TV, media sensationalism and ignorance can contribute to the fear that games are harmful to children.

"There's absolutely no scientific evidence showing a positive correlation between violence in individuals and the games they play," continues Olin, who points to studies from the Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health, The Journal of Adolescent Health and The British Medical Journal.

Also, Olin says, nearly two-thirds of all games sold are rated E or E+, meaning they're found to be appropriate for players of all ages or children over 10 years of age, respectively

Researchers like David Thomas, who teaches critical video game theory at the University of Colorado, say the most curious misconception about the field is that games are strictly for juveniles. Such arguments -- the impetus for countless political battles -- ignore the fact that the average player is 35 years old, and more adult women play than teenage boys, according to the Entertainment Software Association.

Furthermore, according to the software association, 63 percent of parents believe that games positively impact their children's lives.

Games are simply a tool, Thomas argues, which, like any other implement, can be used for good or ill, and require reasonable balance and oversight.

"We live in a media-rich world, and video games are part of that diet," he says. "Kids are incredibly savvy these days. But being children, they still need guidance. Games can be beneficial to children as a modern form of media, albeit one that they need to learn how to use, cope with, contextualize and manage."

All too often overlooked in debates are the sizable educational and social benefits that games offer kids, says Winda Benedetti, who writes the Citizen Gamer column for MSNBC.com.

"A lot of parents are unfamiliar with gaming and afraid of the unknown," she says. "But games can be a huge positive for children, as long as you set reasonable limits. When my 3-year-old watches TV, he just passively zones out.

"But when he plays games, he's actively engaged, thinks about what's happening, talks to me about what's happening on-screen and takes away so much more from the experience. Games offer parents enormous untapped potential."

Experts say that playing video games helps develop kids' lateral thinking and decision-making skills. Children are also encouraged to discover and experiment at their own pace, failing and trying new approaches to solving virtual problems, which helps build confidence and self-esteem.

"Games aren't solely an entertainment medium anymore. [Many] emphasize cooperation and sharing, and encourage kids to learn economic basics," says Olin, referring to such popular kids' titles as "Animal Crossing" and "Club Penguin."

"Other games like 'LittleBigPlanet' foster creativity, while online games such as 'Toontown' teach lessons on teamwork and community, and the Professor Layton series focuses on critical thinking and puzzle solving," Olin says. "Games illustrate the concept of risk and reward in a manner that's comprehensible and engaging."

Nevertheless, journalists focus mostly on violence in games, says Ariella Lehrer, CEO of software publisher Legacy Interactive.

"Some of the complaints that games destroy a child's ability to concentrate or do harm to the developing brain are silly. The research is not completely clear, but in general, the data paints a very different picture," she says.

Ultimately, gaming experts say, whether games are beneficial or detrimental to kids comes down to fundamental playing habits, exposure to age-appropriate content and, most vitally, active parental involvement.

"Games are a social currency that can enhance the relationship between parent and child -- no different than any other medium," says Olin. Most parents know their kids' friends, the shows they watch and some of the music they listen to. I always recommend that they take the same approach with the games that their children play."

Lehrer, whose titles include sophisticated animal doctoring simulations such as "Pet Pals" and "Zoo Vet," says games for kids can be challenging and don't have to dumb down the experience for them.

Maybe it's time that we held the debate over the impact of video games on children's lives to the same standards.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Scott Steinberg.

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Rs 35,000 cr for Games waste, should?ve gone to poor kids: Mani Shankar Aiyar

Posted: 27 Jul 2010 04:53 PM PDT

NEW DELHI: UPA's in-house critics appear determined to embarrass the government. Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, who routinely advertises that he is not on the same page with the government on policy issues, on Tuesday said that only evil minds can patronise the Commonwealth Games. He also said that he would be unhappy if the games were a success.

This drew sharp reaction from CWG Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi, who lost no time in dismissing the former sports minister's remarks as "irresponsible" and "anti-national."

The verbal spat was initiated by Mr Aiyar when he was asked to comment on the rainy morning by some mediapersons outside Parliament House. "I am delighted in a way because rains are causing difficulties for the Commonwealth Games. Basically, I will be very unhappy if the games are successful because then they will start bringing Asian Games, Olympic Games and all those," the former sports minister replied.

Explaining his opposition to the Games, Mr Aiyar said a whopping Rs 35,000 crore were being spent on the sporting event, when it should have been spent on children who did not have the basic facilities to play. "Those who are patronising the Games can only be evil. They cannot be God. Thousands of crores are being spent on circuses like these while the common children are being deprived of basic facilities to play," Mr Aiyar said, adding that all "expectations" from the Games had been belied.

Mr Aiyar also alleged that India had bribed other Commonwealth nations for the Games. "To take the Games, the Olympic association of every Commonwealth country was given $1 lakh...it was given to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Britain. Those countries did not need this money," he said adding that "I would call it a bribe."

Not the one to take Mr Aiyar's acerbic attack lying down, Mr Suresh Kalmadi hit back soon after calling the senior Congress leader's comments "ridiculous" and "irresponsible." "No Indian national can speak like that," he retorted. "No individual can spoil the Games. It is totally irresponsible and ridiculous statement from such a senior person, who has also headed the sports ministry earlier," said Mr Kalmadi.

"With the Commonwealth Games fast approaching, he should know his responsibilities and think before making such a statement. He is an elected member of Rajya Sabha but it is totally an anti-national statement from him," he added.

Not stopping at that, Mr Kalmadi made it a point to raise Mr Aiyar's earlier stint as a sports minister when he had spoken against the CWG. "It was because of his openness that he was removed from the sport minister's post. If he would have been the minister, the Commonwealth Games would never have come to India," the CWG organising committee chief said.

The Congress too distanced itself from Mr Aiyar's remarks. "I do not take him seriously," party MP Sandeep Dikshit said.

BJP, which has also raised questions about the preparations and the manner in which funds were being used, said irresponsible statements should not be made on the issue. SP, though not agreeing with Mr Aiyar's observations which it said were made for "sadistic pleasure," sought an inquiry into the huge funds that had been blown up for the Games.

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Kids Games

Wednesday, July 28, 2010