Social Acceptance Acheivement - Parenting Mag says play videogames

[Angie Gallant]

So when I bought some stuff from a maternity store they signed me up for a free trial subscription to Parenting Magazine. The August issue just arrived, and one of the cover stories is 6 Ways To Be A Great Parent. The #1 recommendation is to play video games.

That's right. They're good for something. Wendy Hart Beckman of Cincinnati found that the best way to actually have a conversation with any of her three sons was to do it while they were playing a video game together. The bonding plays out in a different way with each child, she says. With her oldest, the distraction of the game allows them to have revealing conversations that might prove too uncomfortable face-to-face. With her middle son, she uses video games as a way to help him work on social skills. And her youngest son enjoys teaching her how to play new games, so it gives them a common interest. Try it -- you might even be surprised at how much fun you have.

I figured that with our heavy population of parents, and our hand-wringers who can't wait for the day that more people play games than watch tv, that there might be some interest in this.

[Podunk]

We've somehow been getting that magazine for the last 5 years and I don't think we've ever subscribed. It's amazing how you start having kids and shit like this just starts showing up in your mailbox.

That said, the video game quote is reasonable and admirably non-judgmental. Good for them.

[Cosmic Hippo]

So when I bought some stuff from a maternity store they signed me up for a free trial subscription to Parenting Magazine.

Careful! Most "free trial" subscriptions automatically charge your credit/debit card towards the end of the free period (which is usually 60 or 90 days). Make sure you call at some point and request that they cancel the auto-renewal.

We've somehow been getting that magazine for the last 5 years and I don't think we've ever subscribed. It's amazing how you start having kids and shit like this just starts showing up in your mailbox.

I'm sorry to tell you this, but unless it's a gift subscription then you've been paying for it for five years. It likely started as a "free trial" that game with a "gift" along with some purchase that, oops, forgot to tell you, authorizes them to automatically deduct renewals from your credit card. I suggest you call the publisher and find out what 3rd-party vendor you're getting it from, then call them and tear them a new one and demand a refund.

[Bob Violence]

Subscription services aren't exactly infallible. I got Time Magazine for nearly two years past the expiration of my subscription and was never charged for it. I'm not sure they would've ever caught the mistake if I hadn't moved away.

[Angie Gallant]

They don't have my credit card number, so it would be a neat trick for them to charge me.

[Tortilla]

I'm pretty sure the "here's something free, now if you don't call us to cancel we can charge you" business model is flatly illegal unless one explicitly opts in to such a deal. Which it doesn't sound like Angie did.

[Jasper Phillips]

We get the same magazine, and I'm pretty sure we're not paying for it. I think it's purely an advertising vehicle, which they send out based on the public record of a child's birth. On balance I don't care much for it...

They're totally right about video games though. It's good for getting kids into logical thinking, and for learning to read. My youngest son is 5, and now reads at about the level of a 1st or 2nd grader. Why? At least in part, because I told his older brother he could play his favorite video games -- but only if he read the text to his brother. I did the same for my older son when he was learning to read.

Obviously there were many other factors (e.g. reading books at night, the library, etc.), but I think this spark to interest, constant exposure, and manipulation of a child's desire to emulate older siblings/parents was key.

You don't want to over do it, and it helps tremendously if you're a gamer and so know what games to pick, but IMHO the conventional wisdom that video games are bad for kids is flat out wrong.

[NoWayJose]

My kid's a little young for games, but even seven months ago I was demonstrating proper controller grip and thumb action to him. You have to start them early.

[Cosmic Hippo]

They don't have my credit card number, so it would be a neat trick for them to charge me.

Did you use a credit card at the store? If not, you're fine, but...

I'm pretty sure the "here's something free, now if you don't call us to cancel we can charge you" business model is flatly illegal unless one explicitly opts in to such a deal. Which it doesn't sound like Angie did.

Such companies - including a certain subsidiary of Time Warner for which I used to work before quitting in disgust - have all kinds of really evil tricks to get you opted into the deal. For example, if you make a purchase at certain stores (most often it was FYE or Best Buy) that offer the tie-in deals, the "agreement" to be charged after the free period is actually in fine print at the bottom of the receipt that you sign, which of course nobody expects, and the teller is very unlikely to point out the automatic charge, because they often get bonuses for signing enough people up for the "deals." Signing the receipt then authorizes them to give the magazine company the number to whatever credit card you used at the store. And that's not even in the top three sneakiest tricks I've seen them use.