Support NeoGAF

[reinking]

It was a different time but something thats lost today is the kids respect for their parents

I remember taking my son out and buying the OG Xbox and PS2 right around when he was 10 or so and again I guess a different time but I took that PS2 away when if his grades dipped

He sat out a year of playing baseball because of grades and if anyone knows me him missing baseball almost killed me

I agree with you. Some parents are too hands off. My daughter grew up with the PC in the living room where everyone could see what she was doing. No cell phone until she turned 15. Mostly, we just stayed involved in everything she did. Same with her daughter now.

I remember reading about one of the kids that did a school shooting and they talked about how he spent hours in the garage making bombs. No way my kid was going to be in the garage for hours without me popping in to see how they were doing.

I also think games today have predatory practices to manipulate children, and some adults, into spending money or continuous grinding. I think it all started with EverQuest.

 

[nikolino840]

At least the kid was playing on an xbox?

 

[MarkMe2525]

Today's world:

GAF member: "Son, no games go outside and play"

-Son's friends have phones.
-Everyone at his school has phones.
-In class, everyone uses tablets and chromebooks.
-They all play roblox, fortnite, and minecraft and post on tiktok.
-Your son feels left out because he can't have fun with his friends.
-Your son's friends think your son isn't fun to hang around.
-GAF member's son is the one kid who ends up bullied and made fun of because he doesn't use a phone, browse tiktok, or play videogames.

GAF members son graduates high-school with a world view that doesn't revolve around acquiring internet clout.

 

[EDMIX]

nahhhh you guys keep crying about da children regarding loot boxes, now suddenly the games are also now not addictive? What happened to the "gambling" shit? lol

 

[consoul]

They are addictive, but so are lots of things. Personal responsibility is a better answer than litigation.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

That's right... blame the video games... again... when the real evil, i.e. social media, is right there on your kid's iPhone; fucking up their mental health, making them suicidal, anxious, depressed, self-harm, giving them all kinds of dysmorphia... especially pre-pubescent teen girls.

Heck, all the fucking science is in on that topic. You even had a whole fucking Netflix documentary with ex-Facebook and Instagram workers/insiders whistleblowing about the fucked up bullshit those companies were knowingly doing with hiring clinical psychologists to create addiction in their audience so they can monetize their behaviors for ad revenues.

But no... it's the Xbox (that parents can simply take away if little Timmy is playing it too much)... WTF!?

 

[March Climber]

GAF members son graduates high-school with a world view that doesn't revolve around acquiring internet clout.

GAF member’s son also acquires mental anguish(that could lead to future issues) and resents parents for it. Pick your poison

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Kids are lazy.

Back then my fam had board games and video games. We also had Apple games. For sure we played them. But when kids at school organized street hockey after school or on weekends, we all grabbed our sticks. Same goes for bike riding to the store or doing jumps in trails. It was a treat too to stay at a friends house for dinner. We'll play video games when we get home.

Now, kids would rather do Fortnite or Instagram or whatever then meeting people face to face.

I like gaming like everyone else, but whether old or young, dont you wanna just get out of the house sometimes? I remember a bunch of us meeting at a mall to watch Indiana Jones: Last Crusade. I rode my bike and locked it up on a bike rack. Some other friends did too. Same goes for No Holds Barred (shit Hulk Hogan movie). That time we walked together to a different strip mall that had it.

And also important is parents should be more strict and give their kid a kick in the ass to get up and get some fresh air.

 

[Pimpbaa]

They should sue companies that produce food too, cause lots of people are addicted to eating! Seriously tho, if your kid is addicted to some video game then do something about it, suing the companies that make the game isn’t going to fix your bad parenting or your kids mental health problem.

 

[Dirk Benedict]

1) Have a kid
2) Fail at Parenting
3) Blame Software Entertainment Companies and sue
4) Profit?

 

[Zannegan]

I mean, as I understand it, publishers hire teams of behaviorists to make their games, especially live service games, as addictive as possible (engagement, not fun) and to encourage spending. It is predatory and gross, and sadly ubiquitous. Kids are especially vulnerable to that kind of manipulation.

On the other hand, they could just try parenting.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Parents are lazy too.

They blame anyone for their own failings. Just like how my teacher friends say if you wanna see and hear immature adults the parent/teacher meetings they'd do would be crazy. You got dumbass parents treating teachers like glorfied babysitters.

