1. Do you think it's good for children to play competitive games?
A lot of people think competitive games are harmful to a child’s sense of sportsmanship. They argue that it’s unfair on less-able children because they probably won’t win and this will make them feel like a failure. Cooperative games that emphasize teamwork and working together to achieve a goal build social skills. The other opinion is that competitive games are often more fun and rewarding because the winner feels like they have achieved something. Some argue that because real life is a competitive experience it’s not right to pull the wool over children’s eyes and make them think that they’ll never have to compete with anyone. The think the idea that ‘everyone’s a winner’ is rather naive.
2. Are there any differences between the games boys like to play and those girls like to play?
Let’s not beat around the bush: it’s fair to say that boys like more violent games where they can use their bodies, like wrestling or sports. A lot of boys enjoy playing violent computer games where you have to shoot monsters or fight. I think boys like exciting experiences more than girls, who prefer to be more calm. They play more games that let you use your brain to solve puzzles, and they like cooperative games where they can work together. Girls don’t enjoy sports as much as boys do, but love pretending to be different people or animals.
3. Do different age groups of people like to play different games?
We prefer more complicated games as we get older because we are more experienced and can understand more. Very young children are happy just throwing a ball around or blowing bubbles because these are still new and exciting activities for them. Older children need more interesting things to keep them entertained and so they tend to play more sophisticated games. As adults we often stop playing games altogether, thinking they’re only for kids, but I think this is a bad attitude. We can still enjoy playing games at all ages; we just have to play games that interest us. Even very old people like playing board games like chess.
4. How have games changed in the past few decades?
One huge difference in modern times is that we now have thousands of computer games to choose from, whereas a few decades ago the idea of using a computer to play games was unthinkable. Games we buy from shops are now generally more complicated and require more equipment to play, and are often very pricey. A few decades ago games were simpler and cheaper. People were happy with simple games because there wasn’t anything else available. There are a lot more games to choose from now as the economy has grown stronger. There are many companies all making different kinds of games that we can buy.
