I'd like to see Kirk Cameron do a movie about how video games are...

[Guest]

Yep, nobody reads because of TV. I quit TV. I'll let it play in the other room with the Fox News Channel on, but not if I'm reading.

And maybe a football game on Sunday, but that's it.

[Guest]

A professor friend of mine told me that if he doesn't use Powerpoint most of his students can't "get it", so affected are they by TV and visual stimulation.

g

Wow

[Guest]

TV is a good one DG.

If the enemy had to start giving up tools, TV would be one of the last to surrender.

G

I believe that has to be true. It is his greatest tool. I believe more SDAs will be lost because of that idiot box than any other one thing.

[Bravus]

The conclusion starts on Page 28 of this pdf: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.118.6363&rep=rep1&type=pdf

[olger]

Video games cause addictions according to Dr. E. James Wilder and a host of research. Who among us will attempt to make a case that addictions are good?

carry on,

g

[Outta Here]

Not all addictions are bad. Any number of teens who attended this camp last summer could attest to this.

[Neil D]

Video games cause addictions according to Dr. E. James Wilder and a host of research. Who among us will attempt to make a case that addictions are good?

carry on,

g

That foam stuff that you have been sniffin' is going to your head, olger...

And I've see a whole hosts of researchers who are addicted to.......

......research....

They can't stop that.....Why is that?

[Tom Wetmore]

Video games cause addictions according to Dr. E. James Wilder and a host of research. Who among us will attempt to make a case that addictions are good?

carry on,

g

A direct line cause... No. Positive correlation... Perhaps. But those are very different. There is a very high correlation between murderers and air-breathers - 100% of all murderers are air-breathers. But breathing air does not cause murder.

I think it more probable that addictive personalities are drawn to any number of activities that feed whatever psychological need they have to escape, find comfort, thrills and chills or whatever. And there is strong research evidence that an addictive personality is more likely to have multiple unrelated addictions. The addictive personality tends to do many things, if not everything to excess, compulsively and at the expense of personal well-being, relationships, and responsibilities. But to say that one activity, let's say an addiction to thrill seeking (motorcycle riding...) is a cause of another addiction, like nicotine or alcohol, is simply unfounded, even if many avid motorcyclists may ride, smoke and drink.

This is the problem with popular interpretation and application of scientific research, especially if one has an agenda to prove something not related to or within the actual scope of the research findings. Someone reading the above quoted statement would get the very wrong impression that if their kids play video games, it will increase their chances of become drug addicts, alcoholics or sex addicts. And that is not what the evidence really says. If your child has addictive tendencies, they may get obsessively addicted to just about any engaging, exciting or escapist activity which bear no casual relationship among them, even if there is a high correlation of multiple addictions.

Tom

[Tom Wetmore]

What is it that you can't understand about averages & median points?

Now, back to the theme of this thread that is progressing in SPITE of some misplaced defensiveness.

Cameron or Clint Eastwood?

the g

It seems to me that you are indeed being overly defensive of this topic you have started...

[Tom Wetmore]

...Games are blamed not only for keeping kids up late, but also for disturbing their sleep when they finally go to bed. A study detailed in the Pediatrics journal this month found that playing video games even several hours before bedtime increases the time it takes for teens to fall asleep, and decreases the amount of time spent in slow-wave sleep, during which time people form factual memories.

I believe here is the real culprit and as hinted at when Amelia said, "I vote on the 'not reading' and a lack of 'reading comprehension'." I think it most likely that low test scores are because student do not spend the time it takes to learn, comprehend and master the necessary subjects. And that takes time. Reading takes time. And students spending time watching TV and movies, playing video games or sports or just spending a lot of time hanging out and talking with friends (in person or online) instead of putting in the time on reading and study are not going to do the best they are capable of. Studies confirm that students in the countries with the highest test scores do put much more time into learning and school.

And excessive time on any of these time waster activities, not only takes time away from reading and studying, it very often cuts into the absolutely essential sleep time. Studies show that many teenagers are sleep deprived even though they need more sleep during adolescence. And it is not just because of video games. It can be that after school job, too. And many kids use up their prime alert and most wakeful hours on games, sports, work and TV and save homework and reading to do after they are already too tired to comprehend and retain what they attempt to study. And studies very clearly show a direct cause and effect between insufficient sleep and significantly reduced cognitive performance. In studies of driving while sleep deprived, reaction times, judgment and performance was as bad or worse than driving while intoxicated. The same negative impact would be true for learning, comprehension and scholastic performance.

The problem is one of lack of disciple, either self-discipline, or by the responsible adults in these kids lives, to more effective manage time. A strict (and comparatively short) time limit for these activities and giving priority quality time to what is most important goes a very long way toward turning these disturbing statistics around.

Tom

[Tom Wetmore]

Doesn't anyone think it odddly ironic to suggest a time wasting medium of entertainnment (video) as a means of advocating the evils of wasting time on video games?

[Tom Wetmore]

The conclusion starts on Page 28 of this pdf: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.118.6363&rep=rep1&type=pdf

And this is the real flip side to this topic. Cutting edge (no pun intended) technology in surgical medicine uses high tech robotics and minimally invasive micro video equipment to do precision surgery, like neurosurgery. And what doctors do the best and learn these techniques most readily? Ones with significant gamer experience.

