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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Things to know about being a gamer parent.



More and more these days serious gamers are becoming parents. [You bet, including me!] I can get down on some World Of Warcraft yo. Being a gamer, I know a lot of people who think gamers would make terrible parents. That has real possibility to be true, but you can't group all gamers together like that. One bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch. I for one, feel that gaming is a great way to bond, not only with my future child but with my boyfriend as well. When we get in a fight, we go do things on World of Warcraft and everything goes back to normal. No more fight! [This usually ends with a "Get your stupid ass on skype yo, lets arena." and an "Alright but I gotta do something real quick first."]

Now first and foremost, I wan't to let this be known, I would never let my kid play as much video games as I play. There would be a limit, and I would start them at an appropriate age.

The benefits of letting your child play video games:
If you let them play online, they develop better communication skills. [The best thing to do when letting them play online is to monitor their gameplay. You can control your children, but adults have a hard time controlling themselves. Try to find a community of people who also have kids who game.] 

Computer games like WoW or Guild Wars are great for many things. They learn to type faster, and spell better. [Jordan, before he started wow he could only type a couple words a minute. It's truly amazing how much he's improved.] I also think games like this are great for bonding when your child gets a bit older, like I said earlier. There's nothing like getting together with family and friends to quest or dungeon. Games like this also help your child build a sense of economy if you teach them how to use the auction house. 

Xbox or PS3 racing type games teach hand eye coordination. [They are also very fun to play with a couple people, yay more bonding time!] 

Most games induce decision making and problem solving skills as well as perception and reaction skills. Video games teach children to think on their feet. Games also improve visual attention. Children who game are also more aware of their surroundings.

There are also a ton of video games out there that are made specifically for teaching your children, they teach math, reading, science among others.


Any of you gamers out there have anything to add? Writing this one was tough, but I'm positive most gamers have what it takes to be great parents, and I hate that a few bad apples ruin societies view of us all. 

3 comments:

  1. I agree with ya ,our kid has played eversince he could hold a controller.But we limited him on how long he played ( Ihad to play sometimes too lol).But we made sure he went outside and played with other kids to.getting fresh air and all that and learing to interact with others.

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  2. There was actually an article I read not too long ago that talked about how doctors and scientists and the like are using videogames and virtual simulations to help patients learn and get over fears. It also touched on the subject of children playing videogames, saying that a certain amount of hours a week playing videogames was actually incredible for a child's learning processes, but anymore than that it becomes detrimental. I want to say that they said around 23-24 hours a week was the best. I wish I could remember where I saw that article, if I can think of it, I will link you.

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  3. I found it! It may be on damnlol but they have links to their sources. http://www.damnlol.com/gaming-is-good-for-you-20570.html

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