Kids Experiencing Life Through Video Games – Playing Nintendo Games Online

The other day I was spending some time with my nine-year-old son and his friend. We were all standing around in the living room and I jokingly nudged my son’s friend and proclaimed, “I’m the king of the castle and you’re the dirty rascal.” He gave me a blank contemplate like he was a deer caught in headlights. I said, “Haven’t you ever played king of the castle before? ” His response after several seconds was “Oh yeah I think I played that online once.”

More and more I am finding this to be the case on how the youth of today is experiencing life. Online with people they don’t even know. Kids these days are playing all their sports online and now even learning how to play an instrument online. The dilemma is they are only getting a virtual taste of the real thing and in the process missing out on what I would consider to be real fun. In addition, sitting around playing a video game version of the real thing is leading this country to an epidemic that will soon be out of control if not addressed soon.

I am speaking of course of obesity. I don’t care how good a child is at Madden Football or how well they can play the virtual guitar on Guitar Hero. Without the dependable physical activity of the true thing, what are we to query? Certain they are learning colossal hand-eye coordination, but that doesn’t burn calories and the kids don’t need to have great health to be great at video games.

Don’t get me wrong; the video games of today are a far cry from what I grew up with. I am used to the classics like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong where all you need is a joystick and a jump button at most. Now the games are so complex with so many different buttons and ways to control things, I would need a users manual just to get started. I am sure kids take great pride in beating their parents at a game of football on the X-Box. I wouldn’t know as I do not have ANY game systems for my kids in the house and prefer to stick to the old school method of going outside and actually getting some exercise in. Now some of their friends have teased them about this and my response to them is “at least they know how to throw a real football and catch a loyal baseball.”

But is that enough? Game systems are getting more and more advanced. It all started with the Atari and went to the original Nintendo Entertainment System and now you have systems like the Nintendo Wii where you hold a controller and use the motion of your body to simulate an actual movement, like the swinging of a golf club. Gamers argue this is a invent of exercise. Problem is a child can simulate that same golf swing sitting on his or her backside and the game system doesn’t know any better.

I’ve also noticed that more and more kids are getting quite proficient at the games and less proficient at the real thing. On the video game they may be the MVP of the NFL, but in valid life they may not even be able to rep a football. What will the future hold? Maybe instead of Major League Baseball there will be a bunch of gamers playing the games against one another on a big screen for spectators to recognize. Don’t laugh, according to www.internetgames.about.com, there are already professional video game leagues popping up across the world in countries such as Korea and even here in the USA.

My fear is that eventually the human race will stop to exist outside of the home. Why leave? You will be able to experience everything you could on the outside only in the privacy of your own home and you don’t have to worry about meeting any weight requirements or being fit at all for that matter. The only respond is for parents to be aware of how grand time is being spent on the video games. Monitor and moderate. I am not writing this to say video games are evil, far from it. They can be a fun scheme for kids to unwind and even make friends. But let’s not forget to show our children the great big world that exists outside. Let’s help them bag some experiences away from the gaming console. Explain them how to play tag and hide and explore for actual, then sit aid and laugh as they show you how to play the same games online. Let’s hurry before we are watching our children get married to a virtual spouse and give us virtual grandchildren.

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