Yesterday, New York Times published a story that focused on how children spend too much time playing video games and using their phones during the covid-19 pandemic. Today, that story was on the front page of the newspaper. This seems strange given how the world is falling apart and democracy is dying before our eyes, but yes, of course, let’s consider that children could play too much. Roblox.
The article, which ran on January 16th, quoted a few experts and presented a lot of “scary” numbers about stage time. But it also revealed that video games and the Internet have helped many people, children and adults, stay connected and healthy during this terrible time.
The entire post is also oddly booked by a small random family, who are currently fighting during the pandemic. Their son plays a lot of video games as a way to connect with his friends. His father and mother are worried about how much time he spends in front of the screen, but I also know that it is one of the few ways he has to socialize safely while covid-19 runs wild around the world. This is a difficult situation, I imagine that many parents around the world are passing right now. But highlighting only the children and the amount of screintime they use ignores the fact that all of us, not just children and adolescents, are dealing with increased screentime and a lack of real human interaction. Instead, the article continues on how potentially unhealthy and dangerous all this stage time for children could be. How children need to disconnect more. How children play too much Roblox.
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“What will you do when you are married and stressed? Tell your wife you have to play Xbox? “This is a quote included in the story, from the mother, because the son explains that after their dog died on New Year’s Eve, he used games to take his mind off sadness. It is presented as a negative. However, I can list countless times when others and I have used video games as a way to relieve stress or get rid of a terrible day. I’m not trying to throw this mom under the bus. I can understand the frustration she and so many others are going through.
The real question is why that frustration has to be on the front page of New York Times, presented in an article that frames video games and the Internet as dangerous, addictive things that destroy our children and keep them captive. The article literally opens with a quote from the father about how he feels that his son has “failed” because he plays video games and uses his phone. It’s like something I saw in the ’90s on some local news shows, with kids playing NES in the background.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen it older and older outlets focus only on children playing and try to use scary and scary numbers to build a narrative that completely ignores reality.
Are there any concerns about how much time we all spend online? Probable. Spending 12 hours on Twitter and criminal conviction for the latest tragedy probably hurts me in ways I don’t fully understand. However, right now, things are different. The world is fighting a global pandemic that kills thousands every day. Many of us are trapped inside, dealing with all the stress and boredom it brings. Through all of this, we continue to work, go to school, raise children, and deal with hundreds of other problems. Don’t I have to tell you how hard life has become for so many of us in the last year (check the calendar)? (Holy shit …)
So if you or your kids have to run away and you want to play Minecraft and you may end up playing a few hours longer than usual, don’t worry. We all rely on digital applications and services to stay connected and happy. Binge some Netflix. Have a Zoom Hangout with your family and friends. Or play something Call of Duty Warzone with your brothers at a distance.
Life is pretty hard now. Don’t fight because you took care of yourself or let the kids have fun with their friends.
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