Gamers!

I have a whole household of them.

The linked article above makes some interesting claims. Intuitively, I agree with most of them. I think game-playing is one of those wholesome recreational activities.

My versions of some of her points;

1. Don’t play more than 21 hours a week; HAVE A LIMIT! Do other things first, don't let the game take over your living.

2.Playing with real-life friends and family is better than playing alone all the time, or with strangers; I know people who play a lot of XBOX or PS3 or Wii games online against strangers and really enjoy themselves. I don't think it's bad to cultivate the ability to play with people like that. But it's better to play with people you know; develop those already-existing relationships.



3. Playing face-to-face with friends and family beats playing with them online. This is a toughy for me, because I love playing with my kids online. But I am also certain that they are better when we play in person. And the (perhaps not-so-obvious) point should be made; games are not ALL computerized!

(This game seems to involve the person who is "it" sitting in the middle of the trampoline and rolling back and forth, trying to tag someone)



4. Cooperative gameplay, overall, has more benefits than competitive gameplay; that sounds pretty simple, right? Is it more fun to play with someone or against them? I'm not discounting the importance of healthy competition, but emphasizing the importance of team spirit and sportsmanship.

5. Creative games have special positive impacts; have you ever watched kids build a world out of legos? Or created a creature in a game? The thrill as they make something should be one of the goals of recreation!


2 other important rules:

* You can get all of the benefits of a good game without realistic violence – you (or your kids) don’t have to play games with guns or gore; this is a big deal to me. I despise games (and movies, and books, and songs, etc) that are grotesque for no good reason. We can do without that, thank you.

*Any game that makes you feel bad is no longer a good game for you to play. There are lots of "game" events that make you feel bad; measure your emotions when you play, and when you are done. Positive experience? Good feeling? Be a self-aware consumer of recreation!