Your parents view of games, and your view if you were a parent

[Thaius]

I've talked my mom's ear off enough about video games being an artistic narrative medium that she understands and agrees. She still doesn't seem happy about my playing them a lot though; not quite sure what's up there. But she gets it.

Dad, don't know don't care. He's a douchebag who ruined my family. But regardless, I couldn't figure him out if I tried. He's seen me play Gears of War without so much as flinching, but once when I was playing as Peach in Super Paper Mario and jumping on a koopa, he was disgusted that I was "hurting that guy." Don't ask me, I don't freakin' know.

As for me, I will take caution with what games I let my kids play, but I will certainly let them play. Not only that, I will encourage them to play games the same amount and in the same way I encourage them to read books or watch films. My kids will grow up with an appreciation of video games as interactive art, not just some toy they can use to play with their friends and curse online.

 

[LeKiller]

My parents, or at least my dad, view videogames like he views gambling machines, it's their opinion that videogames have this effect on you that makes you want to keep going that hour longer. I think my parents are very intelligent people and i take a lot of characteristics from them, in taste in music, taste in movies, and even some of my personality.
Now I actually agree with my parents on that videogames can be addictive, but where we split is that I've played enough games to know that's not always the case and that videogames can be an art form. I also put their credibility at a low because they don't really play that many videogames, though my mom likes LA Noire in how it looks and the music from it. c:
As for when I have children, I'll introduce them into gaming, if it's not their thing too bad move on to the next interest, if they grow up to be gamers like me[which I sincerely hope] I'd start out with good kids games of the time, and maybe some old games if they're interested. As they get more mature I'd start showing them deeper games like Deus Ex and Mass Effect.

 

[theSHAH]

They simply don't get it. They'd ask why I liked shooting people and stuff, I'm not a "violent person". I would tell them if anyone ever came out with a peace treaty game I'd promise to try it out, and returned to completing my killstreaks in cod. They don't watch over me anymore, but I remember my dad hated me playing WoW and said it was a drug. I'm playing Gears of War 2 on my xbox chainsawing a locust and he yells at me saying it's the same game. Idk if anyone here has played both WoW and Gears, but I don't believe games could be any more different in appearance.

 

[mega48man]

to my dad, it's whatever as long as i'm studying for my classes on the side. my mom agrees, but she's constantly lecutring me about how i should be studying when i want to talk to her about something else.

if i were a parent, i'd make sure my kids would play videos at an early age and then i'd make sure they'll spend more time gaming than doing homework while they're in middle school. that way when they get to high school, they'll all ready have learned first hands the consquences of too much of a good thing before it's too late and they fuck up their grades when it counts.

 

[LilithSlave]

They think pretty much everything is inferior to live action TV, sadly.

Even more sad is that their opinion is the opinion of the majority.

They respect a lot more the fact I watch Asian movies than the fact I play video games.

 

[johnstamos]

my mom still thinks there toys, a little bit above an etch a sketch and something to keep kids shutup

 

[crazyfoxdemon]

My father looks upon them negatively but my mother is more supportive. My mother always took an interest and made sure she knew what I was playing.

 

[IxHADOUKENxI]

My mother bless her heart she tries to play sometimes
(Seriously though I'm very grateful for that fact)
I remember playing Lego racers with her on the Ps1 Yeeeears ago :')
Happy times!
Even now she still shows an interest in it for example she's attending the Midnight release of Gears of War 3 this Monday (Into Tuesday morning)and will no doubt do the same for Modern Warfare 3

As for myself I can't actually have Children and I regret that I cant share moments like that..ehh life goes on.

 

[ultrachicken]

My parents seem to just ignore my large amount of time and attention spent on video games. They don't think the technology is hell on Earth and I don't think they see it as any more of a waste of time than movies or other electronic media. I'm grateful for their acceptance, because I often find myself surrounded by people with parents who have ridiculously ignorant views on gaming. For example, a friend of mine's mother won't let him play Pokémon because she's afraid it will warp his mind or something.

If I were a parent, I would support my kids playing games so long as it didn't interfere with schoolwork or extracurricular activities. That said, I would always preserve time for them to relax and play games, because time spent unwinding is NOT wasted time; it's essential to do so in order to maintain mental health.

 

[Heartcafe]

My mom and I joke about my video game playing. She doesn't play them of course, but when I tell her, "Alright Mom, I'm going to play some video games."

She replies with "Alright, tell me when you finish eating it."

She comes from a poor background where usually all the money would be spent on food, so she finds it funny every time I buy a game for like 60 dollars. She's indifferent about them, but if they are distracting me from my school work, she gets angry.

