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what is your opinion on having a wii, xbox, play station etc in your home as a jewish parent
If you don’t mind killing your children, its a great idea to have.
I don’t have any of those gaming systems and am not terribly familiar with them, so I don’t have anything to say about them.
My idea of some good gaming systems include Settlers of Catan, Caylus, Power Grid, Alhambra, Wealth of Nations, I’m The Boss, Management Material, Scrabble, Pente, backgammon and the like. 🙂
The Wolf
HARMFUL
From the title I thought gambling related material was the subject.
In that regard I will argue that the most stringent approach is needed because there has been a great breakdown in the sense of responsibility regarding money.
Worst is that many of our sons see no obligation to learn how to support their future families.
Don’t you need a tv for those things to work? So isn’t it a moot point if you don’t have one?
To those who say harmful, can you please explain why?
We have a Wii. We use it mainly for exercise and a little bit of gaming. We use it for maybe 2 hours a week? Of which 90% is exercise.
What harm am I missing?
Don’t forget Axis & Allies.
Also how about Ping Pong (an extremely Yeshivish game), Foosball, and air hockey?
you dont need a TV you need a monitor of some sort.
harmful, killing your kids…big words. Care to explain?
Onegoal, well said. I agree. I have a PS3 and Wii in my house. Like anything else, you need to PARENT your child.
That said, games get short shrift these days. The title is a bit hyperbolic (on purpose, I assume) but if you want some interesting reading, check out Everything Bad is Good for You, by Steven Johnson.
arc
“you dont need a TV you need a monitor of some sort.
harmful, killing your kids…big words. Care to explain?”
I didnt use those words, but I can explain them. Kids get very easily addicted and if not addicted then “attached” to these systems. This often lead to kids slacking off with regards to homework as well as the kids day dreaming about their games during class. Expect your kids grades to go down if you buy one of these time wasters. Especially if he has daily access. It wrecks ones ability to focus. This has all been proven by studies.
Additionally, many of these games contain graphic violence, vulgar language and in some cases pornographic images.
If a parent allows these systems into the home, be prepared to become a policeman and be strict over how much time you let them play. Additionally, be prepared to have to monitor the games they buy and borrow from friends.
Oh did I mention many of these systems have wifi internet capabilities? Which responsible parent would give unfiltered access to wifi internet to their child.
Basically theres no real incentive for a parent to want to have this in their house.
as long as the kid isnt addicted i dont see a problem , what does the cr oilam think about the new frum ddr game that was adveristed in the hamodia and mishpacha this week
Yeah they can be bad but they can also be good. A parent just had to be on top of it. If a parent isn’t afraid to be a parent then I don’t see the harm in them. Just have strong control over the games being brought in and how often they use it.
trust us and we’ll trust them
A loaded gun hanging from the kids bedroom wall “can be good” under certain circumstances too.
I have a wii which i use for exercise. The gaming platform doesnt have a great graphics card and does not play dvds like the ps3 and xbox so i guess its easier to control
I have a Wii we dont use it for exercise.
the wifi capabalities have to be hooked up to a network. even when hooked up to a network arent meant to be used as internet but for buying games and playing others. also comes password protected and you get a list of every site visited and how long it was used for.
I dont buy porn games :majoreyeroll:
Terrible Idea, onegoal.
Its a waste of time. Complete waste of time. AS Rav shalom arush says in his book “garden of emunah” people want to know that they are doing something with a purpose in life. FOr ex. if you were to ask someone to lift his arm up and down and up and down repeatedly for 1 hr, he would refuse, because there is NO TACHLIS! Even if you were to pay him, he’d likely refuse.
To teach children to kill time is bitul z’man and not a yiddisher mentality. We have so much to accomplish here.
what about the kosher dance revolution game
WIY – “It wrecks one’s ability to focus. This has all been proven by studies”
I’d STRONGLY suggest you pick up the book I mentioned earlier and read it. Your statement above isn’t as cut and dried as you make it out to be.
I have something much better than a game system in my house. I have friends with game systems. In truth, I’m still fighting the fight against getting one for most of the reasons expressed here. Additionally, with the exception of Wii Fit and similar programs. these systems promote more of the sedentary lifestyle that is killing us all. There is no safe outdoor equipment I would ever refuse to buy my children. Anything that encourages them to play and run around more is absolutely welcome in my home. To that end, we have a big swing set and a trampoline. All of my kids have bikes and scooters. Every summer we buy some sort of outdoor water contraption like a slip and slide. Next summer I’ll probably buy a basketball hoop if my oldest doesn’t go to camp. I’ll buy my kids most any book that is age appropriate, and doesn’t contain anything too blatantly contradictory of Orthodox Judaism. Same thing for board games, barbie dolls (for my daughter),Lego, Thomas the Train, Krazy Bones, action figures and even toy guns and all kinds of other chazerai that may serve to stimulate their imaginations. But I draw the line at game systems that add nothing constructive to their lives or intellects. I did however compromise and get my older kids Nintendo DS’s. They are a godsend on long car trips.
