Video Games Killed The Radio Star

Remember seeing MTV’s first video? On August 1, 1981 “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles launched the network. The concept of a band performing a song like a mini-movie seemed fresh and untapped.

Video games were played on boxy units. The controllers were awkward and the game selection was bleak. When I was a kid, we grew bored of the screen. We’d switch it off, grab a handful of coins from dad's jar and pedal to the nearest convenience store. While sitting on sidewalk curbs, obnoxious siblings and callous elderly neighbors dominated our conversation. While eating mouthfuls of sticky candy, the chatter of video strategy and domination were nonexistent. It didn’t matter. Video games passed the time while waiting for SpaghettiOs to cook – on the stove.

With today’s technology, it’s understandable why kids are glued to screens, monitors and controllers. Video games no longer use “Pong,” “Space Invaders” or even “Pac-Man” as benchmarks. The current special effects and audio are so advanced that differentiating between an HD movie and a video game can be difficult. Because of the Internet, multiple players can log on and challenge one another in real time.

If you have children (or other family members) privy to the tech craze, I’m sure you’ve experienced the frustration of ignored questions and the vacant gaze of electric warfare. They’ve mastered the art of tuning out. Calls for dinner are ignored as the hours of screen time result in the forgotten dog standing by the door, panting to go out and relieve himself.

There’s no escaping the screen. I see young children blindly following parents glaring at a Game Boy (or other handheld video game device). I notice kids staring at a phone – texting and walking – completely oblivious to their surroundings. I've idled behind minivans flashing dual DVD players. The screen is so clear and the overplayed Disney movie is so recognizable. Just last night, my family and I went out to dinner. The parents quietly talked about their day while the two children occupied the void with mommy and daddy’s smartphone.

My husband and I try to make a conscious effort when the family is together. During meals, the phones are put away. We encourage the kids to talk about their day. Topics of school projects, conflicts with friends, favorite teachers and weekend plans are discussed.

Yet with video games, I sometimes lose my mind competing with virtual soldiers and zombies. After a week of screaming up the staircase with checkered responses, we removed the television and game console from the boys’ room. Their television now sits, unplugged and collecting dust, in the attic. Their room now consists of standard teenage boy necessities...bunk beads, dressers, a bookshelf and an easy chair for reading. I no longer have to compete with the media distractions in their room.

The video game console is now hooked up to the main television in the family room. This makes monitoring video game time manageable. With the addictive nature of some video games, children can lose all sense of time.

Technology has certainly evolved. When MTV started, music videos were amateur, self-taught, an emerging form. Now they're airbrushed and manicured. Video games had two speeds and attainable goals. Now they're interactive, time-consuming and complex.

Since my boys are teenagers, they tend to push the envelope when it comes to saving the universe or heading a virtual combat unit. I’ve been known to walk in, turn it off and open the patio door. Outside activities are always encouraged, and at times they are surprisingly disputed.

When such unexpected responses happen, I gladly hand them a shovel, remind them of their forgotten dog  and stress the importance of both saving the universe and poop patrol.