I feel fortnite can be an addiction for some people by taking peoples mostly their parents credit cards and buying skins in the shop without their parents knowing. People can do things in different ways. Someone on Halloween dressed up as a fortnite character and went around breaking things with their pick ax for "Mats." I'm a 13-year-old boy that is speaking on this because it's not fully true that it doesn't cause violence it most likely does in places and makes kids think that they can do this without punishment. That's why I think this topic is not and harmless as it says it is. Thank you for listening Sincerely ~ Caden
2
I really love this game i don't agree with the text saying it can be a brutal game but this game is amazing so check it out we can play some duos if you want and download it to support the channel and the population
It is absolutely not true that “there’s really no evidence that playing a violent video game would take someone who has absolutely no violent tendencies and suddenly make them violent.” Virtual Imersion Drowns Holistic Development and may other sources including "Task Force on Violent Media" have substantial resraech that shows violence and aggression are by products of Violent video games, and there is a dearth of research o the < 12 year old population
2
I play fortnite myself. And it its not a minecraft hunger games hybrid but its own game. Something that parents also overlook is that games have a sort of life span. Some might say "oh yes i know" a game cant go on forever. But they might think about it like mario and how it was a long lived game. But in todays very internet related sociaty most parents get to trends a little late. For example most stores still sell fidget spinners. However most kids see it as a thing of the past. In fortnite there are seasons they are about 70 days long and the 5th one is drawing to an end. Fortnite peaked in the third. And possibly by season seven or the end of the school year it might still be popular but thre will most likely be more newer games on the horizon.
Fortnight is a great game for kids, has a nice social aspect when players would like to team up. But i don't enjoy the game because its so popular. I feel as though it's a very overrated game. I mean i see the game is very addictive to players, when someone doesn't get a "Victory Royale" it is frustrating. But i find it dumb.
After reading the article "Parenting the Fortnite Addiction" i myself can agree to reasons about why this game has become addictive.
It can be truly said that Epic (the creators of Fortnite) have done an exceptional job in attracting the attention of the young community of people, because people that dont even play the game know about it. This game is so common people all the time mimic the "emotes/taunts" used in game in real life. I can also agree with "Noah" a 14 year old boy who had stated that pulling out of the game is like leaving a team when it needs you most, especially as you risk the chance of losing your chance to win a "number 1 victory royale". This article was not a surprise at all, but still interesting because of how relatable it is, in regards to the rush you get making you want to play more.
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This week the article that interested me the most was entitled, "Parenting the Fortnite Addict," by Lisa Damour. Fortnite is a videogame captivating the hearts of numerous gamers. The game places a hundred players on an island and they must fight for the number one spot or, "Battle Royale." Though videogames are known for excluding kids from the outside world, Fortnite has numerous gamers play together on the same team and make them socialize while doing it. This thrilling game reeled in $223 million in March alone. Though the game itself is free, to level up you can purchase new skins, or clothes.
This article interested me because of how many young kids are captivated by this videogame. Loads of parents have to bargain with their children to get them off their games and doing physical activity. The fan favorite game wraps so many kids into an imaginary world and doesn't let them go. This shocks me because of how in my house there is no videogames. Though we have cell phones, we never were allowed to play videogames. This article shocks me because of how many teens and adults that play videogames.
It is of course no secret that Fortnite is a fan favorite of many kids and adults alike, and I agree with Damour saying that the game will always have players coming back in for more. I myself have enjoyed Fortnite since around mid December and I still play today. Having nearly spent a large amount of money for skins can lots of times give people joy, and for this reason is why Fortnite is estimated to make 2 billion by the end of the year. The game although fun, can be very distracting, especially from homework or chores. Many times I can find myself distracted by Fortnite, but lucky enough for me and others we can refocus on the task at hand. But for anyone who hasn't played it shouldn't be so quick to judge. After all, it has raked in 40 million players monthly, so there is obviously a reason on why players come back and it is simply because it is addicting. Not much in this world can top the feeling of victory, and now that people play Fortnite competitively at tournaments winning can give such a rush to a player.
Personally I agree with Damour and her claims on Fortnite, and I also think that parents should limit their children's technology usage for the sake of their grades, but I also think the parents should hop into a game from time to time
In this profound promotion of Fortnite, Lisa Damour comes to a very controversial conclusion. In her piece, she asserts the claim that it is better and more beneficial to get involved in the game rather than to avoid it. She says that it is a great way for parents to get ahead of their kids or even to bond with them, giving them the ability of bribery. She also claims that it allows kids and teenagers to bond with one another through the game.
I have mixed feelings about the article.
She discusses the point that the game is addictive. I agree that the game is addictive, but instead of supporting that it helps kids and teens bond, i think that it creates conflict. If the only way that kids are talking is through a screen they don't get the experience of social skills offline. However, i do agree that parents can use it to their advantage by allowing their kids to talk to them about it and even using it to reward them.
I relate to the article because i am a teenager who plays Fortnite with my friends. I also have experienced the frustration of not winning and the addictive side that Lisa touches on. I have spent way too much time playing the game rather than using the time wisely and doing school work or even practicing my sports. Nevertheless, I have made some memories with my friends through it. Therefore, i relate heavily to both the positive and negative sides of the article.
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Fortnite to millions of kids and adults around the world is a lifestyle. The way that the game is made, it lures you into one game, you die, and you think damn I want to play again and try to win. It’s that adrenaline of a top 10 game that is what spark interest in the gamers, especially me.
I got caught up in the game at the worst possible time, right during Halloween during the school year. I remember how I got into the game actually, it was a few nights after Halloween and my brother and his friend were playing it for the first time. I thought the game was stupid at first and I wasn’t interested to play it at all. However, the next day when I logged into my Ps4, I instantly clicked on Fortnite to try it out. Long story short, that first game is like an addictive drug, in all honesty. Dying makes you want to play again, because you feel like you are able to win the next game, and that cycle keeps going for hours. The worst part is, winning makes you want to play again too because you feel like you’re playing good and try to get another win, and again this cycle goes on for hours. I often found myself unfocused on school and homework, and more so on watching videos of the best Fortnite players and playing it myself.
If I can give any advice to a Fortnite gamer, I would tell them that it isn’t worth it, and it is honestly a waste of time. Get outside of the house, do something that can benefit you, don’t waste hours of your day gaming!
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I chose this article because I was confused on why everyone was addicted to this game called Fortnite. I figured out that you could crossplay with other systems which is an interesting thing to learn on how they do that. This game always adds new things that keep gamers wanting to play. This game is one of the most popular games worldwide. Parents can monitor what their kids on how much screen time they get when they play on their phones, so they don't end up playing this game nonstop. This game may be very addicting, but it does help kids think quicker then usual.
'Parenting the Fortnite Addict'
When I first saw an article about Fortnite, I had to click. I have only played the game less than ten times, but I was so interested in reading. When I read the article, I knew why I clicked on it. It is addicting and fascinating, even to people who do not play. There is no doubt this game is something to rave about. It is no surprise the game is made to be addicting. The mix of a popular game Minecraft and a popular series The Hunger Games makes is the perfect concept for a game. Not to mention the colorful, semi-realistic features draw in people of all ages. But, some of these facts I could not believe.
One game that has been popular lately is Fortnite. In Fortnite, people compete against each other. In order for the competitors (in the game) to survive and defend themselves, they are required to find weapons and other materials. Fortnite has captured so many hearts including Major League Baseball players. Many parents dislike their kids playing fortnite non-stop but there’s a bright side when it comes to video games. Action video games develop advanced mathematics and engineering skills. Fortnite is also known as a social experience.
People can team up and help defend and protect each other. Fortnite is indeed addicting which is the downside of the game. Once a player dies, they either feel the need to play again or have hope they’re going to do better next round. Fortnite can take over one’s life. Instead of going out and enjoying nature, kids stay inside all day gaming. It is important for kids to stay involved in several intellectual activities. Even though Fortnite is a free game, people are able to buy “skins” (cloths) for their character which in reality is a waste of money that could be used for buying something useful. Many teenagers enjoy being asked questions about the game which is good for communication.