I wasted way more time in my youth reading than I did on our Nintendo gaming system.
I wasn’t always reading good literature LOL. A lot of it was a waste.
SJSinNYC even the trashiest Sidney Sheldon novel is more valuable than those video games.
someone might be interested to know that i knew sidney sheldon.
he also created a tv show called: “the patty duke show” among others.
one of the characters in that show was named after me.
cantoresq, I read “It” by Stephen King at 9 years old. I think playing nintendo would have been a better use of my time.
there was a character named moderator-80 on the Patty Duke show?
moderator-80 is my middle name
Video games, as a genre, have been grossly mis-characterized. They don’t on the whole represent a ‘dumbing down’ form of media, on the contrary. Read a bit about some of the more involving and immersive games and you’ll see that the complexity of games causes the player to use a fair amount of cognitive acrobatics, critical thinking, and problem solving skills while playing ’em. Also, it’s not fair to compare books to games – they are completely different forms of media and should be evaluated as such. Both have detracting and redeeming qualities.
haskalajew: Don’t kid yourself.
So right-
Meaning… what?
SJSinNYC I read Portnoy’s Complaint at 12. I’m not sure which would have been a better use of my time.
I have to agree with enlightened, that video games are painted with a broad negative brush that some of them don’t observe. Of course, if you listen to the news, you will only hear about the most horrendous games.
When I was a child (60’s) comic books were considered harmful, which I understood. Some comic books were bad, but many were great – they told a great story with pictures and words.
Now, I don’t have gaming system, and I do encourage the boys in my house to play outside and get off the computer.
Video games teach that actions have consequences. If you miss, you get eaten by the monster.
EJ it meant nothing other than he wanted to call you haskallah.
Its a waste of time. Complete waste of time.
I beg to differ. While my preferences run towards board games (as described above) and not video games, I believe the same principle applies.
The time I spend playing board games with my kids is not a “complete waste of time.” Aside from the fact that the games I mentioned above teach strategy, tactics and abstract reasoning, there is also the important parent/child interaction.
The time I spend playing board games with my kids gives us a chance to bond and connect. It gives me an additional way to relate to my children. It also gives them (hopefully) pleasant memories of the time we spend together and increases our ability to socially interact with each other. Personally, I consider that very important and not a “complete waste of time.”
Your opinion may vary, of course — but even if you hold it’s a complete waste of time, I’ll still play board games with them. 🙂
The Wolf
Mod-80, tell the truth, are you Patty or Cathy? lol
cathy is more my speed
i wish i could say more
It was probably the accent that got you Mod-80 lol.
onegoal:
I have something funny to tell you. Today I was in a toystore that had those old fashioned mini arcade games like space invaders and frogger, and pac-man. THey were 50% off from $45 to $21.95..Remember how they look exactly like a mini replica of the real big thing from the 1980’s? well….
I was chalushing to buy one! THen I remembered what I wrote here about it being bitul z’man. So I didn’t. However I even reasoned just like you say above, which is true, that we need down time to rest,relax and play sometimes. So maybe I will go back and get it tommorrow!
THey were 50% off from $45 to $21.95
That’s not 50%. It’s actually about 51.3%. 🙂
(Yeah, I know, nitpick, nitpick nitpick) 🙂
The Wolf
cathy is more my speed
Would you believe that as much of a fan I am of TV/movies from that time period, I’ve never actually seen an episode of the Patty Duke Show?
I know the concept of the show, but I’ve never actually seen an episode. Hmmm… off to see if it’s available on Netflix.
The Wolf
i played video games for years! back to nintendo,then s nintendo, ps1 and n64, ps2. and then i stopped. nop big deal, just watch out for games with drugs etc.
Hmmm… off to see if it’s available on Netflix.
I guess it’s good that the gaming systems can run Netflix.
I agree with all those who said it is the Parenting and NOT the game that is important.
As with everything else, it is the Parenting that is the most important element in the child’s life and not the equipment that is in the home, the garage, the park, etc. A bicycle can be a dangerous thing, if a child has the freedom to go wherever he wants whenever he wants to. So if parents set the rules and make sure that they have the type of relationship with their children that the kids know that their parents love them and respect them and they love and respect their parents AND follow the rules and guidelines their parents set for them, then you know that you are doing a great job at parenting.
Having said that, using this type of equipment for exercise, for entertainment as long as it is Kosher and age appropriate non-violent entertainment, as well as board games, outdoor equipment, gym equipment, etc. is all part of decisions that each GOOD parent needs to determine for themselves how and when they choose to use it. It is NOT up to you or me to make these decisions for any particular parent. These are parental decisions that each parent should make for themselves.
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