I think it's a sad comment on their friends, if they won't come over because they can't play video games.

I don't agree with either option on this poll. There is nothing noble about not having a video game system - it's your choice and your decision, but choosing not to have one isn't special. It's also silly to think it would cost them friends - but maybe that's just a sad commentary on society's attachment to activities that involve a TV screen.

Games can be fun, they can even be beneficial beyond entertainment value (some positive studies on hand-eye coordination benefits), but not having one doesn't deprive a child of anything, either. I would hope that their friendships have more in common than just time spent playing video games.

I was the first on my block to get the original Nintendo back in 1986. All of a sudden, I was the most popular kid in the neighborhood (first and last time for that). Everyone wanted to come over after school—especially the older kids.

It didn't take long for my mom to see what was going on. She said kids were using me for my Mario. She was right (neither the first nor last time). She banned all Nintendo playing during the week and strictly enforced balanced game time between my sister and I.

I thought life was over. Nobody wanted to come over anymore, except for a few true pals, and I slipped back into relative obscurity. Soon most kids had Nintendo.

Now, 25 years later, so much has changed—yet so little. I still play lots of video games, but now my daughter begs to play Wii Dance and watch Spongebob on the Netflix stream.

I might be biased as I've been playing video games since my parents bought me this amazing game called Pong in 1975, but as with most things I think the middle ground is the appropriate place to be. Players can become obsessive about video games but parents can control that by limiting access. There are some definite advantages to playing. It sharpens up your reflexes to a tremendous degree. I credit those skills with avoiding two car accidents because playing video games has enhanced both my response time and my ability to quickly process multiple simultaneous events. I would watch the game ratings carefully- there is truly grotesque content in some of the MA games. At our house we have passwords on everything- you have to punch a code in to turn on the TV so we are always aware of what our daughter is watching. Content controls are set to PG on all media access devices, which is appropriate for the age of our child. In summary, I think video games are a net positive for children as long as the parents are diligent about controlling content and access.

I think a bigger problem is grown men who still spend hours each day playing video games, myself.

Nope, Eric, just trying to stir the pot a bit. Worth bringing up that these issues aren't confined to solely kids though.

I feel that your stance on being against gaming is a little misguided, gaming doesn't just teach hand eye coordination, but many newer games today also teach about problem solving and involve number crunching, is the player fully aware of this, no in most cases not, but they are actually acquiring a skill. I will use the example of Mortal Kombat, though it is quite bloody and violent, it forces one to be able think on their feet and think in a tactical and strategic manner, also with the combo system in the game one will easily begin to grasp some math concepts, mainly percentiles. Many other games out, like the RPGs(Role Playing Games) force the player to use their mind and imagination to think about strategy and to build their character up.

It is understandable that you feel that gaming can be a waste and that your kids don't need it, but keep in mind that if you have issues with some of the games on the market currently such as, Mortal Kombat and even Batman Arkham City, which are all very violent, bloody, and vulgar, your children may already be playing these games with friends at their houses and you will not be able to have to control what content they are being exposed to, at least if the gaming is done in your home you would be able to see what your children are seeing in the game and if you are fine with the content of some of these games you will be able to help reinforce morals about the concepts of what is fantasy and what is real.

First off, the either/or questions are ridiculous and a set-up. Second, like most activities, there is little or no issue when moderation is practiced. Sensible parents will analyze the situation for appropriate use or abuse. And I agree with you, Claire; I find it incredulous to see large numbers of adult men immersed in digital games at the Target video kiosk, a scene, one might argue, that is reflective of the decreasing numbers of males in college.

Cary, I tried to post some instructions for password/content control but it hasn't shown up. Perhaps one can't post URL's? In any case, I'll try a shortened version:
First look at the manual specific to the device you are trying to protect as the procedure varies from device to device. You can probably find it online if lost.

