Journalist Anne Helen Petersen is tired of the "alarmist rhetoric" around video games. She's not the only one. In her newsletter, Culture Study, Petersen has already spoken to psychologist Rachel Kowert about the fearmongering, satanic-panic-adjacent stigma around gaming, and how it's not new for parents to worry about these things, but that they "deserve so much more" from the media.
Unsatisfied with merely debating and disproving the tired takes from publications who should know better, Peterson published a piece on Sunday entitled "gaming, in kids' own words". It's one thing to argue, and another thing entirely to see something negative, and decide to put out something positive instead - but that's exactly what this piece intends to do. It's a salve for those of us who've had enough of uninformed pieces about the "dangers of gaming", and can remind us all that sometimes, kids know best.
"I'm Doug. I'm 5 right now, but almost 6. My favorite games are Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, and Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker." - Doug, 5 (almost six)
In the newsletter, Peterson publishes the transcripts of interviews conducted by parents, grandparents, and siblings, using questions she provided them to discuss gaming with the kids. It's adorable. Doug, aged five-but-nearly-six, talks about how much he likes making food in Zelda, from the "good food", like omelets, to the "bad food", like "rock hard food with wood and monster wings and eyeballs". He likes watching Link eat the gross stuff, because he is five.
"I have a policy that keeps my eyes from dying which is that any opportunity to go outside I take it, no matter what. I think video games are only good in certain situations. If you do it too much your eyes die, if you do it too little you don't get to socialize. I think you have to find a perfect balance which I think I have." - Milo, 11
Poor Doug does occasionally get told to get off the Switch, though. Like any kid, he has other things to do. "I don't want to stop," he says. "It robs my happiness." Aw, Doug.
In some of the other interviews, kids talk about figuring out how to trigger glitches, playing with friends online, learning creativity, and finding out about other people in the world. "Some role-playing games have money," says Amity, aged nine, "and you have to learn how to spend cautiously. Having a cat is easier than paying for a bunch of kids. Kids cost so much money while cats only cost way less." Preach, Amity.
"I feel annoyed and angry with the "too much time playing video games argument", because people don't really understand... Gaming is so new that there's no conclusive evidence yet to prove if it's actually harmful." - Soren, 15
Most of the children interviewed are wise to the "kids play too many video games" argument. A surprisingly low number of them attempt to argue that video games are only good - they all seem pretty savvy to the fact that you can't just play games all day, and that sometimes, they can have a negative effect on your mood.
Generally, the kids interviewed seem annoyed, just like adults are, that people don't seem to understand that games have benefits, too, and that adults tell them what to do without any experience themselves. Henry, age 13, wisely says that "people need to make sure they don't get correlation and causation mixed together."
"My experience during the pandemic would have been a lot worse without the Switch. I think without it I would have felt a lot more bored and broken. It kind of makes me feel connected to people." - Violet, 10
Surprisingly, a few of the kids mention physical side-effects - brains rotting or shrinking, mostly - which is interesting. Apparently, that didn't die out in the '90s, when TVs would apparently turn your eyes square if you watched too much.
It's clear from these interviews that these kids, from a range of ages, are using games to socialise and entertain themselves, but there are unintended side effects, too. They're meeting people they never would have met in real life, and learning about economic disparity in Roblox, computer programming in Minecraft, interior decoration in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and social dynamics in Among Us. They're figuring out how to build communities, do chores for the fun of it, and manage their emotions. Some of them are learning to read by playing games, which is infinitely more interesting than the books you get forced to read at a tender age.
Children aren't stupid. They're just small, and they're still figuring a lot of things out. But they know what's going on. The least we can do is listen to them when they say that games aren't bad.
[source annehelen.substack.com]
Comments 54
As much as I think the ‘too much video games’ is a stupid argument, asking kids is hardly a counter argument. It’s like asking an addict if they like crack, at which point they say ‘yes, I love crack’. It doesn’t prove that crack is good because crack addicts like crack.
This reminds me of that lock that you could put on your kid's NES if you weren't smart enough to actually parent them.
