What gaming does to an undeveloped brain

[anjo banjo]

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/1134/wahwahwahcopyzy4.jpg

Technology grows rapidly and sometimes we have a hard time keeping up with the new gadgets and trinkets.
We live in a time where free thinking and ideas is at it's peak. With Internets partial anonymity, we can express ourselves freely. The upcoming generation is sadly taking that gift for granted.

My full time job is to create digital dolls for a younger audience to appreciate and play while visiting the enchanted world wide web. I compare this upcoming generation with my own a lot. What I mostly see amongst our audience are children running ramped with technology because of their parents feeling inadequate into handling or limiting technologies exposure twards their children. I do constant research about handling children in technology, that way I can perform my job better.

What I was mostly curious about is how this exposure of online communities and technological toys effect the brain development of the upcoming generation. Because lets face it, when we are old and grey, the children of today will run the world of tomorrow and personally, I want to know what type of culture we've developed that will take care of us when we become useless.

According to studies done by the brain-mapping expert Professor Ryuta Kawashima at Tohoku University in japan. It has been revealed that video games and computer games only effect and stimulate the part of the brain that influence vision and movement.

So basically, for those who told me that gaming made them more sophisticated, well...HAH!!

Tracy McVeight (Education editor at observer.guardian.co.uk) writes:

Computer games are creating a dumbed-down generation of children far more disposed to violence than their parents, according to a controversial new study.

"The tendency to lose control is not due to children absorbing the aggression involved in the computer game itself, as previous researchers have suggested, but rather to the damage done by stunting the developing mind. "

Personally I think that there needs to be an inistiavite involvement by the guardian of a young gamer (4-13 years). With a vast online culture influencing young minds, the guardian need to educate themselves about social behaviour online. For me an online society is no different then real life. If you are 10, and start cursing out a 30 year old, you will have your pants pulled down and get a belt to the bottom. Also guardians need to be aware of what video games and the online social culture does to a young persons brain development. So if videogames stimulates vision and movement, then start involving the child into activities that stimulate the rest of the brain.

Since most likely a lot of young gamers lack stimulation and exercise for other important brain functions, it will influence their behaviour on and off line.
The frontal lobe steers the behaviour of the individual and keeps developing till the age of 20. Stimulating the frontal lobe is of the most importance, because without proper nourishment, a person will grow up with anti-social tendencies and wont be able to adapt to the world outside of the Internet.

As we all run into young gamers that don't see to have any respect to their elders, and do not hesitate to sacrum to name calling. The reason for that is that they've spent to much playing games without limited if any nourishing the frontal lobe brain function. It's not about them being rude, they just simply "don't know better".


My fear is how this will effect the upcoming generations as a lot of guardians are unaware or unwilling to sit down and read about how the online life/video gaming effect the brain development of their children.


"The importance of this discovery cannot be underestimated," Kawashima told The Observer .

'There is a problem we will have with a new generation of children - who play computer games - that we have never seen before.

'The implications are very serious for an increasingly violent society and these students will be doing more and more bad things if they are playing games and not doing other things like reading aloud or learning arithmetic.'"


Kawashima, visiting the UK to speak at this weekend's annual conference of the private learning programme Kumon Educational UK, said the message to parents was clear.

"Children need to be encouraged to learn basic reading and writing, of course, "he said. "But the other thing is to ask them to play outside with other children and interact and to communicate with others as much as possible. This is how they will develop, retain their creativity and become good people."

So next time you run into a young person playing an online game, and that person starts acting up, don't just boot them, inform them that what they are doing is wrong and it's not acceptable.

[Paustinj]

I can't wait to have kids that I will raise into gamers, but I will do it the right way by following the ESRB (not letting them play games they're not old enough to play), limiting play time, and making sure they understand that school is more important (Something that I never followed). I've been playing M rated games and watching R rated movies since I was 8. I don't intend to make the same mistake with my kids. :P

[anjo banjo]

I agree Kage, the day I have my little army of mini gamers, I will also make sure that they learn good social online behaviour. If they curse online, BELT TOTHE BOTTOM! For me it's no difference then cursing someone out face to face. The first step twards a better online gaming society is to be aware of the problems and take action, by spreading awareness!

[Feelz Good]

I already know I'm have a bunch of badass kids, it's how nature works. I'll let them play whatever they want.