Some examples from gear I am personally familiar with:

Panasonic TV (2000 and later)
Menu/Lock (password and content controls)

Ipad (password and content controls)
Settings
General/Restrictions

Android (HTC Thunderbolt)
Settings/Security
Change Screen Lock
Lock Phone After

Youtube App
Open Youtube app
Touch the phone's Menu button
Touch settings
Touch SafeSearch Filtering
Choose appropriate filtering level

Wireless providers offer content filtering as well, so you can control it before it reaches your mobile device. Go to your provider's home page and search on Content Filtering or Parental Control to find instructions.

PC/Mac
You can set a password on your screensaver to lock people out entirely. You can also set content controls and controls specific to different users. This is a little more involved- what I had posted links to in the message that didn't show up- but if you search via Google or in the help function of your computer for terms like: Parental Controls, Passwords, Kid-proofing a Mac/PC, etc. You will find many online guides to step you through the process.

Hope that helps!

You can find every way of parental controls on the internet. Just Google the model and go from there...

I fall under the MEN playing to many video games.. That is why I even set myself limits on when I can play the system...

And for playing at the kiosk in stores.. Usually end up there because I am waiting on someone else to finish their shopping or just trying to take my mind of back pains that I acquired overseas...

I have teenage boys as well. I fought the video game battle years ago and lost. I'm over it. Yes, the X-box does draw kids over. But as a parent, it is a comfort to provide a safe place for the kids to simply hang. They are loud, fun, they love to eat, and they love to play video games. But that is not all they do. They often begin with video games, but will then move on to playing ping-pong and darts. They play basketball or wiffle ball in the backyard. Just last night we had three 17 year old boys over asking to play Banana Grams and Scattergories with my husband and me. Yea, maybe it's a bit nerdy to ask to play boardgames with adults, but these boys are high school honor roll kids, football, basketball, soccer, tennis and baseball players. This weekend they are volunteering in our community for the National Honor Society...smart and active boys who love video games.

You mentioned you have two boys fighting this battle. My boys are 2 years apart. They are very different kids, but I love how the gaming system is yet another tool for them to bond over. Their latest favorite video game is NBA Live. They walk away from this game knowing all the stats on teams and players. Now they have taken an interest in watching the real game with their smiling dad. The basement is their space, and all kids need their space. Every now and then they even let their 12 year old sister down. She likes to show them how it's done on the racing games and Kinnect Sports!

The only universal truth that exists regarding parental controls is that there is no such thing as a parental control system that is both simple enough for the parents to understand, and complex enough that your average teenager can't find a workaround. There is absolutely no substitute for observing your child's use of games/computers/Internet. When you rely on technology to monitor your children, you have ceased parenting, and have hired a techno-nanny.

Are video games bad for kids? I doubt online comments are going to provide any new evidence on either side of the argument. Too much of anything is a bad thing, but cutting them off from their social circles isn't going to help matters much. I'm sure those clever kids will find some parent that feels differently, and they'll all be over at *that* house. Now all you've lost is the ability to responsibly monitor your children's activities.

It is easy to look at the situation and blame those no-good modern kids and their addiction to games for all the ills of modern society. But isn't it a little naive to think that you are the first parent in the history of humanity that actually understands the social nuances of the next generation? How ridiculous do *your* elders think the idea of spending time to type comments into the computy-box is? If we don't like the world our children live in, we have only ourselves to blame for creating it. We certainly have no right to hold it against them.

Only 47... we didn't have those things growing up. I DID have an AM Radio... and a couple of "Walkie Talkies". We had to ASK to use them... and the answer wasn't always "Yes". It's sad that if kids don't have a video game console it results in the idea that there's "nothing to do". We went outside... rode our bikes... tossed the football or baseball around. We lived...

I don't think that it's a pointless gesture that costs friends, or a character building depravation. More likely it's somewhere in the middle. If having a video game console costs you friends, then I wouldn't be too concerned with the friends their loosing. I had friends growing up who couldn't watch TV or who could only play x number of hours of video games or parents who wouldn't even let us come play inside. Kids don't need video games.