A minor rant:
Do children know how to be bored and occupy themselves any more? I think the answer is no. They are always connected to something. In the car they get DVD players. When shopping with mom they have handheld video games. Waiting at the hospital they have laptops. In school they have Ipads. We are raising a generation that is not going to know how to be creative. Maybe that's why every movie from the 80s is being remade.
When I was a kid (and I'm not that old) I knew how to think for myself. I mean, for God's sake I only had 7 tv channels to choose from and that was because I was in New York City. I am sure others had less. These days, kids have a dozen 24 hour networks dedicated to them, not to mention netflix and online streaming. We must do something to save creativity. I propose a 4 hour mandatory locked in a closet time for every kid with more than one personal electronic device. Now start locking.
Comments
It's simply not true. Older
It's simply not true. Older folks look at the younger generation and see them playing their game consoles (handheld or otherwise), diddling away on the computer, or watching movies and think "these people are not having a proper childhood." That's not the case. Children are not less creative than they were, they're creative in different ways.
Video games are actually a very good outlet for creativity. It's been proven, through several scientific studies on the matter, that children (even adults) who play video games excel in areas of problem solving. There was even a recent study that showed elderly people who played video games were able to slow the rate of dementia.
Children are naturally creative until adults drive it out of them by forcing them to conform to an out of date, Victorian era, assembly line-like education system. If you want to save creativity then I suggest you start there.
less creative schools than in the past
Schools these days squash creativity more than the 80s when I went to school.
Less art/music classes, less electives, more pandering to standardized test... kind of proves my point.
When I was in school, my teachers encouraged my creative writing. Nowadays it is teaching to state tests. We don't create thinkers any more, we create test takers.
Oh, and I tried that video game improve hand/eye coordination line once, didn't work. Video games are time wasters, nothing more. I like them for that, but they don't do anything for problem solving (as a whole, though there may be some puzzle games out there that contradict it like Tetris)
Katie Leone (Katie-Leone.com)
Writing is what you do when you put pen to paper, being an author is what you do when you bring words to life
You went to school in the 80's?
I went in the 60's.
There was no creative writing, art was not 'taught' and left the curriculum after year 7, teaching of any subject involved copying notes from a blackboard for 45 minutes and staff consisted of 3 paedophiles, 1 megalomaniac and various other brutes.
Learning was discouraged by the simple process of Neanderthal 'persuasion' coupled with parental apathy.
If you didn't want to be a general, an accountant, a lawyer or a football star, you were a complete failure and had wasted the school's time.
School days are the best days of your life? Don't make me laugh.
Susie
Not true.
Your claims are not based in fact. It is subjective opinion. Whereas there are many studies that show Video Games to be a benefit to learning and creativity there are virtually none that show them to be "time wasters and nothing more." The ones that do were based on anecdotal evidence.
Please, before you reply and tell me I'm wrong I urge you to actually study and research the matter. Forming a subjective opinion based on a personal "observation" is one of the worst things you can do. It shows a lack of willingness to learn, it's contradictory to your own point.
As for test taking, I don't live in the United States. I can't say I know intimately how it is done there. I have friends in Oklahoma who told me, however, that they had to take tests to determine how much money their school got. A stupid system, in my opinion. But where I live we don't constantly get trained to take tests. I only recently left High School so I remember quite clearly how things currently are done. Every English class has a creative writing segment.
Everyone also had to take a set number of art/music classes. We had to take art (Drama counts), music, French, and gym up until at least grade 9, then kids are allowed to choose if they'll continue it. By the time people hit grade 12 they also had quite a few elective choices. Do they want two gym classes? None? Two art classes? One? Tech class? I ended up choosing the year book class for two of my electives. We spent a year designing the year book, choosing who would be our publisher, and designing different school websites. An entirely creative class, if you ask me.
There are also extracurricular activities like "band" that kids can get in to. Many do because of the trips they get to take to places like Memphis, New York, or even the Caribbean cruise.
As for the creativity quashing abilities of schools, they have always quashed creativity. It's how they're designed. It's not a "new thing." It is built into the inherited system we got from the Victorian Era school system. There is a lovely lecture on this subject by Sir Ken Robinson. If you're interested, I strongly suggest you give it a look.