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The game named Fortnite is a very fun and addicting game.It is one of the most played video games of 2018. For example, some kids play for hours on end. In addition, adult streamers play for over ten hours a day. The objective of the game is to try to be the last player standing. Before the children can play the video game, the parents should play the game that their child wishes to play and then based off their thoughts. Determine if and how much their child can play per day. As well, if the child is old enough that the game isn't a problem for them to play then the game should be used as a reward like for finishing homework, chores, spending time with family, and being outside. Also, when the children play they shouldn't be online for more than a few games.
I chose this article because I am also a gamer and I play for many hours a day. Parents should limit how much kids play each day but not solely off instinct. Parents need to understand the game even from the perspective of the child. Also, parents need to take into consideration when their friends can play so they can play cohesively and be social unlike in some video games.
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Fortnite
This is one of the most popular game that kids play. Other kids uses there whole day playing fortnite. To me, I think fortnite is one of the most popular game that everyone loves to play. During kids free time they could be doing chore doing something else instead of playing fortnite all day everyday. Fortnite is one of the games i love and would play all day. Parents that have kids that play fortnite all day their parent should limit there time on playing fortnite or just take the game away from them.
Fortnite
Most of the time kids don't want to get of Fortnite, especially if you are new to the game. Almost my whole family plays Fortnite and they are addicted to it. I personally love this game , spending at least 1-2 hours a day. Kids spend like 5 hours a day without doing their homework ore house chores. The parents have the right to take the game away but the only thing is that the kids throw a fit for example they may scream and cry. Some people say they want to be like Ninja,a 27 year old who makes about $500,000 a month just on Fortnite. Ninja can spend $500 without a problem. There has never been a game that still has it same popularity as it does now so my theory is that fortnite will die down soon based on previous studies.
Fortnite is by far the worlds most trending video game. So many people of various ages play this and it is starting to interfere with peoples jobs and academics. I personally love this game spending more than 5 hours a day playing this but when it comes down to daily tasks such as chores and academics, I know when I need to stop. The arising problem with so many parents is that their child is addicted to this game and disobeying commands and academics. What parents don't understand is that they have the right to take the gaming console away but most children will throw a fit which will make parents feel remorseful. I have gotten my gaming console taken away many times due to not keeping up with academics. In addition, their has never been a game that still has it same popularity as it does now so my theory is that Fortnite WILL die down soon based on previous studies.
Sometimes it's really hard to pull away from a really good game, especially if you're new. My younger brother is in love with Fortnite, playing from 10 in the morning to 10 at night. Fortnite is the new entertainer for the gaming world. A season in Fortnite lasts about 2 months and I know a couple of people who have spent over $500 on just one season. Fortnite now has 5 seasons. The more the creators of Fortnite add to the store, the more kids will want to spend, especially if they make new dances and skins. Some people want to be like Ninja, a 27 year-old who makes about $500,000 a month just on Fortnite. He can spend $500 without a problem, unlike teenagers that are still in school. A couple of guys in my science class played Fortnite in class while my teacher was teaching. As you can see it's a distraction, one that takes away from education. I love Fortnite because I can play with my friends and family and be able to communicate and it helps with team trust. Kids may scream and cry if you take a game away, so maybe start by telling them they have 2 hours and they have to go outside for at least 1 hour. Too much gaming may put strain on the eyes and could cause headaches. There are many pros and cons, it will be up to the parents to have a time limit and to control when they play.
As we all know, Fortnite is probably the most played game on any electronic server. That is one of the reasons I chose this article. I thought to myself, "well my brother plays this game, let's see what it is all about". But it turns out that most people are addicted to this game? I had no idea. I found it interesting that video game makers try to make the game addicting. But why would they do that if the video game itself is free of cost. Now sure there are in-game purchases but those are completely optional. Also what i found in the article is that parents can set time limits to how much time kids spend on their phone. I do agree that too much screen time can fry your brain. But in the game, I learned that you learn teamwork and quick thinking skills . So you can definitely spend a reasonable amount of time on the video game but also learn something. It has shown to boost up grades in classes that require certain skills. Like math, engineering, or even science class. The article also talked about how it is a very social video game. Although, some prefer the "solo" version or game mode, most enjoy playing with friends or even complete strangers. "It is a great way to make friends". There are multiple game modes. Those include solo, duo, and squads, the max for a squad is 4, so you can interact while playing your game. Clearly, this game has potential to be good, but if not played properly can have you addicted.
I can heavily agree that the game “fortnite” effect on the youth is out of control. But also the parents of the kids that are addicted to this game should just take it away from them, or manage the amount of time there on the game. The game “fortnite” has positive and negative effects on the youth , Some negatives ways it might effect the youth if they are in school and there probably not working at there best abilities because they were probably up all night playing the game. Also if the addiction is serious they will probably try to skip school because they feel like the games more important. Positives if this game is that it’s a strategic game and very competitive so it helps the youth think if they want to become a better player.
I agree this game is addictive but it is very fun to play. once you get good enough there is a lot of competition and it gets competitive. Its very strategic and takes skill. The fortnite community and the people that play it some can be friendly and you can make new friends. People that have many followers on platforms such as twitch and you tube, they play fortnite and kids look up to them and they can use that and influence kids and teens to do good in school. they can use their platforms to do good for kids and let them have fun.
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@isaac gomez i love you girl
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I agree with many aspects of this article on fortnite. Fortnite is a very fun strategic and addictive video game. Many people / streamers enjoy and are addicted because you cant just play it once and be automatically good, fortnite is a battle royal game so that means when you die you have to exit the lobby. Although this is a shooter based game many younger kids play it because there is no blood or gore. In my opinion the most fun and addictive aspect of this game is building, in order to be the most skilled and feared player you must practice and be an experienced efficient builder.
This article personally intrigues me as I do sometimes play Fortnite and can confirm it can be quiet addictive. However I do agree that parents should limit the amount of time kids are playing this game because some are playing for 12+ hours and it can be extremely dangerous to their health. That's one of the reasons I picked this article is because I don't think parents realize how much time their kids are spending on the game regardless of playing it but also watching it and being involved.
Fortnite is said to be a very addictive game in which some of my freinds play for up to 4 hours a day and even more. I think Fortnite is a good game to connect with your freinds and play together. However, though it is a very fun, addictive, and exciting game it is easy for teens and even adults to play and excessive amount of this game. Often times I will reach out to my freinds and ask if they would like to FaceTime. But they usually tell me “I can’t talk right now I’m playing fortnite”. And this Leeds to them playing many more rounds of the game. I think fortnite is a fun game, but, I also think parents should limit there kids playing time if they notice it is excessive.
None of the addictive features listed are new or innovative. It's hardly fair to call an added element of chance a 'stealth addiction feature.' Such mechanics have been present in video games almost since they were first commercially viable; make games more fun; are a cheap, tunable way for designers to add an element of realism; and are well understood by most people who play video games. There are even people who obsessively reverse engineer the formulas used by designers and post them on forums.
The writer, and readers, of this article should be more concerned by the increasingly machine-learning driven advertising, marketing and social media machine that is trained on players to learn their likes, dislikes, habits, and even their personalities, and use these against them to 'micro-target' them using sophisticated, psychology-based tactics.
And therein lies the rub. A knowledgeable staff writer on video games would easily apprehend this. But there is no such person at a mainstream news outlet like the Times, even though, as the article points out, 2/3 of households play them. The game industry's profits surpassed film's years ago, yet film and television get resources and attention that video games still do not. The result is articles like this one, which has nothing to offer those already in the know; and is somewhat misinformative to those who are not. This leaves the latter ill equipped to combat an army of psychologists and machine learning engineers.
Steve, can you explain your second paragraph? What do you mean? TIA (I'm a parent).
Given that I was addicted to the Gong Show at 11 years of age, I hardly see the problem with this game. My two boys play along with with a multitude of friends online and they all seem to get along.
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This is amazing maybe more screen time is better though
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In response to "Parenting the Fortnite Addict" NY Times Article dated April 30, 2018:
I agree that Fortnite does not make someone violent, if they already are not. It can also give you a chance to communicate with others, and learn teamwork skills. Believe me, I have learned to trust others a lot more. I play Fortnite often and the only thing bad that has ever happened is that I got triggered because I got second place. Plus, You can try again with even more luck then last time, and possibly get first.
