4 ms·

No offense but you sound like my aunt who would tell me all the time that video games would make me stupid. But I wouldn't be working in tech today if it wasn't

by drdrey 9y ago

No offense but you sound like my aunt who would tell me all the time that video games would make me stupid. But I wouldn't be working in tech today if it wasn't for my passion for video games. (note: I also limit screen time for my kids)

aviv 9y ago
No offense but you went from consuming video games that make people stupid to producing video games that make people stupid and that's a success story? That's like my kids getting a job at the production company of Dora The Explorer and me thanking all the 980 hours a year on average they wasted on TV consumption.
- Cyphase 9y ago
  > No offense but you went ... to producing video games that make people stupid ... Where did the GP say they make video games? Maybe they do, but I don't think you know, and you shouldn't assume.
  - aviv 9y ago
    Worse - he works at Netflix :)
- tradersam 9y ago
  > producing video games that make people stupid Why are you such a pessimist? Not all video games make people stupid. In fact, some strategy / simulation games actually require a fair bit of work.
- TulliusCicero 9y ago
  Lots of studies on video games show cognitive benefits, actually[1]. I seriously doubt all video games are cognitively beneficial, but it's ludicrous to just dismiss them all as a monolith. Most of the people who are paranoid about video game "screen time" seem to just be extremely ignorant, and unwilling and/or disinterested in alleviating that ignorance. They've already decided that video games are garbage for the brain, and no amount of "facts" or "science" are gonna change their minds. 1 - https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201502/cognitive-benefits-playing-video-games https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201502/co...
  - aviv 9y ago
    There's simply no need for them. The world and life in general are full of so much experiences and activities that wasting life away on a couch playing video games is simply not the best use of ones time. That's just my opinion. The only downside we see as parents is that it's very difficult to get our kids on playdates with other kids because all their friends want to do is sit in front of a screen. My kids don't even see that as having a good time, for them it's a chore. Seriously, I just don't get kids these days. My kids can't even play tag with most others in their classes because they're so out of shape. Sad times.
    - __david__ 9y ago
      > There's simply no need for them. Then there's no need for books or TV or Movies either. Entertainment comes in many forms and discriminating against one particular form is ignorant.
    - TulliusCicero 9y ago
      I like how you just ignored the cognitive benefits I brought up because it's too inconvenient to your narrative. Thanks for confirming what I suggested: people like you have already made up their minds, facts be damned.
ggregoire 9y ago
Watching TV and play video games have not the same effects on the brain. Watching TV puts your brain in idle mode
- phil248 9y ago
  Depends on the show. A lot of media is incredibly stimulating and stick with you for hours or days (or more) after you've watched it. Even complex shows like Game of Thrones can be stimulating simply because of the complexity, even if it's nothing more than made-up stories. And stuff like Blue Planet or Black Mirror are genuinely thought-provoking.
- drdrey 9y ago
  I don't disagree -- but why do we value reading books so much over watching TV? Aren't you consuming stories passively in both cases? (let's say reading Harry Potter vs watching Harry Potter)
  - aviv 9y ago
    Well, I realize you may be playing devil's advocate, otherwise I'm sure you know the answer yourself: why do you (as you said before) limit your kids screen time? Do you also limit their book reading time?
  - pound 9y ago
    When you're reading books your brain is working on visualizing what you've just read
  - jogjayr 9y ago
    Because skills gained from reading fiction transfer relatively easily into more productive pursuits: studying, programming, writing. Not to mention that reading isn't "consuming stories passively". You need to develop an imagination and draw pictures in your head. It's hard(er) to develop useful skills from TV watching; the only thing I can think of is maybe learning about filmmaking, and that's only if you're watching to learn rather than watching passively. I read mostly fiction as a kid and owe most of my career to my reading and writing skills.

by drdrey 9y ago

aviv 9y ago

No offense but you went from consuming video games that make people stupid to producing video games that make people stupid and that's a success story? That's like my kids getting a job at the production company of Dora The Explorer and me thanking all the 980 hours a year on average they wasted on TV consumption.

Cyphase 9y ago
> No offense but you went ... to producing video games that make people stupid ... Where did the GP say they make video games? Maybe they do, but I don't think you know, and you shouldn't assume.
- aviv 9y ago
  Worse - he works at Netflix :)
tradersam 9y ago
> producing video games that make people stupid Why are you such a pessimist? Not all video games make people stupid. In fact, some strategy / simulation games actually require a fair bit of work.
TulliusCicero 9y ago
Lots of studies on video games show cognitive benefits, actually[1]. I seriously doubt all video games are cognitively beneficial, but it's ludicrous to just dismiss them all as a monolith. Most of the people who are paranoid about video game "screen time" seem to just be extremely ignorant, and unwilling and/or disinterested in alleviating that ignorance. They've already decided that video games are garbage for the brain, and no amount of "facts" or "science" are gonna change their minds. 1 - https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201502/cognitive-benefits-playing-video-games https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201502/co...
- aviv 9y ago
  There's simply no need for them. The world and life in general are full of so much experiences and activities that wasting life away on a couch playing video games is simply not the best use of ones time. That's just my opinion. The only downside we see as parents is that it's very difficult to get our kids on playdates with other kids because all their friends want to do is sit in front of a screen. My kids don't even see that as having a good time, for them it's a chore. Seriously, I just don't get kids these days. My kids can't even play tag with most others in their classes because they're so out of shape. Sad times.
  - __david__ 9y ago
    > There's simply no need for them. Then there's no need for books or TV or Movies either. Entertainment comes in many forms and discriminating against one particular form is ignorant.
  - TulliusCicero 9y ago
    I like how you just ignored the cognitive benefits I brought up because it's too inconvenient to your narrative. Thanks for confirming what I suggested: people like you have already made up their minds, facts be damned.

ggregoire 9y ago

Watching TV and play video games have not the same effects on the brain. Watching TV puts your brain in idle mode

phil248 9y ago
Depends on the show. A lot of media is incredibly stimulating and stick with you for hours or days (or more) after you've watched it. Even complex shows like Game of Thrones can be stimulating simply because of the complexity, even if it's nothing more than made-up stories. And stuff like Blue Planet or Black Mirror are genuinely thought-provoking.
drdrey 9y ago
I don't disagree -- but why do we value reading books so much over watching TV? Aren't you consuming stories passively in both cases? (let's say reading Harry Potter vs watching Harry Potter)
- aviv 9y ago
  Well, I realize you may be playing devil's advocate, otherwise I'm sure you know the answer yourself: why do you (as you said before) limit your kids screen time? Do you also limit their book reading time?
- pound 9y ago
  When you're reading books your brain is working on visualizing what you've just read
- jogjayr 9y ago
  Because skills gained from reading fiction transfer relatively easily into more productive pursuits: studying, programming, writing. Not to mention that reading isn't "consuming stories passively". You need to develop an imagination and draw pictures in your head. It's hard(er) to develop useful skills from TV watching; the only thing I can think of is maybe learning about filmmaking, and that's only if you're watching to learn rather than watching passively. I read mostly fiction as a kid and owe most of my career to my reading and writing skills.