Here's a tip for parents. Instead of the blame game, how about you get some balls and be more strict with your kid what to do and not do, and give them some life lessons on shit. It may or may not rub off but at least the effort and holistic parenting is there. I remember when my dad would show my siblings and me how to fill out tax forms by hand (no internet submissions back then) and what forms to get from the government office for deductions because the thing you get in the mail are just the default main forms. Also, I remember him teaching us how to fix a toilet by taking off the top lid and showing us inside the parts and shit. Hey, I admit it's not like that turned me into a master plumber or anything, but it's the kind of shit you'd think a parent would do to give kids some decent lessons in life regarding life skills. In other words, have some responsibility in life.

 

[MatrixReloaded101]

Today's world:

GAF member: "Son, no games go outside and play"

-Son's friends have phones.
-Everyone at his school has phones.
-In class, everyone uses tablets and chromebooks.
-They all play roblox, fortnite, and minecraft and post on tiktok.
-Your son feels left out because he can't have fun with his friends.
-Your son's friends think your son isn't fun to hang around.
-GAF member's son is the one kid who ends up bullied and made fun of because he doesn't use a phone, browse tiktok, or play videogames.

This is so spot on, if you have kids or younger family you will get it.

Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft are the “real games” to this new gen of kids which is why they keep making more of these Gaas games and I think these Gaas games are way more damaging and addictive compared to the types of games we grow up playing.

People say to the kids “go touch glass” but don’t realize most kids today don’t even play outside anymore, they are all glued to a screen and stay indoors more than ever before, the problem just isn’t with video games.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

The children surely do need to touch grass.

Grass is a myth.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

Today's world:

GAF member: "Son, no games go outside and play"

-Son's friends have phones.
-Everyone at his school has phones.
-In class, everyone uses tablets and chromebooks.
-They all play roblox, fortnite, and minecraft and post on tiktok.
-Your son feels left out because he can't have fun with his friends.
-Your son's friends think your son isn't fun to hang around.
-GAF member's son is the one kid who ends up bullied and made fun of because he doesn't use a phone, browse tiktok, or play videogames.

GAF members son graduates high-school with a world view that doesn't revolve around acquiring internet clout.

Alas, the world has changed MarkMe2525 .
As March Climber lays out, you're creating a social outcast, not a free thinker who'll become a captain of industry.

 

[TYRiAX]

Amazing how many parents still don't use parental controls. Give them access to games you approve but time limit them so they cant binge on the same app for 5 hours straight, set schedules so they cant wake up at 2am and use their device etc etc

 

[CGNoire]

Defense Force of Addicts and Enablers incoming....

Holdontoyourbutts.gif

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Amazing how many parents still don't use parental controls. Give them access to games you approve but time limit them so they cant binge on the same app for 5 hours straight, set schedules so they cant wake up at 2am and use their device etc etc

Even dumber are the lazy ass parents who have their credit card on their profile with no password protection. Or they are too lazy to not save the info and just manually enter card info per purchase.

Kid spends $1000 on mtx on dads open access payment system on file and blames company for a refund.

All the guy had to do is Set Password for online purchases and the idiot is too lazy to do that.

Case in point: my brother who ran into the situation. Then after he got blessed with a refund I asked him what he’s going to do next time. You’d think he’d set a password or delete his CC info. Nope. He just said that he scolded his kid not to do it again and that should be enough. Great parenting skills there.

 

[March Climber]

1) Have a kid
2) Fail at Parenting
3) Blame Software Entertainment Companies and sue
4) Profit?

1) Have a kid
2) First 4-5 years are great. You're in control.
3) Now school has begun. They're away 5 days a week for 8ish hours of the day.
4) This is where parenting tutorial years end. Hard mode begins.
5) School means they're going to come home with shit you're unprepared for.
6) The difficulty only increases from here.

 

[Zathalus]

You know what can help kids with limiting playtime? Being a parent.

 

[MarkMe2525]

GAF member’s son also acquires mental anguish(that could lead to future issues) and resents parents for it. Pick your poison

"My Daddy didn't let me have snapchat . Mommy didn't let me warp my self image by doom scrolling through Instagram"

The reality of parenting is accepting your kids aren't going to always like having rules and structure. As with anything there must be balance, but it is 100% the parents responsibility to protect your kids from the rot that many kids are exposed to these days. You wont catch all of it, but you can be honest with them about what they will find and why limitations are in place. Kids should be with other kids, not stuck on a screen all day.

