I know the feeling! Kiddo learned Lego city undercover at 3 and Mario kart. I was so proud of him when he beat Lego city at age 4. I mean open world map and you know which char to use for certain tasks? Way to go! Was so proud.
Scortch
2 years ago
Reminds me when I let ym daughter play my WoW account because I needed those Easter eggs.
Lol, my youngest was using my account and the first time he ran Stratholm he got the friggin mount that me and his older brother just could not get to drop. Lucky me.
Here’s whats funny. I ran that dungeon nonstop later on and eventually got the mount. But never got my set pants from there.
BlacRok
2 years ago
I’m still in my mid-college days, but in the future, when I have to bunk with 5 friends to afford a rood remotely close to the place I’m interning at, I wonder if I could just have a game on a device only I have. Which at this point is only an Xbox system, so kind of limited, yet perhaps still give the others the option to play on my account to get the time stamp and pass grinds done faster when I’ve got life and alternate hobbies to meander with. same in practice to the above, but I see… Read more »
FireballDragon
2 years ago
I don’t have kids, but I don’t necessarily believe in limiting screen time for them, yeah.
There’s nothing wrong with screen time. You just have to make sure that one’s kids are doing everything they need to do for the day, and give them ample opportunities to do things outside the house.
Opportunities, ok. If you try to -make- kids do something they don’t want to, you’re going to have about the opposite effect.
My parents tried to get me to go outside, pretty much by making me to, since I had no interest in sports and whatnot. It never worked, I still don’t care to. Even if I don’t play video games, I will sit inside my own place with a book, or a movie, etc.
Edit: Tim, I was for some reason locked out of my regular account here. It says to contact you, but I don’t know how. Help?
I grew up with unlimited screen time and I think it went fine. It’s why I had enough video game variety to really appreciate the field at a younger age. What if they wanted to read a lot? Wouldn’t that be okay?
As with all other addictive substances, it really depends on the person. Some people can self-regulate their screen time with no issues, and others have to be guided more sternly. My parenting philosophy was to start out strict and relax the reins as they grew older. I think that imposing screen time is counter-productive by the time your kids are on the upper end of high school because they’re old enough to understand natural consequences, and if you don’t give them a chance to screw up on their own when the stakes are still low, they’ll just go out and… Read more »
I agree, but when all but two kids in a grade 5 class have cellphones and they all know how to google hacks and ways to access sites that you’d rather they weren’t on… well… trouble is likely in one form or another. And sometimes using the school computers to express some angry views on other students can get other parents *and* the school system involved. Theoretically, of course. Let’s just say that sometimes, the best thing to do is disable the kid’s devices for particular windows of time and for particular sites until they do reach the level of… Read more »
The biggest difference between older games and games now is the increase in “freemium” games.
Having studied a bit of cognitive psychology, there are a LOT of shady practices that newer games employ to “drive engagement” and manipulate users to spend money.
Most adults don’t have the skills to even recognize when and how they’re being manipulated — kids stand almost no chance against this stuff.
Except that’s not really valid reasoning, is it. There are some things we don’t let kids do because they are considered too dangerous for the stage of development they’re at.
“It’s hypocritical not to let your kids drive a car when you’re a racedriver.”
“It’s hypocritical not to let your kids play with loaded guns when you’re a weapons manufacturer.”
“It’s hypocritical not to let your kids play with wildlife when you’re a hunter.”
The question shouldn’t be “what is it the parent does?” but should be “what is the consequence of this choice on the development of your child?”
I think you’re presenting some absurd examples yourself. “Would you let your kids play with loaded guns?” is the epitome of a loaded example and you know it. I think a more fair question would be “Is it hypocritical for a weapons manufacturer to not let their children LEARN to use firearms?”
What on earth is the objective definition of “loaded example”? An example that you don’t want to acknowledge illustrates the exact point? The reasoning used is, “If the parent does X, the kid can do X”. There’s no nuance to indicate what X might be, or any context that suggests reasonable limits. If you think my examples are loaded, you must really loathe the old expression used against people who point out that others did the same thing when caught doing something wrong or stupid: “if that person jumped off a cliff, would you jump off a cliff too?” The… Read more »
I disagree that the last example is more fair, because the original question is about limiting screentime. I, as someone who plays games, limit my screentime because that shit is a drug and while I absolutely love it and won’t cut it out of my life, it’s a huge black hole of time that I do need and want to spend elsewhere. Hitting the entertainment button with such precision and consistency, like games do, definitely screws up your brain a little if you leave it entirely unchecked. That doesn’t mean that games are inherently bad or shouldn’t exist, but it’s… Read more »
If you were a pastry chef, and I was your kid, I’d attempt to convince you it was! ;0)
My grandad was a pastry chef. That’s definitely not a good recipe for a lean shape in K-6. He could make a turnover the likes of which you can’t imagine… and he fed all the neighbor kids cookies, turnovers, tarts, etc. when they came over. Which they did as they knew there were treats. (kids don’t miss much)
limiting screen time is NOT not letting kids play. It’s bad for anyone to spend all his day in front a of screen, period. I’m an adult and I dont play all day long, even on my days of…
Yep. And not just for pass grinding. They’re also helping me whittle down the game backlog (here child, try out this cool *brand new* game while I watch as I get house stuff done!), and are handy for playing 4player local games without having to coordinate schedules with other people too busy with their own families.
