To Game Or Not To Game?Tweets of the Day 7/13/12

This research is so notable and interesting:

1. Impacts of playing video games on learning in children
http://jinayang.myweb.uga.edu/edit6900/resources/report.pdf

Here is a quote and recommendation from the author:

Educate yourself by locating sources of positive information about digital kids, about video gaming, and what your kids are learning from their games and by getting a feel for what it’s like to learn from games
• Start asking your kids the right questions: ask open-ended questions that show you are truly curious to find out about what they are involved in.
• Educate your family by sharing articles and quotes
• Look over your kid’s shoulder (with permission)
• Go game browsing with your kids
• Play a game or two yourself
• Help organize LAN parties and/or start a game club: this is a radical solution for those who really get into games

2.  This article is also a little old, but still has value, I believe.

 What Kids Learn That’s POSITIVE From Playing Video Games
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/prensky%20-%20what%20kids%20learn%20thats%20positive%20from%20playing%20video%20games.pdf

The impact is not always good?

3. The Impact of Video Games on Children
http://www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/videogames.html 

It seems to me technology in general has given kids new skills, of course.  They are better artists from participating in video games, the hand/eye coordinating is enhanced, tech knowledge improves; but kids also more desensitized to violence, will stereotype groups and genders more readily, and know a great deal about sophisticated weapons, and not in a peacekeeping way.  About 3/4 of middle school boys I've asked will express the desire to 'be a sniper when I grow up.'

In other words, the quality of the video games are not being monitored (my constant question of any child's activity: is it age appropriate?) and the quantity of hours spent is not being supervised. Psychologists say the human mind engages in fiction as though it is fact. So what are the kids experiencing for multiple hours a day?
Guess you could say, we need to parent up and guide the kids when it comes to video and online games. But what else is new.