GAME ON
THE POWER STRUGGLE BETWEEN PARENTS AND CHILDREN OVER COMPUTER GAME ADDICTION
Playing and mastering a video game gives children a
sense of powerfulnes that they may not experience
at schol, with their per group or if jostling with
brothers and sisters to find their place in the family
A couple of years ago, I remember reading
an article by Rosie Millard about a family’s
descent into endless rows, parental
punishments and addictive behaviour
when, after years of resisting “considerable
and sustained pressure from her children”,
she had finally buckled to buy a Nintendo
DS. I was amused by her concerns and
her attempts to get the computer console
out of the house after it had taken a hold
over each one of her children’s lives:
“The ‘toy’ was removed and placed in
my desk. The children found it and hid it
in their bedroom. I put it in my bag. They
discovered it again . . .”
“. . . Fighting to get onto the machine was bad
enough, but it was worse when they were forcibly
dragged from it. Our Nintendo had taken the guise
of a small but toxic drug which, little by little, was
poisoning my children. When they had had their fix,
they were even more frustrated and discontented
than before . . . I have first-hand evidence that
using a Nintendo turns my delightful, curious and
funny children into argumentative demons full of
aggression, wholly uninterested in anything apart
from playing, and then playing some more.”
Sound familiar? Rosie Millard’s solution was to
give the DS away to charity. A simple option but
undoubtedly, for most, not a viable one. Life is not
as easy is that.
So, how do we stop a fun hobby, just one of a
number of wide-ranging activities our children are
able to enjoy, into becoming an ‘addiction’ that stops
them from exploring the world around them, reading,
creating, and interacting socially with their peers and
adults? Or, is it even right to limit or ban use of the
technology that will most likely be central to their
future lives and careers?
Computers are reshaping our lives and our brains,
there is no doubt. There has been a continuous flow
of pieces in the press discussing this and the impact
– both good and bad – that portable video game
consoles and computers have on this generation.
The Good
Researchers are beginning to recognise that
computer games have the potential to offer positive
opportunities for puzzle-solving, strategic and critical
thinking, hand-eye coordination, and mathematical
skills, along with visuo-motor skills like resistance to distraction and heightened peripheral vision.
Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: How the
Internet Is Changing the Way We Think, Read and
Remember, in a Telegraph article, looked at US
research by Patricia Greenfield, a developmental
psychologist who runs UCLA’s Children’s Digital
Media Center. She has reviewed numerous studies
on how different technologies can affect our learning:
“Greenfield concluded that every medium develops
some cognitive skills at the expense of others.
Our growing use of screen-based media, has
strengthened visual-spatial intelligence, which can
strengthen the ability to do jobs that involve keeping
track of lots of rapidly changing signals, like piloting
a plane or monitoring a patient during surgery. But
that has been accompanied by new weaknesses in
higher-order cognitive processes, including abstract
vocabulary, mindfulness, reflection, inductive problem
solving, critical thinking, and imagination.”
The Bad
The potentially harmful and negative effects are more
often highlighted. The worries about the violence in
the games, the lack of social interaction when playing
in front of a screen, and the changes in behaviour
after playing the games are common fears. Perhaps,
one of the saddest consequences of this obsession
is that it is at the expense of physical and social play
which we nowadays know is key to the development
of young children.
The Alliance for Childhood, a worldwide network of
experts that research and campaign for the right to
childhood, has written two highly respected papers
on the issue of children and technology, Fool’s Gold
and Tech Focus. They also acknowledge that using
technology in all its different guises causes risks “to
children’s physical health (including musculoskeletal
injuries, vision problems, and obesity), emotional
and social development (isolation, shifts toward
computer-centred education, detachment from
community, and the commercialisation of childhood).”
They are clear in their concerns: “The reasons for
reassessing the impact of the new high-tech lifestyle
on children are even more urgent. Anything that
contributes to a sedentary life should be examined
to see if its benefits outweigh the risks . . . We remain
convinced that, at the elementary school level and
below, there is little evidence of lasting gains and
much evidence of harm from the hours spent in front
of screens.”
The Ugly
So, there are pros and cons of children playing
computer games. But why are we having such a
power struggle with our children about the amount
of time spent on them at the expense of all else?
Why are these computer games and consoles
so addictive?
Numerous studies highlight the fact that it is the
excitement of the video games that makes them
addictive. This is hardly surprising news. Just as
with the excitement of any activity that we find
compulsive, playing these games causes the release
of the chemical, dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is
a “feel good” neurotransmitter which, when released,
gives us feelings of “pleasure”. We hear a lot about
dopamine, particularly in relation to drug-taking, with
users in search of the high but dopamine is released
naturally through successful problem-solving, winning,
prediction that something good is going to happen,
bonding, and celebration of success.