The only downside is when they get too good as they have more time to play. I may never win another round of Smash Bros again at this point…
Alcor
2 years ago
This whole screen time thing strikes me as very Luddite.
For all you know, he could be speaking in the historical sense, critiquing the continued mechanization and automation of the modern textile industry. Screen printing time takes away good-paying embroidery jobs from the common man. Rage against the machine!
VibrantEvolution
2 years ago
always handy to let your kids exp-grind
Number51x
2 years ago
So you’ve created an IRL AFK Minecraft farm. Imagine the grind to set that up! Like…years!
Last edited 2 years ago by Number51x
Zomby
2 years ago
Child labor at it’s finest !
Bernie Margolis
2 years ago
This is how I came by most of my PvP achievements in WoW back in the day. I also remember having to resist the temptation to mock the player who got schooled by my four year old daughter when they make you fight the duel coming out of the Guild Wars starting zones.
Jest Phulin
2 years ago
Games serve different purposes for different parents. I bought a game
(Lego Star Wars II) for my nieces. A few days later, asked my brother how it was. “It’s great, teaches problem solving, teamwork, and critical thinking.” Asked my sister-in-law. “It’s great. I can plop them down in front of it and get hours of time to myself whenever I need it.”
Lily
2 years ago
I actually did this before with my nephew. I used to play fortnight with him back when it was really popular with kids. So I got the battle pass a few times, and we played together. Though some times when he didn’t have his switch or whatever and he was visiting, I would just let him play my computer and work stuff off the battle pass.
jack
2 years ago
that man is a goddamned genius
Duane E Naulls
2 years ago
…only to realize the kids logged into their own profiles…
Rebecca Lews
2 years ago
…..Lazy parenting?
…makes the dream work.
Urazz
2 years ago
Yep, the real reason why gamers have kids, so they can have them do all the boring grindy stuff and be party members/team mates to support you in your multiplayer/MMORPGs.
24
My wife’s grandpa usually joked about he hab had children because he couldn’t have slaves…this in some way, is the same
It’s a win-win..
In other news, the patch to fix online disconnects was released today, making Wednesday’s comic now out of date.
Thank God.
Just sub nearly any other game that requires online to play, and matchmaking.
You say “Out of date”; I say, “Impetus”.
This, this right here?
Dad goals.
Can confirm. Am Dad. Got a 3 year old who has complete Mario Odyssey 3 times now.
Couldn’t be more proud.
I know the feeling! Kiddo learned Lego city undercover at 3 and Mario kart. I was so proud of him when he beat Lego city at age 4. I mean open world map and you know which char to use for certain tasks? Way to go! Was so proud.
Reminds me when I let ym daughter play my WoW account because I needed those Easter eggs.
Lol, my youngest was using my account and the first time he ran Stratholm he got the friggin mount that me and his older brother just could not get to drop. Lucky me.
I still haven’t gotten that Mount and I don’t want to think about how many times I ran that dungeon….
Here’s whats funny. I ran that dungeon nonstop later on and eventually got the mount. But never got my set pants from there.
I’m still in my mid-college days, but in the future, when I have to bunk with 5 friends to afford a rood remotely close to the place I’m interning at, I wonder if I could just have a game on a device only I have. Which at this point is only an Xbox system, so kind of limited, yet perhaps still give the others the option to play on my account to get the time stamp and pass grinds done faster when I’ve got life and alternate hobbies to meander with. same in practice to the above, but I see… Read more »
I don’t have kids, but I don’t necessarily believe in limiting screen time for them, yeah.
You’re getting downvoted but it’s pretty hypocritical for a gamer to not let his kids play.
There’s nothing wrong with screen time. You just have to make sure that one’s kids are doing everything they need to do for the day, and give them ample opportunities to do things outside the house.
Opportunities, ok. If you try to -make- kids do something they don’t want to, you’re going to have about the opposite effect.
My parents tried to get me to go outside, pretty much by making me to, since I had no interest in sports and whatnot. It never worked, I still don’t care to. Even if I don’t play video games, I will sit inside my own place with a book, or a movie, etc.
Edit: Tim, I was for some reason locked out of my regular account here. It says to contact you, but I don’t know how. Help?
For a fair number of kids, that’s true. Some kids have more issues from it that aren’t always immediately apparent either.
Let them play is one thing. Unlimited screen time it’s another. 😉
Cheers
I grew up with unlimited screen time and I think it went fine. It’s why I had enough video game variety to really appreciate the field at a younger age. What if they wanted to read a lot? Wouldn’t that be okay?
