President urges young people to switch off video games

feelgoodinc27

http://breakingnews.ie/ireland/president-urges-young-people-to-switch-off-video-games-529504.html

"During his election campaign, Mr Higgins pledged to champion the arts and creative industries, and to help bring in more related jobs."

Surely the creative industries include the video games sector.

Ostrom

Or encourage them to balance their activities with gaming as just one (albeit highly enriching) element

In Temple Bar....wonder if that xbox centre is still going?

Icyseanfitz

he is a 70 year old who likes the arts, of course he is going to a. not understand and b. dislike video games,

i would much prefer my child to play video games than to be running around the street, either way i think video games are good for the imagination seeing as a lot of games leave you do what you want in them (particularly sandbox games), sure minecraft is pretty much the same as lego just cooler

Myrddin

Sigh, & so it begins. God knows what this new figurehead is earning a year & this is how he kicks off?

goose2005

But don't we need to be prepared for any eventuality, Mr Higgins?

K.O.Kiki

He might have a point though.

I wouldn't exactly call CoD/BF the height of creativity.

Aenaes

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

He might have a point though.

I wouldn't exactly call CoD/BF the height of creativity.

But throwing paint at a canvas is? ^^

Myrddin

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

He might have a point though.

I wouldn't exactly call CoD/BF the height of creativity.

Either is drinking all night, & he aint calling for pubs to be closed is he? Typical nonsense from a typically out of touch politician being typically overly paid for a typically pointless job.

Captain Chaos

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

He might have a point though.

I wouldn't exactly call CoD/BF the height of creativity.

Maybe not but are Activision or EA complaining from all the millions they made on those franchises....not one bit. CoD the largest grossing entertainment media franchise of all time ever. Money talks.

There is Bioware after setting up offices for tech support and creating jobs here.

Gaming is the future, it's where the money is if you can make it big.

Sabre0001

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

He might have a point though.

I wouldn't exactly call CoD/BF the height of creativity.

Come on Kiki...All the games that are released year in, year out and you pick those two. No, they're not the height of creativity. However, Minecraft is essentially Lego without the fear of standing on blocks and the financial back required to make impressive structures, Limbo was amazing, some first person shooters do push creativity a little because the developers create planets, environments, species, etc.

mikom

Shryke

Aenaes wrote: »

But throwing paint at a canvas is? ^^

For the most part, ya.
There's plenty of stuff out there to play that is challenging and innovative but there's far more mindless and repetitive crap. Higgins is refering to younger people, kids really. Listen to chart music and tell me what amazing music it is. Kids don't have the best taste. They're far more likely to play CoD online than Half-Life. Look at the sales for the latest game.
For all of that Higgins doesn't make any kind of relevant point and he is too old to understand that video games are a part of our lives and culture as much as any other medium. Moderation is the only real view to take, and then only if gaming interferes with the rest of life. Otherwise it's just a passtime like any other.

KalEl88

Aenaes wrote: »

But throwing paint at a canvas is? ^^

Eh ya.

noodler

If the readers in this thread don't have weight, social or productivity problems from playing video games then its understandable why you wouldn't see them as a problem.

For a growing number of our youth they surely are though.

Myrddin

noodler wrote: »

If the readers in this thread don't have weight, social or productivity problems from playing video games then its understandable why you wouldn't see them as a problem.

For a growing number of our youth they surely are though.

As mentioned above by someone, its all common sense & moderation. Regards youth & video games, its not the games themselves, its lazy/bad parenting & if kids wern't being left to play games all day it'd be something else instead.

As I said, he has to say something, so it may as well be the first thing that comes into his head.

Coriolanus

If only he were a hooker, I could fsck him then beat him with a baseball bat and take my money back.

krudler

Myrddin

From the article linked in the OP's post

“It is possible to form the impression that many of today’s children no longer fully appreciate the joy of taking refuge in their own imaginations, preferring to spend their time on computer games, or watching digital television or playing with pre-programmed electronic toys,” the president said

Maybe he's right, I'm going out for a game of stickball

Myrddin

krudler wrote: »

:pac::pac::pac:

noodler

EnterNow wrote: »

As mentioned above by someone, its all common sense & moderation. Regards youth & video games, its not the games themselves, its lazy/bad parenting & if kids wern't being left to play games all day it'd be something else instead.

