(2002) Revista de Padres y Madres de alumnos, 70 , 22-23.
Ricardo Tejeiro Salguero (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Away)
Pelegrina Manuel del Río (Universidad de Málaga)
Video games are one of the most common forms of entertainment in our society. Many people, mostly young, but not only them, have any console games used computer, go to the arcades to play, buy magazines, and, finally, spin their leisure time on this new form of entertainment. The game industry moves every year millions of euros, employing thousands of people and creating a network of business interests that only a few decades ago was unimaginable. Advertising campaigns on video games have jumped from more properly means "childish" to those others that involved the majority of society, such as television and football. In a century with more leisure time than we have ever enjoyed and technological capacity limits unpredictable, some people and adventure that the game will soon overtake television as the great medium of entertainment in the developed world.
The counterpart of this thrust is found in those parents, teachers and citizens, who feel overwhelmed by an environment that neither know nor understand. The interests of any kind that move around the game regularly promote controversy over the "good" or "bad" they are. Discussions without a clear conclusion, which often raised questions rather than providing answers. The very appearance of the first games in the early 70's was accompanied by many voices predicted that youth would end soon turned into automatons lonely and violent. Since then the games have changed dramatically, incorporating not only better graphics and sound effects, but also new issues, bulky peripheral devices and new media (like portable consoles or computer games). However, critics remain largely unchanged. In full year 2002 are still many who ask what are the appropriate attitudes that we must keep to the use of video games for children? Do we know? Should we accept? Should we control? Are they as negative as they seem? Do they generate addiction? "Cause aggression? "Socialize or isolate? How long can our children play? ...
Since 1996, the Department of Psychobiology and Methodology, University of Manchester have developed a thorough investigation to find answers to many questions and such. Over six years, we dive into the databases and libraries, interviewed hundreds of users of video games collect information from dozens of researchers and systematically analyze the available data. It is not possible to summarize in these pages the results of such research (see "Video games: what they are and how they affect us," Ed Ariel, Ariel Social Library, in press), but we can present some suggestions that we believe may be useful for all those concerned by this phenomenon.
First, it must cope with extreme caution in the news, often alarmist, which usually haunt this form of entertainment. Many of the arguments (for or against) are based more on prejudice or other commercial interests rather than scientific data, and even in this case can one or two isolated studies to allow firm conclusions. Moreover, it is recalled that the negative news get more attention from the media than positive. For example, many heard about the "murderer of the Katana" certain violent video game fan, but few who know Bronkies, the dinosaur that makes it easier for children 6 to 16 years to overcome their problems with asthma.
There is some evidence to associate certain types of games and games with aggressive behavior or the commission of illegal activities, and no shortage of those who suggest that video games can be a gateway to the "gambling." However, there are numerous studies showing how video games can improve certain perceptual abilities, how they can be used effectively in education and health promotion, or how they are used successfully to introduce youngsters to the world computer science or practice of other games, like chess. Without doubt, should know not only the potential dangers, but also the potential benefits of them can be removed before taking a more or less dogmatic and ultimately to a reality as new.
Video games are very well designed to attract our attention and interest the same so that advertisements are thoroughly studied. In this sense, the players are attracted by the quality of graphics, speed of visual action, sound effects, verbal reinforcement, interactivity, the activity of "achievement", the credibility of content, the existence of a random component, the immediate feedback and the possibility of surprises, among many other aspects. And when we tried to children, adolescents, perhaps, to remember their natural tendency to enjoy without measure everything that they find it enjoyable ... although adults may seem harmful.
Does this mean that parents must control the use of video games for their sons and daughters? We answer yes, and we hasten to clarify that in the same extent that they must "control" any other activity, and always starting from a certain knowledge of it. It is necessary that parents help their children to properly distribute their time, encouraging them to perform other activities like sports, reading, listening to music or just play with friends (all of it "in its proper measure.") For it must be adequately informed, to know what games used, talking to their sons and daughters and, why not play with them somewhere. Advantage and to show with your own behavior, which is no fun odds with the serenity and time management. We think that in a family "healthy" in that relations are based on the support and affection, it is unlikely that games come to produce any negative effect.
Obviously, all of this requires time and effort that many parents will not or can not use. But perhaps it is time to assume full responsibility that comes with being a parent, rather than being driven by the increasing tendency to delegate the "burden" in other fora such as school and government.
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