If we talk about game, especially for kids, we can see how game change through time to time. Game world is evolving due to improvement in technology and it has affected the behavior of the users, including kids. It is a reality, where the children nowadays prefer to do gaming activities inside their house, unlike the old days where many children were taking their game outside and in group.
Yes, not all children doing the same thing – playing inside their house but we can see them in the big city, such as Jakarta, many children now prefer to stay inside to play their game console instead. Even if they go out with their family or friends, they tend to sit and look down to their console or phone. Let’s compare to the old days, when I was a kid.
We were happily outside playing Petak Umpet (hide and seek), Galasan, Gundu (marbels), Layang-layang (kites flying), and many others outdoor activities. We would gather in a playground or someone’s house-yard to play about one to two hours each day before mothers called us to start doing our homework. That’s how the old days look like. We can even see the line-marks due to our drawing for playing those games. Yes, we did some games inside the house sometimes, such as when we played cards, but we did it together with our friends.
Due to the evolution of technology, the gaming world also got its impact. The new technologies is allowing us to do game online, only need a computer (or smart phone or tablet) and an internet connection, we can access the game anytime and everywhere we want. Many developers now look into the mobile applications development and many also develop game that is most wanted among all mobile applications. Just see the Top Free Hit List from Google Play (Android-based) below, in number 13 and number 16 are two games that most downloaded apps, and if you go through top 50, you can find at least 15 of them are game applications.
With the technology, many children now preferred to play games on their mobile instead. Yes, they also gathered sometimes but when they do, each of them was looking down to their mobile playing those games. We can’t point out the technology as the trouble maker of course. Technology was and is intended to help humankind to have a better life, but we, human, tend to take it to the wrong directions. And when all things got messy, we just say: “That’s because the technology, it makes us lazy, makes us individualist, etc.”
We, human, are the creator of technology that exist today. If we compared the old days where we can live without an advance technology as today, we should be able to do it again. But then again, we create technology to help us, to make our life better, so why should we go backward just because technology now is abused badly. Be the man who take in charge of your life. If you see your children not as active as others or lack of social interactions like you used to, take the control back. Define the technology used by your family, make the policy, and the most important is show your kids an example – because kids are good in replicate what others around them do.
One of the factors that change in-game from time to time is technology. It does affected game behavior of our children, but technology is only one factors that actually we, human can control. So, let’s take responsibility of how game change from time to time due to technology. We are the master of our own life, choose which life we want for ourselves and for our children, take control of it.
Technology is created for making a better life by human. If human created it, human can control it and even deleted it. Are you willing to take control of it? Or let the technology controls you and your family?
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This post is submitted for English Friday Challenge from Blog English Club. The 15th theme of the challenge is writings our own opinion about Children Games Now And Then. If you interest to join the club or join the challenge, please click the link above for more detail.
24 Comments
Teknologi adalah hasil kreasi, bukannya alat sakti, yang bisa mengendalikan hidup kita sehari-hari. Seharusnya kita yang mengatur, bukannya malah terbentur, dengan beraneka tawaran fitur.
**sekalian ngetes komen om 😀
Setuju om. Jgn sampai diatur oleh hal yang kita ciptakan sendiri ya.
Tes komennya masuk kok om. Hehehe. Kbrin ya dpt notif balasan komen gak.
Such a well-written post about games, Ryan. I remember as a kid, I played all of those games you said, and also Congkak and hopscotch. Also six bean bags – throw one of them in the air, pick up one from the ground and try to catch the other one in time, and so on.
You are right. These days so many of us are so absorbed in staying indoors and playing games. They can be good – such games are usually about strategy and they give our minds something to work out and become more agile. Then again, there’s only so much we can learn indoors sitting in one spot. Best to limit our playing time indoors and see what’s out there. After all, real life is a game.
Six bean bags… We call it Bekel here. And I never able to play that, can’t sync between the ball and grab the beans. Hahaha.
Totally agree Mabel, playing those games is also learning about strategy and others. But as you said, they need to know what is out there *feel like talking an ET if I said something out there lol*
Yes! Six bean bags. Thank you for reminding me of the game. Brings back memories. I was very bad at it, very poor coordination. Always threw one bean bag very high up in the air, pick up the second one, and still can’t catch the first one XD
Yes, something is always out there…like how the X-Files TV show say. As a video game player, I have to say sometimes it’s hard to tear yourself away from the game…and when it’s raining torrentially outside.
Hahaha. So we both were having bad coordination.
I know, especially if you are playing like Final Fantasy. Can’t get away from that till reach certain stage where we can save.
I am asking out-of-topic here. Did you change your blog to self-hosted wordpress.org?
Yes Dika. I am.
* tes komen. honestly, I miss your old blog Ryan, cause I can directly give comment when I’m online from my phone. But now, I just can read it without even give a star or comment. Now, I’m online from my laptop, so I can leave a comment here. 😀
wah, foto pertamanya Candy Crush! Setuju banget dengan kalimat di atas ttg teknologi. Ortu sekarang harus pinter2 milihin mainan buat anak2nya. terlalu banyak main gadget nggak baik utk mata dan sosialisasi dgn lingkungan si anak.
Hahaha. Pada tes komen nih sekarang.
Memang gak bisa sih dari wp reader Grant skrg. Harus buka webnya. Dibookmark aja di browsermu *ngarep*
Setuju. Ortu harus benar2 bijak dalam memilih dan mengatur. Mengajak bermain dengan alam misalnya.
Hello, new blog appearance! 😀 How about control those technologies by using it as wise as we can, beside our effort to train kids for loving ‘the real toys’?
Hello. Welcome to my new house.
Is that a statement or a question Umami? If it is a statement I am agree.
And if it is a question, perhaps then we should limit the usage of the gadget and go out more.
yah jaman emang berubah, permainan juga berubah dah 🙂
Iya ko. Harus menyesuaikan ya kitanya.
I can’t agree more. Technology develops rapidly and somehow it’s terrifying to see that children nowadays are growing under the care of gadgets. They may need gadgets, but they are not mature enough to decide on their own, to choose what’s really good and what’s not.
Yes agree Ami. That is why guidance still needed.
I don’t know why I cannot reply directly to your comment above about Final Fantasy. Anyway, I love Final Fantasy, and yes, sometimes you have to battle through the baddies to reach the save point. So annoying! Same with the Zelda games.
Hmmm. Is it because my setting. Let me check that one.
I always Urghh because haven’t reach saving point. It makes me….
Some friends invited me to join in online games in facebook, but I can’t accept their invitation because it’s difficult for me to allocate the time. I’m afraid I will addicted and spend most of my time just to play the games… 🙂
Hahaha. It is addicted mas. Well we should be able to control it actually.
So, it was true that something has changed in your blog Mas Ryan. I thought, maybe the theme, but the site address was also new! After read all comments, my curiosity got relieved. I should learn much from you how to optimize a website then. About the post, I totally agree that it should us who take the control of using technology 🙂
Thank you Eka. Let’s learn together. I am still learning about it also. You can email me if you want to ask something.
ah, jaman dulu permainannya sama. Kalau sekarang biar kekinian harus nge-game juga walaupun udah emak-emak. hidup gamer!! :))
ikutan test komen. baru ngeh daa udah ganti alamat.
Komen diterima dg baik Mbak. Hehehe. Jadi tetap hrs update ya dg gamenya Mbak. Game apa ja tyg