When I was a kid I used to play Pong and Pac-Man. The world is very different now. For today's Tech Talk Tuesday share with your kids what you played. Ask them about their favorite games and what they like about those games. Then, ask them whether they know about any games that are focused on helping people. If so, what are they? If your child were to design a game, what would it look like? We'd love to hear their ideas.
There is a mix of opinion about whether violent video games actually lead to violent behavior. But there are plenty of studies that show right after kids play a violent video game they exhibit more aggression. In addition, there are studies that show longer lasting impact. Fortunately the impact is small, but it is real nonetheless.
There are alternatives: prosocial games that encourage the gamer to do something positive with their avatars. One, The Stanley Parable, even got the nod from my 16-year-old son, who called it “cool.”
Here is a list narrative-driven, non-combative games I like:
Fez
There are no bosses, enemies, punishment, or failure in this world. It’s all about solving puzzles and stopping to smell the roses.
Dear Esther
Walk along a beautiful deserted island with no enemies or anyone else--only the words of the narrator to you company. Curiosity and love of narrative drive the game forward.
Gone Home
You come home on a stormy night after being abroad for a year and no one is home. Piece together letters, memos, and pieces of your sister’s diary to find out what’s happened.
Ether One
You can walk right through this entire game and not do a single thing — just observe. Experience the story as a casual observer or test your wits against the game’s optional puzzles.
The Stanley Parable
Escape the 9-to-5 corporate job by winding your way through office halls, deciding whether to take the road planned for you from the beginning or a more unconventional route.
Journey
Journey toward a light that sits at the top of a mountain. As you make your way across the ancient ruins of a prosperous world, journey with an anonymous player perhaps even building a relationship through this three-hour game.
Minecraft
The massively popular game allow players to build a digital replica of your house, down to the plumbing and light switches, and relocate the Arc de Triumph to the backyard. In Minecraft, you create the world you want to live in.
Portal
This game offers mind-bending gameplay that works your puzzle-solving skills and memories of eighth-grade physics, so much so that the sequel, Portal 2, is popular with K-12 physics teachers as a teaching tool.
Animal Crossing
Move into town a populated by anthropomorphic raccoons, penguins, and goats and a constantly changing world with plenty of hidden surprises to find. Critics have praised the simplicity and addictiveness of the game, even the parts that are essentially chores.
Braid
This game allows you to rewind time and redo actions, even if your character dies. You face difficult challenges and must collect pieces of different puzzles that will eventually explain the main character's affecting backstory and motivations.
Here is a video from the Screenagers YouTube Channel that talks more about this subject
When I was a kid I used to play Pong and Pac-Man. The world is very different now. For today's Tech Talk Tuesday share with your kids what you played. Ask them about their favorite games and what they like about those games. Then, ask them whether they know about any games that are focused on helping people. If so, what are they? If your child were to design a game, what would it look like? We'd love to hear their ideas.
There is a mix of opinion about whether violent video games actually lead to violent behavior. But there are plenty of studies that show right after kids play a violent video game they exhibit more aggression. In addition, there are studies that show longer lasting impact. Fortunately the impact is small, but it is real nonetheless.
There are alternatives: prosocial games that encourage the gamer to do something positive with their avatars. One, The Stanley Parable, even got the nod from my 16-year-old son, who called it “cool.”
Here is a list narrative-driven, non-combative games I like:
Fez
There are no bosses, enemies, punishment, or failure in this world. It’s all about solving puzzles and stopping to smell the roses.
Dear Esther
Walk along a beautiful deserted island with no enemies or anyone else--only the words of the narrator to you company. Curiosity and love of narrative drive the game forward.
Gone Home
You come home on a stormy night after being abroad for a year and no one is home. Piece together letters, memos, and pieces of your sister’s diary to find out what’s happened.
Ether One
You can walk right through this entire game and not do a single thing — just observe. Experience the story as a casual observer or test your wits against the game’s optional puzzles.
The Stanley Parable
Escape the 9-to-5 corporate job by winding your way through office halls, deciding whether to take the road planned for you from the beginning or a more unconventional route.
Journey
Journey toward a light that sits at the top of a mountain. As you make your way across the ancient ruins of a prosperous world, journey with an anonymous player perhaps even building a relationship through this three-hour game.
Minecraft
The massively popular game allow players to build a digital replica of your house, down to the plumbing and light switches, and relocate the Arc de Triumph to the backyard. In Minecraft, you create the world you want to live in.
Portal
This game offers mind-bending gameplay that works your puzzle-solving skills and memories of eighth-grade physics, so much so that the sequel, Portal 2, is popular with K-12 physics teachers as a teaching tool.
Animal Crossing
Move into town a populated by anthropomorphic raccoons, penguins, and goats and a constantly changing world with plenty of hidden surprises to find. Critics have praised the simplicity and addictiveness of the game, even the parts that are essentially chores.
Braid
This game allows you to rewind time and redo actions, even if your character dies. You face difficult challenges and must collect pieces of different puzzles that will eventually explain the main character's affecting backstory and motivations.
Here is a video from the Screenagers YouTube Channel that talks more about this subject
For a long time, people have been talking about how video games might be linked to extreme acts of violence, such as school shootings. The fact is millions of youth have played violent video games, and far less than 1% will ever do any such acts of violence. Today I look at two studies that shed more light on the ACTUAL effects that violent games can have on youth behaviors.
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In today's blog, I delve into the darker side of gaming, from the aggressive exchanges and trash-talking in first-person shooters like Call of Duty and even Minecraft and Roblox. This discussion is featured in my latest podcast episode, where I interview a gamer and Dr. Kishonna Gray, an assistant professor in digital studies at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Gray, who explores the human dynamics in video games and assists parents in navigating challenging aspects of gaming culture, provides valuable insights and solutions.
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Today I’m sharing two polar opposites stories of people’s choices around video gaming — extremes can be great conversation starters. One is from a kid who decided, on his own, to stop all video gaming essentially, and the other is about teens attending a high school that is 100% focused on video gaming and the video gaming industry.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