Video Game COordination
Really, it worked like charm for me.
Taking fencing at the university finished it off.
Mark
I don't know about today's kids, but...
...speaking for myself, I've found that computers and the internet have opened up avenues of creativity I could scarcely have imagined when I was growing up. Thanks to music notation software, I'm able to fulfill an ambition I've had since I was in my teens--to compose ragtime. It has enabled me to learn about music, and music theory, by doing. I believe I've learned more about music by trying to write it than I did from any formal instruction--and it's much cheaper.
I don't think public schools have ever placed much emphasis on art. I went to school in the seventies, and I can tell you that in elementary school, they didn't want to frustrate those students who didn't draw well, so they emphasized more craft-like projects. Consequently, it was students like me who felt frustrated: those of us who could draw fairly well, and wanted to learn to do it better. Despite being able to draw, my poor hand-eye coordination made craft projects impossible--I had enough trouble just using a pair of scissors. It would have been wonderful if I'd had the opportunity to paint with oil or watercolor in school--trying to learn those things myself was far more difficult.
And I loved cartooning, from the time I was nine. Suppose there had been classes for young would-be comic-book and comic-strip artists?
In junior high, I was able to take more specialized courses that allowed me to do more drawing projects, but there was still an overemphasis on crafts. The teachers never went too deeply into any one type of project, since there was scant time in a one-semester course. Had I been encouraged more, and had access to more intensive instruction, I might have been able to attend an art school, build up a proper portfolio, and have a lucrative career as a cartoonist or animator.
I hope to start cartooning again soon, and the computer will prove to be an invaluable tool in that endeavor as well, thanks to programs like Photoshop.
Livin' A Ragtime Life,
Rachel
Bored
Its funny because whenever I'm around my 9 year old nephew he always talks about how bored he is. Then he bugs me to play my Xbox lol.
4 hours locked in a closet with, or without their e-devices?
Not only were there less TV channels, but there was no internet, no social networking,etc.
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.
Holly
School?
What was that?
I totally get this Katie.
I work doing security at the hospitals and these college kids that come in with their "hurt/sick" friends are on their phones and ect. all the time. I've had several 1st years in the last 5 years not know anyone and they can't call anyone because all they know are their friends at home and parents and we can't let them down to the ER and they can'y handle even picking up a magazine, or just being there with their own thoughts.
The younger kids are worse even.
There's a number of schools here now putting up cell-blockers during class hours.
But that's another rant.
*Hugs*
Bailey.
Bailey Summers
Being Connected isn't always a BAD thing. . .
Just to be contrary...
I care for a friend, whom has dementia, and many other medical problems.
When we go to the hospital, I bring 2 eReaders, and 2 laptops, plus my phones and various charging cables in my backpack.
The reason? I work from home, and have to work from the hospitals too.
When I'm @ the Hospital or Dialysis i'm still plugged in here, working on the servers, or the other servers I work on for various people. I work on developing new software, and from time to time, I even work on world design for Li'lWorlds.
Does that make me less creative?
Plus, even before Mobile Devices became more prevalent, how many times did you go to an ER or Doctors Office, and actually find a magazine worth reading that you actually enjoyed?
-P/KAF/PT
Oh god yes
They know how to be bored. And how to ell their parents about it. Often.
"I'm boooooooooorrrrreeeddddd!!!"
he's touching me!
Mom, she's making facing at me!
Stop touching me! Stop touching me!
I gotta pee
I gotta pee, again!
I'm Hungry
Are we there yet?!?
I gotta pee again!
Are we there YET?!?
She ate my candy!
"I swear! One more peep from any of you and I turn this car around!"
Now picture that
With the 8 kids still living at home. :)
When I used to drive for a
When I used to drive for a living, it bugged me to see kids with the tv in the car. I remember a trip from California to Wyoming in 1984 (I was 13) and being stuck in the back seat with nothing to do at all. Heck I recall driving from Los Angles to Oroville in the back of my grandparents truck.
My nephew is so dependant on tv he can't imagine something usless the whole idea was a show. One time he played an entire episode of Scooby doo with his brother. Word for word. Was really sad that they couldn't do anything original
Road Trips
When I used to go on road trips I used to have a duffel full of action figures to play with, it was either that or let my brother try to whip me with the seat belt from the middle seat of the car. I hate the idea of kids having a TV in the car, where's the imagination in that.
