I’m the parent of three well-adjusted, mostly normal children who happen to play video games. They’re all teenagers now, but throughout their lives I’ve set very solid boundaries when it comes to video games. There’s no gaming during the week (except during holidays – I’m not a monster), while they’re free to play games on weekends – as long as it doesn’t interrupt anything we do as a family.
Apparently those sorts of boundaries aren’t all that common, and I hear horror stories from other parents about their children, who sit bleary-eyed, glued to a screen all evening. German shopping chain Aldi’s UK stores want to do something about that – but they’ve gone about it in the most misguided way imaginable. They’ve launched a campaign called Teatime Takedown whereby frustrated parents can hire a hit-squad of elite gamers to destroy their little ones in online games, forcing them to come and have dinner. Says the campaign site:
“Is gaming getting in the way of dinnertime?
Parents! Tired of your kids missing dinnertime because of computer games? Then call upon the services of an elite squad of professional gamers who will join their game online and take them down. Now they’ll have no excuse not to be at the table when dinner’s ready.”
Sure, family time is important but this is such a poorly-plotted campaign. For starters, it’s little more than cyber bullying, and also makes gaming the enemy, like it’s some sort of moustache-twirling villain.
It’s just such an incredibly out of touch, backwards campaign. Parents should be setting boundaries, and also take an interest in their children’s hobbies. Maybe play something together, instead of getting them to rage-quit after a spot of cyber bullying. It’s especially cringey, because it seems the campaigns entire reason for existing is to punt teatime recipes.
Last Updated: March 14, 2019
PoisonedBelial
March 14, 2019 at 09:14
Pffft.
Only n00bz need to get up and eat.
HairyEwok
March 14, 2019 at 09:27
I can see ex-pro players making extra cash out of this.
SagatatiaRZA
March 14, 2019 at 09:33
This doesn’t bother me for 2 reasons: 1. A German shopping chain will likely have little to no effect on the games industry. 2. 1 or 2 fewer kids in my game shouting through a R40 CNA branded headset sounds lovely.
The Big Bad Wolf
March 14, 2019 at 09:39
Okay, the cyber-bullying and ill-parenting issues aside (and they are legitmate issues), this is a very convenient way to frustrate my enemies.
HairyEwok
March 14, 2019 at 09:39
I see it as a pro team for hire. Create a league team, pay them to join the “kids” lobby, win a few matched. Earn extra league cash.
Gavin Mannion
March 14, 2019 at 09:44
Nobody asking about the invasion of privacy issues and weird stalking of kids by grown adults? You can’t just go shoot little Timmy in a game, you need to know what game, when, what his nick is, you normally need to get them to accept your friends request so you can track them down
The entire thing is weird, and it’s being played on local family friendly radio here.
Kikmi
March 14, 2019 at 10:19
guns dont kill people. Fortnite does.
?????
wtaf
Admiral Chief
March 14, 2019 at 09:19
Geoff, Nazi parent
😛
NO GAMING IN THE WEEK???!?!?! HORROR
I kid, boundaries are necessary for kids
Pariah
March 14, 2019 at 09:27
Is corporate greed getting in the way of gaming? Phone EA now… Wait no, no that’s wrong. Maybe I’ll have some tea to think about it.
HairyEwok
March 14, 2019 at 09:27
I phoned EA, before i could talk to a consultant I had to pay for the persons voice pack.
Dutch Matrix
March 14, 2019 at 09:27
Desperate times and all that…
Let’s face it: There are kids/adults out there that will waste weekends/holidays playing games and not take some time out to spend it with loved ones.
If this is what brings families of addicts back together, then I am all for it, to be honest.
There are things more important than losing yourself in a virtual world. Healthy family time is one of them.
Pariah
March 14, 2019 at 09:27
Bullying and crushing a child’s heart is not the way to do that though. There are better ways. More effective, permanent, healthy ways.
Dutch Matrix
March 14, 2019 at 09:27
If his heart is crushed because of a game, that right there is a problem then.
Pariah
March 14, 2019 at 09:27
If you’re a parent who willfully crushes your child’s heart just to get your way, there’s a bigger problem right there. Be a parent first. Maybe that way your kid would want to spend time with you.
