Positive Effects of Video Games:

Despite the concerns of many parents, not all video games are harmful to child development.  Many games provide interactive forms of education for children.  They help teach children about a variety of skills.

1. Provide children with problem solving skills and enhance creativity

Games such as “Legend of Zelda” provide children the opportunity to think creatively as obstacles arise.  The character in the game searches, navigates, plans and tries different approaches to advance through the game.  Other games such as “Bakugan: Defenders of the Core” also involve planning and opportunities to problem-solve.  “Minecraft” is a popular game that encourages players to utilize “modding” (modification) options to customize their character’s appearance.  They can develop new worlds and levels. Modding gives children opportunities for self-expression.

2. Teach kids about history and culture

Certain games are focused around real-life historical events such as “Age of Empires”, “Civilization” and “Mythology”. These games can stimulate an interest in geography, world history, ancient culture and international relationships.  Parents can then tie these games to books, museums and media about culture and geography to inspire learning.

3. Help children make friends

Video games can encourage children to make friends as it is an opportunity for social activity.  Video games create a common interest for your children to make friends with others who share the same interest. Children can create peer circles both locally and online.  Research shows that boys frequently converse about video games with their peers.  Making friends through video games carries over into the teenage years.

4. Allow kids to share the joy of competition

Competition for recognition among peers is a normal and healthy behavior. Surveys note that one of the popular reasons for playing video games is to compete with other people.  It is a safe form of competitive expression and can give children who are not good at sports an opportunity to excel at something.

5. Enhance leadership skills in children

When children play games in groups, they take turns leading and following. Teens who play in groups online feel like they gain leadership skills in persuasion, motivation and mediation.  Online games also expose children to other children of different ages and nationalities as they play together in mixed age groups.

6. Motivate children to teach others

Many children enjoy playing video games with other children because they like to teach others how to play.  They teach each other how to go from one point to another, collect certain items, and combine different elements of a game to succeed.

7. Improve children’s memory

Video games can help improve a children’s memory even when they no longer play the games. Studies show that video games facilitate cognitive changes in the brain.  Adults who have had experience with video games before adolescence perform better at memory tasks than those who have not had video game experience as a child.

Negative Effects of Video Games:

Video games can have a negative effect on a child’s development.  This is particularly related to aspects of violence, antisocial behaviors and increased aggressive thoughts and feelings.

1. Encourage violent behavior

Studies show that those who watch simulated violence, like that in video games, can become immune to the violence and more inclined to act violently themselves.  There has been a correlation between violent game use and aggressive behavior. There is insufficient evidence to link violent video games to criminal behavior.  The interactive nature of some of the video games can worsen the effects of the game violence on children by encouraging repetition and rewards for the behaviors.

2. Promote social isolation and anti-social behavior

Spending too much time playing video games can isolate children. They may spend less time doing other activities such as reading, sports, homework and interaction with family and friends.  However, amongst video gamers, being a loner is not the norm.  Video games can actually augment a child’s social life.

3. Discourage children to do well in school

There are studies that show that the more time children spend playing video games, the lower their performance is in school.  A study found that video game addicts have lower grades and have more destructive behaviors such as arguing and fighting with parents and teachers.   Some students admit that their video game habits affect their school performance. 

What are parents to do?  Parents need to be involved in monitoring their children’s video game playing habits.  This includes being aware of which video games their children are playing and knowing when to intervene in their children’s gaming.  Be mindful of any kind of video games with violence and its effects on your children.  In addition, parents need to establish boundaries for their children in relation to their game playing to prevent it from becoming a bad habit.  Never allow your children to spend hours and hours playing video games.  Balance and moderation are key.  Be proactive in your children’s gaming activities and be involved in the video game world with your child.  As fun and educational as video games can be, it is important that parents be aware that they can be both beneficial and detrimental to your child’s development.

Robert Frost’s 1923 Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening has spoken to me more times than I could even begin to count – on both personal and professional levels. Whenever deadlines loom, I reflect on Frost’s yearning for the peaceful, serene power of nature – how it unassumingly wields a force larger than life, almost as if to say that nothing else matters, even though we know, resignedly, that is not the case. The quiet, yet almost jarring, juxtaposition of freshly-fallen snow and jingling horse bells so perfectly evokes December’s ability to make the world stand still for a moment, take in the smell of a wood-burning stove, and embrace the silent, though recognizable, sound of nature peacefully existing.

In the last stanza, Frost laments:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Though the woods I traversed the other night were light, (June, here, replacing December’s winter solstice with its summer counterpart), my mind kept circling back to Frost’s pining. Oh, were we to have the endless freedom to escape into the woods until we’d exhausted its mysteries; oh, the satisfying snap of twigs and crunch of leaves underfoot.

Oh, to be a camper!

