I’m going to start fondly at home: with dysTalk.
Last October, Tom Maher gave a talk for us on Video Games and Children. It was an elegant and convincing argument against their use from the perspective of a teacher, and shall form a perfect opening for our debate.
His allegations:
1. They take up children’s time and make them exhausted.
2. They affect children’s capacity to learn by encouraging in them a desire for “immediate response.” The assumption is that because children can change screen when they’re bored gaming – and can’t when bored in class – they are less likely to have the resilience of attention needed to stick at trickier topics/subjects.
His suggestions are moderate – and surely sensible:
1. A more comprehensive debate with the industry, a la the film industry and the junk food industry.
2. More awareness for parents as to the issues; and that computer games be brought out of the bedroom and into a family room.
Will Orr-Ewing 