Don’t Tell Kids to “pause” Their Online Games
I’ll make a scene: Your child is playing an online multiplayer game on their tablet, computer, or other electronic device. It’s also time for lunch, or you need their help with something, or they have chores. But , they plead, they are in the middle of the game; Can’t they finish first ? One dad went viral for arguing that yes, they should be allowed to finish their game – and he’s right. Because, as many parents may not understand, these online games are live, cannot be paused, and the players rely on each other.
TikTok user @billyvsco (ideal name is “TikTok’s Teen Daddy”) offers an explanation and pleads with parents to loosen up the “do what I say when I say it” mentality in old parenting, at least when it comes to online play:
As he says in the video:
Parents, let me explain something very quickly, in case you don’t know everything. Online Games? It’s like she was playing a real game and I made her say, “Mr. Judge, can you pause the game quickly? And let me come over here and take out the trash, and let all of her teammates fall.
With online games, it’s the same thing. You cannot pause online play and she has teammates she will let down if you just ask her to take out the trash right now when we know trash can wait 10-15 minutes, or how long is this online game beret.
These games take place in real time, and children are usually in some kind of team with other players; if they leave before the end of the game, they are likely to put their teammates in a more dangerous situation. They don’t want to be abandoned this way, and they don’t want to give them up. No, it’s not exactly the same as being kicked out in the middle of the third quarter of a basketball game, but it’s still a competitive activity among children who have built a camaraderie with each other and work together to achieve a goal.
Of course, there are caveats: they should ask politely and respectfully to finish. (If you tell me, “No, I’ll do it after I’m done with this game,” this game starts right now.) And they need to stick to their end of the deal. (When the game is ready, do what I asked you to do, otherwise I won’t be so flexible next time.)
This is not the case with a child running the show; this is an example of a parent showing respect and patience for another person who is doing something important to them – and this is always a good lesson.