Alas, the world has changed MarkMe2525 .
As March Climber lays out, you're creating a social outcast, not a free thinker who'll become a captain of industry.

you have no idea what you are talking about. In what world does social media produce well adjusted individuals, especially with early tween and teen use? These social outcasts you speak of are (in many cases) the direct result of not having positive interactions with kids their age. You may not be aware, but tiktok, snapchat, and instagram are not shining beacons of positive interactions. I see the negative consequences of youth social media use in my family and community.

My child has very real limitations on mobile device and internet use. My kid plays sports, sings in choir, and performs in front of hundreds of people with confidence. A social outcast is quite literally the last thing someone would think of when my child's name is mentioned.

You can teach them the utility of computers and the internet while also not allowing them to doom scroll for hours on end. Of course this changes as they get older as I absolutely am keenly aware that a parents influence will only go so far for only so long. That doesn't mean the parent shouldn't take steps to help a child navigate a complex world we live in.

[/QUOTE]

 

[Beer Baelly]

Game Pass the best drugs in gaming

 

[Dirk Benedict]

1) Have a kid
2) First 4-5 years are great. You're in control.
3) Now school has begun. They're away 5 days a week for 8ish hours of the day.
4) This is where parenting tutorial years end. Hard mode begins.
5) School means they're going to come home with shit you're unprepared for.
6) The difficulty only increases from here.

Good attempt.

 

[March Climber]

"My Daddy didn't let me have snapchat . Mommy didn't let me warp my self image by doom scrolling through Instagram"

The reality of parenting is accepting your kids aren't going to always like having rules and structure. As with anything there must be balance, but it is 100% the parents responsibility to protect your kids from the rot that many kids are exposed to these days. You wont catch all of it, but you can be honest with them about what they will find and why limitations are in place. Kids should be with other kids, not stuck on a screen all day.

The other kids are stuck on their screens all day. You have to find a way to navigate around this new world instead of being the one parent that your kids' friends/peers never want to visit.

We all take losses as parents and guardians, that's part of the job and we do the best we can. The ones who take the losses the hardest are the ones who try to avoid everything or fight everything. I've seen it time and time again. What you might be doing will be seen as 'right' from your point of view, but you have to be careful because what you personally want isn't always 100% the correct answer to these types of problems. You'll end up with way more problems trying to raise a kid in the 2020s like they're from 1990, especially the older they get as the 'going against the grain' option only gets worse for all parties involved.

 

[Dirk Benedict]

 

[Mr Reasonable]

you have no idea what you are talking about

Well, I'm only going by the info you give.

 

[nemiroff]

It's weird that adults who claim they know better how to teach children right from wrong behaves like the worst assholes.

Laughing faces and ridicule.. don't some of you guys see the irony in this..?

Anyway, it's not always easy to be a parent since kids are affected and influenced by other channels for a large part of every day, but this lawsuit should not be a thing.

On both consoles and mobiles there are really good parental controls. My son's console and mobile are automated with limits on content, hours and time of day. It's so fucking easy to manage.

 

[GHG]

Here, maybe, but not the general public. I'm in my mid 30s and know an absolute ton of people who very casually play games, and when they do they're either playing Warzone, Apex, Fortnite, 2K, or Madden. These are very similar to (if not the exact same) products that their kids are playing.

Horse Armor is 17 years old, South Park's "Make Love Not Warcraft" (an episode focused on game addition) is just as old; and we all know that DLCs and microtransactions have only exploded since.

3/4 of Americans who play games are over the age of 18, and the average age of someone who does is 33. It's not a niche hobby anymore that the generation preceding this one never had around. The average parent grew up with games and there's a pretty decent chance they play them themselves, I think "I don't know what's going on" is a bit of a cop out if not an outright lie in this day and age.

You're misunderstanding my point.

There are people saying things alng the lines of "back in my day out parents told us to stop playing/go do something else etc". That was much easier to do then than it is now because we weren't playing games that had these well researched addiction and FOMO mechanics built into the core gameplay loops and interfaces.

Nobody who grew up playing the likes of fortnite is of parenting age yet, therefore nobody is able to relate on the same level as what the kids are experiencing now with these games.

For kids whose brains are still developing, being introduced to these sorts of things (along with the likes of social media) too early can be very damaging to a degree where it can have lifelong implications. I don't think many people truly recognise that.

 

[Z O N E]

This kid, at 13 has:

An Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, a Phone, Xbox Game Pass ultimate, Access to Google Play Store and Microsoft Store.

