No, absolutely not! Granted playing a computer game doesn’t require much in the way of physical activity, but either does coloring and it never got a bad wrap because of it. It's as if society is trying to come up with a reason why computer games are bad.
I don’t know about you, but playing an engaging computer game generally requires the use of your hands which actually makes it rather hard to eat, especially if you’re really into the game. Computer games can actually cause a lot of excitement and get your heart pumping and your anxiety levels up. That’s probably good for the body as long as it’s in a stress free environment, which playing a computer game usually is.
I don’t know about you, but playing an engaging computer game generally requires the use of your hands which actually makes it rather hard to eat, especially if you’re really into the game. Computer games can actually cause a lot of excitement and get your heart pumping and your anxiety levels up. That’s probably good for the body as long as it’s in a stress free environment, which playing a computer game usually is.
Read this article it says that “the single most common reason for children to become obese is a poor diet”. Computer games can't be blamed for that.
Personally, I think it’s our fast paced convenient lifestyles that are to blame. The fast food restaurants are plentiful and so are the quick easy meal solutions in the grocery store. As parents, we need to teach our children, good, healthy eating habits from the beginning. It’s not enough that you feed them good foods, they learn by watching what you eat too.
If society can blame computer games for making our generation of kid’s fat, then I am going to blame sports. The sports our children play. Listen to this, my 3 year old plays soccer. They meet once a week for 45 minutes in total. They practice for the first 20 minutes, then break for a snack, and then play against an opposing team. They are only there for 45 minutes and they have to break for a snack! If your kid can’t go 45 minutes without eating, we have a problem. So it’s not computer games contributing to the overweight epidemic, its organized sports!
You know what else a very sedentary activity that may be making us fat...studying. As our society expands its waist line, it’s also expanding its education, right? Is the trade-off to becoming smarter, being fatter....hmmm, food for thought. 
I love this!!! It is so very true. Yes, I have never heard anyone say that their son or daughter gained weight coloring....the best :)
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's in diet, but also a lack of exercise. Computer games can become addicting, and if you let your kids spend hours upon hours in front of a game system (or a TV for that matter) it may take away from activity. But I agree it's not specifically computer games. I'm sure if I let Jorja sit and colour all day she would - it's all in how lazy the parents are!!!
ReplyDeleteTotally it's all about how lazy the parents are!! It's so much easier to sit your child in front of a computer game or TV then it is to play with them. So is that the TV's fault, or computer's fault, no, its the parents.
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