Not only can you just learn to trust people, but you can also make new friends, and learn teamwork skills. Fortnite is great game and can definitely help with your life.
Now I know that Fortnite is addictive. I have time limits and it sometimes is hard to get off. Especially when you're in the middle of a match. My parents say it can fry your brain. I agree with that. But the skills you get to learn like critical thinking, and teamwork building skills definitely pay off.
Fortnite is also very fun. I mean, a mixture between Minecraft and Hunger Games. What could get better? It also takes away free time that you have. Of course you can read... but I read way too much (to all you Michael Vey lovers out there). Thats when Fortnite comes in to take my mind away and make me feel relaxed and calm.
Fortnite is addictive, and isn't likely to result in violence. I feel that the teamwork, strategy, and friendship building outweigh
the possibility of addiction.
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Wow! This was a great article to read! I love the positive spin this article put on the game!
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Fortnite is a great game, and I have never played it.
But my kids will connect with cousins in different states and friends in neighboring towns to both socialize and strategize during game play.
Limits are set so they don't play too much -- I would say it is not even close to being the problem that cellphones pose. "Phones" offer no end of diversion.
Fortnite often ends in frustration, victory, or because no one else is on.
I think that parents who limit their kids are in the wrong.
1
Why?
I have never played Fortnite, but what I know, from hearing people at school talking about it all the time, is that it is very addictive. I do not like the concept of violet video games at all.
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My son did the “walk out” for his high school in CA to protest gun violence - I challenged him and said, if he and his friends really want to start making a difference right now, why not boycott all vid games that have guns in them? We are now a gun free vid game household, just something to think about...
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well
As someone educated out side and inside USA and as practising scientist that to be competent on the global scene we need bright and diligent future genration. It requires years of dedication and focus to aquire in depth knowledge. I graduated in mid 80s with my masters degree and another in US in mid 90s and continue to keep acquiring newer skills. There is no chillaxing if I were to be employed till I retire.
I am not sure the current generation 's need for constant gratification would serve them or the nation for any good.
3
shouldn't you scientists be looking for a cure for cancer right now?
1
I found this article... well, ridiculous. This game, like ALL games is NOT important for a teenager. It will not provide math skills, reading skills and importantly social skills. Consider teenager unconscious for the duration of their playing and then determine how long you think it is healthy for a teenager to be unconscious?
The truth is parents are afraid to exert any kind of screen time limits on their kids. Why? Because these compelling computer games effectively eliminate the necessity of parenting. Kid is gone for the duration of playing.
I made my son trade game time for reading time. He had to read an hour for every half hour playing a video game. Result? Voracious reader, straight A university student. I also discussed the danger of video games: the cost to cognitions, social skills, involvement in the world, so from the earliest age he understood the cost of playing.
There are a crazy number of 25 year old men who are virgins. They've never even been out with a girl!
Wake up parents.
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As a now adult that was allowed to play video games an unlimited amount (other than taking turns with my brother) I still graduated with honors from university. All the friends I played video games with in high school have went to be successful. Your evidence is antecedal at best. Video games and technology led me to a career I'm very successful in (network admin).
Oh, and I'm getting married soon.
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I appreciate that there is certainly a problem with leaving children to do exactly what they want without any supervision or guidance but to suggest that something like playing video games can't have a positive outcome is wrong.
I have dozens of friends who have turned a teenage passion for video games into a productive adult life in many different ways. For me personally, I enjoyed playing video games and that drove me to create websites about video games which have gone on to be some of the most popular websites in the world. I don't play video games any more, my interests have evolved, but they have had a huge positive influence in my life.
I have friends who have used their passion for video games to get involved in creating video games themselves, from artists to developers. I have friends who have used their passion for video games to build meaningful friendships, and even relationships, I know of a couple who met through one of my video game websites and they are to be married this year. I know of people who have become multi-millionaires because of businesses they started in the video game industry.
And even for those who haven't been able to turn video games into a career, and haven't made friends, they've still been able to enjoy a form of entertainment that can help improve critical thinking skills and relieve stress.
You can waste your life playing video games but it's a choice that you make. You can build a good life influenced by video games too.
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why y'all against this
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It’s stuff like this that makes me so glad I’m gay and childless.
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Teacher of 8th graders here. My students (boys mostly--girls aren't as enthusiastic) are bonding over this game. They share a new level of comradeship that transcends the normal cliques and friend groups. On the other hand, I find myself constantly jiggling sleepy headed boys awake whenever I shut off the lights to show a video, so there's the trade off.
5
I do not know anything about this particular game. But I can attest when we took away xbox from my son though It was extremely hard dealing with our son at the beginning, every aspect of his life improved. His health and morale improved for better. He started to excersize, eat healthy meals on time. He showers every day, keeps a decent daily schedule. He stopped bunking school. There were no taking off from home, or disappearing with a car w/o his learner permit in the night. He became his original happy and affectionate and humorous self. No more aggression or suicidal threats.
We were at the bottom of dark abyss a year ago. Some angel gave us the courage and endurance.My husband and I just hugged our son, cried along with him gave him unconditional support and told our son that he is great kid and no matter of what we are with him. And that he can be what ever he wants to be and he just ad smart anybody. We had enough sense in our muddy heads in those dark days that our love will get our son back.
These games offer a great refuge to yo those who feel they do not fit and are lonely. That's how they become addicted. Parents need to watch these tendencies.
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I have 4 children and I think fortnite is a great game becasue it teaches kids to communicate better and work as a team rather then fighting
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Scott from Dallas,
THANK YOU for injecting some common sense into this comment forum.
Many of these comments borderline on the absurd and is as loony as the comments from right wingers that video games might have been the cause of the Parkland shooting.
The comment section for these types of pieces always descend into “Old man yelling at clouds”.
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Huh? That doesn’t make any sense...at all
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Thanks for the response, man.
I understand the people talking about moderation but, as you point out, some of these comments are ridiculous. I can't stand it when people try and put things into black & white terms or start stereotyping. It makes for catchy comments, but when you're generalizing millions of people into "most of them have never been on a date" or "people who play games are 'lesser' and video games rot your brain", it frustrates me.
Reading these comments for the last few years, I've noticed the engaged readers pride themselves on being informed, left-leaning, and intellectual. Then I see a comment section like this. Outdated stereotypes and people who'd prefer you read the collected works of Stephanie Myers than play Fortnite.
Also, check out FairXchange's comments if you want a... fun(?) perspective from an older reader.
1
Having worked in the game industry for 30 years, my conckusion is: These games should be obliged to limit playing time and to hand parents control. Self regulation wont work.
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Been playing this passive game for a #fortnite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di-qMtNw6Bk&t=99s
-W
1
Fortnite is the best game every made and IDK y people say that video games are making people violent, the people who are violent are the ones who maybe have had a bad childhood/young life and don't like people. If any game was to make people violent it would be "CALL OF DUTY" or "RAINBOW SIX SIEGE" because there is actually real look people, real looking people, there is blood, there is a lot of gore, there is bad language(the in game people or characters swear) Fortnite is a good game because you can play and talk to new people and you can play with your friends. You can also connect with random people and become friends with them. Fortnite is not addicting because if you were addicted you would have to play Fortnite to be able to live. If you are addicted to Fortnite then you cant live a day without playing Fortnite. People who play fortnite everyday on YouTube, that is their job and they aren't addicted. You can also find famous people on the game such as pro sports players and they can enjoy some free time and play Fortnite overall is a good game to play, chat with friends, set good goals like to get 100 wins or 1K kills, get more kills in a single game than you've ever had. If Fortnite was making people violent then well you need help because when you kill the person in Fortnite they just fall drop all their loot and a camera thing appears. Also it is just like a cartoon, and that is the reason why Fortnite is not making people violent and isn't addictive.
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This is a very interesting article. I was sent this link here as a friends and I think that I'm going to buy this game for my 9 children. It'll teach them to share and play as a team rather then fighting against each other.