Besides have you seen some of these insipid shows they have on TV for kids these days. I pity the parents who have to ride in said car listening to that crap.
had the fun
of riding in my parents mini van when they took my Nephews to Disneyland in 2003 or 2004. They had a portable DVD player at the time. My Mom got mad at me because I sat in the back of the van and would call out who the bad guy was on each Scooby do episode they watched. And when the bad guy said that magical words "I would have gotten away with it, if it hadn't been for those meddling kids and their dog" I would say it too. I think My Dad was glad to reach Disneyland that night.
And the entire time the show played, I was reading and annoying the kids. Who says I can't multitask.
The newphews were into Ed, Edd and Eddy back then and man that was stupid. Sponge Bob isn't much better. Now I found Phines and Ferb to be funny, but then I was bored. Of course, I shouldn't call things stupid. I was ecstatic to find Netflix had the Power Rangers and I just had to watch all of the first team they had.
Who remembers the license plate game? Or slug bug? Word of warning, always pay attention to the VW dealers location. That can cause you to become black and blue as you pass it.
I recall the license plate game on a trip to Wyoming in 1978 with my mom and Dad, plus my Dad had his 8track of John Denver playing. Back then, my brother was really fun on long trips. We'd leave the house and he'd fall asleep an hour after we hit the road, so I had to talk to my Mom for something to do, or read.
not the license plate game...
But I sure do remember Slug Bug, and Beemer honk, and... There were a lot of silly things to do for various makes of cars.
There's also a game to do with car colors, but I can't remember how that one went.
We used to have a full size luxury conversion van that had an ancient Black & White 13 inch in it. We'd have loads of fun just trying to get local channels to come in at all while traveling. Made a game of that...
One of my sisters had all the goodies in one of her SUV's... kinda lame in comparison when you already know it all works.
Abigail Drew.
was haning iut with an old friend
And his soon to be wife. They both have kids from other marriages so they bought a minivan with all the bells and whistles. When I visited, they got an adaptor and hooked their Xbox into the van for a 4 hour drive. Mind you it was just us adults. Me, them and a friend of theirs. Half an hour into the trip I looked to my friend and asked.
"Wait, what are we doing up here. We should be the ones playing video games."
As for having stuff, the roommate insists I am glued to my smartphone and she is right.
oh but!
Their teachers must adore them! That memorization ability... Stupendous! Marvelous! Excellente!
After all, that's all school is these days. Here, memorize these, test tomorrow.
Abigail Drew.
not so sure...
I think to some degree you are confusing boredom and creativity with being connected constantly because it is possible to be creative online. However, isn't it always the rallying cry of each generation that the following one isn't as good?
If I could be a little bit facetious... take my own generation , Generation X and what the proceeding generation (the Baby Boomers) have said about us at times (hi mum, dad!). I was a teenager into the early 90's and the media at the time would have had you believe we played too many video games (which actually improved our multi-tasking skills, ask the military) and watched too much tv or violent films that was breeding a generation of anti-social psychopaths (we'll ignore its the Baby Boomers who started the last round of wars they expected Gen X to fight in). We didn't go outside enough to play games (ignore all the sports stars of the generation) and we were accused of being conformists bred by the Thatcher-Reagan era compared to the Boomers (because we bathed and weren't punks or hippies?). We were lazy slackers (this of the latch key generation with a significant minority growing up in single parent households) with no civic spirit (despite the fact it was Boomer or older politicians cutting public services and expecting young volunteers to pick up the shortfall for free). Oh, and our music was just too darn loud (I may be willing to accept that one).
There does need to be limits to when and where connectivity is appropriate (such as school, etc.) and dependency on it isn't a good thing but I'm not sure my answers to boredom as a kid were any better than the latest generations. When I was bored, I watched MTV on that new fangled cable television for example (but it had stuff worth watching back then of course *wink*). I'm going to take a chance and say that kids today will mostly grow up to be relatively creative souls (or at least as much as any generation does) despite the heavy use of electronic devices.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
the dwindling perspective
Yep. If every generation since Aristotle's day said the same thing about the next batch of humans (I think it was Aristotle who I read posting this gripe, on whatever it was they posted it on back then...) and it wasn't true then, then it's probably not true now that you're thinking it, now matter how true it feels. Their past times just don't have the same capacity for enrichment, and their values are degenerating before our eyes. This is the end of civilization folks, it's all elois and morlocks from here on out!
