Article exploring how much time in front of the computer screen is the right amount of time.
In a country that settles each night in front of the television, it just seems strange that more and more people are finding the allure of the computer screen sometimes more important. There is no doubt that children do as their parents do. They enjoy exploring the vast world of the Internet. They are excited to get that new computer game. But, how much time in front of the computer screen is the right amount of time?
There is no doubt going to be a number of people that come out and say that children are spending far too much time in front of the computer. They may end up telling us that their eyes will go back or something. Regardless of what they will say, we know now that it is important to limit the amount of time children use the computer. We know this because we know that it just makes sense that children who play on the computer too much loose the physical aspects of life along with the elements of pretend play that actually teach them quite a bit.
As parents, it is up to us to limit what the child is doing. It is up to us to provide for them something worthwhile to do while they are on the web as well. In this, we mean that you, Mom or Dad, need to commit to knowing which games they are playing and which websites they plan to visit. Here's a great way to limit what they are actually doing.
Instead of allowing them to surf and end up on some bad website out there, go ahead and download a game or two for them. Games that are available on the web are fun, but when the parent gets to do the picking, they can be fun and educational at the same time. Does your child need math help? Then go ahead and give them a fun math game that teaches what they need in an easy to get along with manner. This can be done for a number of subjects like spelling, science, history and language. By giving them a computer game like these, they can make their computer time, well, worth it in your eyes.
You would be surprised by how many parents simply say, "Yes, you can play on the internet." Many of them do not know what their child is doing let alone know that he or she is playing an educational game! Yeah right! Most kids are going to find and play a game that interests them with flashing colors and graphics. That doesn't mean that they won't like games that don't provide this element. But, the websites they tend to visit are full of advertisements that lure them in. Your job is to point them in the right direction.
So, back to our question; how much is the right amount of time for computer time for your child? Well, inside that question is the word, "your" and that means that it is at your discretion that you should consider their need. Balance their day with physical, emotional, pretend and all those other important educational elements then add in a little time for computer play. Believe it or not, they are building skills that they will need later in life too.
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Minggu, 27 Mei 2012
Minggu, 19 Februari 2012
Parent’s Guide to Online Gaming, Part 1
Read the information you need to understand your children's hobbies better, both to make informed judgments about what they should and should not be doing, and to help you reach into another part of their lives that may have seemed a mystery.
The internet touches every aspect of your children’s lives. Where you might look up an unknown word in a dictionary, your kids are more likely to use dictionary.com. Where you use the telephone, they use instant messenger. An even greater difference can be found in how they play games. Where the games of their parent’s generation may have involved a board, cards, or at their most sophisticated a console system, the games your children play on the net can be far more complex. They mine gold, spread empires, fight dragons and aliens alone or with tens, hundreds, even thousands of their fellow gamers. All of this makes for a confusing mish mash of names, places, jargon and lingo that can leave you with no idea what your kids are actually doing and a vague feeling of uneasiness that some part of it might not be good for them.
What’s appropriate for your kids is a decision only you can make. How much violence they are exposed to, how much time they spend in front of a screen and how much contact they have with the faceless strangers so common to the net are all questions you must grapple with and, in the end, decide for your family. While we can’t help you make these rough decisions, we can certainly help you get the information you need to understand your children’s hobbies better, both to make informed judgments about what they should and should not be doing, and to help you reach into another part of their lives that may have previously seemed like something of a puzzle box.
The Easy Stuff
The simplest type of online game is the sort of Flash or Java driven game that you generally see running inside your web browser. This type of game tends to be relatively simple compared to the stand alone games discussed later. Common examples include Bejeweled, Zuma, and Diner Dash. These games are almost universally single player and have none of the sort of violent or mature content that keeps parents up at night. Were they movies, they would be G Rated, with perhaps the occasional game stretching to PG. If this is the type of game your kids are into then first, be relieved. Then, try the game out. Many of these games can be very enjoyable for even the most casual of players. Some, such as Bookworm, even have genuine educational content. These games can be as much an opportunity for bonding and learning as throwing around a baseball in the backyard, and have the added bonus of being much easier to get your kids to sit down with you and play.