It's bs. Blaming video games for violence is like blaming hot wheels for car crashes. You you know how stupid you would sound if you said, "HOT WHEELS CAUSE CAR CRASHES"
To much video games do I ask are you typing or doing your hobby to much? NO and asking kids who can't even comprehend the Playing to much argument its stupid And also game violence how comes movies can get away with soooo much but video games, (That dosne't look real mind you) have anything to do with it?
It's just like watching all those horror movies when I was young never did me any harm. The 57 people I killed would beg to differ, but I'm happy.
Well usually when parents kick kids off video games it's when they have played all day. I don't see anything wrong with that. Although some parents I know don't get it and only let there kids play games for like 30 minutes a day. I feel that's a minority though. Many kids would play mario all day long and not go outside kid me being one of them. My mom kicking me off the gamecube after I played for three hours is just her trying to help me develope healthy habits while still allowing me to enjoy a game. Although the thing about too much video games are bad for you isnt wrong, people seem to forget too much of anything is bad for you if it's convenient to the argument.
"I have a policy that keeps my eyes from dying which is that any opportunity to go outside I take it"
Are parents crazy to invent this kind of BS to scare their children away from videogames???
My eyes have been dying for a long, long time.
I think it's wholesome how the journalist pointed out that Doug is almost six.
Also, golden opportunity missed in the sub-headline, NintendoLife
@Rhaoulos I go for walks Every now and then and injoy outside, parents somtimes don't know S.
Too much of anything isn't good for you, but there's no harm in playing video games as long as one balances gaming with other life aspects.
These are adorable takes, but I don't know if they'd serve to help the argument against the "Games are bad for you" crowd. Funny how binging streaming services is okay, but picking up a controller commits you to Cult of Skynet....
@nessisonett This exactly! Kid me would have tried saying that not playing enough games was actually bad for your health...
Now that I have 2 kids I am amazed at their answers to anything: "Dad, my room is dirty because I don't want to exhaust myself by cleaning too much! That would be bad for my health!"
"Dad, I thought turning off my games to do my homework was a SUGGESTION, and that I could choose that if I wanted.."
Not everyone can be an avid reader, if dialogue heavy games (or Among Us) is what it takes for people to learn to love reading, then more power to them.
The "gaming bad" argument is irritating and ignorant and needs to stop. It's no worse than any other hobby, but I would guess there's just a natural stigma against stuff that wasn't around when you were a kid. People are just naturally resistant to change.
That said...I'll make a confession here. I probably do play too many video games.
@Rhaoulos It's true, though. After looking at any kind of screen for too long, my eyes start to hurt and I begrudgingly stop to appease them. You kinda have to play for a really long time for that, though.
I think I'm pretty good with managing my time with video games. I work out and go on walks pretty often, so I'm not locked up in my room on my switch all day. I know when It's time to get off, but sometimes I do get carried away when I'm having a lot of fun with friends. Like pretty much everything, video games are a perfect activity in moderation. They're perfect for hanging out with friends during quarantine, and Mario Kart makes for a fantastic family game night. And also, if screens make your brain turn to mush and make your eyes square, then I have the most square eyes and the mushiest brain from school.
@nessisonett I was going to make the point that OF COURSE the kids are going to be pro-game, but they were really eloquent in their arguments! And some of them said that actually, gaming is best in moderation!
The five year olds were mostly just like I GET ANGRY WHEN MUM SAYS NO GAMES, but they're five, so...
@BowtieShyGuy so many of the kids really wanted to point out that they were almost [age], or that they turned [age] just a few days ago. It was really cute.
@nessisonett well said.
All I know is my brother and sister in law have been playing 3-4 hours a night every night playing zombie army trilogy. And for three days in a row I dreamt of zombies.
@Rhaoulos I may have been the parents, but it could also have been from experience. If you look at a screen too long it will make your eyes hurt. I doubt that they meant that their eyes would actually die. You could make the argument that they’re just 11 so how could they know, but my brother who is currently 12 knows that it will hurt your eyes. Kids aren’t stupid they just get treated like they are so they act it.
