What are your thoughts about children playing video games - esp so called violent one - for example robot aliens killing each other.
A teen asked me that today in church -- I've only had a video game once and all it had was Pac-man
Insights please
Video Games
Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Salty, Aug 28, 2011.
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It depends on the game. We had Space Invaders so that was killing space robots but I think it was pretty innocuous. However, the more realistic shoot-em-up ones are not good, IMO. I don't like games that glorify sin so anything with murder, sexual things, robbery and things like that are out around here. That's why we got the Wii - it has many more "fun" things to do on it than just to shoot people.
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Sort of hands on cowboys and Indians. In general there should be no problem but if a child came to me and asked me that question I would ask the child what their parents says about it since children have a tendency to pit authority against authority. Then if the parent says it is not good that would be my answer.
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InTheLight Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
I remember playing 'army' when I was a kid. About a dozen neighborhood boys would split up into warring factions and stage battles. We had toy guns and toy hand grenades. We'd hide and advance on someone's fort and try to take it over. As far as I know, no one grew up to become a murderer. LOL. -
preachinjesus Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
Video games, like all other forms of media, should be monitored and regulated by parents.
I'm a pretty big fan of the ERSB (?) rating system that is out. Personally, I would let any child under the age of 16 play the extreme RPG or FPS games that are out there. One of the strategies that we have used is to talk honestly with our kids about wha happens when they encounter these kinds of things. The reality isn't if, but when, and how they will react.
As a whole we've really desensitized ourselves to the violence around us, these games do affect that and us.
When I play any games they're primarily sports games. But I still do dabble in a couple of rounds of CoD or Assassins Creed. ;) -
I personally think they are a mindless waste of time and they should all be taken to the nearest ball park and smashed to bits....a bit like they did disco records (which really dates me). Seriously tho, I believe they teach very wrong things and children should not be allowed access to video games. Even the old games like Pac Man, Galaga, and Space Invaders taught killing. I think this is just one of Satan's subtle ways to infiltrate the mind and warp it for his ways.
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There is a difference between "teaching killing" and "teaching murder". And on some of these video games you have to be paying attention or you'll find you've crossed the line.
But, violent, blood and guts, video games are no worse than the latest horror flick. How many time have you thought after watching the 15th installation of Halloween, "I think I'll go stab someone"? :rolleyes:
The problem is not what most of these video games teach. It's the amount of time they consume in non productive activity. Well, you will develop your fine motor skills, but mostly one is just wasting time. If you can set limits on play time that's great, but I know far to many kids (kids especially!) who are quite simply addicted to their video games and have lost their ability to occupy themselves if they aren't sitting in front of one. And that is a problem.
Now for specific games. My kids (lol and husband) do play certain games rated mature. Which ones? Halo, Gears of War and Call of Duty. These are multiplayer games. A little bit gory (but honestly video blood just doesn't compare to the real thing). All teach strategy and logic. You have to use your brain as well as your thumbs to play these games. If you have X-box live the game becomes a social event. (our house is wired, with a screen in almost every room so we often have group events where everyone brings their box and cables and all hook up. Usually this is preceded by a paintball tourney and occurs over a whole weekend.)
Video games are what you make of them. If you set limits and abide by them, they are harmless entertainment, no different than spending Friday night at the football game. (or Saturday afternoon, or Sunday night :rolleyes: ) -
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I as a parent, working most of the time overseas, away from my family, videogames helped me to forget my longings, plus all the lust temptations around me, about the questions on killing contents, when it comes to a child, it should be explain to them, I allow my kids to play those kind of games that involves killings, but this is only 10% of our game collections. Most of our games are puzzle, racing and other non-killing content games. and they are aware it's only game. We alotted time at home for playing video games ussually during non school days at maximum of 4 hours, I and my kids having a great time. I think video games helping them to develop strategy, logic, and speed, plus informations, like for example GRAN TURISMO, how many virtual player turned their dreams of becoming a real race driver into real? That's because of gaming consoles.
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I was reading an article in Discover magazine that claimed researchers have proven that people who play the shoot-em up video games have less stress than people that don't. Of course, I have less stress when I hit the heavy bag I have hanging in my basement or when I go for a good hard bike ride or super long walk.
I do have a game called IWO JIMA on my pc that I do enjoy playing. It an action game that reenacts the island hopping battles in the Pacific in WWII. -
preachinjesus Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
We know we all need something that is a "mindless diversion" from time to time. There is no honest person who says they can go full bore 24/7 with no moment for release. Even at my age sitting down with an XBox controller and a 30 free minutes of fun time helps pull the stress right out of my body.