Was bought Call of Duty, Battlefield, Rainbow Six and Fortnite.

This is just dogshit parenting.

 

[Bernardougf]

Gaas is a real problem, I see my son waking up early and/or setting the time at night to go and pick up an item he wants far to often... playing a game is ok I do it too, sometimes for long stretchs of time and I play much more video games than I do sports and physical activity, so cant quite complain about he wanting to play, he still play soccer with his friends and wants to do other things .. pretty normal behavior... but I can see this Grambling aspect of Gaas being quite addictive, much more than the marios and sonics we used to play at our time, and I can see this being a real problem for certain kids.

The parents have to do their part ? Sure ... but gambling is addictive... thats why gambling games in general (not video games) are forbidden in several parts of the world.

Games with lootboxes should be more regulated, thats for sure. To avoid predatory or danger behavior by the kids. A game wants to give a prize for winning ? Great.. a game wants you to log on at 5 am to receive the prize ? Fuck no! And so on...

 

[Bernardougf]

They should sue companies that produce food too, cause lots of people are addicted to eating! Seriously tho, if your kid is addicted to some video game then do something about it, suing the companies that make the game isn’t going to fix your bad parenting or your kids mental health problem.

They did that... and the food company lost..why do you think that Mcdonalds serves fucking salads and apples, they did that to tobacco too and the companys also lost .. everything that causes addictions is possible to litigation at some level ... and has been done several times

 

[Drizzlehell]

Good. These companies need to be kept in check considering that it's a completely new ground where kids can be exposed to gambling at a very young age. It's also on parents to control what their kids are doing, sure, but that shouldn't completely absolve the creators of those games of any responsibility.

 

[crackajack]

Anything can be addictive if used in an excessive way. Some kid might just want to be a pro speed runner for some reason and plays one game for hours each and every day. The dopamine kick might then not be truly designed then but it is still a addictive scenario, requires full investment to polish every used glitch and trick jump and what not. That makes imho every game a possible target of such a law suit.

If we want to protect children more than parental controls already do today and some general parental guidance that should anyway be happening on top of that, or rather in the first place, we practically have to prohibit all games for kid ages. And make all games at least M or even AO/ USK18/ BBFC18 etc. from Tetris, Roblox, Fortnite, Pokemon, CoD, to Minecraft, Sims, My Little Pony... So basically what generally is the norm for alcohol. Varying the legal age from 16 to 21 or whatever depending on country and make games strictly grown up stuff. Which in the case of CoD and several shooters or horror or whatever is anyway not very well monitored by a f.ton of parents. Either because they think their kid is mature enough to handle more mature stuff or they don't care and just want some peace for themselves, the latter probably being the main reason for any bigger societal problems, always just wanting an easy solution, failing to say no individually, because as a herd many don't say no when necessary and everyone crumbling under the pressure.

 

[saintjules]

The children surely do need to touch grass.

 

[simpatico]

If this is a legit legal case, Vampire Survivors must be shut down tomorrow and the creator jailed in international waters. Schedule 1 substance. I don't think I've ever been pulled so hard by a game.

 

[Varteras]

I don't think I've ever been pulled so hard

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Single player (parents) who have no shame in attacking the game type gamers prefer. It's pathetic.

Gamers will rise up.

 

[Heisenberg007]

 

[DaGwaphics]

At the same time, I think the largest issue is that a lot of people just don't parent anymore and use games/youtube/tik tok/whatever as a free babysitter.

It definitely seems like it, it's bad enough that most of the adults are glued to their screens, but now it's hard to spot a 3 or 4 year old that doesn't already have that tablet/phone going.

The algorithmic nature of social media is a whole different discussion. As much as it can be fun and informative, it seems like the group think bubbles that form because of it are a really ugly side-effect.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Parents are always so quick to blame video games but never themselves. I think the reality is that they are just bad at parenting and the kid knows it and gaming is the kid's escape.

The line about stealing lives/futures is cute as that's what happens once you enter the workforce 4-5 days a week every week and 80% of a human's life is sucked dry like a fruit smoothie.

I would be thankful that a kid's addiction is gaming instead of drugs, thievery, sex, crime, gambling, social media, etc.

 

[Knightime_X]

Why is it limited to just those 2 companies?
If I was the judge, I throw out the case unless ALL were included.

Then i'd throw out the case anyways, and shame the parents for bad parenting.

