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European Union gives thumbs up to videogaming for kids
Following are some choice quotes that you probably wouldn't hear in the US Congress, where videogames are often a convenient whipping boy to curry favor with soccer moms. According to the European Union's parliament:...video games can stimulate learning of facts and skills such as strategic thinking, creativity, cooperation and innovative thinking, which are important skills in the information society.
The statement isn't even followed by a "but"!Video games are in most cases not dangerous. We heard evidence from experts...and they told us that video games have a positive contribution to make to the education of minors...Schools should pay attention to video games and inform children and parents about benefits and disadvantages that video games can have.
These awfully reasonable observations are quotes from a report on videogaming written by a Dutch member of the parliament. According to the story in the Guardian:The European parliament conceded that "violence in video games can in certain situations stimulate violent behaviour," but said there was no need for Europe-wide legislation. It called for a Europe-wide approach to prevent the sale to children of games intended for adults and urged the introduction of stricter identity checks at the point of sale and a wider application of the age-rating system that currently applies to computer games in many European countries.
There's some slight silliness in the report suggesting a giant red button that you can press as a sort of kill-switch if you come across objectionable material online. Personally, I'd prefer a handle, similar to what you'd find on an ejection seat. A red button is so Cold War.
(Thanks to Kiernan's dad!)