FPSs: Finding Something to Shoot.
FPS stands for First Person Shooter. They are First Person in the same since that a story might be. That is, the player sees the world through the eyes of a single character and interacts with the game environment as though he were that character. Shooter comes from the primary goal of most such games, the shooting of whatever happens to be the bad guy. FPS games are among some of the most popular online. Common examples include Doom, Battlefield:1942, and the X-Box game Halo. From a parental perspective, these games can be cause for concern. They vary widely in the amount of realism, degree of violence, language, and general attitude. The only way to get a good idea of the content issues is to watch the particular game. If your kids don’t want you watching while they play, then fire up the game yourself sometime when they aren’t around. There is a sizeable variation in how violent and how personal FPS content can be from game to game. The single player portion of Halo, for example, has players fighting against alien invaders with largely energy weapons and a minimum of realistic human suffering. In contrast, WWII themed games tend to go out of their way to show realistic violence. Given the subject matter, this is appropriate for the game, but may not be for your kids. Online play presents a potentially greater concern. The goal of online FPS games is almost always killing other players. While some games do have various modes where this is a secondary goal, all of them give the player a gun and encourage him to use it on characters representing other people.
Simulated gore and the use of violence against others to achieve goals may be things you don’t want your kids exposed to. Again, these are your decisions to make, but we encourage you to make them with as much information as possible. Talk to your kids. Find out what they think, in their words, is going on in the game. Make sure they see the line between what happens in the game and what happens in the real world, between what it’s okay to simulate and what it’s okay to do. The answers may surprise you. If your children understand the differences, see real violence as deplorable and simulated violence as part of the game then FPS games, even online ones, can be a perfectly healthy way to have fun and let off steam. In the end, it falls on you to make sure that what your child gets out of the game is good for him or her.
Next time, we’ll talk about RTS and MMORPG, the two other common types of commercial online game and touch on the twin demons of addiction and predation.
The internet touches every aspect of your children’s lives. Where you might look up an unknown word in a dictionary, your kids are more likely to use dictionary.com. Where you use the telephone, they use instant messenger. An even greater difference can be found in how they play games. Where the games of their parent’s generation may have involved a board, cards, or at their most sophisticated a console system, the games your children play on the net can be far more complex. They mine gold, spread empires, fight dragons and aliens alone or with tens, hundreds, even thousands of their fellow gamers. All of this makes for a confusing mish mash of names, places, jargon and lingo that can leave you with no idea what your kids are actually doing and a vague feeling of uneasiness that some part of it might not be good for them.
What’s appropriate for your kids is a decision only you can make. How much violence they are exposed to, how much time they spend in front of a screen and how much contact they have with the faceless strangers so common to the net are all questions you must grapple with and, in the end, decide for your family. While we can’t help you make these rough decisions, we can certainly help you get the information you need to understand your children’s hobbies better, both to make informed judgments about what they should and should not be doing, and to help you reach into another part of their lives that may have previously seemed like something of a puzzle box.
The Easy Stuff
The simplest type of online game is the sort of Flash or Java driven game that you generally see running inside your web browser. This type of game tends to be relatively simple compared to the stand alone games discussed later. Common examples include Bejeweled, Zuma, and Diner Dash. These games are almost universally single player and have none of the sort of violent or mature content that keeps parents up at night. Were they movies, they would be G Rated, with perhaps the occasional game stretching to PG. If this is the type of game your kids are into then first, be relieved. Then, try the game out. Many of these games can be very enjoyable for even the most casual of players. Some, such as Bookworm, even have genuine educational content. These games can be as much an opportunity for bonding and learning as throwing around a baseball in the backyard, and have the added bonus of being much easier to get your kids to sit down with you and play.
FPSs: Finding Something to Shoot.