 

[ultrazilla]

I had an Atari growing up and when my parents thought I played too much dad told me to get outside and play and I listened

Exactly. And I do mean EXACTLY happened to me and my bro Solarstrike a lot.

Super minor thread hijack-Heisenberg-what do ya think about the 2600+. I'm tempted, very tempted. Wish I had kept my system and cartridges we had
back in the day. Cheers!

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Exactly. And I do mean EXACTLY happened to me and my bro Solarstrike a lot.

Super minor thread hijack-Heisenberg-what do ya think about the 2600+. I'm tempted, very tempted. Wish I had kept my system and cartridges we had
back in the day. Cheers!

I love the idea of that machine and thought about it for the nostalgia alone

So many evenings sitting on the couch playing that silly football with my dad on that og console

 

[Gerdav]

Just stop the world, I want to get off.

 

[Puscifer]

I'm going to be the other person in this thread and mention how this might be a good thing. We've known for years that they hire psychologist to intentionally trap people into a loop akin to gambling and sure, gaming addiction is the joke addiction we'll laugh about, but other serious ones there's usually some societal safeguard protecting minors from it, whatever that might be. And I'd like to think we should institute it because it's obvious no one cares about parental controls.

 

[MarkMe2525]

The other kids are stuck on their screens all day. You have to find a way to navigate around this new world instead of being the one parent that your kids' friends/peers never want to visit.

We all take losses as parents and guardians, that's part of the job and we do the best we can. The ones who take the losses the hardest are the ones who try to avoid everything or fight everything. I've seen it time and time again. What you might be doing will be seen as 'right' from your point of view, but you have to be careful because what you personally want isn't always 100% the correct answer to these types of problems. You'll end up with way more problems trying to raise a kid in the 2020s like they're from 1990, especially the older they get as the 'going against the grain' option only gets worse for all parties involved.

Kids/parents love visiting our household. First off, parents trust their kids aren't going to be exposed to mature content by having free access to the internet. Secondly, we have real people skills. Your outlook is completely backwards.

You are conflating having limitied use to having no use at all. My tween types better than 95% of kids their age. My tween is learning the basics of coding and can put together an impressive home movie with video editing software.

I cannot make sense of how limited use is somehow retarding my child and her future social interactions, when it's over exposure to these devices that negatively effects these attributes.

 

[clarky]

Day one in court.............

Exhibit A: Redfall.

Case dismissed!

 

[Thanati]

Today's world:

GAF member: "Son, no games go outside and play"

-Son's friends have phones.
-Everyone at his school has phones.
-In class, everyone uses tablets and chromebooks.
-They all play roblox, fortnite, and minecraft and post on tiktok.
-Your son feels left out because he can't have fun with his friends.
-Your son's friends think your son isn't fun to hang around.
-GAF member's son is the one kid who ends up bullied and made fun of because he doesn't use a phone, browse tiktok, or play videogames.

My 11 year old son is the same; doesn’t have a mobile device, strict time limits on gaming etc.

He was bullied once at school but the kids didn’t know he’s almost a black belt in Taekwondo. They quickly learned a lesson and haven’t bullied him since

However, in the case of this court action, I don’t think I’ve ever read such drivel and nonsense from these parents. They don’t want to accept responsibility for their children so they want to blame everyone else around them.

 

[Beechos]

Shouldn't ea and 2k be the 1st 2 companies sued.

 

[stickkidsam]

That's right... blame the video games... again... when the real evil, i.e. social media, is right there on your kid's iPhone; fucking up their mental health, making them suicidal, anxious, depressed, self-harm, giving them all kinds of dysmorphia... especially pre-pubescent teen girls.

Heck, all the fucking science is in on that topic. You even had a whole fucking Netflix documentary with ex-Facebook and Instagram workers/insiders whistleblowing about the fucked up bullshit those companies were knowingly doing with hiring clinical psychologists to create addiction in their audience so they can monetize their behaviors for ad revenues.

But no... it's the Xbox (that parents can simply take away if little Timmy is playing it too much)... WTF!?

Seems like more of the same problem than different one, no?

The issue here doesn’t sound like the “video games are evil” that I grew up with. This is specifically targeting the known use of practices which are designed to hook people on a grind. We’re seeing those same kinds of issues with social media as ya pointed out.

Parents gotta be more attentive for sure, but I don’t see the problem with putting the reigns on businesses either. Kids aren’t allowed into casinos after all; this isn’t much different.