The violence in video games is an issue on a deeper level. Do you want your child to emulate these ?ways? for a kid to make money?
Grand Theft Auto has been banned from our home. I suppose in retrospect that a game whose title is also a felony should have been my first clue, but in an attempt to 'stay cool? I allowed it.
The premise of the game is not just to steal cars however. The main character, which is who your child becomes as the player, is a gangster who has been released from prison. He needs to make money and he needs to accomplish different missions in order to make any REAL money; all of which include violence. The main character steals cars obviously, but also beats up and robs prostitutes and police officers and anyone on the street. If they have anything worth stealing, the better it is for him.
Besides the obvious messages condoning criminal behavior, what is this game teaching your child about money values - that if you don't have money, stealing is a valid way to get money. Not only is it valid, but cool and glamorous; much more exciting than something as dull and mundane as work.
When you combine this game and all the other video games promoting the same sentiment; and the music, TV shows and movies whose messages are screaming, blaring and drumming these ideas 24 hours a day in the media, it's a powerful and almost hypnotic combination. ?Being rich is cool. Being rich is important. It doesn't matter how you get that way. Stealing, in any form, is just fine. The ends justify the means.?
Does this mean that any child who plays video games is destined to become a felon? Of course not.
Does it mean that we should lock up the games, cancel the cable TV and never let our children read another magazine or download another song? We can't shield them from ideas.
However, we can fight back in a powerful way: We can be a mentor.
Reading any success literature, you'll find every millionaire or anyone who has reached the pinnacle in their field will stress the power of having a mentor. We change our mind when we change our friends. We are what we think, do and say. We all have the ability to rise to the occasion, given the proper motivation.
So who do you want to be your child's mentor: you or Grand Theft Auto?
The only way that Grant Theft Auto or the popular rapper of the moment or the TV show where you'll win a million dollars if you stab enough people in the back have a chance is: these people seem to love what they're doing. It's exciting, it's dramatic, it's working for them and everyone wants to be productive.
How productive are you? How excited are you about your work? Do you LOVE what you're doing?
Who are your friends? What do you read, listen to and watch? What do you feed your mind and soul with?
In other words, are you creating an atmosphere where work is honored and creativity is treasured? Are you creating a success story in your own life?
Your attitude about your own success can be the most powerful motivator in your child's life. Forget the good bass line, the flashy clothes or the blaring commercials. Your child has been inundated with these all of their life and has been programmed to tune them out. What you think, say and do has the ability to reach them, inspire them and command their attention for the rest of their life.
And if you're not commanding their attention, they've got plenty of video games that will be happy to show them the way.
Make a commitment to mentor your child about money starting right now. Love what you do and make it a success. Involve your child in your successes and encourage them to find their own. Never underestimate how interested your child is in ways for a kid to make money. Expose your children to your own mentor's materials. Rather than purchase the ?best video games? choose to purchase and invest in material that inspires. Teach success at home and give your children a foundation for real wealth.