And that is just one area of real and practical application. We are just beginning to scratch the surface of extending this technology into real world applications.

[lazarus]

Doesn't anyone think it odddly ironic to suggest a time wasting medium of entertainnment (video) as a means of advocating the evils of wasting time on video games?

[olger]

Not all addictions are bad. Any number of teens who attended this camp last summer could attest to this.

Gotta agree with that. Plus, Proverbs 5:18.

g

[GreatLakesGramma]

I disagree, strongly. Addictions are never healthy, no matter what the object is. Addictions are always focused on self, and the feelings they produce. A genuine Jesus addiction will lead to fanaticism. It will not lead to salvation, or to anything genuinely good.

[olger]

Nope.

Thanks.

[Guest]

I agree with GLG.

[phkrause]

I second that Richard

pk

[Cosmin M.]

Our nation's children are not "stupid."

Well, compared to other nations, what US children do in 11th grade in some other countries they do in 6th. Also, when I went to school in the USA I noticed kids from Korea who had been living in the USA for 1 year and they read better then mostly everybody else in the class who are pure 100% American.

[phkrause]

Hi Cosmin, so I see that you are still in Romania? Its good to know your still around. Hope all is going well? I do agree with you that most school age children in other countries are further ahead than here in the USA. I think that Aubrey just has a problem with calling children here "stupid" and I agree with that. Within our own society and for where we are the children are very bright,but compared to other countries at the same level of school we are behind by a number of years. But Olger's premise that we in the USA are worse than other countries because we play more video games and that's why we are not up to par with other countries makes no sense, because other children in other countries also play many video games, if not even more than they do here. I think the difference's are in the way the school systems are run not in the video and TV that they watch.

pk

[Cosmin M.]

Agreed. Plus, Here in Romania, A lot of people play games everybody in my class play online games. Most games played are...

Counter-Strike

ConQUIZtador

World of Warcraft

Metin 2

Shayia

In USA, I knew few people who played games as much as they do here.

[Bravus]

'Stupid' is about intelligence - and as far as we know, most human populations have very similar intelligence over all. 'Ignorant' is about knowledge, and is probably more what Olger meant. People can be smart (i.e. not stupid) and still be ignorant.

I think there are a number of factors, and while games might be one, I've highlighted TV as another - not so much for itself but because it tends to take the place of reading, which is important for learning. Busy parents who are both working and don't have (or make) the time to talk about ideas with their kids, ask about their school day, help them with their homework and support their learning are also a problem...

Then there are definitely issues with the cult(ure) of self-esteem above everything else: no real academic challenges, just lots of trophies and pats on the head for participating. Countries that do better on the international standardised tests typically emphasise excellence, not mere existence, and challenge each child to do better and more by being unafraid to point out weak points in the child's performance (and recognising that a bad test does not make a bad person).

It's a complex set of problems, and it's always tempting to seek a scapegoat and a simple solution. Some better control over the time children spend playing games may well help, particularly since to even do that would require an improvement in parenting and enhanced time and interest from parents in what their kids are doing.

[phkrause]

Good points Bravus. Kind of reminds me of the Dr. Ben Carson story. Where, even though his mom couldn't read, she got both her boys to be the best they could be, by giving them things to do, like reading, reports, etc. But also allowing them to watch a few hours of tv, but only what was apporeate entertainment.

pk

[Outta Here]

Aubrey isn't upset with just the use of the word "stupid". Aubrey is aggravated because people for one reason or another think that American children are less educated, less intelligent, and less capable than other countries' children.

Children in the United States have as many, if not more, opportunities for success than children in many other countries. Coursework at the levels Cosmin describes are available to children at any age--it is up to the parents and guardians to ensure that children are being educated.

I will be eager to learn of Cosmin's choice for university when he is older. I will be eager to hear report of his test scores.

How's that Calculus going?

[olger]

Aubrey isn't upset with just the use of the word "stupid". Aubrey is aggravated because people for one reason or another think that American children are less educated, less intelligent, and less capable than other countries' children.

Children in the United States have as many, if not more, opportunities for success than children in many other countries. Coursework at the levels Cosmin describes are available to children at any age--it is up to the parents and guardians to ensure that children are being educated.

I will be eager to learn of Cosmin's choice for university when he is older. I will be eager to hear report of his test scores.

How's that Calculus going?

They are becoming so, yes. As to opportunities, I agree and there is a corresponding increase in the opportunities for distractions & entertainment, all of which diminish the intellect, and make Huxley a modern literary prophet.

Buster Soaries describes us as “an entire country hypnotized by television, mesmerized by music, and anesthetized by

drugs and alcohol.

While technology grows theology shrinks, and God is reduced to a convenience item for casual use.”—Christianity Today, September 19, 1986. No wonder Jesus looked ahead to this generation and asked: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8.

In this amusement and entertainment culture, children have difficulty learning right from wrong—and that spells disaster for human survival on this planet. William Raspberry quotes a New York Times story about a school counselor sitting by neutrally while his class concluded that a girl was stupid to return $1,000 that she had found.

Who is the real "stupid", since we are semi-focused on that term? Ah...yes.

rejoice always,

oG