ZOMG! I'sb cnnnt git Timmmny off teh Computer!

Seriously, if your kid is like that, show some backbone as a parent for God's sake.

10 hours a day? I have more time than that on my hands and even I think that's too much.

I like how the woman claims if the kids were on drugs, she could help them, or get help. But with games, they suddenly can't step in or take a stance! Good parenting...

Just wanted to add that I'm very dissapointed that these parents feel they 'cannot do anything about it'. When I was a kid, I kept going out on my bike without getting permission, In the end, my Dad got fed up and locked up the bike so I had to ask for the key. I, being about 6, had a tantrum.

My parents just let me scream until I stopped and then my Dad said me 'That's the thing about life. You can scream your head off and it doesn't give a damn'. I sulked for a few days and learned an important lesson in the end.

And another thing- the kid's "reaction" to having his video game turned off are what experts like me call a "temper tantrum" every kid has them.

I wouldn't even say it is like an alcohol addiction, alcohol or drugs physically alter your perceptions and cognitive abilites, despite what certain people may think, this is done by physically adding chemicals to your biochemitry, simple images do not have the same effect. Even those who panic about 'hypnosis' etc obviously don't have much idea about what Hypnosis actually is.

This is more like the guy who goes fishing or bowling or watches telly or whatever and ignores his family, just someone who's never been told that sometimes other people come first. That kid isn't addicted, he's spoiled, and if no-one teaches him the lesson then he will never learn.

Hank- not forgetting that she just took the controller off him- didn't *ask* him to stop, or give him a warning, 'just' abruptly stopped the game, which is going to provoke an extreme reaction.

A major problem in the production of this show- from a balance perspective, rather than a ratings one- is that they gave the parents the cameras, and didn't, say, embed a camera crew for the time like in Wife Swap, or fix static cameras.

/b

"[...]14% spend 10 hours a day or more."

Assuming that was taken over a week, that's 70 hours. Maximum free time on weekdays, assuming they go to school: 4pm to midnight. That leaves 30 hours for the weekend, which is 9am to midnight. So 14%, or one in seven kids, spend literally every free moment playing games. And the parents can't do anything to stop them? Here's just one crazy suggestion off the top of my head: STOP BUYING THEM GAMES. They'll object, of course, but you can't simultaneously say that you're powerless and bend to their every whim.

If you buy your kids cigarettes, they'll smoke. If you buy your kids chocolate, they'll eat chocolate. If you buy your kids a bike, they'll go riding. It doesn't take a genius to work out what will happen if you buy your kids a Wii this Christmas.

Oh, and there's the classic claim that someone is an addict if they object when you take away their drug. Fair enough, but turning off someone's game while they're playing *will* anger them, addict or no. Exactly the same thing happens if you try to call a kid in while they're playing outside. Has anyone ever turned off a movie you were watching? Now imagine that you can't fast forward to that point next time you watch. Sucks, no?

I saw this a couple of weeks ago, sent GP a Email about it, but given he problably didn't have the time to report a show on addiction he might not have even seen.

I had 3 real critcisms:

-They didn't actually try looking at why they played the games, given that lot of these "Addictions" are problably just Obligations for the player to help his Guild or Clan. I wouldn't have said this if it wasn't for the fact that 2 out of 3 of the test subjects were teenagers on a PC. (The 3rd I classed as more "spoilt little kid with anger problems" than anything serious)

- ">1 Hour a day" was the suggested time for playing video games, yes playing 10 hours to no end when you have schoolwork ect...... is definatly too much, but less than an hour? Prehaps the parent ought to look at how much time they spend watching TV.

- No look at the major social aspect of Video Games, yes its possible for video games to be socially isoloating, but if you make sure to play with real life friends whom you hang out with then limiting them may do more damage than good. (Given, if one engages Video Games socially the parents probably shouldn't be complaining)

I didn't watch it yet, so I can't say much, but I just noticed this and ad to speak up.

64% of British kids in the 10-16 age range spend at least four hours per day gaming, while 14% spend 10 hours a day or more.

Now here's a thought: Is that 14% just a subset of the larger 64%? Afterall, any number greater than 10 is also greater than 4... Only they didn't mention that so the numbers looked bigger than they are, right?

@beemoh: No mercy towards gamers, heh...

That's how it always is with the latest brand of entertainment - Halfbrained people griping because they can't come up with anything else...

"And as for playing less than an hour, forget how much time they spend watching TV, try how long they’d spend watching one hollywood film, or one NFL game…"

It's so ironic, really. Countless other 'experts' once called for similar "1 hour tops" standards, back when it was about tv, comic books, rock'n'roll, jazz, radio, books etc...

Ya know, the oompa loompas would say that when a kid is spoiled rotten it is likely the fault of the parents. People need to read Rould Daul's books. Gamers already are familiar with one of his titles, "BFG".

At any rate, I'm addicted to sex and I'm addicted to cheese but nobody bothers me about those. Video games are just a hobby and sometimes people need to know that family comes before hobby. Like those freaky chicks that do crafts 24/7 and spend millions on em and stuff.

Thefremen gets a cookie with the oompa loompa reference and heres the lyrics to those that dont know which one hes referencing to.(we all should know though)


Oompa Loompa doompadee doo
I've got another puzzle for you
Oompa Loompa doompadah dee
If you are wise you will listen to me

Who do you blame when your kid is a brat
Pampered and spoiled like a Siamese cat?
Blaming the kids is a lion of shame
You know exactly who's to blame:
The mother and the father!

Oompa Loompa doompadee dah
If you're not spoiled then you will go far
You will live in happiness too
Like the Oompa Loompa doompadee do
[/nostalgia]

anyway I find it funny that this movie hit the nail on the head.......35 years ago (originally made 1971)

@ Howell2751

Just a couple of things to point out.

1. It's a simple matter of history repeating itself. Doesn't matter what the scapegoat of the time was, the song's message is true.

2. That's the movie version. The version in the original story was something like two pages long. And ALL the songs were atleast that long. I often skipped over them because of it. :P

Man, I wish I could play games for 10+ hours a day.

giftless cogitabundity intenible thoro gadsman filo monitorial tympana
Misty Vale
http://www.grimsbycitadel.org.uk