8:13 AM
My boy doesn't want one video game or one video game console, he wants the Nintendo, the Sony and the Xbox and he wants all the games that go with it. He also wants access to the computer so that he can play games on the computer as well. It is as if he is plugged into these games all the time, at least he would like to be if allowed. Video games are big business, with over $13 billion spent each year on video and computer games. This suggests that an awful lot of playing is going on. New releases of games are eagerly anticipated by players and many are willing to stand in line for a day or two to get hold of a new system or spend hours hunting down a new release. Unquestionably, video games are attractive toys, particularly to boys.
Undoubtedly, parents have been concerned for a long time about the consuming nature of video games. Hours spent in front of a screen, in the dark if possible "can't be healthy" for a child. The encouragement to play or more traditional board game or to even go outside and play is something any boy of the electronic age has heard in response to his desire to play his electronic games. But is there any danger in video games? It is possible to overdo any activity, even good ones. One can sleep too much, exercise excessively and certainly we can eat too much hence it is without question possible to play video games in excess. But defining excess can be difficult. Clearly, three to four hours a day every day would be viewed as excessive by most, but what about three to four hours on the weekend? Should we count it only if they are played straight through or even if there are sizable chunks of time in between sessions? Is it excessive if there is no real demonstrative impact on the child and his behavior, attitudes and performance? There is also the variability within children to consider, some will be affected more easily by gaming than others.
There is growing evidence that video games can be both good and bad. Video games can teach certain skills such as cooperation, strategy and team building as well as some exposure to the technology that is ubiquitous in today's world. The new Wii is showing some benefits in terms of physical activity and is being used by some physical therapists. Do a Google search on the benefits of video games and you will find reputable articles discussing the benefits of video games. But the dangers are there as well. It is beyond doubt and well documented that TV violence influences violence in children. While there is little research into the connection between video games and violence, can the link be weaker than it is in television viewing? A game in which your character engages in violence has to be as influential as TV. But the dangers seem to go beyond the potential influence these games may have on character.
A recent study at Stanford University demonstrated that the brains of males responded to video game playing more than the brains of females, and that the increased brain activity was in the pleasure center of the brain. While the number of participants were small (less than 25), this type of research demonstrates that games do effect the brain. Other researchers are suggesting that games influence brain development for the negative and the too much time in front of a screen makes children more easily distracting and increases the difficulty they have in remaining still. The ever increasing diagnosis of disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may suggest that the number of hours in front of highly stimulating objects may be compromising our children's ability to be attentive and to occupy themselves quietly. Computer and video games will only add to this problem. And there is the issue of video game addiction.
While the American Medical Association has decided that there is insufficient evidence to declare excessive video gaming an addiction, it is only because of a lack of sufficient research. There are many that believe in time, excessive video gaming will be a recognized disorder. There are clinics that are beginning to offer treatment for gaming addiction and there are support groups beginning to form to deal with the issue. Addiction seems to present itself most often with games associated with on line communities.
These games usually involve the development of characters. These characters can develop abilities and skills as well as accumulate weapons and other assets that are valuable in the game world. The development of these characters takes many hours to develop and make the game very engrossing. Combined with the possibility of interacting with others, these online games form a type of alternate world into which many escape. There have been recent stories of divorces, health problems, child neglects and even death associated with these games in particular. Is your child addicted? Ask yourself the following questions -
Does your child:
o play almost every day?
o often play for long periods (over 3-4 hours a time)?
o play for excitement?
o get restless and irritable if they can't play?
o sacrifice social and sporting activities?
o play instead of doing their homework?
o Try to cut down their playing but can't?
o Playing for increasing amounts of time?
o Thinking about gaming during other activities?
o Gaming to escape from real-life problems, anxiety, or depression?
o Lying to friends and family to conceal gaming?
o Feeling irritable when trying to cut down on gaming?
Answering yes to four or more of these questions suggests that there may be a problem. If there is a problem what can you do about it? Here are some resources to get your started on dealing with your loved one's potential problem.
1. Tips for Getting Video Gaming Under Control
National Institute on Media and the Family
Taming the Video Game Tiger
2. Computer Addiction Services
McLean Hospital
115 Mill Street
Belmont, MA 02478
Phone: 617-855-2908
Call or write for a local referral
3. Center for Internet Addiction Recovery
(Go to:www.netaddiction.com)
Lists of resources and helps for a variety of online addictive behaviors
4. Talk to your family doctor about your concern.
Troy L Parrish MA LCPC is a therapist in private practice in Columbia, MD. As the owner and editor of Boys Behavior, he is interested in fostering the appreciation of boys as unique, different from girls. As such they should be encouraged in the development of their masculinity rather than have that trained out of them. You can read more about video game addiction as well as other issues associated specifically with boys, from behavior and parenting to encouraging reading and spirituality. Visit http://Boysbehavior.com we are always giving away something for free, and we would love to hear from you.
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The first video game that most people remember was a basic computerized version of table tennis, called "Pong". This is not because it was the first video game - there were many others floating around university campuses long before Pong debuted - but because it was the first video game to gain massive popular appeal. Today, video games are a lucrative entertainment industry, rivaling films for popularity and even intertwining with Hollywood - movies are made from popular games (such as Doom and Resident Evil) and games are created based on popular movies (such as Transformers and Star Wars). In fact, the first movie tie-in video game ever created was based on Star Wars in the 1980's, when video games were first emerging as a competitive force in popular culture.
It's tempting to be dismissive of video games as a toy for kids or a hobby for nerds, but they are really much more pervasive and widely popular than that. Their history is filled with ups and downs. Video games did not achieve world wide success overnight, but rather over a long period of time and in fits and starts.
