Reading in Exchange for Gaming: A Rule from My Childhood
Like many children of my generation, video games were a central part of my after-school life
Growing up, my parents did their best to restrict my brother and I's media consumption, specifically in regards to television and video games. We were only allowed 1 hour per day of television and were not allowed to watch after dinner time.
Admittedly and unexpectedly, I hated these rules. I envied the other kids on the block who were able to consume as much TV as they wanted. I had no conception of what TV was doing to my mindset or perception of reality, and I was entranced by the glow of the fast-moving images on the telescreen.
I was also enthralled with video games, as we would make our way over to a friend in the neighborhood to pester him to let us play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the original Nintendo. We didn't have our own gaming system at the time and took advantage of every opportunity to play when we had the chance. I remember saving my measly 50 cent allowance to use at the local arcade, a fine use of my only source of income for a 7-year old.
One Christmas, our parents finally bought us a Super Nintendo
Though the negative impacts of excessive gaming can certainly be detrimental to one's development as a human, I was thrilled for the opportunity to escape my dysfunctional family life and enter the land of Mario and Luigi.
While my parents had caved to my brother and I's wishes, they did so with a caveat: for every hour we spent gaming in front of the television, we would have to spend an equal amount of time reading a book. I begrudgingly complied with this rule and it was something I would only appreciate later in life.
Admittedly, my parents gave up on enforcing the rule as time went on, as our thirst for zoning into the television screen outgrew their ability to police such activities. It was a well-intentioned rule that, like many prerogatives set forth by idealistic parents, eventually falls to the wayside.
My experience of compulsory schooling was mostly negative and unproductive, and it wasn't until a few years after graduating high school that I would regain my thirst for knowledge and self-exploration. I appreciate what my parents attempted to instill in me through their boundaries placed around video games, even if it didn't achieve its intended effect in the moment.
Reading is clearly a far superior activity to gaming and is something I intend to instill in my children if my partner and I decide to have them. By that point we may be bargaining a book for virtual reality, making the point all the more poignant that relevant knowledge trumps the virtual world and that finding a balance in our heavily technological age is essential.
All uncredited pictures from pixabay.com or my personal account
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