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President urges young people to switch off video games

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    #92
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    humanji wrote: »
    Kids should try doing both activities instead of just one. That's the point being made.

    How does he know most already don't?


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    #93
    Mark Hamill
    Registered Users Posts: 7,776 ✭✭✭Mark Hamill


    humanji wrote: »
    But you have to visualise it. You don't with a computer game. It's right in front of you.

    So? When everything is laid for you in a book - plot, characters, themes - the act of visualising it requires little to no effort. When you read books all you are doing is reading what is happening in someone else's already imagined world. With videogames, you at least get to interact with the world in some way.
    humanji wrote: »
    Kids should try doing both activities instead of just one. That's the point being made.

    But the point presents videogames as somehow lacking the ability to inspire imagination in kids, which is wrong. They are an aid to it (some far better than others, of course). Its like when you played outside as a kid and pretended a stick was a gun or a sword, this didn't mean you were using your imagination less than if you had no stick and had to play pretend with empty hands.

    I do agree that kids should try quite a variety of activities, but I think how much inspiration they can get from each activity will be subjective. Some kids will get more enjoyment from video games, some from reading, some from playing outside. The important thing is that parents ensure that do all of these activities so that they get the other benefits associated with them - socialising, exercise etc.


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    #94
    Mr.Saturn
    Registered Users Posts: 3,954 ✭✭✭Mr.Saturn


    frisbeeface wrote: »
    Misleading headline is misleading.

    Tired meme is ****ing tired.


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    #95
    noodler
    Registered Users Posts: 26,400 ✭✭✭✭noodler


    Irish Times today:


    The President is wrong about video games

    LESS THAN a month after I voted for him, Michael D Higgins has dealt me his first major disappointment. This week he said “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”.
    Well, it is possible to form that opinion, Mr President, but I think you’re wrong. Gaming is among of the most exciting and creative industries of the modern world, and is one of the few art forms that originated in 20th century. It is also one of the few industries that regularly attracts sweeping, negative criticism from people with no knowledge of (or interest in) the area.
    Imagine dismissing all poetry without ever having read a poetry book, or bemoaning every morsel of Indian cuisine without letting any pass your lips.
    If Higgins were interested, he could take some time to see how people young and old nurture their imaginations with video games.
    Games offer interactive narratives; they frequently encourage user-generated content; and many gamers go on to become game developers themselves, telling animated, innovative stories for a living.
    Games such as Little Big Planet ( LBP ) are the most sophisticated easel and brush you’ve ever seen. Regardless of technical know-how, you can create a video game from the ground up, filling a blank screen with whatever images and gameplay you want. Members of the LBP community (who rank in their millions) have built animated virtual worlds with working circuit boards, elaborate musical instruments and even interactive stories culminating in personalised messages (from “Happy birthday!” to “Will you marry me?”).
    Other games, such as Create , allow players to engage in virtual arts and crafts, while for older gamers, shooting games such as Halo have an option where you can create your own arena.
    User-generated content moulds the gaming industry in ways that books, films, popular music and even poetry can only dream of. In the two years I’ve been writing about video games for this paper, I’ve lost count of the number of developers who’ve told me that fan feedback and user-generated content has had an influence on their work.
    What’s more, according to researchers at Michigan State University, video games encourage creativity regardless of the type of game being played. Linda Jackson, the professor of psychology who led the research, says: “We are the first to look at creativity and technology use, finding that no other technologies except video games were positively related to creativity.”
    The study of nearly 500 12-year-olds found that gamers fared better than non-gamers in the Torrance Test, which asked children to draw a picture, give it a title and write a story about it.
    President Higgins, a passionate, creative man, should open his mind just a little bit more. You’re never too old to learn new things and work on your creativity.


    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2011/1125/1224308107051.html


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    #96
    hooradiation
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,922 ✭✭✭hooradiation


    Lesson learned for Mr Higgins. Never give games anything other than gushing praise or their fans will get upset and maybe even write an article about how upset they are.


    When the fuck did "hey, maybe play those games in moderation" become a bad message?


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    #97
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    hooradiation wrote: »
    Lesson learned for Mr Higgins. Never give games anything other than gushing praise or their fans will get upset and maybe even write an article about how upset they are.


    When the fuck did "hey, maybe play those games in moderation" become a bad message?

    How does he know most arn't playing games moderately? Is he just drawing conclusions in his head perhaps?

    Where's his message about alcohol abuse, drug abuse, & all the other pressing matters that destroy lives?


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    #98
    paddyandy
    Site Banned Posts: 2,037 ✭✭✭paddyandy


    represented in high profile in Ireland and the Electronic Media has been causing print media some worry.Paper industry is part of Michael D's past and it's time to look after your past friends.Michael and Books are synonymous and he will high profile the Biz.Please correct me if i am wrong about this as i may not have the full story.


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    #99
    hooradiation
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,922 ✭✭✭hooradiation


    EnterNow wrote: »
    How does he know most arn't playing games moderately? Is he just drawing conclusions in his head perhaps?

    Well unless you can prove that video games are being played in moderation then really i don't see what this has to do about anything.
    In fact seeing as you can't prove what I asked of you, what exactly is the problem with a reminder that moderation and a diversification of activities is a good thing?

    EnterNow wrote: »
    Where's his message about alcohol abuse, drug abuse, & all the other pressing matters that destroy lives?

    Well, I tell you what. If after his term is up and he's never touched on any of those matters then I'll admit you might have a point.
    Otherwise I'll leave it in the pile of pointless whining whataboutery, because not speaking about those issues right now does not diminish what he said one jot.


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    #100
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    hooradiation wrote: »
    Well unless you can prove that video games are being played in moderation then really i don't see what this has to do about anything.