[anjo banjo]

You can let your kids play whatever they want feelz, as long as you nurish the other brainfunctions :) So they grow up to become respectable good people :)

I think it's its every parent or future parent best interest to make sure that their child will be a good person and a good contribution to the human kind :)

[Kicks]

That is why I'm keeping up with the tech toys. I want to know exactly what my kids are trying to get into so that they cannot pull a fast one over on me. I worked at EB as a Christmas temp for some extra cash when GTA:VC came out. You would not believe the number of kids that tried to get their parents or grandparents to come in and buy that game for them. I remember one 12 year old coming in with his dad and asking for a copy of the game. I asked his dad if he knew what was in it and of course he said "no". I then explained what was in the title and he immediately said that his son was not getting it. Of course, the 12 yr. old was angry and claimed that his mom let him play it and told his dad to call his mom who also confirmed that she didn't know what was in it. Most adults with children 10 and up have no clue about video games.

They then wonder why their children have become miscreants or disrespectful. I'm not of the mindset that games create criminals or murderers. My belief is that they're rated a certain way for a reason and it needs to be enforced better.

forgive my rambling, but this is truly a topic that bothers me the most about today's youth. I was appalled when I went to play deathmatch in The Darkness when I heard what my guess was a 12-14 year old boy swearing worse than the first 15 minutes of the opening scene. I sadly have to set my camera to friends only in order to protect myself from seeing some of the crap that people do in front of them while on xbox live

alright, rant mode off
thanks for posting this anjo :)

[Godfree]

I met alot of young kids in different MLG tournaments and it all depends on how you raise your kids. Look at Lil Poison.. he is a very smart kid and his father is always there with him in different tournaments. But this is a great topic to discuss about...

Thanks Anjo for the post!

[Tapio]

I also been playing 18+ games since i was little kid
but i dont see that as any mistake or fault.
If my kid would want to play 18+ game when he is 15-16 i know i can buy it because its his choice.
if he thinks he can handle the 18+ game then why not buy him one
sure someone would think that its wrong and being bad parents,but my point of view its not.
I never had any kind of trauma from games even when i played 18+ games as really young.
My parents knew how to raise me and they did wonderful job at it.

But also people are inviduals,so people may react diffrent and act diffrent on these situations,there are adults that dont buy theyr kids the game even if the kid is 17 and age limit is 18+.
Everybody has theyr choice`s.

Every game also should be looked diffrent,i would never let my 8-10 year old play game that has sexual violence content or really ADULT ONLY content.
but when the kid hits his 14,i think he is mature enough then to play any game he wants.
You cant hide all these stuff forever and you shudnt.

[anjo banjo]

Kicks, it glads me that you inform parents of what their children are trying to buy. The world would be better off if more people did that. I am also glad that you as a parent do follow up on what is going on in your kids life when it comes to gaming and technology.

I agree that it is sad that children do curse out fast without thinking about their actions. I've always wanted to find out the real reason why children tend to act up like in game. I am glad i did this research, it explains alot and when I one day become a parent, I know exactly on how to handle my childs gaming habits and online social habits. Thanks for your opinion and you are free to ramble about this as much as you like, as it is a very passionate subject for parents and parents to be :)

[PMS Harlequin]

Great article!

It really goes back to parents raising well-rounded kids. There should definitely be a balance of outside playtime, video gametime, reading etc.

Where you posted the quote
"As we all run into young gamers that don't seem to have any respect to their elders, and do not hesitate to sacrum to name calling. The reason for that is that they've spent to much playing games without limited if any nourishing the frontal lobe brain function. It's not about them being rude, they just simply "don't know better"."

May be true, yet some would say it's not the frontal lobe brain function but that parents haven't spanked the young one's rear end or talked to them so then they would know better! I'm not talking about beating kids here people but kids do need discipline as well as love.

It is easy to learn to throw the curse words around in games b/c it is so common to hear it from others. Parents are ultimately responsible for showing their kids to respect others in any arena (online or out in public).

[anjo banjo]

Well alot of factors do play a part, and some kids learn bad behaviour other ways. when it came to the frontal lobe, I think it was interesting to know that it is also a factor that can play a part in behaviour skills.