Erm I hate to be the party pooper, but this is even LESS scientific than the studies that claim to show gaming causes violence.
@Tyranexx Yeah especially since gaming at least keeps you mentally active. Watching tv is like being in a state of unawareness. Like a trance of sorts where you are just absorbing info. This might be because they want us to think certain ways and they control tv so they can put ideas in our heads. Kind of a conspiracy theory, but it’s probably true.
Its funny how 13 and 15 year old's know more about this arguement then adults on their mid 30s.
"video games cause violence" to that I point to animal crossing and ask how I'm about to turn into a mass murderer
I'm not addicted to screens
(checks phone hours)
11 hours a day isn't that much right???
I like how parents like to say that screens are bad for you and then proceed to sit their 3 year old in front of a computer because they don't want to deal with them.
Video games teach problem solving skills, hand/eye coordination, dedication to goals, teamwork, and resiliency to challenges.
These same people whining about how bad they are likely are the same ones binging trash TV.
There are far worse hobbies than video games. Everything in moderation. Be a parent and set parameters with your kids.
@OnlyItsMeReid parents say screens are bad for you.
Parents are also ok with kids spending up to 6 hrs of distance learning on a screen.
If too much video games is bad, then too much of distance learning is bad as well
@1ofUs to be fair, my brother did buy a sports car and then proceed to flip and crash it like we used to flip and crash Hot Wheels cars as kids.
It all makes sense now...
Playing is what intelligent animals do. If they don't do X, they will do something else.
@Rhaoulos TBF although a little extreme they're not wrong. I used to play on my DS on the train to work and before long my eyes started to go blurry after using it for even a few minutes, thankfully I realised and stopped using it before there was permanent damage. His policy is actually pretty good and it's good to hear that he will take outside over games although the sad part is he thinks you have to play games to socialise which is what I think is the real problem with kids and games these days.
@nessisonett That's a terrible analogy for a number of reasons.
For one thing you're framing children as victims and act as if playing games is something they do out of a compulsion from addiction (which literally rewires your brain to want the target of it) to something they do voluntarily, often with others, for fun.
Second. The analogy isn't anywhere close to reality unless you're talking about games that blatantly try to use addictive mechanics (in a similar way to gambling) to try to lure them into doing harmful things (spending lots of money).
Third. Asking the children is a good thing because ignoring their thoughts and such on this is not only eschewing a whole other data point, it's also denying a whole other perspective of the whole picture.
If you want to use that analogy, you have to apply it to everyone, not just the children. A lot of people are around my age of 29 and we still play video games. Is it because of addiction?
@MegaVel91 I think you hit on a good point. Video games are becoming more and more of an adult hobby. Yes, lots of kids still play them, but the facts are kids mostly play one of two games: Minecraft or Fortnite. Adults with disposable income are the ones buying the other games, the single player games and the other games available. It's not like when I was a kid in the 80s/90s playing the latest NES/SNES game, beating it, and then picking up another game to play, beat, rinse and repeat. Gaming, especially for kids, has changed a lot. They are perfectly content playing one of these two games with their friends. And gaming as an adult is a perfectly acceptable hobby. I'm in my late 30s-early 40s, married, work a full-time job, home owner, and love gaming on my Switch.
l remember when l was a kid. l would have to hide myself around the house from my mom when playing a video game because she always hated that l like playing video games a lot. One of the reasons l liked when she would work during the day so l can be left alone to play games. Thank goodness she stopped after l got older. She would always say l have too many games and l played them too much.
@A_standard_idiot yeah! Only ppl in their 30s who have grew up with video games won't be like others.
@Ghostchip All day makes sense because of vision damage. But yeah 30 min is not enough for kids. Its like my mom, 10 min was only the play time l get, so l would just only play when she would work.
Its so interesting how that one kid, Milo, said that gaming allows him to socialize. I never really thought of it like that. When I was a kid, gaming was usually a lonely venture, outside of the occasional game with friends (but we weren't getting together to play, we were already together and video games was just what everyone wanted to do). Most of my hours, then and now, are me going into single-player, or multiplayer with randoms. But at the same time, gaming has become the only way I connect with friends that aren't my future wife.