3
You don't have to actually buy this game: it is free. It only charges money for purely cosmetic alterations to characters and weapons.
4
I really don’t have a problem with them playing...we have rules in our house. They are not allowed to go on till there hw is done. When it’s tome for dinner they come off and we eat together. And if they don’t do what their suppose to there have been times when I take it out of the room. They might get upset but oh well life goes on and I’m the parent!!!!
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Hire someone who has played a game before to write this article. Nobody is using FaceTime to coordinate games. Try Skype or Discord or TeamSpeak.
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Well, you know the NYT - they're all Apple fanbois.
1
My 3 teenagers have been playing this game a lot the last few months. They love it & enjoy playing with their friends from school and across the country. We have had no problems in our house hold, just a lot of laughter & screaming.
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Noting the locations of the individual families interviewed for this piece.
I encourage the author to leave the local neighborhood and go see how the chilren in Flint, or the South Bronx are responding to this game.
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I agree with other readers that this article soft-pedals how strongly addictive these games can be for some kids. We finally had to send my son to military school to get him off an online game. He went from AB honor roll in 6th grade to failing English & math in 7th grade. We tried everything we knew of - punishments, taking away TV, grounding, rewards for any good grades. Nothing worked. All he cared about was playing the game, which he accessed on the same computer he did his homework on. We were faced with sending him back to his same school on a non-college-prep track (which he had now failed out of) or send him to a different school. I wanted to get him totally away from the game, from any way to access the game. At the military school he had access only to the school's computers & intranet, and all the other boys there were in the same boat. He also had to march, do chores, and wear a uniform. He hated it. But it got him off the game, it got his grades back up, and it gave me something to threaten him with when he came home because he knew we could send him back. He's a senior now, has a scholarship to study engineering. And he still loves us, he is a great kid. BUT game co.s should acknowledge they are a problem for some kids. They should provide financial aid for parents to get their kids help. We just made the final payment on that one year of military school! A lot of families can't afford that. We're lucky.
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“He still loves us” sounds like something you say when you’re not quite sure.
Wouldn’t want to be you when it’s fine for him to pick your nursing home. God knows what delayed gratification that might be.
4
Good for you! You absolutely did the right thing, which is REALLY difficult to do in today’s overly permissive parenting world. I’m sure you feel like I do - like you’re swimming up stream. You’re son will understand how much you really love him when he has children one day.
7
As a high school teacher, it’s impossible to overemphasize the waste such games have laid to American concentration, curiosity, and critical thinking. It’s actually painful for many of my students to sustain reading of a paper page for three whole minutes. Every year, my school has a few students (boys) who stop coming to school entirely and lock themselves in their rooms playing video games instead. I’m not exaggerating—these games seriously undermine mental health. The thinking parent would do well to keep them out of the house entirely.
Yes you can!
44
Thank you for putting some sense in here. I saw my bright son going down a deep vortex because of game addiction.
I can not believe these glowing reviews of videogames and the disservice these games are doing to our next generation. These kids can not even focus for than five minutes. How can we expect them master subjects like human anatomy or Biochemistry or any other complex subject material?
8
I think games like this are fine but don't go about and playing it all day have a set time your gonna play and then do something else. Ninja, the twitch gamer, is smart he streams in the morning, sometimes mid afternoon, and at night. He has set times. You all need to calm down and let it be. I have played it myself and I can see why so many people love this game. Has a lot of Minecraft in it
That is what you all should do and stop picking on the ame about it
1
I find shooting with guns for entertainment sad, the (intentional) addictiveness disturbing, and the data mining corrupt. Thus, this is one battle with my 11 year old that I'm willing to fight and win.
4
Just remember that you will single him out as the only kid not being able to play. Also where is the data mining coming from? He will come in contact with those games one way or another. If you like it or not. So maybe he could do it with you instead having to hide it from you?
4
You are a bad parent and you are limiting your child's experiences in the world because of your own unfound fear and biases. There is no invasive data collection, it's a game.
5
Kids have been “shooting” at each other with finger guns as entertainment and fun for far longer than video games have been around
2
((( Feel free to correct any words which are not-English or grammatical errors as long as the substance is thé same)))
So many attractive acrivities are offered to all ages children it must be very difficult for parents to control what is good or bad for them.
Maintaining relations hard enough to keep control for their ownn goods to keep and improve their school’s results but flexible enough so the parents-children relations remains harmonious.
The equilibrium wiil always be fragile, mostly when reaching the age when they feel that being on their own is their rights.
This age varies depending on their own maturity and their friends who might have indue influence on their behaviours.
Encouraging, explaining and supporting children on a regular basis to stimulate the absolute needs for a good scholar education to reach the best for their own future is essential. . Emphasing that their successes in life depend on their own go-and-get-it.
To the unreachable nobody is condemned but the very best trials are self-rewarding
1
I don't want to sound old fashioned. But I believe we would be fooling ourselves (to some extent) if we think that video games can enhance creativity skills in mathematical, physical and engineering sciences. It is hard to buy this logic. The mathematical and physical sciences genuius of 19th and 20th century had no idea of anything related to our current technologies. But their mathematical skills are way beyond of modern times. Further, during those times, there was no dearth of intellectual ideas to solve a challenging physical and mathematical puzzles. Apparently, we have not heard of modern scientific genuius coming out through the impact of these video games.
It would be a good idea to view these games purely from the perspective of entertainment. However, as the old wisdom says anything in excess dosages are poisonous. In today's world it is tough for parents to have a balanced approach as they are lead to believe that these games can enhance the child's creativity.
8
Actually when the game came out there were a lot of people who started to give it a go and I gave it a chance to see if it was true at first I liked it a lot but then when I was researching more and more of the subject I realized it was a little bit more advanced than I thought, I thought the game would be very difficult and very short because it was only about the same subject that was saving the world.
I agree that flat-out banning the game (or technology in general) is not a useful tactic, in either the short- or long-term. Short term, it creates a power struggle, which is then about power (Because i said so! Because I’m the parent, that’s why!) rather than the real concern. Long term, you’ve missed an opportunity to help your child learn to manage their tech life. Far better to talk regularly about what, how and why we use technology, why it is so appealing, the amazing benefits of digital connectivity in the world, how to make choices about that use, how to be aware when your own or another’s behavior is becoming excessive, and what to do about it. Its also important to model responsible tech use. How many of us have made some kind of pronouncement about the uselessness if Minecraft or Pokemon Go or whatever, and then obsessively turned back to our screens and Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc.
As a school librarian, I wirk hard ti help my students get the most out if technology, and also learn the skills they will need to be successful adults and citizens. I see the powerful draw of the digital world—especially for younger students who are still maturing emotionally and intellectually—and I do think they need support and guidance as to how much of their time to give to this part of their lives. But let’s not forget that it is, and will be, a part if their lives forever, whether you help them or not.
11
This game is a powerful introduction to addiction and willing enslavement. U hope many young people learn that lesson alongside the adventure and adrenaline. My son and I played together. We've both found it so addictive that we quickly racked up over a hundred hours, losing sleep, neglecting relationships and work, becoming cranky with withdrawal, and being unable to focus on normal interactions with friends and family when we might otherwise be playing.
He quit so he could focus on prepping for his AP Physics test next week. I quit in solidarity so he didn't feel abandoned - and infuriated. I am sure we will both be back on the sauce within hours of him submitting his test. Willing enslavement indeed.
16
I've been on the NTY every weekday for 2 years now and this is the first comment I've ever made, simply because I can't stand how asinine these comments are.
I'm 27 and have been gaming since I was 11. I double majored in college. I read 3 books a month. I workout 4 times a week. So far, no impulse to murder. I built my own computer so I didn't have a bottleneck in my GPU/RAM/CPU performance. I work 40 hours a week in a management position and have a social life.
I ran a 100+ member organization in EvE Online. C-level execs, a finance dept, recruiters, HR dept, new hire programs, etc.
I've played solitaire, like, twice.
So, so many hours of LoL. Still bad at it.
I've made many friends from the MMOs I've played. I still meet some of them for beers.