Personally, when I said a bad word as a kid, it was soap in mouth. Harsh but hey, if anything it helped, I didn't like the fact that all the food for 2 days tasted like soap :) also if I played games that were 18+ my brother was always there with me to put things into context when I had questions, which is always a good thing. In my situation anyways, I think his guidence helped me alot. He socialized with gamers and always showed me that wise words and respect twards people get you further then a potty mouth :)

I thank you for your feedback! Surely we all have knowledge about how we grew up and how we raise our children. Its good that you share these thoughts, that way we all can learn from eachother and grow.
Much much appreciated!

[Kicks]

Tapio, I understand that you cannot keep a child sheltered from the world. My goal is to be involved enough to know what they're playing when they are under my roof. Regardless of any argument the rating system has become a lot less strict in both movies and games. What was a R movie in the 80s would now be pg or pg-13. An M-rated title in the 90s meant you would see blood and some symbolism.

In an M-rated title now you can watch sex scenes (or even perform said scenes), see in-depth grotesque details of someones demise, and a constant barrage of curse words. Since the late 90s in movies you can even see full frontal nudity in R movies. Not to sound like a prude, but I would let my son play some of the M rated titles from yesteryear while being there to explain certain things. I'd even let him play Halo, but to let him loose on M-rated titles would make me sick to my stomach.

My honest opinion on the over-use of foul language is that it is mostly out of laziness to express how a person really feels. I'm alright with situational cursing. Take Gears of War for example. Cursing is in the game, but it fits well when used and is believable. A soldier would never yell out something like "aww man, I cannot believe that my gun jammed" in the heat of a battle. You've got the other extreme with Rainbow 6: Vegas where the enemies just yell the F-word at you because it is part of their 6 word vocabulary. It's like it is there for shock factor.

I'm actually working on a website during my free-time (heh, like that exists) that breaks down games based on their content so that parents will have an opportunity to get a better understanding of what is in a game.

I will re-iterate though that I do not feel that video game can cause someone to go out and harm someone. I just cannot stand the way the youth of today and the leaders of tomorrow are currently acting. There are no enforceable repercussions and in truth I'm worried

[Kicks]

Just to add to the last post. I don't want anyone to feel as though I'm judging any of you because I'm not. I know that there are a lot of youth out there that don't fit the generalization I posted. I also don't think people are stupid if they curse. It is just a philosophy that I go by. If I cannot say something without cussing. I don't say it. I actually told my former boss (I quit years after the occurrence) my opinion on cussing because he did it all of the time. I know a lot of it is due to the environment and upbringing someone was part of. I used to cuss all of the time because of the shock factor it received when someone heard me say it. I just don't feel right doing it :)

I will now step off of my soapbox and insert my foot back into my mouth

[anjo banjo]

Very well put kicks.

It is a valid fear. Like I mentioned I work full time on a site with a majority based young female audience. It worries be how they sometimes have no direction of decent communication, cursewords and extreem abuse of a sentence, not in a grammatical manner, but simply wishing for someones death and such. Ofcourse that type of behaviour is not tolerated on my site and we aproach the youth in question in such situations. If they do not reform, we have to ban them of from communicating on our site.

I take it on as a personal responsibility that while they are on my site, they act respectfully and choose their words with causion. You'd be suprised kicks how many kids act up online in a matter they would never do if their parents were around. Most of them reform into our set rules.

I do believe it's each parent responsibility to make sure they know what their children are doing in game and online. Some games like you say are not suitable for children. At the same time the biggest mistake made is that parents are usually unaware what some games are about. That is why I am glad that my brother took personal responsiblity in what games he exposed me to, and made sure that I was ready. Also him being involved enought in my life to make sure that the games didn't influence my behaviour.

I agree that violence in games alone doesn't prompt a child to go out and commit vicious acts. I am a firm believer that with parental supervision, children of tomorrow will grow up to be decent caring people. That is what lacks most of the time.

I encourage my members parents to get more involved in the site where I work so I can further base the site to have a more suitable enviroment for young ones. A Little involvement goes a long way.

And Like you said Kicks, this is my philosophy on how I base my work and some day that I will pass on to my children. It's something that I believe suits me and the situations I've encountered brought me to this philosophy.

