Taming The Thumbs

By Jason Huffman, Youth Minister, Meadowbrook Baptist Church, Rockdale, Texas

Sitting in a high school classroom not long ago as a substitute teacher, I found an intriguing sight. Some of the students were pushing the envelope (as is the norm when they have a sub) and had decided to trade school work for playing games on a laptop. As I watched the huddle of young men gather around that screen like toddlers outside a candy store, my eyes were opened, and suddenly I realized I was not as young as I used to be.

The students were playing a game called "Grand Theft Auto." You need not be a rocket scientist to figure out that the objective of this game is a negative one, rather than positive. In this game, players basically have free rein to do whatever they like, as the technology immerses them in a world of theft, murder, drugs, and even prostitution. The game is even set in Liberal City, a fictional, digital world where anything goes. I wish I could tell you that this was the terrible game out there that would possibly have an adverse effect on the Christian rearing you have tried to give your children, but it¹s not.

It still took me off guard. I had no choice but to reflect on my childhood and my first memories of video games. I was a child of the 80¹sŠyes, parachute pants, spiked hair, and denim jackets. I remember at age 5 getting the latest craze, an Atari 2600. At home, you could plug it in and play video games on your own TV. The screen would radiate with blocks, dots, dashes, and various geometric shapes that meagerly represented some actual objects. Blood? No. Sex? No. We spent our time saving the galaxy from the next big rectangle with a small squares shooting forth from the notch in the middle. We guided Pac-Man (I still haven¹t met anyone who can tell me what Pac-Man is or was) around a maze of dots as he avoided ghosts and tried to get to the next power pill. But today, it¹s all different. Graphics are so true to real life it¹s amazing. The sound radiates through the speakers with incredible realism and clarity. Even the controllers vibrate when something critical happens in a game. Games are becoming more and more sensational. Used to certain games were "foolproof" for safety. Sports games were that way. No killing, no shooting, no explosions. But that safety net is no longer there. I have seen games about bicycling or skateboarding in which the soundtrack includes songs with profanity or the characters spout out curses when they crash. This is frightening.

Your son or daughter may be glued to his or her X-box, Game Cube, or PS2. As parents it is critical that you are involved in your child¹s entertainment. We can no longer dismiss video games as harmless. No, your child may not become the next Columbine killer because of a video game, but your child¹s sense of morality can and will be compromised with too much interaction with the wrong kinds of media. Here are some simple suggestions for parents.

1. Avoid games with violence codes. Many games have a setting where you can turn off gory or sexually explicit elements. If these settings are available, your student will play them.

2. Buy games with your kids. This way you know what they are getting. Do not let them buy or borrow games on their own.

3. Check the rating on the games. Video game rating is a wonderful thing that was not around in the days of Pac-Man-take advantage of it.

4. Try to learn to play games with your kids. This way you get to spend time with them as well as monitoring the games they play.

James chapter 3 talks about taming the tongue. I feel in the case of many of our children, taming the thumbs may be as big of a struggle. Philippians 4:8 says "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things." We do have a say in what our children do and how they spend their free time.