But, it doesn't matter what positives I list. This section is some weird echo chamber for 40+ y/o "concerned parents", pseudo-intellectuals, and retirees who spend hours finding the right comment to plug into articles for "likes".
"Pathetic"?
"Destructive"?
"This is why kids these days can't [favorite generational stereotype] any more"?
"you have heard of pedophilia grooming, right??" (JPRP, buddy, you're joking, right??? )
It's funny how, on other issues, these same commenters would say how it's small-minded to define an entire group of people by individual accounts and personal experience.
But, it's about appealing to your demographic, right? Can't get that dopamine fix if people don't click "like" on your comment.
70
It sounds like you were an active player but not an addict. When people comment on here, they are usually referring to addicts.
4
Wow, Scott....comment of the day! Incredible.
Makes me wonder why I come here to read the thoughts of a weird minority of coastal, wealthy 45 and overs.....
I think you’re spot on.
1
There's a negative stigma associated with video games but as you said, many of these comments cater to that narrow-minded definition. Hopefully, the negative attitudes towards gaming changes over time because as long as it's done in moderation (just like everything else), it can create memorable experiences.
3
Dear parent, I let my son play all the time. My little Boy, Banana as I like to call him, loves the game. I much rather him spend his time playing video games than running the streets doing ALL the drugs. My son gets good grades and participates in extracurricular activities at school. So as long as he does what he needs to do I let him play, its even made him closer to his girlfriend Regina who also plays the game. I also like to watch him play, its a sight to behold. The sheer joy he gets from "grabbin those dubs" puts a smile on my face.So as long as he keeps his grades and k/d up im fine with Fortnite
4
ToeNail812
ToeNail812
Pennsylvania | Pending Approval
Dear parent, I let my son play all the time. My little Boy, Banana as I like to call him, loves the game. I much rather him spend his time playing video games than running the streets doing ALL the drugs. My son gets good grades and participates in extracurricular activities at school. So as long as he does what he needs to do I let him play, its even made him closer to his girlfriend Regina who also plays the game. I also like to watch him play, its a sight to behold. The sheer joy he gets from "grabbin those dubs" puts a smile on my face.So as long as he keeps his grades and k/d up im fine with Fortnite
It is addictive. It is designed to be addictive. The designers are very, very, good at making it addictive. This and games like it (Candy Crush, for example, is also very addictive) are not going to go away. The best thing a parent can do is try to limit it at the very start and teach your kids about how the game is made to be addictive. They will know and see other kids who clearly are waaaay too involved. Just getting them to be aware helps. At the very end the writer of this article says, "Parents of players who are jonesing for a skin " the phrase jonesing started as slang for a heroin addict who wanted another shot, "fix". It is not hyperbole to describe this game as addicting.
4
I am happy to hear that a popular game builds team work skills and does not contain extreme graphic violence. Although one could assert this is effectively training little ones for a future military career, where remote "pilots" have little sense of the actual violent destruction they are responsible for.
What is not touched on at all is the gender implications. Are female players equally enthusiastic? The graphic shown of a leaping muscular hero surrounded by ejaculating missiles seems most appealing to males.
Teachers struggling to EDUCATE in the 21st century, now contend with distracting effects of devices in the classroom. Of course students need techno skills, coding and info search abilities...yet, even when devices are put away, short attention spans and disinterest in "boring" learning is their legacy
3
I am a female fortnite player. Interestingly, when you play, you are randomly assigned a "skin", and about half the skins are female military-style figures (which are not overly sexualised). So there are a lot of male player who have to play "as a woman" from time to time. (And the female players have to play as men from time to time too).
7
You could even try, gasp, playing it with your children and seeing what it's like? Forming a firsthand opinion and then using your judgment? I don't understand these articles that seem to presuppose that parents can't do anything but watch from afar.
The game is designed to encourage playing together with other people in the room. Maybe you'll find an activity that you can share.
2
These video game fears have been around since I was a child. The world has yet to be consumed by an apocalypse. To me, it's like old people in the 50s complaining about "those kids and their rock and roll!" Except now it's my generation X saying "those kids and their games."
Admittedly, my teenage daughter doesn't game, so I have no standing in this debate. She prefers the adrenaline of snowboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking and MMA to that of games. Sometimes I think she'd be safer on the couch gaming instead of flying off a cornice into a mogul field.
Btw, don't we need gamers to be our drone pilots of the future? Otherwise, how will Americans kill people they don't like all over the globe?
2
Hello I'm a 15 year old kid here. After reading this article and scrutinizing the comment section, I have come to the conclusion that people generally have two sides in this lively debate. While some people state that Violent Games (Fortnite or other Games in General) tend to lead to violent aggression, there is other people who believe that games lead to social and life skills. I can agree with both sides of the conversation. For example I play video games as well, with a few wins on fortnite myself I can agree that the game itself is very addicting, This game creates a gambling affect that makes it hard for people to stop, I know that when I am told to stop by my parents, I feel anger, and that's just not normal. The problem with this is, that this anger is just temporary, I wont feel any more later, but like trying to stop a gambler from playing poker, its really hard to get someone to just stop playing video games. There is also the benefits of video games, from being able to cooperate with each other in a similar social settings, to enhance memory, improve coordination and improves problem solving skills. The solution that my parents and I cooperated, We put up a set of rules for the weekday, I cannot play video games without first studying, doing homework, chores, and even then, the most I can play is around 1 hour 30 min. In the weekend the rules are similar but with a few changes. I cannot play without studying and chores, I can play but I also need to go outside.
8
I drastically limit how much Fortnite can be played by my 11 and 13 year-old boys. Mostly this works well. But my current concern is that sometimes they find everyday activities as boring. What can match the action and stimuli of playing this game on a big screen TV?
6
I don't let my younger children play this in the PvP section. I have, and play, the save the world aspect of this game and will allow the kids to play this, however they know there are limits and responsibilities come first.
1
Ex-gamer here, recently quit. There's a point that's being lost in these discussions of games that is rarely brought up but it's one that I think is particularly relevant: these games are designed to be as addictive as possible.
There is a reason for this that isn't readily apparent to most people but that will become apparent to anyone who takes the time to read through a game-client's EULA (end-user-license-agreement). These game clients mine your computer for your data. Presumably, the game company then takes that data and sells it for a profit. It's not unlike the way that Facebook and Google make their money.
This is especially true of free-to-play games like Fortnite, but it applies to pretty much any game that requires its players to download and install a game client. The more addicted you are to the game the more time the client is running and the more data the game company has available to collect. There is a perverse incentive with games now to make them as addictive as possible for this reason alone. It's no longer just about repeat sales of similar (future) games, which was bad enough, now it's about turning games into extremely fine-tuned, sophisticated, data-mining Skinner boxes.
Fortnite is free. So where does all the money going to come from to pay the development staff, management, and for the servers to host these millions of players? Cosmetic items purchased in-game don't come nearly close enough.
Your kids are addicted by design.
70
"Cosmetic items" generated $233 million in a single month. That's nearly the entire development and marketing cost of Grand Theft Auto V - the most successful entertainment product ever. What are you basing your analysis on vis a vis how much it takes to run a game?
This isn't to downplay security concerns, but if you're connected to the Internet and using it in any way, yeah, someone is collecting your data. No Kidding. Your ISP, your browser, your email provider, the sites you shop on, etc. etc. etc....
6
I have two sons 32 & 16. The 32 yr old played some violent video game called Halo, when Airsoft B.B. guns came around they would dress in camo and crawl around the wet woods shooting at each other, they set up the rules including eye protection. I was glad they got their butts off the couch. What is this likely violent psychological basket case doing now? He’s in the medical profession soon to be awarded a doctorate and with a career providing occupational therapy to school children. Oh ‘the Horror!’ As Brando said.
The 16 yr old plays Fortnight gets frustrated with it and goes to listen to rap “music”, he’s a different person of course he’s a banshee skier chasing his older brother, plays tennis well and an excellent bass guitar player. There’s a host of other issues I worry about regarding his development before Fortnight floats to the top.
