Video Gaming Blog

I often hear how bad video games are for children and that video games increase violent tendencies. But I ask, is it video games or is it not just another scapegoat for parents blaming their lack of interaction with their children?

I remember watching Bugs Bunny as a young child. The happy go lucky rabbit constantly being chased by MR. Fudd toting his over sized shotgun, aiming to bring an end to poor ole Bugs.
If having the desire of blasting furry critters to pieces isn’t violent then I don’t know what is!

Being a parent of two now grown boys, along with my involvement in the video game industry, both of my sons often had a game controller in their hands.
Both of them could beat Mario by age 2! Both knew what a video card was at a young age and both could type better than they could print.

Both are also now fine young gentlemen with bright careers before them. One in mechanical engineering and the other in sound engineering.
These two interests both stem from their exposure to video games and technology I believe.

And trust me, I quite often gave the exposure to all of the high tech gadgetry on my sons some very serious thought.
Was gaming going to effect them in a negative way?
Would it cause them to react with violent tendencies when frustrated with a game? Worse yet, would it make them go out and steal cars and become the scourge of the earth?

As this was a major concern I kept a very close eye out for any effects that gaming may have.
And I did see effects! But not what one would think.
What I found was that they were learning to problem solve beyond their age! Their analytical abilities were being exercised along with their desire to exercise these new found abilities.
All of this was coming from playing video games!

I had been expecting the negative and never once considered the positive!
I will admit that there were times when they got frustrated at a game and I had to tell them to put it away. I have also had to do this for myself at times when playing games.

With moderation, gaming can teach an array of mental and motor skills.

For the most part these two young heathens were learning to use their brains and to teach themselves. And they enjoyed it! Instead if restricting their gaming I chose to use this technology as a tool for teaching them

Their interest in video games caused them to ask how they could make their own video games.
How could they possibly take their own ideas and make them into a game?
You might ask what is the benefit of this?
Just think about it, games are digital, and to work with it you use math. Programming is nothing but algebra put to use.
If they wanted to program they needed to excel in math.
Also in programming you must be precise and cannot rush through development.
You must create and coordinate a plan. And then you must put that plan into action.
Look at all of the abilities that these two young boys have just taken an interest in!

I do know that excessive gaming can be detrimental to a young mind as well as to an old one. As a Parent you have to take the responsibility and monitor the game play. I believe 2 hours of game play should be the max amount of time before a child should turn their attention towards exercise and other things.
I also think gaming has far more positive effects on children than watching television does. There isn’t a whole lot of thought processing going on when one veg’s to the television.

Just like anything video gaming can be abused and needs to be controlled.
But with the proper games and scheduling you can turn their love for gaming into a learning experience.

You just have to take control of the situation and not always trust the child to make the correct judgment without leadership. They are not born with good judgment but learn it.
As with anything else they do in their young life they need guidance and will look to you for this guidance.

So do not let all of the hype of video games being evil scare you. They can be a wonderful teaching tool if used correctly.

HomeComputerGames.com carries a wide selection of kids video games that you can use for training tools. Be sure to check out or Computer Games for Kids section for ESRB rating guides.

Thank you for stopping by,

Ken