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preachinjesus said: ↑We know we all need something that is a "mindless diversion" from time to time. There is no honest person who says they can go full bore 24/7 with no moment for release. Even at my age sitting down with an XBox controller and a 30 free minutes of fun time helps pull the stress right out of my body.Click to expand...
I think we Christians make a mistake when we think we can dabble in Satan's playground and come out unscathed. -
DiamondLady said: ↑True, but I think a game of solitaire, or sitting down and reading a good novel is equally relaxing and doesn't involve a gun, bomb, knife, sword, hand grenades or other weapons of destruction.
I think we Christians make a mistake when we think we can dabble in Satan's playground and come out unscathed.Click to expand...
Also make sure your playing cards (you know all games involving cards of of the devil, right?) don't have any swords or axes on them. On the two decks I checked at my house, both have swords on them. -
Just think how much of the Bible we'd have to cut out if we followed the idea of no weapons in our leisure.
You can take a good idea too far. -
menageriekeeper said: ↑Just think how much of the Bible we'd have to cut out if we followed the idea of no weapons in our leisure.
You can take a good idea too far.Click to expand... -
matt wade said: ↑Just make sure the novel you read doesn't have any guns, bombs, knives, swords, hand grenades, or other weapons mentioned in it.
Also make sure your playing cards (you know all games involving cards of of the devil, right?) don't have any swords or axes on them. On the two decks I checked at my house, both have swords on them.Click to expand... -
DiamondLady said: ↑I play solitare on my computer (GoodSol- 760 different solitare games) can't say I've seen any swords on the cards. As for novels, I think you're being ridiculous. You may not agree with my views and my opinions of video games, and that fine. But I don't think you need to ridicule those opinions. You do whatever you feel is right, and if that includes playing violent video games then that's on you and between you and God. Salty asked what we thought about the games and I answered him. Sorry if I don't fall into the sheep line and say they're fine.Click to expand...
Is it that the books hit a little to close to home for you?
Obviously there are video games that are inappropriate. There are also books that are inappropriate. But for you to make sweeping generalizations about all video games is ridiculous. I mean, Pacman, seriously? -
matt wade said: ↑It's a perfectly valid comparison, whether you like it or not. Why are ALL video games "one of Satan's subtle ways to infiltrate the mind and warp it for his ways", yet books that have violence, murder, killing, and weapons not "one of Satan's subtle ways..."?
Is it that the books hit a little to close to home for you?
Obviously there are video games that are inappropriate. There are also books that are inappropriate. But for you to make sweeping generalizations about all video games is ridiculous. I mean, Pacman, seriously?Click to expand...
It might interest you to know I OWN guns, and know how to use them. I'm 85% accurate at 50 ft in the bullseye. I'm not against guns. I'm against teaching kids indiscriminate murder and killing....there's a difference. I'm not against using weapons in war, I am against kids sitting in front of a video game for hours, days, weeks at a time and learning the lessons so well they take those same kinds of guns into a school and massacre their schoolmates and teachers. I AM for teaching kids respect for guns, and if you're going to give them access to a gun teach them how to properly use it and what it's used for.
I am also against giving Satan open access to our homes through anything that teaches our kids things that are clearly wrong. When scripture says no part I believe it means...no part. -
DiamondLady said: ↑FWIW, I do not read novels that have violence in them. I think stating that a novel that has a gun or knife in it is equal to a video game that is ALL about killing is the same is not a valid comparison. I just finished a series from Karen Kingsbury where one of the characters is killed by a student on steroids with a gun. The gun wasn't the focus, it was addressed lightly, the focus was on how the family overcame the death. In video games the focus IS on the guns and violence. I think there's a world of difference.
It might interest you to know I OWN guns, and know how to use them. I'm 85% accurate at 50 ft in the bullseye. I'm not against guns. I'm against teaching kids indiscriminate murder and killing....there's a difference. I'm not against using weapons in war, I am against kids sitting in front of a video game for hours, days, weeks at a time and learning the lessons so well they take those same kinds of guns into a school and massacre their schoolmates and teachers. I AM for teaching kids respect for guns, and if you're going to give them access to a gun teach them how to properly use it and what it's used for.
I am also against giving Satan open access to our homes through anything that teaches our kids things that are clearly wrong. When scripture says no part I believe it means...no part.Click to expand...
You are going to get an argument from me that ALL video games are inappropriate. If you honestly believe that games like Pacman, Space Invaders, Mario Kart, and Donkey Kong are instruments of Satan, then our discussion is over because you are too far out there to reason with.
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