13
Perhaps your gamer sons can introduce you to “Heart of Darkness” in which Joseph Conrad's Kurtz speaks the words that were unironically appropriated seven decades later by “Apocalypse Now” director Francis Ford Coppola, screenwriter John Milius, and Marlon Brando; and appropriated (a few more clicks up the river), with heavy irony, by you. If the literary source is not to your liking:
from wikipedia:
Video games
The video game Far Cry 2, released on 21 October 2008, is a loose modernised adaptation of Heart of Darkness. The player assumes the role of a mercenary operating in Africa whose task it is to kill an arms dealer, the elusive "Jackal". The last area of the game is called 'The Heart of Darkness'.
The video game Spec Ops: The Line, released on 26 June 2012, is a direct modernised adaptation of Heart of Darkness. The player assumes the role of special-ops agent Martin Walker as he and his team search Dubai for survivors in the aftermath of catastrophic sandstorms that left the city without contact to the outside world. The character John Konrad, who replaces the character Kurtz, is a reference to the author of the novella.
Victoria II, a grand strategy game produced by Paradox Interactive, launched an expansion pack titled "Heart of Darkness" on 16 April 2013, which revamped the game's colonial system, and naval warfare.
1
Thanks I referred to Brando cause it’s the image that most Americans can relate to. The elder ‘gamer’ majored in English and philosophy as an undergrad. We talked about Conrad. I’m not surprised Heart of Darkness has had such an influence on war games. It surprised me you dig in on this one illustrative comment when the point of the article had to do with the effects of games on young psyches. If kids are getting fixated on a game it’s frightening to some parents. I get that, knowing when to be really concerned or letting them ride it out is hard. my point is that I have sons that span basically two generations. One has basically quit gaming and moved on to other interests. The other is an adolescent and the concerns I have for him are beyond gaming. To some extent gaming provides a social context for my son to relate to other boys. It’s a scary world out there from a young boy making a pistol of his thumb and forefinger and shooting at ‘it’ thereby taking control of his world through fantasy to the more complex gaming world of the modern age doesn’t mean a pervasive wave of mentally disturbed adults are in the offing. I’m to old to play I just got shot time and again in Goldeneye as my elder son years ago would assassinate his father. Uh oh
1
Why is music in air quotes?
1
‘There is really no evidence that playing a violent video game will take someone with no violent tendencies and suddenly make them violent’
Where to start.
First, no human being in earth has categorically ‘no’ violent tendencies . We are human. And by the way that is part of why people get pleasure out of playing such games.
Secondly this kind of game and media erodes aversion to violence over time, across society, it obviously doesn’t happen ‘suddenly’, to just one crazy person..
This kind of binary reasoning is justifying and enabling mindless violent games to replace true human interaction and other valuable activities in the critical developing years of the next generation
29
Lol. A hint about the latest upgrade to fortnight. I mentioned this article to my kid and he told me all his friends are holding off for the next version in 60 or 72 days because the skins and stuff aren’t that cool this time. We have met the stock market of the future and it is our children.
12
You would think the author was being paid by Fornite. Reading through the article, I kept looking for the suggestion that parents just take the game away. Surpringly, it never showed up! During my childhood, my parents simply did not allow TV except at very limited times and no video games, at all. They explained why: time for sports, homework, reading; the costs, etc. Parents need to parent but then my parents were disciplined in their own habits. They did not spend hours in front of the TV either
Books on changing habits suggest that replacing a bad habit with a good one for 90 days can help. Why not try it for video game addictions?
35
I agree. I sent my kid to a Waldorf School where electronic media was not allowed. We hedged that a bit by watching television, but in limited doses. Mostly the Daily Show and Colbert. While he likes gaming now, he's also in graduate school getting a Phd in economics and math, so he's allowed.
5
And I grew up in a house where the tv was on all the time. I’m a full professor and not inclined toward violence. Anecdotes are anecdotes...I’m more interested in the results of systematic large-n studies.
4
Absolutely
No kidding here, I am yet to read an honest article about this topic. It's like any other addiction. Even Melinda Gates wrote some tongue in cheek article wondering about kids being possessed by these gadgets and as if by confessing about the topic some how makes her free of crime.
1
My middle-grade son plays with his friend, and I limit the time they spend on it. Having seen the two of them move through all these popular games, Fortnite does seem more addictive than others. It's important to stay on top of it. I'm not super strict and enforcing isn't that hard. You just have to do it. I force them to find other things to do and play. Or I drive them to the park (we don't have a yard) so they can kick a soccer ball around. The thing that I find most upsetting is that when we get to the park, it's empty of kids their age--only toddlers and preschoolers. Preteens (everyone, really) need plenty of time OUTDOORS.
30
Parents, please be firm in limiting videogame time, while also setting up ergonomic furniture & technology (proper keyboards, seats, blue light screens, etc.) for your children, whose bodies and neurological pathways are still growing.
While I do agree that a moderate, select weekend hours-only use of videogames can help boost spatial reasoning, quantitative accuracy/precision, timely decision-making, & eye-hand coordination skills - given that I'm of the Tetris & Sims generation, plus also buffered my markmanship, driving, and hobby piloting skills through simulators as needed/on occasion . . .
Too much time on any screen-based simulation w/ keyboards/joysticks/augmented or virtual reality do lead to the following preventable physical ailments: 1) repetitive strain injuries to the wrists (carpal tunnel), neck, shoulders, elbows, buttocks (sitting too darned long!) and back; 2) eyestrain and headaches; 3) messed up circadian rhythms aka body clocks; 4) potential for obesity & all other ailments related to a sedentary lifestyle mixed w/ mindless snacking &/or messed up mealtimes (hypertension, stroke, heart attack, diabetes, etc.); 5) possible early onset hearing loss (when videogames come w/ high-volume headsets or speakers).
Growing kids' long-term memory is still best aided w/ writing out their class notes, making outlines & drafts, and doing multi-step Math problem-solving w/ pencil & paper, not just blindly copying/pasting/typing onscreen.
Balance & moderation rules!
22
Kids? What kids? A lot of adults play Fortnite on a regular basis.
4
Our solution (5 years ago when we had kids in high school): unlimited play on weekends; zero during the week.
12
You should also note that Epic Games, the makers of Fortnite Battle Royale, is substantially owned by Tencent, a Chinese internet giant most people outside of China have never heard of.
8
But our kids for sure know about tencent and some want to go to work for them. Except they don’t want to live in China.
4
Do parents today really need advice on how to limit their child's video game involvement? This seems sad to me. I have no issue limiting my pre-teen's video game involvement. We have one television and no gaming system. I do not see the benefits gaming brings that cannot be derived elsewhere--spatial relations? Go build something. Socialization? Teamwork? Are you kidding me? The fact that a conversation regarding video game addiction by children is being discussed in the NYTimes to me indicates a real problem in modern parenting-caused wholly by parents and solvable by parents as well. Children, especially boys, are not going to learn the empathy we are so desperately in need of by engaging with screens, controllers, and headsets.
13
I agree with you but we live in a city within the reach of dozens of friends and families.
I think you under estimate the power of peer and social pressure, especially for middle school boys. Check out the number of views on YouTube under Fortnite how to videos. It’s easy to be ostracized if not playing.
How frustrated would your son be that he’s the one and only boy in his school and neighborhood not allowed to play?
We are one of few families not to let their nine year old play that we know. Not easy.
14
I would be shocked if my child were the only one in his school not allowed to play. I observe a keen parental backlash against video games in our area.
1
And it's easier to manage pre-teens than teens. And not all kids are wired the same. Some engage with it much more addictively than others.
5
If Professor Green presented an idea to his university’s ethics review board for a research study in which teenaged participants would have to occupy themselves at a Fortnite-like game for a couple of hours each day for the next 6 to 12 months to see what happens to them, does he think they would approve it?
4
Fortnite is a great game, I make money off of it and I am truly offended by this article. Season 4 dropped taking out most of Dusty Depot, rip dusty. If you think your kid has a problem, think about in a couple of days when he asks to use your debit card to buy the battle pass. Thank you and good night.
3
Just do what I do. Give your kids nothing more capable than an old-school flip phone, and don't allow video games, period. There, wasn't that easy?