Question, where is the "Middle age and elderly people watch to much TV article" article? I've been hearing the "Kids play to many video games" crap since the 1990s. But everyone I know of my parents generation watches hours and hours of television that easily matches or exceeds the video game hours of younger generations.
But my parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends' parents are a smaller sample group.
I would be very very curious. Who spends more time? People age 50-75 on TV or younger folks, say 15-35 on video games? And just for good measure, lets ask both questions to both groups and the middle age folks age 36-49 too.
Let's see what the actual numbers are.
And then, let's stop shaming people for their hobbies. Unless we can shame people for liking sports the way all other hobbies get shamed.
@bobzbulder Most games do keep you mentally active, yes. They can involve planning, strategizing, puzzle solving, hand/eye coordination, inspire creativity, etc., etc.
Kids play too many videogames, but binging 90-day fiancé is totally normal.
K, boomer.
@OnlyItsMeReid idk low turnip prices all week does something to a person.
The amount of adults I know that make comments about kids or myself (another adult) playing too many video games, adding things like "don't you want to go outside", "don't you want to do something else", "don't you feel you're wasting your time" etc...but then spend longer every evening sat in front of the TV watching whatever comes on, not really paying attention or enjoying it, or complaining about repeats.
Amazing how the screens I sit less than a metre away from 36.5hours/5 days a working week are specially built to avoid the squarifying effects my mum told me the TV had.
@kingbk Kids aren't just playing Minecraft and Fortnite though, that's just two of the big hitters. Add Roblox to the list for example. Kids will play whatever they can get their hands on, and they have access to a lot.
I've been gaming pretty much since it started, and it is sad to see some of the same tiresome arguments being made against games by mainstream media. I don't quite understand why it's still the case, when there are so many of us now like me in our 50s and 60s. We're the adults, we're playing games, it's as normal as watching a movie for us, so why do these odd views and stereotypes still persist. Sure, I meet the odd person around my age who strangely thinks games are for kids, but they're absolutely a minority. Stranger still, those individuals have no problems with football, a game where kid players vastly outnumber the adults.
Regardless, it's nice to see an article with a different viewpoint.
@Mr_Persona imagine mr. Persona playing a persona or smt game on ten minute increments a day lol.
yo who does doug main in smash ultimate
@Ghostchip l don't want to think about those old days xD
great part the year after my mom decided to let me play whenever is when I started Persona games. I remember when I was 6-9, I was able to play video games whenever, so I have no idea what changed my mom's mind.
@1ofUs yeah, if anyone should be blamed for car crashes its nascar
@nessisonett so what your saying is that you consider small kids to be the same as crack addicts and people should start sending their 5 year olds to rehab for playing video games for a few hours a day?
@Shadowmoon522 I'm pretty sure @nessisonett was just making an example
Doug is a hero
@Mr_Persona bro I wasn't allowed to play persona until I was 15 and was only allowed to play three (I bought four and they wouldn't let me play it lol)
@Ghostchip why because they're swearing and alcohol. Well parents need to grow up and understand the world today.
@Mr_Persona my parents are mega christians I'm also christian but Im not going to summon satan just because I like to play persona lol. I didn't say this but they said no to persona 3 so I just got it from a friend only reason I got into the series same for strajgenjorney and devil survivor would never havej been allowed to play.
Edit they don't care about cursing and alcohol the demonic crap throws them off. They bought four after I asked, looked into it, saw the words demon summoning and said no
Double edit it bothers me I cant tell if your profile pic is makoto from dancing all night or the protagonist from devil survivor
@Ghostchip dancing
and wow l guess they're are pretty strong. But the demons in P4 aren't dark as P3. You basically go to hell in P3, so l think P4 and P5 ahould be fine games. Tell them, Personas are like fairy creatures xD
@Mr_Persona I played p3 without my parents permission... And demons in MEGATEN translate to monsters bit they don't get that goblins are demons to japan and sake with angels... Also no mention of smt v in nintendo direct what the heck
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