Dutch Matrix
March 14, 2019 at 09:33
Or a kid has his priorities all screwed up in life. Games first, parents and siblings second. None of that the parent’s fault.
It’s called tough love.
Geoffrey Tim
March 14, 2019 at 09:33
Kids only get their priorities out of whack if they’re allowed to.
Dutch Matrix
March 14, 2019 at 09:58
That is true. But at some point, life happens.
As much as I am sure my parents would have loved to keep an eye on me 24/7 there was things like a job they both had to get to. I cannot blame them if I found “salvation” by pumping 20c’s into Double Dragon, later on a console and so on and so forth, or that my friend also was as much a gaming addict as I was.
But there where rules in our house. Dishes had to be done, lawns mowed and so on and so forth.
If I stepped outside of those rules, I was punished. Hell, when I tried to get out of washing dishes by telling my Mom I was taping songs from the Top 40 on Radio 5 back then, she took a knife to the radio’s power chord.
Dinner time is dinner time, or as the Brits calls it, Tea time.
It’s a rule. (And no, not all people wanting to enforce rules in a household are Satan’s testicles.)
Now either you follow the rule, spend some time with your family and have dinner with them, or you get the chord chopped off.
Or in this case, your ego bruised by getting a smack down from some experienced players.
Pariah
March 14, 2019 at 09:39
No, it’s all the parent’s fault. I dislike parents who absolve themselves of their responsibilities as a parent. It’s a job you took on, and it’s a tough one, but you opted in. Step up.
PoisonedBelial
March 14, 2019 at 09:50
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6cb8574edc2ce2713456831040846490e846aaf03e21bbe0e3a3bb0797e76393.jpg
Andrew Williams
March 14, 2019 at 12:18
Wait… you really think this will work? lol
There are so many reasons why this type of thing is not only impractical but ineffective that its hilarious. Even if everything goes off without a hitch, losing at a competitive game IS A PART OF THE GAME ANYWAY and isn’t something that makes someone automatically want to stop playing. Hell, in many cases it may push them to get back into another match as quickly as possible.
justlikemo
March 14, 2019 at 09:27
So can relate, I am pretty much the same with the kids – weekends and holidays are for gaming.
Dresden
March 14, 2019 at 09:33
Won’t losing just embolden most of these kids to “git gud”?
If this type of campaign was beneficial in any way, which it’s not, how the hell do they plan on implementing this in certain games? There’s match making algorithms in most online competitive games these days, so I fail to see how they will succeed.
This reminds me a lot of that Bully Hunters disaster from last year. Seems history is doomed to repeat itself.
Original Heretic
March 14, 2019 at 09:39
How much do I have to pay to watch the Samoan team crush a young team of rugby players?
Dresden
March 14, 2019 at 09:39
I would make a video montage of that shit and play Murder Train (from How I Met Your Mother) in the background.
Original Heretic
March 14, 2019 at 10:08
Personally, I’d go for Bodies by Drowning Pool.
Kromas
March 14, 2019 at 09:44
How are they getting around I don’t know … single player games?! 😛
WhiteRock
March 14, 2019 at 13:27
And Porn…
Kromas
March 14, 2019 at 15:06
Porn does not take hours …. helll sometimes not even a minute. 😛
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
March 18, 2019 at 14:22
NOT EVEN A MINUTE?
Kromas
March 18, 2019 at 14:22
Not even a minute…..
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
March 18, 2019 at 15:26
Is your name Barry Allen?
Kromas
March 18, 2019 at 15:39
You could say I am done in a Flash. 😛
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
March 18, 2019 at 15:40
hahahaha touche
Dresden
March 14, 2019 at 09:44
What a coincidence, Geoff. I’m also a free to play game on weekends.
RinceThis
March 14, 2019 at 10:19
FAIL
WhiteRock
March 14, 2019 at 13:27
WTF.
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
March 18, 2019 at 15:27
So basically, being a mercenary has officially become possible in the online world.
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
March 18, 2019 at 14:22
LMAO this can’t be serious? Hahahaha