5
Nope. It's not that easy. My kids only have/had flip phones until age 17. But they were still able to do all sorts of things online with the laptops they were issued for middle school and required to own for high school. They also saved up to buy themselves iPods, which give full access to any game or social media platform that can be enjoyed on a smartphone.
3
The best solution we've found to prevent video game addiction is having only one TV in the house. Our sons can only access Fortnite through that TV and so they are limited by whether we're already watching it or if we've decided that the TV is turned off for the afternoon or evening. Whenever they do play, they are always teaming up with friends and I enjoy hearing their conversations as I do my own thing around the house. Fortunately, their friends are also involved in sports, theater, and band - as well as being good students - so they have plenty of other outlets to have fun with their friends that don't involve screens. But one TV really helps the effort.
21
I'm a gamer. I play competitive Overwatch and compete in tournaments for fun (for additional context, I'm also 30 years old, female, and have a PhD). Video games are a hobby, plain and simple. In my opinion, there are a lot of positive benefits for kids who play video games. I've been gaming since I was about 10 years old, but it was an excellent way of learning grit and persistence in trying new things. If something didn't work or if I failed the first time, I would tweak my approach and change how I viewed the problem before trying again and again until I got the result I needed to continue. This kind of attitude was really helpful when I was in grad school - I knew that I could learn from all of my mistakes, make the necessary changes, and try again until things were right. Competitive gaming is also a method for learning how to work with others to a solution very quickly. The players who improve are those who can be flexible and learn to work with people they've never met before within 30 seconds of meeting them. Many of the negative comments here surrounding video games can also be applied to traditional sports or hobbies for teenagers as well: how many parents allow their children to skip homework or school for sports? How many coaches are abusive? How many kids have decided they would rather spend time at home drawing or knitting instead of being social? All of these problems for kids and teens existed before - video games did not cause them.
133
Sorry. Don’t by it. Come back when you can reference a study with an experimental and control group. The idea that gaming teaches social skills is laughable.
8
I see a lot of positives in videogames; thanks for sharing your experience. What's your opinion on the addictive quality of gaming? Many games are addictive in a way that sports, drawing, and other hobbies aren't.
8
Okay, just be aware that your “grit and persistence” was being managed by a computer algorithm, written not to encourage creativity or persistence, but to keep you coming back for more. Pretty different from learning to throw a ball, play a piece, or dance a performance.
44
I am at a loss to understand why schools allow cell phones in the classroom. That's the best way I can think of to ensure that nothing of educational value will ever be accomplished. Even the small percentage of kids who are actually interested in learning end up getting shortchanged in that kind of environment. Another terrific example of the tail wagging the dog.
82
Schools have TOTALLY caved on this, perhaps because spoiled whinging union teachers ALSO want their phones and to yak all day. Homework is now done and uploaded from kid's phones, not written or even done on a computer. Schools have totally enabled this behavior.
11
You’ll actually be more surprised to know how many parents call and/or text their kids on their phones during the day (I am a tecaher).
34
In the high school where I teach parents frequently text their children during the day to harass them about their grades in the portal. I feel sorry for the kids.
5
My 14 year old son lives for this game and it's been extremely destructive to our home life. Like a drug, when it's good, it's very good but when it turns bad it leads to violent outbursts, decreased empathy, loss of interest in other activities and depression. When he loses, he yells at the game and bangs his controller and when we ask him to quiet down, it only further angers him. It very much mimics a gambling addiction. Things got so bad that I took it away completely, but now he's saying all the right things to get it back. While I'm glad to know he's safe at home (given the alternatives) which is a plus of gaming at this age, I'm very disturbed by how other kids' parents apparently put NO boundaries on their kids play. Even with my son potentially playing all weekend or evenings, that is often LESS than other kids whose parents give them unbridled access. This game is very profitable for the gaming industry (as are Opioids for Big Pharma) but it's a disaster for adolescent mental health. If this industry was responsible, they would allow the game to time out after a certain number of hours of play. Raising children who grew up entirely in the digital age poses new challenges and there are no good guidelines nor support for how to keep it in moderation. As a result, I know of quite a few adolescents (not mine yet) who had to go to therapeutic boarding schools to wean off their addictions and now have zero access.
123
I hear you, but as parents we often have no choice but to be the bad guy and limit use of the device or take it away altogether. My 12-year old loves Fortnite, we limit him to one hour per day (provided homework is done and he spends a certain amount of time outside first) and have actually found it useful in prodding him to stick to his schedule (as in, not in bed by 9pm? No Fortnite the next day.) He's also expected to do a certain amount of reading during the week, or else: No Fortnite. It can be exhausting, but as parents we did, kind of, sign up for this.
60
It's a lot easier to monitor it at 12 than 14. They get larger with more testosterone and in some cases more defiant. One of my issues is that several of my son's friends have no limits by their parents, which makes it even harder for me to set limits, which I still do. The arguments are not pleasant though.
12
The "safe at home" theory is very wrong. Kids who are at home, in their bedrooms, may be online with pedophiles -- or sexting -- or gambling. Being PHYSICALLY at home does not make you safe. And it leads to the whole helicopter parent thing. If anything, your child needs to learn the reality of real life, and that means playing outdoors and learning resilience and responsibility -- things you will never learn from a game or smartphone.
7
Angry Birds was overtaken by Clash of Clans, which was overtaken by Minecraft, which was overtaken by Pokemon Go (I forget where to place Candy Crush). Somewhere in between the app fads, there were Silly Bands, then Rainbow Looms, then Fidget Spinners. Schools tried to ban all of these things. Now there's Fortnite. This too shall pass.
33
Gosh I hope you are right... but this game does seem like a virus the way it has invaded the boys 9 and up in our neighborhood. The obsessive behavior around it seems very different from fidget spinners or Pokémon Go.
We are really fighting the tide trying to limit play time for our 11-year old and prevent our 9-year old.
Anecdotal experience is the older sons of friends who played video games did poorly in school and kind of lost their way by college with gaming overwhelming other areas of interest.
These kind of games on devices are the curse of this generation and no researcher knows what impact it has on developing brains. They are just presenting informed guesses. Brain scans of people on games mimic those of addicts on drugs. Not sure what that bodes for children in terms of future addictive behavior. We live in an addiction model culture.
NYT should dig deeper than this apologia piece.
43
Yes please. We need more in depth info here.
Fortnite is a game I know only by repute because it is all the boy sin my daughter's math/english class talk about often during class time so that she has trouble hearing the teacher. Another teacher actually gave a student a late pass so he could finish his game even though you aren't supposed to use your phones in school. So yeah, I think addicting is the rule and this is way more destructive than minecraft,
I'm not against gaming, my husband is and both my children male and female do, but when class time itself is overtaken that's a problem. People who say that schools are built for girls and this is why boys are failing, no this is why, this video games or die attitude. It isn't as if a teacher would sign a late pass so my daughter could finish a you tube of her many fangirl series.
5
Here's a tip: get off your own phone and do something with your kid. You're more interesting than you think.
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Actually, i don't think that's a good idea. Although i'm 64, i do have very young kids (8 and 11) who are both addicted (but Miss Damour will disagree on that term) to The Screen. So much so, that they don't know what to do anymore without It. Is stop reading this website and go 'do something with them', gonna do any good ? Well, honestly, i don't think so, since you just are going to be a surrogate (and only for a few moments, at that) for The Screen. Kids nowadays are so meticulously 'programmed' that they need to be entertained all the time, desperately. Me and my wife have, after carefully asking advice of several reasonable - PC and non-PC - professionals, which we do not follow blindly, that Cold Turkey is the thing to do: 2 hours a day of The Screen - very strictly - and we aim for their hidden, undersnowed skills of self-entertainment, which are consistently denied and undercut by the industry. Really, for better or for worse !!
7
Interesting. We don't have that problem at all with our 8 year old. He does not need to be entertained all the time. Screen time is weekends and holidays only, and he's fine with putting it down to do something else when it's time.
