Information society and learning

Here I will write about information society and learning, and I will especially look at what influence computer games have on children. This issue has been talked about whenever the society got a new medium. The Television wasn’t good when it came, the Rock’n Roll music was dangerous when it came with Bill Haley and even the Beatles was seen as dangerous for the society in the early sixties. Today we talk about that computer games are dangerous for the society and the debate has flared up after that the culture department in Rogaland County Council stated that Children need to play computer games so that they are not digital illiterate warn. And that they must have a digital literacy in today's everyday life.

The arguments for computer games are that Computer games simulates today's world, provides an opportunity to make mistakes without getting fatal consequences-they undergo in other words, a learning process and they get skills in strategy thinking. These can be computer games as i.e. Microsoft flight simulator. There are also many good educational games in subjects as Math, English and Norwegian. Another argument for computer games is that the children learn English as most games are in the English language.

Arguments against computer games are that it is dangerous and making children dependent. Another argument are that Children are so easily influenced and that they will be aggressive and that they would have easier to use violence than children not playing computer games. Some people say that children also will lose social and empathetic qualities.

Barn Og Dataspill

SINTEF did a survey in 2004 that dispose the myth that young big consumers of digital media are passive. The survey showed that children, who use the new media a lot, participate as actively in play and organized activities that children who are not interested in the media. Children plays average 2, 3 hours per week on computer games and girls and boys play quite the same amount of time. But boys are playing more online games on the Internet.

When this issue is debated they often show pictures from computer games with violent contents, i.e. Grand Theft Auto (GTA), Soldier of Fortune and State of emergency. State of emergency have 15 years and over as age limit, GTA and Soldier of Fortune have age limit 18 year old. So my question is why do media use pictures from computer games with age limit 18 years? Is so that most people (read boys) play only computer games with age limit 18 year? Happen this because it is an unknown field for us grown-ups and the easiest way to disclaim responsibility is by saying I don’t understand it and I don’t like it so please forbid it so I don’t have to think about it? I just wonder.

An American survey with 2500 American children shows that children who play violent games also get more aggressive than other children. They will come in a mood where they are on the alert, says Dr. Douglas Gentile at Media Research Lab at Iowa State University. And the American Psychological Association has clearly warned about the connection between violent computer games and aggressive behavior over time.

In my opinion I think we grown-ups) have easy to forbid things we don’t understand, instead of look into it. Most of us have heard about computer games as Josefine goes to school and have no problems with it. But when it comes to computer games with shooting and violence we got more concerns. I think one reason for this is because no one of us wants our children to be aggressive and violent. Another reason is that we don’t know what the game is about and we don’t know how our youths/children use it. Let me ask one question: How many of you have played GTA or State of emergency on the computer? You haven’t played it? Neither have I.

I think it’s important that we show interest in their computer games and are easily accessible for the children if they get scared when playing computer games. And experience they can talk with us. I also think it’s important to organize other activity so the children play with other things than just the computer.

Because I think the most dangerous with computer games are the children (read: teenagers) who sit with other teenagers without any adults to look after them. With looking after them I’m thinking of following the age limit on computer games, show interest in the games they are playing and talk with them about it. Because I don’t think violent computer games itself, necessary create a society with more violent people, but I think it’s important in what surroundings the gaming take place.