Videogames : stepping up to the next level

Abstract

After dedicating the first booklet, Kids and TV: Watching Wisely, to television, the second issue of this series now analyses videogames. Learning about videogames is crucial to helping children and young people become more critically minded about this much appreciated activity.

Several studies have shown that parents find it difficult to deal with this reality— which, despite not being a recent one, has been in constant evolution because of the launching of new games and the permanent technological developments that have intensified the diversification of game platforms, such as the Internet, mobile phones, and portable consoles.

This project presents the conclusions of previous investigation projects as well as those of an exploratory study done with parents and children aged 10 to 12 years old. About 150 children involved in the research were given voice through creative writing and drawings. A selection of those materials illustrates this booklet.