Did you hear that Southington, Connecticut recently sponsored a violent video game burning party?
They asked people to bring in their games, break them, and throw them in a dumpster to be incinerated. Apparently, this shows “responsible citizenship.”
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of video games. I enjoy playing Just Dance on my Wii and will occasionally play a few racing games with my son, but that’s about the extent of my interest.
My husband, however, is an avid gamer. My son has been exposed to a fairly wide range of games because of this, but we would never let him play something without looking it over first to make sure it’s appropriate for his age and maturity level. We also don’t let him spend four or five hours a day playing games.
Children don’t generally procure video games without the assistance of adults. If you’re not a gamer, it’s your job to at least look up a few Amazon reviews to determine if a title is something you’re comfortable letting your kid play. Don’t mindlessly shell out $50 or $60, then complain when a game isn’t what you expected.
I do think there could very well be a link between violent video games and aggressive behavior if kids are allowed unrestricted access and not given the tools to evaluate what they’re seeing on screen in an objective way. However, the same arguments could be made for books, movies, or websites.
Video games tend to be an easy target to criticize because so many parents don’t understand them and don’t want to take the time to investigate their appeal. It’s much easier to dismiss what you don’t understand than to try to see the situation from another point of view.
What do you think of the idea of burning violent video games? Is this something you’d consider doing?
Photo credit: kindred664 via morgueFile
