US President Barack Obama has warned young people not to allow their education to suffer from over-exposure to Xbox 360, PS3 and Apple's iPod.
Speaking to college graduates at Hampton University in South East Virginia earlier today, Obama said that games consoles offered a "distraction" from education - and merely offered "information as entertainment".
Obama was addressing the issue of today's college students facing myriad distractions from their work - which also include blogs and 24/7 news channels.
Obama said he "didn't know how to work" SOny and Microsoft's consoles.
"With iPods and iPads; Xboxes and PlayStations - none of which I know how to work - information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation," he commented.
"All of this is not only putting new pressures on you. It is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy."
Obama has previously raised similar points about games "raising our kids".
It's fairly reasoned, level-headed stuff - but is it true? Any CVG readers reckons games can cause bad grades?
Well how would he know? He has done know research, never even touched a PS3 or Xbox so how can he make this claim? I am a hardcore gamer and I got A's and B's in GCSE's and I'm doing pretty darn well in my A-levels, Barack Obama - Proven wrong
Well how would he know? He has done know research, never even touched a PS3 or Xbox so how can he make this claim? I am a hardcore gamer and I got A's and B's in GCSE's and I'm doing pretty darn well in my A-levels, Barack Obama - Proven wrong
Games can definitly have influence in your school grades BUT that depends on the user and not the product itself. Not only with great power but also with gaming comes great responsibility.
Really? Honest to God I had know idea information becomes a distraction. And he doesnt know how to work simple electrical goods either? Jebus H Christ I hope you Americans are pleased with putting this douchebag into the White House. And before anyone says anything I am not racist, just a bigot to gaming ignorance everywhere.
I love how he totally ignores Nintendo here. Either he's favouring them or he's being a dick and ignoring them.......and considering he seems to be a bit of a dick I'm going with the second option
It really depends. If you spend ALL of your time playing games then of course the rest of your life i going to suffer. But we all need entertainment; a form of distraction from the everyday grind.
I love how he totally ignores Nintendo here. Either he's favouring them or he's being a dick and ignoring them.......and considering he seems to be a bit of a dick I'm going with the second option
He already said he plays the Wii lol.
Maybe that's why he didn't include it there, because he likes it.
How is this news? He hasn't really said anything against games at all! Why are people arguing against this. Of course they are a distraction but not nesessarilly a bad one, distractions allow you to reassert and reassess your life and get back to work more pumped than ever!
they sure do. but just the same as TVs and movies do. however the biggest distraction is by far the PC. don't know how people are arguing against this. it understandable to argue against rage, social stuff, crime or obesity but everyone know there a distraction
Maybe he needs education on how to work basic electronics. An 8 year old can figure it out on their own, but not the President of the United States. Wheres the self-reliance?? I don't need a lecture from someone that doesn't even have common sense.
As someone whom has been playing video games since I was 5 years old, been enlisted in education for 17+ years culminating in both a bachelor's and a master's degree from two different universities, I can state from experience that yes, video games can be a distraction. For some people it's bound to be more acutely felt than with others, similar to gambling and drinking problems for some folks.
I do think that while one should work hard there ought also to be time to play hard in order to relieve some of the stress and worries. However, many younger individuals appear likely to have a more difficult time maintaining focus and discipline when left unattended. That's just the nature of the beast regarding that phase of human existence. In summation: Video games can get way out of hand for some people resulting in them failing to uphold their duties and responsibilities. This needn't be the case with each and every single person who plays video games however. I think supervision of younger gamers' gaming time by their parents/legal guardians is a sound move if the younger persons in question demonstrate that they are not able to maintain the required balance between pursuing their education and their gaming hobby.
Really? Honest to God I had know idea information becomes a distraction. And he doesnt know how to work simple electrical goods either? Jebus H Christ I hope you Americans are pleased with putting this douchebag into the White House. And before anyone says anything I am not racist, just a bigot to gaming ignorance everywhere.
And yet the man is said to be deft at handling a Blackberry. Equating the man's self-confessed inexperience handling certain gaming consoles does not necessarily equate with him being incapable nor incompetent at doing such if he were to try his hand at it. Besides there are apparently different types of intelligence; Obama attended some of the best universities in the world and earned a law degree. That's no mean feat. Whether he's also an electronics gadget supremo is of less concern to me given that his chosen profession is not to replace Bill Gates.
He has a point: Gaming can be an unhelpful influence for those in the process of receiving their education. It can even be such for individuals holding down full-time jobs. Can you place your hand over your heart and honestly state that you have never played a video game whereby other external factors, including information, seemed more like a distraction than anything else in the heat of a moment while absorbed in a video game?
So do guns ... I dont see Obama getting rid of those though
That would require a constitutional amendment which means that the proposed anti-gun legislation would have to be passed by 2/3rds of both the Houses in the US Congress. Alternatively a constitutional amendment can be enacted if 3/4ths of the 50 US federal states' state legislatures ratify the proposed legislation. Such legislation would fall squarely afoul of the their 2nd Amendment (e.g. the right to bear arms, etc).
Besides it doesn't appear that Obama is campaigning for a constitutional amendment barring young people in school from playing video games.
I would say the internet, mobile phones and Tv in general are more of a distraction than gaming, as gaming is usually set aside as quality time, whereas the way kids do their homework these days i.e using a computer whilst being distracted talking to their friends through sites such as Facebook, yahoo, MSN and youtube, and the constant use of their mobile phones, I believe these to be more of an issue to children's education than gaming (but I understand gaming could be an issue if parents did not monitor their child's homework progress). It does make me laugh how everybody blames games for everything, its Ok they sit every night watching friggin Eastenders and crap like that but no we cant play our games in peace.
why are games always the scapegoat? TV shows, movies and such do the exact same thing so why are they never bagged on?
obviously everything in moderation you have to prioritize what needs to be done first, obviously works a little more important than games. i play games a good 5 hours a day and that does not stop me from being the top of my uni programming class. hell i was the only one to pass our last test with a score of 93% second highest was 62% not bad if i dont say so myself! im always the first one done in class, and end up helping students finish their programs once im done. so that does not mean you cant play games while studying,as long as you have your priorities straight you can do whatever you want! and the best part about it? I HAVE NEVER DONE HOMEWORK IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!!!!! who says you need to practice 3 hours a day at home to be good at something?
Of course games are a distraction. With so many great games and with so many games you can play with your mates online or in co-op you really are spoilt for choice. Gaming is very entertaining so of course it is distracting. At uni going out gettig p*ssed is a distraction too. Having a missus is a big distraction. That's just life unfortunately. It's just about knowing how to limit yourself and if you can't then let's hope your parents or seomeone else can.
Life is full of distractions, doesn't mean they don't have merit. I may have gone to uni to get a degree and maybe a better job at the end of it. I got the degree (I'm still hunting for the better job) But more importantly I gained some of the best mates a guy could ask for. I don't remember the essays i wrote at uni or the work i did. But the time i spent playing mario kart, getting p**sed and blowing stuff up with my flatmates.
Gaming is no different, in fact when i was a kid it actually helped my grades i think. Most people that started gaming young, have much higher evolved reading, logic and reasoning skills as well as improved hand eye coordination.
It's seems narrow minded to belittle a past time when you yourself admit to not knowing anything about it. I don't know how to fish, but i wouldn't say it was a waste of time for the people that enjoy. So why should Gaming be any differnt.
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