One of the most iconic American institutions, the Boy Scouts of America, have just introduced a new badge.What badge have they added you ask? How about the “Video Game” badge. Now Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts can getting their gaming on and also earn some stripes.
To get their Video Game belt loop they must complete the following:
- Explain why it is important to have a rating system for video games. Check your video games to be sure they are right for your age.
- With an adult, create a schedule for you to do things that includes your chores, homework, and video gaming. Do your best to follow this schedule.
- Learn to play a new video game that is approved by your parent, guardian, or teacher.
…and to earn their Academic Pin, they must complete 5 of the following:
- With your parents, create a plan to buy a video game that is right for your age group.
- Compare two game systems (for example, Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Wii, and so on). Explain some of the differences between the two. List good reasons to purchase or use a game system.
- Play a video game with family members in a family tournament.
- Teach an adult or a friend how to play a video game.
- List at least five tips that would help someone who was learning how to play your favorite video game.
- Play an appropriate video game with a friend for one hour.
- Play a video game that will help you practice your math, spelling, or another skill that helps you in your schoolwork.
- Choose a game you might like to purchase. Compare the price for this game at three different stores. Decide which store has the best deal. In your decision, be sure to consider things like the store return policy and manufacturer’s warranty.
- With an adult’s supervision, install a gaming system.
Oh well…I guess it was bound to happen. I’m not quite sure what this means for the future of our youth but if it’s any indication of where we’re headed I imagine the future of this place looking more and more like how they pictured humans in Wall-E.
I'm an Eagle Scout and a hardcore gamer but when I first heard about this I just thought, "WTF"?
What is your issue with this? It isn't a badge just for playing video games.
The very first line is about choosing a game that is appropriate for your age group. Maybe if all parents and their children paid any attention whatsoever to the ratings, we wouldn't have politicians and special interest groups trying to decide what's appropriate for adults?
The second line says to create a schedule for playing games with your parent (or another adult). Maybe this is a good way to teach a child to balance video games with real life responsibilities? Is that a bad idea?
How about the one about comparing game systems. Is there something wrong with having a kid do some research, to learn about something besides what it looks like, and to justify owning something beyond the fact that it stimulates your pleasure centers?
How about the ones where it encourages a kid to be social, to play with friends or god forbid to interact with their parents? Hey, remember the furor over games like Doom during the great school shooting craze? What if the parents of those kids had EVER interacted with their child and understood what they were doing with their time?
How about the one about using games to improve your math, spelling, and other academic skills? Surely this seems like a good idea to you?
What about shopping around for the best price? Maybe learning to save money, and learning how a capitalistic economy functions from a young age might be a good idea?
I'm not a boy scout, but as a gamer and a person with a brain I think you've not only purposefully overlooked the many benefits of this for the sake of making funny jokes, but you've only contributed to the intellectual laziness of youth that you are so quickly to criticize.
I'm amazed at how uninterested I am in Charlie sheens plight…let's see what's on HGTV