Introduction by Mike:
One of the focuses for my company Kidventure has been to become a greater resource for parents and children. I believe that running summer camps for 18 years has given not only myself, but my entire team a unique insight on children and family matters. More and more we are presenting at a variety of conferences and to parent groups. As part of the Kidventure Team, Patrick Biron has become an outspoken proponent for healthy kids and helping foster greater opportunity for connecting with kids. The following is the online version of a presentation Patrick has been delivering at a variety of venues. It is both fascinating and potentially valuable for all parents of children.
More than Ms. Pacman could have ever dreamed, video games are now integrally a part of our children’s lives. For many of us as parents, it is hard to understand why these seemingly shallow distractions have such a strong hold over our youth. The truth is, video games have evolved, and are now designed from the ground up to impact and engage our children’s developmental psychology. As parents, teachers, and other role models, it is our job to discover these fundamental needs and desires that our children are fulfilling with video games, and instead engage them with a healthy and well rounded life style. In Video Game Addiction: Redirecting the Virtual Generation, we will look at the specific tactics used by video game designers, and learn practical ways to use those same ideas in other areas of our children’s lives.
-Patrick Biron, Camps Coordinator for Dallas and Overnight Camps Kidventure
