No Code To Computer Games.

The language of modern gaming leaves a lot to be desired.

A whole plethora of violent video games has been, and is being played by teenagers the world over. Best sellers it seems and I find that rather sad. There are much nicer things to fill a young and fertile mind with. Blood, guts, gore and bad language isn't one of them.

If you listen to school kids talking among themselves, you'd be surprised at the swear words they've included in their conversation. Some might have been gleaned from parental sources but most have come from games.

In our neck of the woods, the teens are just like any other and have got a library full of video games. Whereas ordinary English vocabulary seems hard to remember, choice swear words tend to literally fall out of them. Often I wonder if they actually know what it means, as these words are in English.

It puzzled me for a while trying to align the individual parents with their offspring's bad swear words until I realized that the main source came from adult computer games.

What makes an education? Nowadays, parents try so hard to provide the best for their children, yet, the most important part of it seems pushed into the background.

More than knowledge ( unless you are a genius of your field ) what impresses most are manners, diction and deportment in social situations. Especially for girls. Like it or not, men can get away with more bad language but on the other hand, I wouldn't like to have an arsenal of bad words at my disposal. Of course I have heard them and know them, but I choose not to use them.

You don't need to tell me that I am very old fashioned, although the argument that choice language is used and almost part of normal conversation by most, doesn't convince me. Remember that old parental stricture:

" Just because everyone else does it, doesn't mean you have to do it. "

In the decades to come, the main advantage to be had ( mere education won't distinguish from other job applicants ) is social dexterity...not what you say, but how you say it.

Biggi