On: Children are suffering a severe deficit of play

[LaGrange]

I don't. The kids who went into fighting games, though, I do judge as such. Especially when there was little other for fun (seriously, I dunno, maybe my memory is better, but the legendary playing areas were actually dull, grey, boring, and we tend to remember the few cases where we tried to break the bleak and ended up injured).

[jlgreco → LaGrange]

"The kids who went into fighting games, though, I do judge as such."

Where "fighting games" includes snowball fights? Seriously, that is all kids above the mason-dixon line (and I assume kids in the south have some equally harmless equivalent. Water-balloon fights probably.)

[LaGrange → jlgreco]

As an occasional, friendly and with warning and consent? Nah, sure, that might be friendly teasing. Even sporadical exceptions, nobody's perfect.

As a staple of entertainment? Yeah. People can be very, very mean using just plain old boring snowballs.

[jlgreco → LaGrange]

I think Tichy is right. There is no reason to harshly judge kids who regularly enjoy snowball fights, water balloon fights, water noodle fights, etc. You are making these things out to be hazing or something.

[paulhauggis → LaGrange]

I grew up in the 80s and in my neighborhood, played these games all the time with the neighborhood kids.

We would have Acorn fights, snowball fights, and water balloon fights.

Were some kids singled out? It might have happened once-in-awhile (including me), but this always happens with any group of kids.

[Tichy → LaGrange]

I don't think anybody advocates bullying, or that nobody should ever check up on kids. If they get into bullying, that is a problem and should be adressed. I don't agree that fighting games in general lead to bullying, though.