After the sudden popularity of Pong in 1972, the industry enjoyed a brief period of commercial success, where a few of the best-known early games emerged, such as "Tank" and "Blockade", but it didn't last. In 1977 the public lost interest in video games and the bottom fell out of the market. This, too, was short-lived, however, as the video game began to reemerge in 1978 with the release of a game that is still popular with video game fanatics to this day: "Space Invaders". Space Invaders was the first game to give players the incentive of besting other players' "high score" and was an enormous success. Space Invaders was followed in 1980 by a little game known as "Pac-Man", an unprecedented success by any standards that put video games firmly back into the public imagination. For the first time, a video game character was so popular that merchandise tie-ins such as keychains and bedsheets were sold bearing its image. After Pac-Man, the public was clamouring for new games, and the companies that designed them were falling over themselves to come up with the next big thing. The next big thing ended up being released by a small Japanese company called Nintendo and featured an ape called "Donkey Kong" throwing barrels at a little jumping man who was trying to save his girlfriend. The little jumping man didn't get a name until Donkey Kong's sequel, "Donkey Kong Jr.", was released and they decided to call him Mario. He would go on to become the single most popular video game character in the world.
The first few years of the 1980's also saw the emergence of the home game console. The Atari 2600, the Intellivision console by Mattel and ColecoVision consoles all improved upon previous graphics and gameplay, but in the rush to cash-in on video game popularity, the market found itself overcrowded and the public once again lost interest. In 1983, the bottom fell out of the industry for the second time. However, this was also a short-lived setback. Home computers brought back the video game as a popular form of entertainment, and consoles made a major come-back in the 1990's. Though there were popular consoles during the latter part of the 1980's - the Nintendo Entertainment System comes to mind - the console really took off when they developed to the point that sophisticated, realistic graphics began to be possible with the innovation of 64-bit technology. At that point, Sony created its famous first console, known as the PlayStation. The PlayStation went head-to-head against Nintendo's acclaimed 64-bit console, the Nintendo 64, without a clear winner.
The popularity of PlayStation and the Nintendo 64 led to the next generation of consoles from both of those manufacturers, but also saw computer software giant Microsoft enter the fray. In 2000 and 2001, the PlayStation2, the Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft's Xbox were all released in quick succession, and despite the presence of three major consoles on the market, they all enjoyed a high level of success. Video gaming had reached a level of popularity that, unlike in 1983, allowed it, as an industry, to support them. It had truly become entertainment for the masses.
Currently, the three major console manufacturers each have new consoles on the market: the PlayStation3, the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox360. Each company has tried to come up with new gimmicks and innovations to beat out the others for the affections of gamers.
What's best for hardcore gamers, however, isn't necessarily what's best for everyone. While the PlayStation3 is competing for the same market as the Xbox360, the Nintendo Wii has taken a different approach, appealing to a broader, more family-friendly audience. With its innovative new controller that works by waving it around in the air, rather than pressing buttons, and its family-friendly games - many featuring the famous Mario from their Donkey Kong days - they have managed to create the sold-out, must-have console for the second Christmas season running.
The competition between Playstation3 and Xbox360 is more heated, however. Though they have only been out for about a year, it looks like the Xbox360 is just barely ahead of the Playstation3 in appeal to gamers. Its stunning graphics and capacity for massive online multiplayer games - developed through Microsoft's extensive experience in home computer technology - has a lot of gamers convinced it is the best console available for serious video game fanatics.
Many people think that the next big innovation in video game technology will be in the field of virtual reality, a medium that has been in development for some time and never quite seems to get off the ground in a commercially viable way. This may change, however, as processors get faster and smaller and the components needed to build sophisticated electronic equipment become cheaper and easier to make.
Regardless of where video game technology goes next or who will win the console war, it seems pretty clear that video games are here to stay. Who knows - one day, they may even usurp movies in popularity.
Sarah Corlett runs the successful toy safety resource 21st Century Toys: [http://www.21st-century-toys.com] and the Xbox 360 source: http://www.xtreme-xbox.com
There are some shakeups taking place in Microsoft’s interactive tech space. After the departure of Microsoft veteran Robbie Bach, Don Mattrick was appointed president of Interactive Entertainment. His duties will include overseeing lots of important Xbox stuff, including Xbox Live, Kinect, and Mediaroom.
Mattrick’s no stranger to the gaming business – he built his career at Electronic Arts, the company he left in 2005 to work at Microsoft.
It would be quite hard to trace the time when we go to the modern games from simple plastic toys. But we can draw a hypothesis that the craze of folks to play something new must have induced the mind-blowing games in the gaming town. PS3 games now come to the front light when we try to recollect the latest games chiefly ruling in the international market.
What does really make PS3 games so well loved? The visual graphics of these games let players feel as if they are the real fighters. Moreover, the background and theme of most of the games will leave an experience gamer spell-bound. There are many folks who prefer PS3 games then opting for other games.
A few years back we used to buy games by walking up to the streets and we were not sure if the presented games would work or not. Since most of us have went into the virtual world we like buying products online. There are many websites through which we can buy cheap Playstation 3 games. Unlike the high street shops one gets ample time on the gaming websites. At least a gaming buff can know a few outlines of the stores of the games. Tales are really crucial because as the games go on the intensity of tale add exclusive sensation to the whole sporty ambience.
A few gamers seem to buy PS3 games by looking at the price tags. Probably they must be the students or others who are dependent financially. Even sometimes we can find folks earning handsome amount of money get into this narrow hole because they wish to play the adventurous games at the cheapest prices. In this context, it is necessary to draw attention at the fact that if somebody wants to play the exceptional and latest PS3 games in the gaming market then they have to be ready to spend a couple of bucks more.