As with all other addictive substances, it really depends on the person. Some people can self-regulate their screen time with no issues, and others have to be guided more sternly. My parenting philosophy was to start out strict and relax the reins as they grew older. I think that imposing screen time is counter-productive by the time your kids are on the upper end of high school because they’re old enough to understand natural consequences, and if you don’t give them a chance to screw up on their own when the stakes are still low, they’ll just go out and… Read more »
I agree, but when all but two kids in a grade 5 class have cellphones and they all know how to google hacks and ways to access sites that you’d rather they weren’t on… well… trouble is likely in one form or another. And sometimes using the school computers to express some angry views on other students can get other parents *and* the school system involved. Theoretically, of course. Let’s just say that sometimes, the best thing to do is disable the kid’s devices for particular windows of time and for particular sites until they do reach the level of… Read more »
The biggest difference between older games and games now is the increase in “freemium” games.
Having studied a bit of cognitive psychology, there are a LOT of shady practices that newer games employ to “drive engagement” and manipulate users to spend money.
Most adults don’t have the skills to even recognize when and how they’re being manipulated — kids stand almost no chance against this stuff.
anecdotal arguments are useless. Statistics are obvious. Unlimited screen time is bad for kids AND also for adults. Fact.
Is it? If I were a pastry chef, would it be hypocritical if I didn’t let my kids eat cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner? XD
I guess more if you didnt let them bake or cook anything
Except that’s not really valid reasoning, is it. There are some things we don’t let kids do because they are considered too dangerous for the stage of development they’re at.
“It’s hypocritical not to let your kids drive a car when you’re a racedriver.”
“It’s hypocritical not to let your kids play with loaded guns when you’re a weapons manufacturer.”
“It’s hypocritical not to let your kids play with wildlife when you’re a hunter.”
The question shouldn’t be “what is it the parent does?” but should be “what is the consequence of this choice on the development of your child?”
I think you’re presenting some absurd examples yourself. “Would you let your kids play with loaded guns?” is the epitome of a loaded example and you know it. I think a more fair question would be “Is it hypocritical for a weapons manufacturer to not let their children LEARN to use firearms?”
What on earth is the objective definition of “loaded example”? An example that you don’t want to acknowledge illustrates the exact point? The reasoning used is, “If the parent does X, the kid can do X”. There’s no nuance to indicate what X might be, or any context that suggests reasonable limits. If you think my examples are loaded, you must really loathe the old expression used against people who point out that others did the same thing when caught doing something wrong or stupid: “if that person jumped off a cliff, would you jump off a cliff too?” The… Read more »
I disagree that the last example is more fair, because the original question is about limiting screentime. I, as someone who plays games, limit my screentime because that shit is a drug and while I absolutely love it and won’t cut it out of my life, it’s a huge black hole of time that I do need and want to spend elsewhere. Hitting the entertainment button with such precision and consistency, like games do, definitely screws up your brain a little if you leave it entirely unchecked. That doesn’t mean that games are inherently bad or shouldn’t exist, but it’s… Read more »
If you were a pastry chef, and I was your kid, I’d attempt to convince you it was! ;0)
My grandad was a pastry chef. That’s definitely not a good recipe for a lean shape in K-6. He could make a turnover the likes of which you can’t imagine… and he fed all the neighbor kids cookies, turnovers, tarts, etc. when they came over. Which they did as they knew there were treats. (kids don’t miss much)
limiting screen time is NOT not letting kids play. It’s bad for anyone to spend all his day in front a of screen, period. I’m an adult and I dont play all day long, even on my days of…
keep not having kids then.
I may be guilty of this…. *eyes GTA Online account*
This IS why you have children after all….
Yep. And not just for pass grinding. They’re also helping me whittle down the game backlog (here child, try out this cool *brand new* game while I watch as I get house stuff done!), and are handy for playing 4player local games without having to coordinate schedules with other people too busy with their own families.
The only downside is when they get too good as they have more time to play. I may never win another round of Smash Bros again at this point…
This whole screen time thing strikes me as very Luddite.
WHich shows that you don’t know what a Luddite actually is.
For all you know, he could be speaking in the historical sense, critiquing the continued mechanization and automation of the modern textile industry. Screen printing time takes away good-paying embroidery jobs from the common man. Rage against the machine!
always handy to let your kids exp-grind
So you’ve created an IRL AFK Minecraft farm. Imagine the grind to set that up! Like…years!
Child labor at it’s finest !
This is how I came by most of my PvP achievements in WoW back in the day. I also remember having to resist the temptation to mock the player who got schooled by my four year old daughter when they make you fight the duel coming out of the Guild Wars starting zones.
Games serve different purposes for different parents. I bought a game
(Lego Star Wars II) for my nieces. A few days later, asked my brother how it was. “It’s great, teaches problem solving, teamwork, and critical thinking.” Asked my sister-in-law. “It’s great. I can plop them down in front of it and get hours of time to myself whenever I need it.”
I actually did this before with my nephew. I used to play fortnight with him back when it was really popular with kids. So I got the battle pass a few times, and we played together. Though some times when he didn’t have his switch or whatever and he was visiting, I would just let him play my computer and work stuff off the battle pass.
that man is a goddamned genius
…only to realize the kids logged into their own profiles…
…..Lazy parenting?
…makes the dream work.
Yep, the real reason why gamers have kids, so they can have them do all the boring grindy stuff and be party members/team mates to support you in your multiplayer/MMORPGs.