Parenthood and video games

As many of you may (or may not) know, I am a dad. And I’m a gamer. I recently read this article from a fellow dad gamer about his mixed feelings about his situation, and immediately felt relieved. Mark Serrels is a tech journalist, who has spent most of his career fighting against the moral panic that video games are ruining kids. And yet, some of his personal experiences as a dad with a young kid and video games seem to give more nuance to the story.

I grew up in a household that begrudgingly allowed video games. My mother was very against them and knew that they were rotting out brains out. I like to think that I turned out okay, but now as an adult, I still love them. I might be a game studies academic, but I’m still a gamer.

So it’s hard for me to grapple with how I can balance my pre-schooler’s video game time, (he wants to be Link for Halloween after playing Breath of the Wild with me) when I am so conflicted. I don’t think video games are terrible, and parents should set boundaries, but at what age are games appropriate? He is obsessed with them right now, and my wife and I notice a difference in his behavior after play sessions. Much like the tantrums that most parents attribute to video games.

It’s been really hard. I see so many other gamers who think that video games are just fine, no worries with kids of any age. And I see parents who hate them but give in still to keep their kids happy. I’m slowly realizing that, like any aspect of parenting, there shouldn’t be judgment from outsiders on what parents allow when it comes to screen time and video games. I shouldn’t think less of parents who let their kids play more than I would, and I shouldn’t think less of myself when I give in and play with my four-year-old.

Review of The Four

As a media scholar, I respect that there is a lot of hype around tech addiction. While this public scare is part of the reason why I am interested in media effects as a research interest, I can admit that sometimes the outcry is a little too far-fetched. I picked up The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google knowing that it was another one of those books predicting the apocalypse. And while I wanted to verse myself in the counter opinion to myself, this book was terrible. Just the worst. Here are a few 1-star reviews from the Amazon page that I agree with wholeheartedly:

“I would never recommend this book. Not only does the author come across as biased with an axe to grind, there is absolutely no excuse for the vulgar language used.” –Ed

“I am sure the author is amazing in person as a public speaker. But the book is 268 pages of endless information without the great insight you hope for.” –George Detellis Jr.

Galloway worked at Dell, which gives him a unique (ok, not really) opinion on Apple as a brand. While I wouldn’t call myself an iHater anymore, I’ve only owned two Apple products in my life, so I’m not really a fan. However, the chapters on Apple in this book were just the worst to read. And in other chapters as well, Galloway’s bias is so apparent, he is just looking for any excuse to criticize (but not critique, he has no solutions to give) and as Ed mentioned, Galloway has an ax to grind.

And if you take out the opaque criticisms of the tech industry, what you’re left with is endless anecdotal evidence that is barely related to Galloway’s thesis. There really is no solid analysis of the DNA of these tech companies, only more hype as to why they are the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Seriously, garbage book, 1/2 heart, wouldn’t recommend.