PRINTRated ‘E’ for exercise
Creating healthy gamers
July 24, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Steadily decreasing grades, falling asleep during class, dropping after-school activities. Spending the majority of free time playing video games and becoming irritable and temperamental when told to stop. As reported by an April 2007 Harris Interactive poll, an estimated 8.5 percent of 8-18 year olds are addicted to video games and exhibit the above symptoms.
Although video games have made their way into children’s playtime, there can be consequences to their popularity. Dr. Robert Kline, a pediatric psychologist in Columbia, says that there are positive and negative aspects to children’s video game use.
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“On the positive side, I think of the three C’s: competition, coordination and cognition,” Kline says. Children who aren’t competitive can learn to be more competitive, and children who are too competitive can learn to calm down. Video games have also been shown to improve coordination and cognitive abilities.
One researcher is using video games to improve children’s concentration. Dr. Guy McCormack, a clinical professor and chair of the MU department of occupational therapy and occupational science, uses a combination of neurofeedback and stimulus provided by the use of video games to try to regulate brain function of autistic children. While subjects play a video game, electrode sensors read their brain waves. Neurofeedback gives patients immediate rewards for their attention to movement on the screen, thus teaching the child to regulate his or her brain function.
McCormack says that having positive instantaneous feedback during video game play can help children in different ways. “It can cause an arousal or relaxation response,” he says. “If the child is under-aroused, this can train them to be more alert. If they are over-aroused, it can teach them to be calmer. It also can increase their social responsiveness.”
But where there are positive results from video game playing, there are also negatives ones. “On the negative side, I think of the three O’s: obesity, obsession and opposition,” Kline says. “Obesity is a rampant problem. Our children are sitting way too long. Obsession is not rampant, but it’s definitely there.”
Kline also says it’s important that parents know their children. He says that with most children you can tell from their natural characteristics whether they can handle playing video games without becoming obsessive. For instance, you shouldn’t even have to tell them to end their games; they might play for a half hour and stop on their own. The opposition aspect fits in when children fight after being told to stop playing.
Although Kline says that obsessiveness is only present in about 4-6 percent of children, some children are predisposed to have obsessive tendencies. Despite the problems with gaming, there are steps parents can take to ensure their children play video games in a healthy manner.
Set a Time Limit
Parents should take a stand on time limits. Kline says a reasonable time depends on the individual child. “There is widespread agreement that there should be no screen time below the age of 3 or 4,” he says. “For young children, a half hour is OK. I’d start to get uncomfortable within an hour. If you try and tell a 15-year-old they have a half an hour time limit, they’ll burn the house down. For older children and teens, limit the time during the week and be more flexible on the weekends.”
Monitor your kids
Parents should take an active role in monitoring video games. Every video game has been carefully reviewed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board and assigned a rating to indicate its appropriateness for each age group. Kline says parents should familiarize themselves with the ratings and only purchase games appropriate for their children’s age. “For kids, it’s like going to a PG-13 movie,” he says. “You feel more proud if you can go, but the ratings say it’s for 13-year-olds for a reason.”
Play Along
Parents should keep a close eye on the content of the video games. Kline recommends that every parent sit down and play the games before their children because it’s hard to tell exactly what it is until you play it. Consider renting games to view their content before purchasing.
Watch Big Bro
Don’t forget about older brothers and sisters. Younger children have a tendency to go into their older siblings’ rooms and play video games that might not be appropriate.
Go for variety
Another way to make sure your children are playing healthy is to make their video gaming experience an active one. Choose the games that are more educational, athletic and musical. “These games will activate different cognitive functions and assist with coordination,” Kline says.
Columbia play place Going Bonkers offers a twist on the traditional gaming experience. “At Going Bonkers we’ve combined really physical playtime, where the kids are actually working up a sweat, with video games,” owner Damon Sutherland says. “Video games actually come secondary.”
Sutherland has noticed it is really up to the parents’ discretion how their children use their playtime. For instance, many parents provide their kids with a couple dollars of change, and when it’s gone, it’s gone. “It limits the amount of time the kids will spend playing video games,” Sutherland says. “Then, the kids will run around the mazes, go down the slides and get sweaty.”