FPS stands for First Person Shooter. They are First Person in the same since that a story might be. That is, the player sees the world through the eyes of a single character and interacts with the game environment as though he were that character. Shooter comes from the primary goal of most such games, the shooting of whatever happens to be the bad guy. FPS games are among some of the most popular online. Common examples include Doom, Battlefield:1942, and the X-Box game Halo. From a parental perspective, these games can be cause for concern. They vary widely in the amount of realism, degree of violence, language, and general attitude. The only way to get a good idea of the content issues is to watch the particular game. If your kids don’t want you watching while they play, then fire up the game yourself sometime when they aren’t around. There is a sizeable variation in how violent and how personal FPS content can be from game to game. The single player portion of Halo, for example, has players fighting against alien invaders with largely energy weapons and a minimum of realistic human suffering. In contrast, WWII themed games tend to go out of their way to show realistic violence. Given the subject matter, this is appropriate for the game, but may not be for your kids. Online play presents a potentially greater concern. The goal of online FPS games is almost always killing other players. While some games do have various modes where this is a secondary goal, all of them give the player a gun and encourage him to use it on characters representing other people.
Simulated gore and the use of violence against others to achieve goals may be things you don’t want your kids exposed to. Again, these are your decisions to make, but we encourage you to make them with as much information as possible. Talk to your kids. Find out what they think, in their words, is going on in the game. Make sure they see the line between what happens in the game and what happens in the real world, between what it’s okay to simulate and what it’s okay to do. The answers may surprise you. If your children understand the differences, see real violence as deplorable and simulated violence as part of the game then FPS games, even online ones, can be a perfectly healthy way to have fun and let off steam. In the end, it falls on you to make sure that what your child gets out of the game is good for him or her.
Next time, we’ll talk about RTS and MMORPG, the two other common types of commercial online game and touch on the twin demons of addiction and predation.
Rabu, 06 Juli 2011
Children's Online Games
Online games are just one of the many different ways to enjoy the internet and children can easily gain access to the world of free online games. But, is it safe? And, even if it is, should we allow our children to be using online gaming at all? Is it any better than them sitting in front of a television?
While the World Wide Web expands, more and more individuals are getting online for all of their necessities and for their enjoyment. Online games are just one of the many different ways to enjoy the internet. But, there is a newer trend happening right now. Instead of just throwing our attentions to online gaming atmospheres, we can also allow our children to enjoy the wider world of entertaining online. But, is it safe? And, even if it is, should we allow our children to be using online gaming at all? Is it any better than them sitting in front of a television?
Many parents simply do not have the time to monitor all the activity their children are having online. All parents need to know that there are many predators online that are seeking out our youngsters. But, there are ways to prevent them from coming near to our children. For example, in online gaming rooms, you can easily disable chatting and interaction. You can also disable instant messages as well. Yet, an even more effective manner for protecting our children while they are online is to simply keep the computer they will be using right in the living room, the kitchen or in any area that is open where you can see what's going on just by turning your head. When parents are aware of what is going on while their children are online, they can keep their children better protected. And, it’s never too soon to talk to your children about stranger danger even on the computer.
Okay, but what about the gaming? Should we allow our children online to play games?
It is important to break down some age levels here. For children who are young, it is essential to allow them time to learn about computers, but you need to do it in a one on one situation. In these cases, there are many games that are actually quite beneficial for them to play. Many games can teach reading skills, math skills, and many other aspects of learning. And, because it is fun, kids simply love to do it. They enjoy the colors, the sounds, and the idea of playing with Mommy or Daddy. It’s a great time for some bonding as well.
Then, we can look towards the older age. Those who enjoy cartoons on television will love the games that focus around these topics. And, you'll find many games that do. Online games like these can help with motor skills and computer usage skills. But, why not teach them a little by getting them into a different type of game, one that will challenge them. For example, word puzzles and just puzzles in general can stimulate the mind in many ways. Or, teach them a little history with a program like Oregon (or Amazon) Trail in which they need to survive a treacherous trek through the wilderness. Even older children can benefit from the "Sim" games as well. The less violent ones are better because they teach your little entrepreneurs to use many skills to build cities, buildings, companies...you get the idea.
