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Re: Wisdom is thought to come with wisdom. You, obviously, are a very old soul

Winged,

I hope that it did help to at least raise awareness, for both parents and kids.

And I'll loan you a pair of shoes any time--I have a pretty impressive collection, if I do say so myself

Thanks for reading!

posted by Sira890 on March 13, 2008 at 5:12 PM | link to this | reply

Wisdom is thought to come with wisdom. You, obviously, are a very old soul

packaged in a young body. Keep your guard up and keep writing.

What your teaching about these games may save some of our

children from opportunists out there. Many of us cannot walk in

your shoes, but we can appreciate the steps you're taking, anyway.

posted by Winged on March 13, 2008 at 12:42 PM | link to this | reply

Re: Sira

Naut, thanks for reading!

I don't know how to play poker, but I do play a bit of chess and gin rummy online. I've never met anyone under the age of 45 on those sites though--I guess card and board games just to hold the same level of appeal for the younger generation.

You're right on the money--a lot of the games (like runescape and the teddy bear game) are, in theory, actually good for the kids to be playing. They teach a wide variety of skills and values (everything from basic computer skills, to learning the concept of working to achieve goals and the value of a dollar).

But the darker side of our society knows that kids flock to these sites. I actually watched a show the other day where a registered sex offender was interviewed. He said he's "retired" now, but had some interesting insights:

1) sex offenders are never really "cured"--it's just a matter of learning to control the urges. Those that are released back into society have no restrictions on their internet use. In fact, the first thing they usually get is a computer.

2) Most of them have stopped haunting playgrounds, and have turned to the internet to find their victims. He said that online gaming and chat sites were an amazing resource for someone looking to cause harm. Kids are, for the most part, totally unaware of the dangers of releasing personal information online, and that makes them easy prey.

It's a scary enough world to be raising babies in--now even cyberspace is a deadly threat to our youth

posted by Sira890 on March 13, 2008 at 10:38 AM | link to this | reply

Re: This is very useful. It would make a great article for Parents Magazine --

They have a Parents Magazine?

Assuming they do still publish it, I would image they've already beaten this topic to death...it's a big issue, and seems to be getting more press every day. Perhaps I'll look around though, and see if I can't land myself a 'gaming consultant' job!

Writing and gaming all day--what more could a girl ask for

Thanks for reading!

posted by Sira890 on March 13, 2008 at 10:28 AM | link to this | reply

Re:

Yeah sam, it must be a relief to know they're adults now. Although, I would imagine that grown children come with a whole new set of worries for their loving parents

Thanks for reading!

posted by Sira890 on March 13, 2008 at 10:25 AM | link to this | reply

Re: Ah yes, this topic I know

Sounds good Azur!

Thanks for stopping by

posted by Sira890 on March 13, 2008 at 10:23 AM | link to this | reply

Sira

I don't play those games on the web, although I have on occasion played chess and poker there. (Even made a little money, lol). But the problem isn't so much that the kids are playing these games; it's that in and through the game playing they get invariably drawn into an adult world, and we know that this adult world has some very, very dark sides.

This is the first time in history were the boundaries between childhood and adulthood have become completely porous. And most people are blind to the consequences, though I suspect the consequences for our societies are vast!

posted by Nautikos on March 13, 2008 at 8:09 AM | link to this | reply

This is very useful. It would make a great article for Parents Magazine --

Do they still publish that one? Maybe there's an online site somewhere that you could post these reviews... Nice work!!! :)pat