Videogames blamed for… everything!
February 15, 2007 | Video Games
Videogames are regularly blamed for many things, the most popular being making children fat and violent. So when something new, such as the Nintendo Wii, comes along everyone is happy. The Wii gets children exercising again, and it doesn’t feature as many violent games as other consoles. However that “everyone” has just gotten a little smaller.
Children who spend too much time playing virtual sports on their new Nintendo Wii are getting a false sense of what it’s like to compete in the world.
Kelly McBride - a US sports reporter, has reportedly said that the Wii, in particular Wii Tennis from the Wii Sports game, is giving children false hope. She thinks that it is making them think that when they pick up a tennis racket they will be able to beat all comers, in the same way they can whup anyone at Wii Tennis.
Personally I reckon she’s just upset because they beat her.
All Kelly has to do to ruin her childrens delusions is hand them a tennis racket and show them it’s just not the same. However instead she has gone on national radio and belittled her offspring (I’m sure her kids are thanking her now).
I find it strange that this should come up now, when games have been around for so long. I can understand the arguments about violent video games (even if I disagree with them) but this is just silly. In video games I have jumped out of planes, flown space ships, and had sword fights with orcs but I have never thought I could do these things for real. Of course she is talking about things that are likely, so how about racing games? With a steering wheel and peddles motorsports games can be very realistic - but I am sure 99% of videogamers realise that even though they can lap Schumacher in a Formula 1 game they would never be able to do it for real.
I also wonder if her children played games before they got a Wii, and if so what she thought of them sitting, totally passively, on the sofa/ bed playing. Is this better than standing, swinging your arms around like a crazy person? I’ve played a fair few games of Wii tennis (I have yet to find a Wii for sale in the UK but we have one at work) and I know that after a few games I’m aching more than I would if I was playing for real.
“More?” I hear you say. Well what I mean is, when I play Wii tennis I actually try to play, whereas when I used to play tennis at school, being total rubbish, I just didn’t bother and stood there letting the ball pass me by. I do not enjoy real tennis, and am under zero illusions that, should I ever play again, I will suddenly become a tennis God.
I think she should be happy that her children are not turning into fat violent people, rather than complaining that they might think they’re better than they are at real tennis.
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February 15, 2007
Yes, I don’t expect many children to believe that they are wonderful at tennis. At the same time, some might, since they are small children. I have a younger cousin who believes that she’s better than everyone at everything merely because she has won a few games on Mario Party. But, like you said, you just need to hand them a racket and show them how different it is, for real.
February 16, 2007
Joy; Your little cousin would more than likely believe that she is better than everyone at everything irrespective of Mario Party. Most little kids have these delusions of grandeur.
February 16, 2007
Speaking of that racing game analogy, a young man of about 20 stopped in a layby to have a quick wizz at Gran Turismo. About an hour after he had resumed driving he caused an accident whi. Now guess what the papers blamed for this?
Some people just don’t get a major concept of video games: make believe. And true, she should be glad her kids aren’t fat, spherical and playing Monkeyball on the Wii.
February 27, 2007
Absolutely right. As you say the violence cases are almost understandable BUT this wii sports thing is ridiculous. I personaly feel that in many cases adults blame video games and television for their own short comings as parents…
After all, the video game consoles dont come with the living room the parents actually have to go out and get them.
March 1, 2007
True. This is retarded.
May 14, 2007
Video games can help children a lot and can harm at the same time.
May 14, 2007
Marcus - What are you basing that on? You’ve made a statement but have no facts to back them up. The story I linked is clearly ludicrous.
Videogames themselves don’t harm people in any way. It’s yet to be proved that any harm comes from playing games but in my mind it is highly unlikely.