U.K. Columnist Says "Xbox is Crack For Kids"

[Andy Chalk]

U.K. Columnist Says "Xbox is Crack For Kids"

In an article for the Times Online [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/janice_turner/article3211999.ece], U.K. columnist Janice Turner calls videogames "crack cocaine for the brain" and says game developers are evil.

Turner, who writes mainly on family and women's issues, described her concerns over her kids' television habits, shared with many of her fellow parents, but saved her real vitriol for videogames. She characterized her kids as "playground outcasts" as a result of her refusal to buy them videogame consoles.

She also compared television to videogames very favorably, suggesting the medium has many positive qualities that videogames lack. "How can you object to your children being schooled in subversion, post-modernism, American politics, film pastiche and a hatred of clowns?" she wrote of ChildWise [http://www.thesimpsons.com/]is the most popular children's show in the country.

"Unlike the TV-hating parents, I refuse to buy them portable gaming consoles, Xboxes, GameCubes, PS2s," she wrote. "These are Satan's Sudoku [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku], crack cocaine of the brain. Even the crappiest cartoon or lamest soap teaches a child about character, plot, drama, humor, life. Playing videogames, children are mentally imprisoned, wired into their evil creators' brains."

The full text of the article Xbox is Crack For Kids is available here [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/janice_turner/article3211999.ece].


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[richasr]

EDIT:

I have actually decided that I don't care what she or anyone will say, they can bring up their own children, I just hope that if her children turn out to be 'wrong-uns' that she will accept some of the blame.

It's more irritating when parents complain about their children for the way they turn out and also blame every single other thing possible except themselves.

I also think the UK is slowly going down the shitter.

 

[Lampdevil]

So... the lady would let her kids watch the Simpsons (Something my mom always objected to when I was a kid, for fear that I'd start acting like Bart or something), but no Mario for her kids? What?

At first glance, what it seems that we've got here is a case of "I don't get it, so it's EVIL!" which... is nothing new. Upon reading the article? It's... uh... well, I'm not too clear as to what her point is. Our kids stare at too many screens! But damn I wish my kids would stuff it and stare at more screens, sometimes. But that makes me a bad mom! But then here's some stats! But they can do X and Y and Z with their computers but NO VIDEO GAMES BECAUSE THEY ARE BAAAAD. The end.

I feel a little dizzy.

 

[richasr]

So... the lady would let her kids watch the Simpsons (Something my mom always objected to when I was a kid, for fear that I'd start acting like Bart or something), but no Mario for her kids? What?

At first glance, what it seems that we've got here is a case of "I don't get it, so it's EVIL!" which... is nothing new. Upon reading the article? It's... uh... well, I'm not too clear as to what her point is. Our kids stare at too many screens! But damn I wish my kids would stuff it and stare at more screens, sometimes. But that makes me a bad mom! But then here's some stats! But they can do X and Y and Z with their computers but NO VIDEO GAMES BECAUSE THEY ARE BAAAAD. The end.

I feel a little dizzy.

Yes it's mightily confusing sometimes, the whole band-wagon thing is unneccessary, it's akin to those eco-friendly idiots or even the fox-hunting nut-cases.

I want to actually get my own island somewhere and hold massive games events, concerts, festivals even, all such nonsense that gets frowned upon by many people in many countries, they couldn't really complain then because it's on MY LAND... idiots.

 

[Lampdevil]

On another note, the Times Online did have a far more entertaining and optimistic column about a mother whose daughter plays a cute little online penguin-based game!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/caitlin_moran/article3215915.ece

Much more entertaining, and much more reasonable, overall.

 

[hickwarrior]

Still, people like this in the world won't cease to exist, but they should ebventually learn to play the wii or maybe a ps3 game? Seriously, everything that can be said about such persons has already been done, so why is it ridiculous? I think we already know that some guys/gals don't do research completely.

You may be reluctant to play a video game, but that doesn't earn you the right to crack down on them unless the reasons are any good. Besides, you may as well say, 'i have heard of this...', implying you aren't sure about it.

Meh, enough ranting, lampdevil already said enough about it, so case closed for me.

 

[-Javelin-]

I live in the UK
and boy do i love crack, but i think i've grown into a well rounded person
due to the fact that i was not subjected to the "mind imprisoning" plot line of super mario bros.

 

[brkl]

Crack cocaine is crack cocaine for the brain.

 

[Apone]

I tell you what... that crack is really more-ish.

 

[Dom Camus]

Don't link to pieces like this. It's obvious trolling for ad revenue and you're encouraging them. :-(

 

[Anton P. Nym]

I find XBoxes to be entirely different from crack. First of all, you need a much bigger pipe to smoke a console...

-- Steve

 

[Apone]

I find XBoxes to be entirely different from crack. First of all, you need a much bigger pipe to smoke a console...

-- Steve

But if you wait for a year, it sets itself on fire for you! They thought of everything!

 

[Easykill]

Don't link to pieces like this. It's obvious trolling for ad revenue and you're encouraging them. :-(

No kidding.
Malygris, maybe you should just make a list of all the articles you find written by unreasonable nazis who hate videogames and put them together, maybe make a permanent post like the forum guidelines one or something. There are certainly enough of them to credit it.

 

[JakubK666]

I find XBoxes to be entirely different from crack. First of all, you need a much bigger pipe to smoke a console...

-- Steve

That's not the way to do it. You're supposed to get one of those "Will it blend?" blenders, blend your console and breathe the smoke that comes from it. Then get the ashes and wrap it up into a joint.

 

[Darkong]

Ahh more uninformed drivel from the Times, I can't wait for the day when this rag, and the Daily Mail while we're at it, go under.

 

[hickwarrior]

I like the fact that almost every single comment after her article (and there are hundreds) expresses outrage of some kind or another at how uninformed she is (and how restricted her kids must be).

Public opposition to a media denouncement of video-games? The times they are -changin'...

Umm, sorry, i just don't understand what you are trying to say...

 

[McMo0^]

If i were a parent i'd consider it better that their kids are beating people up in a virtual environment than terrorising the defensless as seems to be the way forward for todays asbo youth. Fair enough, some games are mindless drivel that shouldn't be subjected to anyone as they would gain nothing from it. But surely kids would learn problem solving skills, hand to eye co-oridination. I mean some of the cleverist peeps i know are enthusiastic gamers, and have been since their kid days. I sit here now and think about some of the horrors TV has subjected me to, and then i compare that with the comparitavly unrealistic horrors witnessed in a video game... TV seems worse. Not knocking either, but surely you can't defend one and say the other is beneficial.

No doubt she read an artical somewhere that all teenagers are mass murdering phsyco thanks to manhunt...

 

[WafflesToo]

Nice to hear that it isn't television that is destroying western civilization anymore.

 

[Terramax]

I also think the UK is slowly going down the shitter.

Nothing 'slow' about it. Landsliding into one.