My dad has tried to play them several times but couldn't quite get the controller. In fact, he once went on a business trip and bought one of those shitty Assassin's Creed book to read and understand the story when I played. XD

 

[go-10]

my mom could care less it kept me and my brother out of the streets plus it taught us English so they were good enough

I have a nephew now and I really want him to start playing as young as I did so he'll be a gamer instead of a casual

as for my kids... I don't have any yet but if I did you bet your ass they have every console/portable that comes out course I teach them a lot of computer stuff too and introduce them to table top RPG's. I'd also make them play games like Ogre Tactics, Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy Tactics, Valkyria Chronicles, etc. RPG's that require some thought and strategy I'm sure that it'll provide them with the virtue of always looking at the bigger picture and being strategic before they do anything in real life

 

[yuval152]

My dad is from the days of the atari 2600,and also i have no idea.

 

[ABLb0y]

My dad sees video games as nothing more than pointless violence. So, I showed him Final Fantasy XIII. His reaction? "Pfft. You're only playing it for the girl wearing the bear pelt."

 

[rosemystica]

My mom's views on games have changed. She refused to let me play them when I was a kid because she thought they were solely a boys' thing. But now she buys games for the whole family and even appreciates the old classics like Zelda.

My dad never really gave a crap whether I played videogames or not.

 

[SquidVicious]

Video games were hugely instrumental as a bonding experience with both of my parents. My mum and I played a lot of the '90's point-and-click adventure games, as well as early FPS' like Doom and Duke Nukem. We also played through some of the early puzzle games like Myst, The 11th Hour, 7th Guest, etc.

My dad was more interested in real time strategy games and some of the early FPS' as well as a few 3rd Person Shooters and sports games. Most of our time was spent playing Age of Empires and MDK, but we did have a lot of fun playing NHL 98, trading all the best players to the Canucks and just destroying the opposing teams.

I'm 25 and probably won't have any children of my own until I'm in my 30's, but I do have a niece (my sister is 5 years older then me) who I spend a lot of time looking after and playing video games with. My sister is a little overbearing on what she'll let her daughter play, but we went through Bastion last month and she had a lot of fun, and with Portal being free I might see if she wants to play that when I look after her tomorrow evening. If and when I have children of my own I will most definitely play video games with them, as it's a hobby I don't want to ever give up, and it words wonders as a bonding experience.

 

[TehCookie]

My dad loves games, and put a controller in my hands before I could remember. Family game night didn't involve board games, it involved videogames. My mom didn't really care for most older games, but she got a DS a few years ago and is loving puzzle games. Her gaming habits are now worse than mine.

As a parent I would just make sure they're not playing inappropriate games. My parents tried, but that was back int he day when you could install a game on multiple computers so they didn't know I stole their copy of Duke Nukem and installed it and put it back before they noticed. I would also make sure they had common sense while playing, such making sure they know when they're playing for unhealthy amounts of time, or if it's to hard walk away and don't take it out on the controller.

 

[JamesStone]

My mom was neutral when I was 16, and still is, 9 years later. My dad is a big fan, we play a lot, he likes everything except JRPG´s (same here) and he can kick my ass at CoD. Oh, and he´s 70.
That just proves that if people are well informed they might like it, or at least understand the reason we like it.

 

[dickywebster]

You know I envy gaming familys, 2 of my best friends grew up with games, whereas my parents see them as a waste of time at best...

And if im anything like i am now, I would demand my kids play old games too, but I love old classics
Oh and lock away the violent ones too, I dont think theres anything to the ongoing claim that games make u violent, but theres age rating for a reason
Oh and refuse to play them if they got better than me at a game

 

[ProZack]

My mom views video games as the devil's spawn. My dad enjoyed them in his child hood, but doesn't really play them any more.

As a parent, I would love to teach my children to play video games. Mostly because it's the only thing I do, and show them beauties. You know, classics like Super Mario bros., The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario world, etc. Then when they're old enough to comprehend some of the things, like RPGs, physics based games like Portal, etc.

 

[Frasman]

My parents didn't care much what I played when I was a kid. All the games when I was a youngin were 8bit pre Mortal Kombat generation, so blood and gore wasn't an issue. Obviously when games matured, so did I, so my folks didn't care much what I played, since I was of proper age. However they do dislike the ammount of gore and buxom, scantily clad women that are prevelent in todays gaming.

I strongly doubt that I'll have any kids of my own, but if I'm babysitting young kids than I usually ask the parents what style of games their kids are playing so I can play accordingly.