translated from Spanish: Video games and prejudice: are really there the problem?

to read the column “the lightness of videogames: we violate and kill together my son” [1], I come to mind a concept which I heard several times during my career in fields of organizational psychology, and that even today in my professional role as a therapist I can see reflected in people: the famous “resistance to change”, resistance that appears When proposed changes at the level of culture and practices carried by people.
Not enough with that comes a professional at an international conference that has been dedicated years to research into teaching and learning strategies to propose new educational Dynamics (Dynamics necessary to restructure education into one that is truly (students for life, rather than just to answer standardized tests), dynamics that respond to the current needs of children in pursuit of their learning and incorporating technological advances for this to our benefit. It seems not enough, because it seems to give these proposals appear resistances and prejudices that keep us in the same position and without making real and significant change.
The point here is not the problem to be “video games” and the “sad that fill the children”. We can grab this banner of war against external and unknown anything that may seem threatening and frighten us, such as the internet, movies, social networks, and an infinite etc. The issue here is how us adults, and not only parents, but that also professionals, educators, people that we interact with young people and young children of today, who touched them grow up in this world so connected and where we have access to virtually everything, we can adapt and take advantage of these tools to our benefit.
As psychologist, daily I see both adults and teenagers, I think in this column identify at least 2 issues that are of concern: firstly, the dangerous thing is the ignorance and misinformation that we base our judgments and decisions we make with regard to children and adolescents. And do not here say that “being ignorant” itself is the problem; I think myself being very ignorant about many things (something that we are all a bit with some things/si me for the car for any reason that is not “fool corduroy”, I have no idea what happened). Nor is it that we have to know it all (in a society where it asks you to work 45 hours per week and reach the House to continue working, is very difficult). The danger is when not to recognize it, and more to work let us know and meet, take responsibility for our no-saberes, we closed or do not take care of it. Reminds me of what happened with the premiere of the first film of Deadpool, where many parents took their children to see it, leaving several Twitterers criticizing the low tino of these [2]. This situation is half tragicomic, since those who know the character knew that this would not be a film for children, and we laughed together with the Ads and Ryan Reynolds post at that time. But even without knowing this, explicitly had age restrictions, being
even unfit for minors aged 13 in the USA because of its explicit scenes of violence and sex.
When we have someone who speaks of videogames that incite the violation, clearly speak of an important desinfomación, since there is no trade and allowed game that encourages these behaviours. Probably any game non-commercially known or “black market” should have; but now that a child has access to that kind of games banned or that we always put the GTA as an example, that has restriction of age of explicit mode, talks more than the scant oversight access to that content type. This base the opinion that games themselves are bad and close of spoiling the use that may be as a strategy pedagogical or even link as a result, closes us a world of opportunities which can be very well used. The theme again, are not the game itself, but more how we well know what they are seeing the children, what we ourselves sometimes spend them or take them to see; not take responsibility for this, also is outsourcing (it is easier to sue the producers of Deadpool or cinema that recognize that I embarré her not informing me before).
As a second point, it is worrying to find that from our vision of adults we underestimate children and adolescents [3]. As a therapist, I have found many times parents surprised by the maturity of certain responses children give them in discussions, or that they have realized that there were problems in the House. Even in these situations, we have reviews of “that child must have heard that somewhere”, “it’s that he was influenced to say that”, or even we get angry because “more over they ask us explanations”. From this position we assume internals in children and adolescents simplistic, that do not recognize independent that are boys, are not “you tabulas rasas” absorbing as sponge all he presents them, who do not wonder and who do not think for themselves. We do not recognize from their capabilities that are in development, they are social subjects, they are people who are growing and in this grow may begin to have a position and to develop a more complex view of the things. Failure to recognize this (even with the best intentions in the world), is a violent position that does not allow us to see them as an other with own motivations and desires.
Against the discussion on lathe to harmful which can be video games (or whatever it is against what you want to fight), there are some points that can give us light to advance. First, failure to underestimate the kids today, their values and what they can understand. I always tell parents half-jokingly half (tired) seriously: we live with a generation that grew up with cell phone in hand and in a hyperconnected world full of information, unlike us, and want it or they can’t handle these technologies , information, etc., much better than us… Condemn these platforms, information, and move in the logic of ban and the fear of the unknown (resistance), the only thing that will do is that boy secretly continue what I wanted to do at a friend’s house where dads if they let him play videojueg you or be in social networks, or will do all those things that terrify us, and that the only difference
that there is that we don’t know, and simply live in ignorance that we have established ourselves in this dynamic on the sly.
This is why, if we want to actually accompany them and guide them in the best way, we need to recognize our gaps, recognize our own fears. Recognize that we are ignorant in a world of new technologies that shape and change the ways in which we relate to new generations and feel; There is violence, that cyber bullying exists, there is STDs and teen pregnancy, and again an infinite etc… Only opening her eyes and recognizing our fears, we will to actually do something with our empty, working them and take care of it, to then have real access to our children and adolescents if we give them a space of confidence to accompany them. But confidence is not a path of a pathway, where only they must open up their world and we “educate”; but that we must open ourselves to trust them, listen to them, and only through this recognition, can join them and guide them to make the best decisions.
Weather in itself does not improve or change things. The true “quality time” of which so much is spoken, may be in a more genuine way first in this recognition.
Mariana Castillo, a clinical psychologist from center of psychotherapy Ipseity

Original source in Spanish