European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 11, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Home front warning this video game May threaten  Baltimore Sun you went out and bought your kids an electronic game system and now they a rather play than do their Homework. They delay bedtime race away from the dinner table and talk incessantly about the Mario Brothers Princess Zelda and the Tetras Wall. The squeaks and beeps the zaps and squeals and monotonous melodies from the computer game set Are driving you nutty. Are the games making your youngsters crazy too that seems to depend on what they play and whom you ask. Psychologist author John Rosemond of Gastonia n.c., says he so a voice crying in the wilderness As he describes the games As a addictive a a stress inducing and a often leading to explosions of  the addictive Quality is in the inducement to play a game at increasing Levels of difficulty he says. A the games have built in a scoring system with no end when the child has achieved a skill level then he is no longer satisfied he has to achieve the next skill level and when he does is no longer satisfied. He becomes obsessed by exceeding it. This appears to me to be similar in process to becoming addicted to a chemical  hundreds of parents have written to him with a horror stories of children who developed behaviour problems after playing video games he says. Nevertheless he readily admits there Are no scientific studies of the effects of video games and that most health professionals do not share his View. Some health professionals in fact see addiction and behaviour problems in game playing children As symptomatic of other problems within the family. While they do not generally believe children should sit in front of the tube All Day they done to blame the game when youngsters do. A i think to a Large degree the problem depends on the child the age of the child the developmental level of the child a says or. Alex Wein Trob a child psychologist in new York. A if the task of the child is to develop social relationships and the child is spending the Day in the House with the game then it is beginning to  but that a not the fault of the game Weintrob adds. A my feeling is that it is unfair to place the Burden on the game and More fair to attribute the behaviour to difficulties within the family. In most families the Parent will say a turn off the game a and unless there arc difficulties in the family the kid will turn it  a i think there is a potential for kids to get hooked on electronic games says James Mcgee director of psychology at Sheppard Pratt Hospital in Baltimore. A but the extent to which it becomes a really big problem depends on other factors. A child who is in a stable family where the parents can set limits on the child a behaviour and enforce those limits where the child is doing reasonably Well in school and the parents take an interest in what the child does a i done to think it poses a greater risk than any other Hobby a kid might  there have however been accounts of problems that seem at first glance to be More troublesome. For instance a recent article in the journal of the american Academy of child and adolescent psychiatry reported the Case of a 12-year-old boy who was stealing Money and cutting school so he could play is. Pac Man in a video Arcade. But this was a youngster with a big strict physically abusive father. The psychiatrist concluded that the boys addiction to the game was a a successful adaptive response that took him away from the turmoil at Home and gave him a outlet for his own feelings of  and frustration. But what about the violence of the games an analysis of 180 Nintendo games showed 70 percent were a very High in violence a says Brian Sullivan director of television research at the National coalition on to violence. He says several studies have shown that children exhibited an increase in aggressive behaviour after playing violent video games. Sullivan a advocacy group endorses some video games such As a jeopardy Quot a wheel of Fortune Quot and a tet risk but opposes others such As the various super Mario Bros and Zoldas a Duck Hunt a a double dragon and a teenage mutant ninja  feedback what things would you like to see More of at local Post exchanges pvt. Barbara Flowers 45 the finance Section Kaiserslautern Germany More up to Date clothes and More up to Date shoes. They re always out of Stock in average size shoes. Pvt 2 Nelson a a Dion Donovan 4th in 3rd Field arty 2nd army div fwd Karlstedt Germany a better Beer selection. And maybe a Little More variety in clothes because if you buy anything everyone else on Post has it too. Sgt Michael Dannelly 524th Maint co Kaiserslautern Germany a Little Competition reducing the monopoly of cafes. There a no sense in Selling expensive watches. They Cater to higher paid individuals staff sgt. Kasey Cates 3rd in 66th Armor 2nd army div fwd Karlstedt Germany my wife wishes there were a better selection of women a clothes but in a Fine. There a really nothing i want More of. In a easy to please. Pat Howard 527th military intelligence in Munich Germany id like to Sec a better variety.  have one item and it will be High Quality but there wont be any alternative to that at the time. Compiled by stars and stripes staff november 11,1990 sunday to plus c Page 15