My husband and I are the kind of mean parents whom kids grumble about
on the playground. We're among that ever shrinking group of parents known as
nintendo holdouts. We refuse to buy a nintendo set. (Nintendo, for those who
have been living in a cave for the past few years, is something that you hook up
to your TV set that enables you to play various games on your homescreen)
Around Christmastime, my son made a wish list and I noticed that nintendo was
No. 1. I said, "You know you are not going to get nintendo." He said " I know im
not going to get it from you. But I might get it from him." Alas, Santa too, let him
I've heard parents' rationalizations about the games: "They're good for
hand-eye coordination." (So is playing ball.) "It's something kids can do without an
adult watching." (So is-dare I say the word?) "While he's playing at the screen, I
can relax for a few minutes." (Who among us hasn't usede the electronic
babysitter from time to time? But "a few minutes"? Who are we kidding?)
I don't think that playing a video game bow and then is really harmful to children.
Buyt the children I know are so obsessed with these games that they have
prompted at least one second-grade teacher (my son's) to ban the word nintendo
from the classroom. When I asked my 7-year-old if the teacher wouldn't let the
kids talk aboutr the ga,mes because thats all they were talking about, he said,
"No. That's all we were thinking about."
Our societyt is already so computerized and dehumanized that kids don't
need one more reason to avoid playing outside or ygoing for a walk or talking with
a friend. I'd still feel this way even if there were nothibng intrisically wrong with
games whose objectives are to kill and destroy.
I know, I know. There are games other than those like Rampage, Robocop,
MotorCross Maniacs, Bionic Commando, Dr. Doom's Revenge, Guerilla War and
Super Street Fighter. But aren't th...