As I said, he has to say something, so it may as well be the first thing that comes into his head.

I'd say in many cases it is a damaging habit which affects kids more than people in their 20s and 30s. I think most of the posters here are in my age bracket (mid 20s ar there abouts) and are maybe maybe thinking that just because it isn't affecting them that it isn't affecting anyone.


The whole "there will always be something" argument is fair enough, but there are various initatives/commentaries etc against kids drinking in the media every other week as well. I don't think games are being victimised to the extend argued in these threads.

Mr.Saturn

Our resident little person can play three hours of Disgaea or Chrono Trigger and then quite happily turn around and have a conversation about emigrating to moonpieland on a flying baguette. Higgins, on the other hand, is still doing the same hobbit impression he's been doing for years. Imagination, Schmagination.

MagicMarker

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

i would much prefer my child to play video games than to be running around the street, either way i think video games are good for the imagination seeing as a lot of games leave you do what you want in them (particularly sandbox games), sure minecraft is pretty much the same as lego just cooler

Ah here, running around the street?

Would you prefer your child sat in playing video games during the summer rather than out playing football with his mates?

Sl!mCharles

Yeah id rather my kids (if i have em :P ) to spend more time out playing on the green/road than the time they spent playing games. To get or at least try to get the best of both worlds is key in this matter imo.

With regard to Micky D, I'm disappointed that this was his first public address. There is a lot of imaginative goodness to be found in videogames, TV, and even "preprogammed electronic toys" that can nurture further interests in other forms of art and expression.

Retr0gamer

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

He might have a point though.

I wouldn't exactly call CoD/BF the height of creativity.

Recently played Rule of Rose and it ws interesting seeing how such an abstract story about bullying and child abuse could be told on this new medium. There's imagination and creativity out there in games, you just won't find it in the top 10.

I play way too many videogames but still get out to socialise, exercise, do amateur dramatics and found time to get a PhD in Chemistry. I even met my current girlfriend through videogames. Has been really damaging to my lifestyle :rolleyes: Mind you, can't get a fecking job though but sure saving the kids from the menace of videogames rather than sorting out an econaomy where someone with the highest level of education can't get a job is more important.

Fnz

Suggesting that video games have negative affected our imagination is like saying... I dunno, something.

PickledLime

And the response should be

'young people urges President to get with the times'.

frisbeeface

Sensationalist article. He doesn't say anything about 'switching off video games'. All he says is that it is possible children don't fully explore their imagination. He doesn't single out video games as the reason for this but mentions it with other things.

Typical media bull$hit trying to make a non-story into something sensationalist. Basically just trying to troll gamers.

Sarky

Nearly got Mickey D to join the NUIG fantasy and science fiction end taming society back in the day. He knows the score.

Icyseanfitz

MagicMarker wrote: »

Ah here, running around the street?

Would you prefer your child sat in playing video games during the summer rather than out playing football with his mates?

a balance is needed, when i was growing up my parents rarely left me play games or watch tv as it was "bad" for me :rolleyes: thats just being frightened by something different.

playing football etc. is all great but the amount of kids i see just messing around at the side of a road some place is why i really wouldnt mind if a child of mine wanted to spend some time at home.

was never massive into football or team sports myself growing up, in my experience it was just a way for the "good" players to lord it over everyone, i wouldnt really push a kid into that unless they truly liked the game

MagicMarker

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

a balance is needed, when i was growing up my parents rarely left me play games or watch tv as it was "bad" for me :rolleyes: thats just being frightened by something different.

playing football etc. is all great but the amount of kids i see just messing around at the side of a road some place is why i really wouldnt mind if a child of mine wanted to spend some time at home.

was never massive into football or team sports myself growing up, in my experience it was just a way for the "good" players to lord it over everyone, i wouldnt really push a kid into that unless they truly liked the game

Let me put it another way, would you encourage your child to play video games over going outside and playing with friends?

Jumpy

MagicMarker wrote: »

Let me put it another way, would you encourage your child to play video games over going outside and playing with friends?

They ARE playing with friends.