Concern over video games craze

SOME parents are concerned over their children's gaming habits, especially with an abundance of pirated video games and next generation consoles, but some also believe that games can be beneficial if moderation is practised.

"Video games can be considered a recreational activity, despite the fact that you stay indoors, and I do believe it helps children be more creative in terms of problem solving and critical thinking," said Hj Zainullah Abdin, who's a video game enthusiast himself.

However, the father of three said that there should be a time limit for a child to play video games as well as making sure it does not interfere with their school work.

"There's a certain amount of leniency I give my children when they want to play video games, but I make sure they don't get too carried away with the time," he said, adding that it was also necessary to occasionally monitor the content of video games that the child is playing.

He added that video games could also be a good opportunity to bond with their children.

Salleh Hj Abdullah, a father of four, believes that video games could also be used as an incentive or reward for their child to perform well in school. "It's good practice to make them learn the value of something by making them work for it," said the father jokingly, adding that prices for Playstation 3 games ranged from $50 to more than $90 and is still considered expensive due to the fact that they do not sell pirated copies in the country.

He says that it is easy for children to get hooked onto video games as it pulls them into an alternate virtual reality so he advises parents to ensure their children do not get too carried away.

Hjh Samiah Ali, a mother of two, doesn't own a video game console and is not planning on getting one for her children.

"I really don't feel like it's necessary and there's a lot of other wholesome activities a child can do instead of being glued to the television screen all day," she said, adding that she feels like her children are not missing out on anything.

The Brunei Times