With the incidents in Moscow, Idaho last weekend and the Virgina Tech shootings last month, I have myself asked lots of why questions lately. Is it that we are seeing too much of it on TV? According to a Harris poll, we are definitely spending too much time playing online games. My professional speaker buddy Eric Chester who speaks to corporations on employing Generation Y, wrote about kids missing in action on a beautiful day - a day he thought they should have been outside. A man named Tom Gray responded on this blog in which he gives details of a letter to the editor in the June 5th issue of PC Magazine. It appears a man wrote asking for help for his son who was addicted to Warcraft (WoW). His son, formerly a community volunteer and a twice published author (before graduating from High School), now spends 60 hours a week playing WoW online. In the process, he’s lost a girlfriend and a roommate. He’s constantly sick and about to flunk out of college.

Mr. Gray, discussed having a son who was pretty smitten with a game called Counterstrike. He says, “I can attest to the hold that these virtual environments can have on our youth (and a significant percentage of adults). They’re doing studies now that are demonstrating the physiological reaction of a gamer’s brain can exhibit the same activity levels and patterns as a heroin addict or alcoholic. With the rise of seemingly more benign online environments like SecondLife, we’re going to see more, not fewer addiction and behavioral problems arise. For all of the marvels that technology has provided, there has been a corresponding increase in the problems that it engenders.” Here are some resources courtesy of Dan Costas of PC Magazine to battle this problem — www.dailystrength.org and www.olganonboard.org. In Dan’s editorial in the April 24 issue of the magazine titled, “Turn it Off Kids”. (read this compelling article and forward it on to your friends). In it he states the need for strict parental limits on video games, and TV watching - essential if we’re going to help our children, and ourselves, replace the virtual with real life.

Reading these comments has changed some of my plans for this weekend. I’m unplugging and plan to get outside more this weekend with my kids. What about you?

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks
about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover,
increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies. He also is a leadership speaker, customer service trainer and sales motivator. For more information go to www.TimRichardson.com