Video Games – Aliyah G

As a young child I was not allowed to play video games, so I  never felt a need t0 play video games.  Instead I was encouraged to occupy myself  by doing something more useful.  During my free time at home I would read or walk over to my neighbour’s house and play baketball.  Even though video games claim to enhance your problem solving skills, i still don’t get into the craze of   playing video games.

Video Games- Aarti V.

I enjoy playing video games. Even though I don’t have brothers,  my dad was always into buying the newest system for our entertainment. I do see the benefits in video games, like increase in corrdination and problem solving skills. I did go through phases with video games. Around the age 16 I got into gaming with my boyfriend. I am now in the phase, trying to convince him to buy me a pink Nintendo DS.

Video Games- Feda E

I was never a fan of video games. I grew up watching my younger brothers constantly playing but always encouraged them to do something more useful. I would tell them to read books instead or socialize and make friends. I understand that video games might have some benefits like enhancing your problem solving skills but i don’t support spending too much time playing video games.

Video Games- Emily M

Growing up, I think I had a bit more exposure to video games than most young girls. With two big brothers and a neighborhood full of boys, I often took part in passing away the day infront of the television screen playing a video game. I think video games are a pretty good form of entertainment and are able to offer educational or mentally beneficial exercises for children, but should be played in moderation. Video games are interactive and are able to be played by more than just one player. They are also challenging and sometimes demand the player to think differently or to just keep on retrying different techniques until they overcome the obstacle. Video games can offer exposure to things that children may otherwise not know about and through a video game, they can become perhaps better acquainted with whatever they discover than a book or movie could provide. Playing too much a day is probably pretty unhealthy. Children are still developing and need to be active and have exercise to set themselves up for a healthier future. Also, video games can encourage lazing around and mindlessly eating junk food while sitting infront of the tv.  So, I think moderation is key.

Computer Games- Baha A

I grew up playing specific video games, which involved sports.  Video games that do not appeal to me are adventurous and violent types. I believe that a kid who spends most of his day playing video games is less friendly and has less social skills; it just matters on how much they play. I played video games when I was younger in the morning and on rainy days, the rest of the time I was out playing sports with my friends.  One great thing about video games is that sometimes it brings kids together, I would have friends over just  to play games.  

Video Games-Corey B

I grew up playing a lot of video games in my free time.  I would have to say that it probably didnt do any harm, other than not being an entirely constructive way to spend time.  I think that depending on what kind of game you play, there can definately be benifits.  Alot of the games I played involved moving units around on a world map, and that being reinforced every time I played the games helped me get a good grasp on world geography. First person shooters and other fast paced games can improve peripheral vision and hand eye coordination.  I think that video and computer games can have many positive effects on children if they are playing the right kinds of games, ones that are intellectually stimulating.  Game companies make tons of games that are designed to teach even preschoolers to read, write, do arithmatic, and adress many other important concepts. Games often involve puzzles, riddles, or physical obstacles that the player must overcome to advance, and this encourages problem solving skills.  Computer games could be bad too, though.  If you dont play them with other children, it becomes an insular activity and could cause social dificulty for the child. I’ve also heard of people getting joint problems in their hands and fingers from excessive gaming.  Other than that and the detrimental effect staring at a screen has on the eyes, I don’t think computer games cause harm to children.  I disagree with people who say that video games cause violent behavior in children. Overall, the positive educational and developmental possibilities offered by video games outweigh any risk they pose to children.

Computer Games – Alicia H.

I also grew up playing a lot of computer and video games. One type of computer game that I really loved was the Adventure Game. It is kind of a dead genre these days, but some of its characteristics can be found in many Role-Playing Games and even First-Person Shooters.  These games (like Myst, King’s Quest, and Grim Fandango) required me to solve puzzles using trial and error, and logic in order to progress further into the story. I had to explore areas, look for clues, talk to characters in the game, collect, examine, and combine items, perform tasks in a certain order or with a certain timing, etc. Many of the puzzles were indeed very challenging and often complex. I was constantly using Gee’s “probe, hypothesize, reprobe, rethink” cycle, so as Johnson claims, I was basically using the scientific method! I’m a biology major, so maybe I have games to thank for helping me develop my skills.

The downside I can see to gaming is that with its clear objectives and reward structure, and strong entertainment value, it might lessen one’s tolerance for less-stimulating activities. Games just have a lot more appeal than, say, laundry. I think you just have to make sure that while playing games you are not neglecting any important responsibilities.  It’s the same way with a lot of other enriching leisure activities. It’s all about moderation.

Video games

I really hated games and i still do…i actually prefer sports or other physical games than the video games,,..,,,,Where i grew up, in Nepal, we didnt use to have to modern techologies etc available to everyone…so i never really knew much about video games…when i came here i knew more about it but i wasnt that intrsted to it…even now i dont have much knowledge on it or any intrest. so i think whether the video games is violent and does harm to kids would depend on the amount of violent materials in it. But it doesnt happen all the time so….

Computer Games – Mike H

Personally I don’t think that games really pose a danger to people by themselves. I think that when a game takes priority over something valuable to one’s life that is it harmful and poses dangers to someone. Games can educate on real simple things as well as more complex and get them across more easily than traditional teaching. Computer games can also challenge the mind in areas that traditional learning can not. The dangers of video games is when one doesn’t know anything better than what the video game has presented to them. Another danger also comes with addiction to video games and just like anything else that is addictive it can effect various parts of ones life depending on the how bad the addiction is. Overall it’s a very split issue because it’s certain details about the person and the game and how much its played that really determine whether the games are dangerous to the user.

Computer Games – Cara S.

When I was younger I played a lot of computer and video games, and I really did learn from them. It’s true some of them were pretty nerdy (Oregon Trail for starters) but they all managed to teach in an entertaining way, which made learning a lot less painful. Also games force you to use the skills they are trying to teach, making them more effective than the endless stack of elementary school worksheets in many cases. Multiplication is much easier to learn if you have to use it in a puzzle to stop a robot or something than if you’re just answering rows and rows of problems.