The format and structure of many of the games
have been designed so that they are very compelling.
The successful stepping up of levels, the increasing
complexity of each new task and problem solved
boosts the release of dopamine and makes us
want to continue and improve our game. The
system of regular rewards and consequent sense
of achievement keeps us hooked in. Playing and
mastering a video game also gives children a sense
of powerfulness that they may not experience
at school, with their peer group or if jostling with
brothers and sisters to find their place in the family.
Earlier this year, a London clinic launched the
country’s first therapy programme for children
addicted to computer games and the internet.
Dr Richard Graham, an expert in child and teen
disorders, who heads Capio Nightingale Hospital’s
Young Person Technology Addiction Service says:
“The problem is that some children play games like
World Of Warcraft for the social contact. It gives them
a sense of connection so they end up playing all the
time. It’s the same buzz as playing a sport like tennis
but you’re not going to be playing tennis at one in the
morning . . . Technology addiction is like gambling,
you end up with withdrawal symptoms such as
agitation. You get hyper-stimulated so you’re always
on the alert. What we need are official guidelines now
on what counts as healthy or unhealthy use
of technology.”
However, the ‘addiction’ that the majority of parents
see in their children with consoles in their hands can
normally be addressed at home.
Playing outside with friends came
above playing computer games for
most pupils’ ideal treat
We asked Headmaster, Nicholas Allen, to see what
his pupils at Newton Prep School in Battersea had to
say on the subject. Both boys and girls from Year 3
through to Year 8 were asked to complete a survey
on their use of computer consoles, including the
questions: whether they owned a console; how many
hours during the week and weekend they played it;
what rules were imposed at home; what involvement
their parents had; and what (out of six choices ranging
from playing computer games, playing outside with
friends, making things, playing sport, reading, TV) were
their most and least favourite activities as a treat.
Whilst the survey doesn’t yield a conclusive analysis
due to the sample size and distinctions between
computers and consoles, some trends are clear and
the results were interesting to see. Almost all of the
children owned or played on consoles but boys spent
more time on them than girls. Children were generally restricted by rules such as time limits, no violent
gaming, homework must be completed first etc.
Ralph Allen from Newton Prep, who so kindly collated
the information, noted: “What was quite nice to see
was that playing outside with friends came above
playing computer games for most pupils’ ideal treat.”
As children enjoy games for the sense
of power, look for activities that give
a similar power through participation
A positive finding was that the vast majority of these
children all understood that there had to be some
limits to the use with one brave soul admitting that he
even limited himself. There seemed to be a mature
awareness of the consequences and effects even
in those as young as seven. Although, other telling
observations included: “Rubbish, rubbish, rubbish,
pants, pants, pants! I just think it’s not fair. I wish I
could do it on weekdays.” – “No fighting over the
controls.” – “The rules my parents have, I agree with
because I don’t like violent games.” – “My parents
make a rule – If I am naughty, I don’t get to play on
it for a week.” – One boy, whose top treat was to
play computer games - “Both my parents have rules
because they think it ruins my life.” And, as one Year
3 boy put it – “my parents impose rules so I don’t
go crazy!”
Parental involvement and interest seemed to be
mostly from dads, if at all. This raises the question
of whether parents should share their interest or
whether it is good for children to sometimes have
their own areas of expertise: “My parents don’t care
about video games but I sometimes force my dad.”
– “My parents are interested, only if I drag them to do
it.” – “My parents do not play with me but they check
what I do.” – “My dad would like to play but he can’t!”
So, here are some realistic suggestions, tried
and tested by our Eds Up parents, to keep a
balance and keep us all sane:
• Limits on playing time
• Reality breaks – after 20 mins to an hour of play,
stop to chat to the family. This focuses the
attention away from fantasy. Get them to
move about, stretch, and refocus their eyes
on something in the distance to stop eyestrain
• Make it a social occasion so they are not always
playing on their own – either with friends or play
with them so that you understand about the
game and what your child is talking about
• Shared experience – whilst you are both playing,
ask questions and allow them to learn the art
of teaching
Give them the opportunity to switch to playing
educational games on computers every so often
– so that they can continue the excitement and
skills, linking it in to other activities like reading etc
• Get them into sport – as children enjoy games
for the sense of power and gratification it
gives them and the competitive spirit, look
for activities that give a similar power through
participation. Sports give a similar rush as do
challenging board games
• Go to a game – if they are into sport video
games, go to the real thing. This gets them
away from the console and gives you time to
spend together and bond