When it comes to allowing teens online, you really need to allow at least some online time. At that age, they are into communicating with their friends through email and instant messages, but interactive games are very popular. Competing against friends is a definite need that many kids have. Is it any worse or any better than a Playstation or Xbox system? Probably not, but at least they are interacting with others. And, you can somewhat monitor their actions or limit their internet exploring when you provide them with what many ISP's are offering and that is parental controls on accounts set up just for kids.
So, where does that leave us and the online gaming world? Should children be allowed online? Yes, we believe that kids of all ages should at least have the opportunity to learn how to use the computer. It is an essential skill. But, what about playing games? Yes, they need this too. In a safe environment, there are few other places that you can play so many games for a low cost. They can learn from them as well. You can monitor just what they are doing. If you are a parent trying to figure out where you stand with your children being online, consider it a learning experience to allow them to surf with you, even if it’s just once. Then, you will be able to see just what is out there to offer your children and how well they enjoy it.
While the World Wide Web expands, more and more individuals are getting online for all of their necessities and for their enjoyment. Online games are just one of the many different ways to enjoy the internet. But, there is a newer trend happening right now. Instead of just throwing our attentions to online gaming atmospheres, we can also allow our children to enjoy the wider world of entertaining online. But, is it safe? And, even if it is, should we allow our children to be using online gaming at all? Is it any better than them sitting in front of a television?
Many parents simply do not have the time to monitor all the activity their children are having online. All parents need to know that there are many predators online that are seeking out our youngsters. But, there are ways to prevent them from coming near to our children. For example, in online gaming rooms, you can easily disable chatting and interaction. You can also disable instant messages as well. Yet, an even more effective manner for protecting our children while they are online is to simply keep the computer they will be using right in the living room, the kitchen or in any area that is open where you can see what's going on just by turning your head. When parents are aware of what is going on while their children are online, they can keep their children better protected. And, it’s never too soon to talk to your children about stranger danger even on the computer.
Okay, but what about the gaming? Should we allow our children online to play games?
It is important to break down some age levels here. For children who are young, it is essential to allow them time to learn about computers, but you need to do it in a one on one situation. In these cases, there are many games that are actually quite beneficial for them to play. Many games can teach reading skills, math skills, and many other aspects of learning. And, because it is fun, kids simply love to do it. They enjoy the colors, the sounds, and the idea of playing with Mommy or Daddy. It’s a great time for some bonding as well.
Then, we can look towards the older age. Those who enjoy cartoons on television will love the games that focus around these topics. And, you'll find many games that do. Online games like these can help with motor skills and computer usage skills. But, why not teach them a little by getting them into a different type of game, one that will challenge them. For example, word puzzles and just puzzles in general can stimulate the mind in many ways. Or, teach them a little history with a program like Oregon (or Amazon) Trail in which they need to survive a treacherous trek through the wilderness. Even older children can benefit from the "Sim" games as well. The less violent ones are better because they teach your little entrepreneurs to use many skills to build cities, buildings, companies...you get the idea.
When it comes to allowing teens online, you really need to allow at least some online time. At that age, they are into communicating with their friends through email and instant messages, but interactive games are very popular. Competing against friends is a definite need that many kids have. Is it any worse or any better than a Playstation or Xbox system? Probably not, but at least they are interacting with others. And, you can somewhat monitor their actions or limit their internet exploring when you provide them with what many ISP's are offering and that is parental controls on accounts set up just for kids.
So, where does that leave us and the online gaming world? Should children be allowed online? Yes, we believe that kids of all ages should at least have the opportunity to learn how to use the computer. It is an essential skill. But, what about playing games? Yes, they need this too. In a safe environment, there are few other places that you can play so many games for a low cost. They can learn from them as well. You can monitor just what they are doing. If you are a parent trying to figure out where you stand with your children being online, consider it a learning experience to allow them to surf with you, even if it’s just once. Then, you will be able to see just what is out there to offer your children and how well they enjoy it.
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