    I'll look into in, I'm currently doing a study on how pre-programmed electronic toys are diminishing the imaginative minds of youngsters. Watch this space.
    hooradiation wrote:
    In fact seeing as you can't prove what I asked of you, what exactly is the problem with a reminder that moderation and a diversification of activities is a good thing?

    But he's making out it's the games & toys themselves that are to blame. Unless he's trying to patronize people, he's completely wrong about that.

    hooradiation wrote:
    Well, I tell you what. If after his term is up and he's never touched on any of those matters then I'll admit you might have a point.

    Of course he'll touch on them, probably in the same vein though...Drink is bad for you. Drugs are bad for you.
    hooradiation wrote:
    Otherwise I'll leave it in the pile of pointless whining whataboutery, because not speaking about those issues right now does not diminish what he said one jot.

    I've already said he has a point, in a sense. He's blaming the games etc though, where I'd blame bad/lazy parenting. Well that's not entirely correct, he didn't blame them gaming directly, but he eluded that those things are the problem, when in fact they are only the manifestation of other problems.


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    #101
    Grumpypants
    Registered Users Posts: 7,870 ✭✭✭Grumpypants


    When i was young we used to get a hoop and a stick and chase it down the hill, oh how my imagination ran wild i dreamed up weird and wonderful adventures involving running down hills hitting a hoop with a stick.

    All stupid video games do is take me into a fictional universe full of weird and wonderful creatures with exciting and compelling interactive stories where i am constantly wowed by works of art created by some of the best technical minds of my generation.

    The president should launch a hoop for every kid in school program.


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    #102
    hooradiation
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,922 ✭✭✭hooradiation


    EnterNow wrote: »
    I'll look into in, I'm currently doing a study on how pre-programmed electronic toys are diminishing the imaginative minds of youngsters. Watch this space.

    off you go, have fun.
    EnterNow wrote: »
    But he's making out it's the games & toys themselves that are to blame. Unless he's trying to patronize people, he's completely wrong about that.

    You must be reading a different article then the one in the OP. Because nothing close to that is being said.
    But i imagine this is 'gamers' being over defensive whenever their hobby isn't met with gushing praise.

    EnterNow wrote: »
    Of course he'll touch on them, probably in the same vein though...Drink is bad for you. Drugs are bad for you.
    Which'd be not in the same vein though..


    EnterNow wrote: »
    I've already said he has a point, in a sense. He's blaming the games etc though, where I'd blame bad/lazy parenting. Well that's not entirely correct, he didn't blame them gaming directly, but he eluded that those things are the problem, when in fact they are only the manifestation of other problems.

    I would really like to see the article your referencing, it's far more exciting than the one I'm looking at.


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    #103
    Mark Hamill
    Registered Users Posts: 7,776 ✭✭✭Mark Hamill


    hooradiation wrote: »
    When the fuck did "hey, maybe play those games in moderation" become a bad message?

    Where did he say that? (and where has anyone here actually disagreed with that point?) Because to me it looks like he said "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", which is not saying they should be played in moderation (he never said anything about how much games should be played by kids), its saying that video games restrict kids imaginations, which is stupid.


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    #104
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    Mark Hamill wrote: »
    Where did he say that? (and where has anyone here actually disagreed with that point?) Because to me it looks like he said "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", which is not saying they should be played in moderation (he never said anything about how much games should be played by kids), its saying that video games restrict kids imaginations, which is stupid.

    blinders.jpg?w=300&h=207


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    #105
    BopNiblets
    Registered Users Posts: 3,579 ✭✭✭BopNiblets


    Clearly our president is not thinking with Portals... :(


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    #106
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    BopNiblets wrote: »
    Clearly our president is not thinking with Portals... :(

    Slight amendment :p


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    #107
    K.O.Kiki
    Registered Users Posts: 18,707 ✭✭✭✭K.O.Kiki


    Reading this thread annoys me on a level I'm not even going to bother explaining.


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    #108
    Magill
    Registered Users Posts: 5,732 ✭✭✭Magill


    Books is clearly for noobs. ive never read all of a book in my entired live ! And im know worse off becus of it.

    Seriously tho... I haven't. Gaming in moderation is fine, i think that applies to everything in life... except skyrim... can never get enough skyrim.


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    #109
    Spacedog
    Registered Users Posts: 1,775 ✭✭✭Spacedog


    Arianna_26 wrote: »
    So you're saying we shouldn't bother with video games because they don't reflect Irish culture?

    No, I'm saying we should make our own games in our own way.

    Tetris is a great game that reflects the nation it was made in.
    (you work and work, all your achievements vanish and you only ever see your past mistakes, lol)

    I love playing games as much as anyone here, but I know it takes up a lot of free time I could be using to be doing more creative stuff.

    That's all I'm saying.


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    #110
    Arawn
    Registered Users Posts: 3,158 ✭✭✭Arawn


    Dear president

    Please be happy that video games bring joy to a vast amount of people who would otherwise probably beat the **** out of every politician in the country for ****ing everyone over.


    Good on ya wee fella


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    #111
    Krusader
    Registered Users Posts: 4,057 ✭✭✭Krusader


    Spacedog wrote: »
    No, I'm saying we should make our own games in our own way.

    Tetris is a great game that reflects the nation it was made in.
    (you work and work, all your achievements vanish and you only ever see your past mistakes, lol)

    I love playing games as much as anyone here, but I know it takes up a lot of free time I could be using to be doing more creative stuff.

    That's all I'm saying.

    The fantastical element of old Irish mythology hasn't really been tapped into at all in gaming and in the film industry, it would be great to see a solid RPG game released with these elements.
    I reckon it's ripe for pillaging and plagiarising


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