2
Share your thoughts. As you ask for it ... Here comes 'only' one, especially on this genius piece of blah-blah: “there’s really no evidence that playing a violent video game would take someone who has absolutely no violent tendencies and suddenly make them violent.” In ordinary language, this brilliant example of 'scientific' Newspeak, means ... no,no ... 'could' mean, rather: 'there's actually quite a lot of day-to-day evidence that playing a violent video game would take someone who has only mild violent tendencies, to gradually make them bit by bit more violent. Fortunately, only in very few cases some of those become mortally lethal, with only a handfull of real-time mass-shootings, each month.' Thank God ... where can i buy those skins, so that my children keep on getting non-violent ?
6
Everyone needs to relax. Both my teen kids are gamers and the older one has since built himself and us (his parents) a computer from scratch. He also learned a love of programming and will continue to take the next AP class that was just approved by the College Board. The younger one plays with his friends and has a blast. He wheels and deals and laughs. Do you need to limit play, yes, can it be a distraction, yes, but so can other teen pursuits. They both play sports and do well in school. These games are an upgrade from Atari in my day. Heck, I used to go to 7-11 to waste money playing dig dug and Ms. Pac Man. Less violent but the same enjoyment nonetheless. Fortnight is just the older kids Minecraft. #Getoverit
31
This is reassuring AND, honestly, there's no one kid and they process information and stimuli differently. I drank a lot in college, still got great grades, got grad school paid for and now drink socially with no problems. Other people who partied alongside me went to rehab. There's just not one experience. But I am going to get my 10 yo to build a computer - great idea!
8
Large corporate video games (and especially mobile games) are not representative of video games as a whole. They're designed to be addictive, and to be universally appealing. That's why many major game titles now have systems that are essentially gambling (try looking up "Battlefront 2 Loot-boxes" for an extreme example).
This is not the norm, however. Many games manage to tell a touching narrative, often with no violence or addiction involved. Games such as Night in the Woods, Journey and What Remains of Edith Finch are shining examples of this. Some games, such as Undertale, even use their characters and world-building to encourage the player not to be violent at all. To sweeten the deal, these games are often available for much less than major titles, and have no micro-transactions to boot
It would be foolish for parents to not regulate what their children do on screens, and for how long. If they are uncomfortable with what their children are doing, cut them off. But the notion that all video games are addictive, violent romps that lead to real-life violence is, to put it lightly, false.
13
Fortnite appears to be just another war game that teaches the boy children that war and killing and fighting is the way to conduct life. No, the game does not teach how to build structure ---- for that one needs a real world and materials, not an addictive game that takes one away from the real world.
Why do you suppose that research shows that today's young people are 40% less empathetic than the young of 25 years ago? Why do you suppose American white boys get themselves AR-15 assault rifles and go blow away people at churches, theaters, concerts, anywhere? What do you suppose these games teach? Presumably the games are good babysitters for adults who do not want to spend real time teaching real skills to their offspring.
The social media and game development folks produce addictive games and parents, who presumably would be against their children doing crack cocaine or other addictive substances that hijack young brains, choose to defend addictive games that teach violence, brutality and mayhem.
15
Thank you for explaining the game. So true about the humor and social aspect of the game. This week my son is pet-sitting, so there is less Fortnite. Sometimes, I stay up watching him play, and that seems to gets him to bed at a decent time.
2
The game can be fun but I've never found it "addicting" to the extent of other games I've played. The popularity of this game continues to astound me, however. It's one of the three or so games that non-gamers (just about all of them) of my parents' generation can name along with Tetris, and Mario, possible Pokemon. All of this without it being out for as long as those other canon games. Truly a cultural phenomenon.
It’s especially concerning that the recommendations for less game time is more screen time! Hours streaming! And it is perplexing to me that limits can’t simply be set on this game or any other game or screen time in general. But setting limits doesn’t start at ten or fourteen. When I read these columns I always get the feeling that a parents have simply abdicated the responsibility to create family environments where real not virtual relationships are fostered, and have left it to media companies to bring up their children.
25
There are real relationships fostered with this game. They can play with their friends. I hear them talking, strategizing, negotiating, sharing, and arguing! I’m not in favor of video addiction but there are definitely some veery positive aspects to the game. Plus the “skins” and dances can be ridiculous and funny.
13
I'm not so concerned with the game itself as all the time lost for reading, hobbies, in-person friendships, etc... since there's no free time left for these things and they also seem boring in comparison.
105
As a mom of three teenage boys, this is all on point. But I’m shocked the article talks about the game’s popularity without clarifying it’s mainly boys who play it. If video games can now be social, contribute value for math/engineering skills, are we nudging closer to ones that don’t divide so predictably on gender?
29
Scratching my head on this one, and maybe it's true, but how would you know the stats on who plays it?
I'm a mom of two girls, and we all play this game together. I guess I haven't noticed the gender split because so few people use headsets (thank god).
3
Not true. You would be surprised at how many girls and women play these games.
7
Just to put it out there, and I'm sorry I'm sounding biased here, but in our town, it's primarily boys who play. But I do think stats would be helpful, Cathy - maybe someone can track that down? That would be interesting! Thanks for bringing that up. I'm just making the above statement using my own anecdotal evidence. I know lots of families and kids here but I don't really know any girls who play. I'm sure they are out there though, just not to the extent of the boys. I do know girls have their own, major struggles with screens / addictions too. There's no black and white. But are they all leaving school every day, running home the instant the bell rings (or their sport lets out) making plans to meet online? For marathons on Fridays and weekends? Or to their friends' houses to play? Or community centers? It's as crazy as we are all making it sound. Seriously. And if you are a boy who wants to get in on it, and can't for one reason or another, you will be left out, period. Not good for an adolescent who is trying to connect with peers. Of course it all depends on the kid. My 11yo would much rather be outside smashing rocks and swinging on trees. But that's just him. My 14yo is set on being a professional esports player. Just my two cents!
1
Every time I read “research conclusions” that violent gaming doesn’t cause violence in real life, it reminds me of tobacco company executives testifying that cigarettes are harmless, or the sugar versus fat debacle.
I wonder if research has been done that compares mass shootings by young people with the introduction of violent on-line games. Did teenagers kill classmates in quantity before games existed? The guns sure existed, but the idea that it is fun for a kid to kill lots of people did not.
Then again, there is always war.
54
There is also now something else that did not exist 30 and more years ago, 24/7 cable news and social media forums that guarantee the mass shooters get what they want which is to create and inflict fear, terror, shock, and pain on not just their unfortunate victims but on society itself. And the more horrific the result, the greater the coverage. Not blaming the media here but it does play a role in influencing the killers sick need for attention and in their own twisted view of the world, validation.
4
The US should be like all of the other countries in the world: ban violent games. That solved their mass shootings. I mean you can buy a rocket launcher and M16 at any coffee shop in any country in Europe, but there are no mass shootings. The reason is that only in the USA can you play violent online games. I applaud your flawless logic.
8
Kids have been playing 'war' for a few thousand years.
The research referenced in the article has been duplicated and replicated many times.
You really think that first person shooting companies sponsor this type of research to fool the world while their nefarious games really program a platoon of school shooters?
Lastly girls play 1st person shooters yet they have remained immune somehow?
7
"Parents of players who are jonesing for a skin" My first rule of parenting, don't use lingo that makes addiction acceptable. Second rule of parenting, I pay the bills so that's why your electronic nonsense is limited as well as the purchasing of add-ons. Third rule, never play a game with people who might be 10 (20, 30) years older than you are (you have heard of pedophilia grooming, right??)
Fourth rule, I don't reward my children for doing what they are supposed to do. Right up there with paying for grades. Don't be against it be for something of value? You are seriously kidding here, right?
Offering college scholarships? Sounds like applications are down.
I cannot find one thing of value in the recommendations here. Let's just hope it burns itself out like walking into traffic looking for Pokemon.
149
Amen.
6
Rewarding good behavior is the single most powerful thing a person can do to get more of that behavior.
No need to pay for good grades (but if that's effective, why not?), people respond extremely well to praise and affection and all sorts of positive reinforcement. Not many people would go to work without compensation for their efforts, why should children... or dogs, even.
I know people who never acknowledge good behavior and spend all their energy pointing out and punishing behavior they don't like. They are unpleasant to be around and their kids have problems... even if they are straight A student's.
8
My thoughts exactly.
1