For they are afforded such luxuries. For seven days, 42 campers, ages 10-15, did what Frost wanted to do, but ultimately couldn’t, on that evening: simply be. Unencumbered by the tethers of technology, deadlines, homework and competition, they were catapulted into a Colorado wonderland of campfires and kayaking, starry nights and sing-offs, dancing and digging. They bunked with peers and trekked up and down the hills of Camp Shady Brook, alternatingly dusty, wet from paddle boarding or smelling of campfire smoke. They had no connection to the outside world – and were all the happier for it.

On more than one occasion, a few “barbaric yawps” (to quote ) were released in the face of water balloon fights and gaga tournaments, card games and puzzles, the last piece of cheese pizza and the last glass of sparkling cider at the camp social. On Friday, campers sported red, yellow, green and blue bandanas for the mini-Olympics, the ball field a rainbow swirl of friendly competition and team spirit. Most of the time, the four corners of camp echoed with raucous laughter, impromptu guitar solos and thunderous applause.

But there was also a beautiful serenity that blew through camp each day before lunch: psychosynthesis. Campers grounded themselves as they listened to Fellows describe situations meant to engage the heart, mind and all five senses. Through a quiet lilt, as read aloud by Fellows, campers were transported to settings that stretched their imaginations far more than simple geography (beach, mountains, spring) would have one believe.

Like Frost, Yunasa campers also had promises to keep, though theirs revolved around broadening horizons, trying new things, facing challenges, being brave, discovering new truths and, most importantly, embracing themselves for who they are. Many tried the climbing wall or Giant’s Ladder for the first time; others found their voice during Heart of the Matter and shared previously-unspoken truths about themselves with others. There is no safer space anywhere; Yunasa allows one to share as much or as little as they’d like to – all the while being encouraged to share more than they had before. Nowhere else exists a place with more open hearts, minds, spirits, perspectives or intentions.

During the Closing Ceremony, fifth-year campers and a bevy of their compatriots shared what – and who – they were most grateful for. Though varied in their responses, one underlying theme stood out: Yunasa West is a place like no other and, even though it only exists for a week, its spirit and the friendships formed sometimes carry more weight than anything else in the campers’ lives throughout the rest of the year. There is a spirit here – a trust that forms through intentional reflection, building the new labyrinth from scratch, trekking up to the fire pit for an amazing view and an even more amazing variety show, tie-dying fresh white t-shirts and dancing to Toto’s Africa surrounded by glow sticks and string lights.

There is beauty in the intricate, organic support systems that evolve from the moment one steps foot on Yunasa West’s ochre soil. Homesickness is overcome by a high-five or an invitation to join one in a game of ninja; the challenge course doesn’t seem quite as daunting when you have five friends cheering, “You got this! Keep going!”; it doesn’t matter that no fish were caught over a span of four days. (Talking about Harry Potter during the futile hour-long fishing excursion was far more interesting than any snagged trout would have been, anyway.)

Oh, to be a Yunasa camper! And to stop by woods – lovely, [light] and deep – for a week on end. Deadlines or not, I need to walk through the woods more often. This shall be my promise to keep.

If you’ve been to a Yunasa camp, what is your favorite memory?

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Congratulations to 2011 Industrial Design Apprentices David Acosta and Deven Row, who recently won the *!

The contest, entered by over 150 students from 20 countries, required entrants to use images and market research to develop products that would meet the luxury transportation needs of a 20-30 year old in the year 2025. David received first place with his “FordBoard” – a skateboard type transportation device – and Deven placed second for his “Euphoria” vehicle.

Last summer, Deven and David joined 23 other high school students from across the country for ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ’s summer Apprenticeship Program. Industrial Design Apprentices, including David and Deven, worked with Mentor Stan Kong at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. They developed key skills like research, sketching, rendering, creative thinking, and model building.

All of the Apprentices spent three to four weeks living in dorms at the University of Southern California, experienced college life, gained real-world experience working with Mentors who are leaders in their fields, and met new people from diverse backgrounds with similar interests and experiences. On evenings and weekends, Apprentices attended cultural events, participated in recreational activities, and explored Los Angeles.

Even before the program, David knew he wanted to pursue a career in industrial design. The Apprenticeship Program helped him gain important skills in the field, particularly researching and designing for a particular consumer, which he used in the Ford competition and will continue to use in the field of industrial design.

ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ’s Apprenticeship Program is held each summer and matches high school students with Mentors in fields such as science, industrial design, medicine, and law.

Does the Apprenticeship experience sound like an experience someone you know would like? There are still spots available for this summer’s Apprenticeship program! 2012 Apprenticeships are available in Los Angeles and San Diego, California.

*The competition is no longer running as of 05/21/2024

Share this exciting news and the Apprenticeship Program with your friends!