The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Odd title, but I want to know.
Work is boring today, my boss is now off on holiday until next year so I have little to do.
So I'm sitting there asking what I can do for anyone, and the other 2 PAs shrug. So I offer a suggestion, "Let's go outside and have adventures!" (we have about 5 acres of grounds where I work with forest and lake and stuff).
Well, apart from accepting that going out and having adventures would be excellent, someone said that they don't let their kid outside much to play, in case he gets snatched.
Now when I were a lad, me and my mates used to play out as often as possible as long as we were back before dark.
We used to play war in the forest or play in the stream and along the riverbank etc.
Does this still happen? Or do kids just stay in and play video-games now?
Why do I see small groups of them standing around outside local shops/garages at night?
Do they not have homes they can go to? Someone's house they can congregate in and plan break-ins?
Has the younger generation of today lost interest in "playing outside"? I remember there used to be up to 20-30 kids with guns and knives playing in the woods, but I just don't see that anymore.
Is it me?
Work is boring today, my boss is now off on holiday until next year so I have little to do.
So I'm sitting there asking what I can do for anyone, and the other 2 PAs shrug. So I offer a suggestion, "Let's go outside and have adventures!" (we have about 5 acres of grounds where I work with forest and lake and stuff).
Well, apart from accepting that going out and having adventures would be excellent, someone said that they don't let their kid outside much to play, in case he gets snatched.
Now when I were a lad, me and my mates used to play out as often as possible as long as we were back before dark.
We used to play war in the forest or play in the stream and along the riverbank etc.
Does this still happen? Or do kids just stay in and play video-games now?
Why do I see small groups of them standing around outside local shops/garages at night?
Do they not have homes they can go to? Someone's house they can congregate in and plan break-ins?
Has the younger generation of today lost interest in "playing outside"? I remember there used to be up to 20-30 kids with guns and knives playing in the woods, but I just don't see that anymore.
Is it me?
Page:
You might only see one side. Perhaps there are other kids that do have great family lives, and they spend time at home with their families like the "Life without Resident Evil" Adverts, but because we only see the kids on mopeds on the streets we generalise their age group into dossers.
It's kind of Kyle and Kenny.
Kyle with the caring (maybe a little to caring!) parents and Kenny's don't care!
Kyle with the caring (maybe a little to caring!) parents and Kenny's don't care!
Having this discussion with the people I work with at the same time (no boss means no work).
And the general opinion seems to be a big part of the problem is that parents just don't care about seeing their kids brought up right anymore.
I'm not saying ALL parents, just a sadly large number of them.
Again, I can only relate to stories of when I was a kid.
I knew how to read and write before I went to primary school.
Ok, so aged 4 my grasp of it was less than perfect but I still had a basic understanding of it.
I couldn't believe other kids couldn't do this, which is why I was allowed to sit and read instead.
But we got involved, parents got involved with school.
I remember the school Xmas play, my mum made a paper mache ET head for my little bit in the "Talent Show", it took days of preperation.
I also remember sitting at the kitchen table on a Sunday and painting, drawing and writing stories with my mum helping me.
I'm not sure that happens now. My mate is a teacher and she says that the attitude that prevails today is mainly "Here is my child, raise it for me and I will collect it at 4pm and stick it in front of the tv whilst I try and get on with my own life".
There is a lot of effort in raising kids, Meka can tell you, you can't take a passive role.
I can't imagine the hours my mum spent with me playing games, letting me make things, reading to me etc and it shows in who I am today.
Yet the kid next door to me is a dirty-faced, illiterate monster that thinks throwing sticks at my cat is fun.
He strangely fell down last night and cut his knee.
And the general opinion seems to be a big part of the problem is that parents just don't care about seeing their kids brought up right anymore.
I'm not saying ALL parents, just a sadly large number of them.
Again, I can only relate to stories of when I was a kid.
I knew how to read and write before I went to primary school.
Ok, so aged 4 my grasp of it was less than perfect but I still had a basic understanding of it.
I couldn't believe other kids couldn't do this, which is why I was allowed to sit and read instead.
But we got involved, parents got involved with school.
I remember the school Xmas play, my mum made a paper mache ET head for my little bit in the "Talent Show", it took days of preperation.
I also remember sitting at the kitchen table on a Sunday and painting, drawing and writing stories with my mum helping me.