Same thing with music. We weren't even out of our twenties before my age peers all started complaining what worthless garbage this new stuff is, hasn't been a decent band since Zeppelin and what is this punk crap you're listening to, it doesn't qualify as music, yada yada yada. I think of Louis Armstrongs enraged rants against bebop jazz, or his embarrassing (though he thought it was so clever) coming out on stage in cartoon beatnik garb to make fun of the younger generation and their degenerate jazz. While I don't like most of what has transpired musically in the last few decades, I found many of the top bands of my day pretty bogus as well, and I always find some contemporary musical niche that I like, and every five years a new band or artist will come along that completely blows me away and I become a rabid fan. I feel blessed that I can get that same feeling I got as a kid from something new. And as far as all the stuff I don't like, it's like I tell my fellow old fogeys about rap: I don't like it personally, but anything that pisses off so many of my contemporaries must have something going for it!
~~hugs, Veronica
Well shit, I guess it really CAN happen here..,
.
Listen to "Ebonics" by Big L.
It's a perfect Rap, perfect in it's delivery and verse.
Read the lyrics and you'll see what I mean, it has none of that slanguage nonsense with words like "sizzle, dizzle, foshizzle". You know those words that are basically slurred to make a rhyme.
"Ebonics" has actual street slang, most common to everyone at the time as part of the rhyme.
oh poo!
DAMN! DOUBLE POST, haven't done that in a while...
Well shit, I guess it really CAN happen here..,
.
Do Kids Know How to be Bored Anymore
Well,. before the advent of the computer game, they'd go to the video arcade.
May Your Light Forever Shine
I don't know if this is typical of kids of my generation, but...
...I was rather fond of pinball machines--I still am, in fact. I never got interested in video games when they became available--probably because I couldn't play them....=)
Rachel
Livin' A Ragtime Life,
Rachel
I like video games
but if I go anywhere that has a pinball machine and I got change, I gotta play. I'm not good at them, but I love 'em all the same
best of both worlds
for a time there in the 80s they had this game... Baby Pac Man, that was both a video game and a pinball game.... HOW COOL
Katie Leone (Katie-Leone.com)
Writing is what you do when you put pen to paper, being an author is what you do when you bring words to life
Video games.
I'm going to have to disagree with you here Little Katie.
Have you played any Sega games at all?! Play "Panzer Dragoon", "Nights Into Dreams", "Skies Of Arcadia", "Illbleed", "Shenmue", "Jet Set Radio", "Blood Will Tell"(have been told it's great), "Burning Rangers", etc. The inspiration from art is quite obviously there and I'm not getting into the plots from some other games just in terms of plot
"Jet Set Radio", while not nailing the music of the Hip-Hop community, quite nails the culture visually and it's intent on the graffiti end as long as you dismiss some of the out of the box Anime cliches.
"Illbleed" is arguably the first "Scream" video game, self aware of the genre it makes fun of. I would go so far as to argue it's campy in the best way possible. It also has what I believe to be the best "Toy Story" parody which most people will hate because it's unapologetic in that.
In terms of pure art in terms of art design, one need look no further then Yoshitaka Amano. He started out first doing video game design and his art in that respect is extraordinary. I would say it's much better then the tripe he has painted for the Art Galleries(so typical imo).
Heck people would even complain when they didn't get the Japanese video game box art which was just beautiful in the days of the SNES and into the PS. Look at the box art for the American version of "Symphony Of the Night" as compared to the Japanese PS one. Konami wouldn't give the fans that because it looked "too effeminate". Too bad as the American cover is bland as can be.
For plots of video games look at the Shin Megami Tensei series. This game will plain offend militant Christians. One of the games actually has you fight God, another has you fight at least one or more of his angels. One has you fight the Devil. These games take place right after an apocalypse has happened. Also they have multiple endings.
Look for video games to be shallow and you'll find them.