[Kicks]

Thanks anjo :)
I have now officially hijacked this thread

[anjo banjo]

Haha, go ahead Kicks! You being a parent makes you more experienced in this manner then me, since I am yet to have a little spawn of Anjo :)

Reading your experience only prepares me for the day when there is a little Anjo junior, and I am a firm believer of exchanging knowledge with experienced parents in a situation that I am yet to experience :)

Cause knowledge is power!

[Tapio]

Every parent actually should somehow monitor what theyr children are playin,but again that depends on childs age.
If i think that my child would be too young for some scary game,then i wont let him play it.
Also my brother kind of controlled what i was playing
i remember there was some bit scary game,so i played with my brother,and he told me what was happening there,depending how old i was.
when i was too young to actually play the game to understand it totally,borther told me "hey look that evil man has ketchup on his shirt"

But when i was at age of 12+ i pretty much started to control my own gaming
my brother or parents didnt need to explain what happend to monster or what did the gun really do in game
so from that on i kind of took the gaming on my own control,if i tought that game was not suitable for me then i didnt play it.

so at age of 14 i didnt even care about game ratings because i knew that i was mature enough to play games
and at age of 16 i could buy the 16+ games.
but i played so many 18+ games that i didnt even understand whats the point? of course there are probably people who dont buy 18+ for reason,even tho if they could or are few years younger.
But probably main reason i didnt understand the 18+ rating because i got used to that rating so young and same was with friends.
Personally i mayby never could understand the 18+.
but as I see it,i see it as pre-caution.
also to add one reason is that i never met anyone at age of 15 that never played 18+ games.

So for me 18+ are pointless but im sure there are there for reason,and when i buy game to my child,i will check if the 18+ REALLY means some 18+[full nudity,sex scenes,drugs,violence,graphic images/scenes]
I always saw 18+ as 16+ to me..but hey..thats just me

[Avid X]

All I will add to this thread is that video games dont neccessarily make kids more violent, but it opens their imagination to violent thoughts.The same goes for movies.

Im a huge gamer, i love games..
I will defend gaming, but seriously some stuff in games should not been seen or heard by kids.

[anjo banjo]

We can agree on that point that some things shouldn't be available for younger people and that parents need to get more involved in a young persons gaming habit.

Alot of things can stimulate violent thoughts, the challenge is teach the kids to handle those thoughts.

We have alot of factors posted here today on what triggers young gamers bad behaviour, and I think this is very informative.
The more things we can pinpoint, the more we can do to make sure our lil offsprings grow up to be decent respectable gamers.

I thank you all for your opinions! I've learned alot!
And will keep learning!

[Kicks]

You're right anjo

In the end it is all based off of your child's personality. My son will be 4 in December and my daughter will be 2, but to this day he is scared of the "fire stick" from fox and the hound. Watching Garfield (computer version) freaked him out. It just shows that as parents we need to have our senses heightened towards what our children are feeling so that we can handle whatever is bothering them in the best manner instead of taking a hands off approach

[DesignJockey]

who cares! just get your game on curse the shit out of ppl and get your frustration out..... :rockon:

[anjo banjo]

and this is why I think in all fairness Design jockey should be neutered :D HAHAHA

[DesignJockey]

and this is why I think in all fairness Design jockey should be nudered :D HAHAHA

bla bla bla durka durka durkaa blaa blaa

[ProjektWikked]

I already know I'm have a bunch of badass kids, it's how nature works. I'll let them play whatever they want.

I agree with Feelz. Kids adapt to the standards of the games they play. If I play bloody and gory games all the time, it becomes less disturbing and I've adapted. As long as it's not affecting real life behaviour or the way I interact with real people, I don't see violent or inappropriate video games as a threat. And by that I mean M rated. AO is a different story.

[BAMBAMBPT]

I know kids who play violent games and they are straight a students. I also know kids who don't own a system and they are serving 5 years sentences for armed robbery. Go Figure!

[Junkie13]

Personally games have taught me to be more creative, (good games anyway)
I like the whole puzzle idea, yet I love the shooting factor, it doesn't make me want to pick up a gun and go shoot everyone. (But that's only me)
Everyone reacts to everything differently, I've been gaming since a very young age it all depends on the person, movies, music, tv, games, what you see on the street can all change you as a person.
But the ratings are there for a reason for parents/guardians to protect people and do serve their purpose, for the most time.
I think it's devoleped me in a very good way, I now want to bea graphic designer for games, or a concept artist.