Video Games and Early Development

Early development of a child can very well determine how they will cope our society as they age. In the reading What Attracts Children there were some good points made that I agree with. For instance they believe that most video game knowledge and exposure comes from friends and kids similar in age. This is mainly due to the lack of knowledge in parents about games. They also said that "85%" of games were purchased as gifts for kids. Though this maybe true they go on to sate that 44% of those parents chose that game because of their child's request. This information is very important because we are talking about the early years in which kids are still developing, growing and learning. Their learning experiences and knowledge is now based on what their friends are telling rather than their parents. The concept of how kids are basing information on friends and peers rather than parents or elders is a much bigger effect on their development.

This brings up the reason on why I didn't like this reading and many other articles like it. The authors/creators of works like this focus on direct effects that they can see with their eyes. For example in What Attracts Children there was a section that was based solely on reading and writing. Though strategy games might help with those skills, researchers are missing the bigger picture. The kids that play these games are learning more than just reading or writing. Instead they are learning information gathering skills to be put towards an objective or a goal. For example in an MMORPG like WOW, a good pvp'er needs to not only know how to play his/her class but needs to be aware of the other player's classes as well. So they build information but observation, experiences playing a certain class, information read online and in blogs and through a community of peers teaching one other. All of these are information tools that can be utilized throughout their lives. This why we need to focus on more of a broader picture rather than just direct effects like reading writing or math.