I'm not sure that happens now. My mate is a teacher and she says that the attitude that prevails today is mainly "Here is my child, raise it for me and I will collect it at 4pm and stick it in front of the tv whilst I try and get on with my own life".
There is a lot of effort in raising kids, Meka can tell you, you can't take a passive role.
I can't imagine the hours my mum spent with me playing games, letting me make things, reading to me etc and it shows in who I am today.
Yet the kid next door to me is a dirty-faced, illiterate monster that thinks throwing sticks at my cat is fun.
He strangely fell down last night and cut his knee.
They think, oh look at us, we're playing out past our bedtime (10 o'clock), wow, we are hard aren't we!
Yep, differerent name but the game remains the same.
I just don't see kids using their time to interract with each other, play-act roles etc.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying computer games are bad for creating loner-monsters, there is a definate benefit to video-gaming and you can have mates with you as well.
But I just cannot, like YH said, understand this "Let's stand around outside at night" thing. It's cold and dark. Go round someone's house and play video-games.
In the summer, we used to go on massive bike rides with packed lunches etc, or go for long walks. A huge gang of us just wandering about trying to get into adventures.
There were hollow trees over the field, a rope swing over the river and any other number of outdoor, sociable things to do.
But at the weekends and school holidays, the streets are deserted.
I feel like The Omega Man walking to the shops.
I just don't see kids using their time to interract with each other, play-act roles etc.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying computer games are bad for creating loner-monsters, there is a definate benefit to video-gaming and you can have mates with you as well.
But I just cannot, like YH said, understand this "Let's stand around outside at night" thing. It's cold and dark. Go round someone's house and play video-games.
In the summer, we used to go on massive bike rides with packed lunches etc, or go for long walks. A huge gang of us just wandering about trying to get into adventures.
There were hollow trees over the field, a rope swing over the river and any other number of outdoor, sociable things to do.
But at the weekends and school holidays, the streets are deserted.
I feel like The Omega Man walking to the shops.
VenomByte wrote:
> My theory is that kids are trying to grow up faster, but not maturing
> faster.
Which means they act like complete pratts, trying to show each other
> how masculine they are. Vandalism then becomes the replacement for 'playing'.
I'd say you're not far wrong.
I like playing in the snow. It was great when it snowed earlier in the year, and we got Malibu out in her coat and wellies to biuld a snowman.
I don't want my kids to grow up too quickly, kids rule.
> My theory is that kids are trying to grow up faster, but not maturing
> faster.
Which means they act like complete pratts, trying to show each other
> how masculine they are. Vandalism then becomes the replacement for 'playing'.
I'd say you're not far wrong.
I like playing in the snow. It was great when it snowed earlier in the year, and we got Malibu out in her coat and wellies to biuld a snowman.
I don't want my kids to grow up too quickly, kids rule.
Yeah, I used to play that, we didn't call it that though, not sure what we called it!
When I go hoem for the weekend, I get back to my town at about 8ish. Walking through the train station car park, I have seen a new phenomena:
Loads of kids with moped type things standing around. In the dark, in the car park.
What's the point in that? You've got moped thingies, USE THEM! Why do they stand around all evening?
When I was a lad (before my operation - hur hur), we used to hang about over the park, playing football etc.
How remembers a game that (we) called Home 45?
The idea was that one person would count to 45 at a "base" (normally a tree or lampost or something) and everyone else would hide.
When the person had finished counting, you had to make your way back to the base without being seen. If you were seen the person had to touch the base and shout "Home 45, I see Alex" or whatever.
Whoever was the last person to get caught, had to do the counting for the next game.
Loads of kids with moped type things standing around. In the dark, in the car park.
What's the point in that? You've got moped thingies, USE THEM! Why do they stand around all evening?
When I was a lad (before my operation - hur hur), we used to hang about over the park, playing football etc.
How remembers a game that (we) called Home 45?
The idea was that one person would count to 45 at a "base" (normally a tree or lampost or something) and everyone else would hide.
When the person had finished counting, you had to make your way back to the base without being seen. If you were seen the person had to touch the base and shout "Home 45, I see Alex" or whatever.
Whoever was the last person to get caught, had to do the counting for the next game.
I know loads of hard guys in my area, and there all right. But in the area around my college, (about 50 mins from my house), there are loads of softies who think hitting a car bonnet and talking fast makes 'em hard. My mates would kick their butt.
Someones gonna lose there job soon Mr. Snuggly!!!
Page: