The other day I went to check in on my 10-year-old during her screentime. She was playing Goat Simulator on her Switch. She was also watching Gravity Falls on her iPad. Other times she just watches people play video games. I get it. It’s my role, to not understand my kids’ media habits. And, as a parent, it’s also my job to worry about my kids’ screentime. Maybe you don’t worry. Maybe you’re at one end of the spectrum or the other – like either have at it, kids! Or you set limits with the iron fist of nurturing boundaries. But most of us, I think, can’t help but worry about what it does to their attention spans to be streaming TV while playing a video game. 

My 10-year-old does have limits on screens. For my teenager, the limits eroded over the years. I really don’t know how much to worry about it. I want them to get outside, talk to real people, look at the sky, touch trees, experience the wonder and boredom of the analog world. But I’m not trying to be a Luddite. Maybe I’ve never been that into video games, but I realize they can offer rich, complex narrative experiences. And, you know, fun. I hear people like that, too.

There might even be things that video games offer that are just too hard to access in the contemporary world otherwise. I don’t know, the adrenaline rush of being chased by a wild boar. Quests to find treasure, even if in reality it was about potable water rather than a chest of gold. Or to prove yourself to a community. I’m trying to acknowledge the value of video games, but clearly I’m still a little skeptical about their importance for humanity. And yes, I do realize I’m saying all this on a podcast. Side note, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “podcast” first appeared in English in 2004. Decades after video games. 

I just want my kids to spend more time outside.

Anyway. In the midst of all this, I heard about someone who’s working on video games to support girls. That’s great. And she’s also working on video games for another group that hasn’t traditionally had games made for them.

In the video for her company, Parrot Concepts, she hesitates before saying what they’re trying to solve is a…problem. But she goes ahead and says it. And defends it. By the end of our conversation, I was ready to agree. There’s a real problem, and video games for parrots are going to help.

Credits

Inner States is produced and edited by me, Alex Chambers. Our associate producer is Dom Heyob. Our master of social media is Jillian Blackburn. Our intern is Karl Templeton. We get support from Eoban Binder, Natalie Ingalls, LuAnn Johnson, Sam Schemenauer, Payton Whaley, Lisa Robbin Young and Kayte Young. Our Executive Producer is Eric Bolstridge.

Our theme song is by Amy Oelsner and Justin Vollmar. We have additional music from the artists at Universal Production Music.

I also want to give a shoutout to Lydia Norton and Betsy Leija. Their interview with Patricia on the IU Media School’s I’m No Expert podcast is how I found out about her love of parrots and parrot games.