A mother whose children can spend up to 50 hours a week playing video games told her kids have ‘temper tantrums’ when she switches off their consoles.
Lisa Martin, 42, from North London appeared on This Morning today with her 16-year-old son Romario where she told that her two sons ‘scream and slam doors’ if they’re told they can’t play games, and says she’s often shocked at the ‘anger’ the games can bring out.
The mother admitted that while she would rather her children spent less time playing games, it’s ‘bittersweet’ because she would rather her children were ‘safe’ at home than in the ‘outside world’.
When asked how long her children spend on their consoles, she said: ‘A week day, we’re probably looking at five to six hours. A weekend – ten hours plus. It’s a lot of hours.’
Lisa Martin appeared on This Morning today with her 16-year-old son Mario, who can spend up to 50 hours a week playing video games
Mario, who often plays games Fifa and Fortnite, although sometimes his ‘eyes are red’ after playing so long, the ‘competition’ between him and pals encourages him to keep playing
‘If it’s either time for bed or time for dinner, they have selective hearing. They don’t hear me, they won’t pause the game because it’s live.
‘So then temper tantrums, the screaming and shouting, doors slamming. It’s anger, it brings out anger that’s like, “Wow, a game can actually make you this upset”.’
Mario, who often plays games Fifa and Fortnite, said that although sometimes his ‘eyes are red’ after playing for so long, the ‘competition’ between him and pals encourages him to keep playing.
He said: ‘It’s the satisfaction really. Competition between my friends other people around the world. There’s times my eyes are red and hurting.’
The mother admitted that while she would rather her children spent less time playing games, it’s ‘bittersweet’ as she’s rather her children were ‘safe’ at home than in the ‘outside world’
She told that her sons ‘scream and slam doors’ if they’re told they can’t play games and says she’s often shocked at the ‘anger’ the games can bring out
When quizzed on why he and his siblings become so angry when games are taken away from them, he told that he’s often enraged after coming ‘so close to winning’ and confessed he even punched a wall after losing a game.
‘He said: ‘The fact you come so close to winning and then stupid little mistakes happen, this obviously in the past, but when I was very new I punched a wall.’
When asked whether staying up late gaming affected his school work, he went on: ‘Yeah of course, this probably occurred more last year.
‘With GSCEs, I can’t be on it as much, but my younger brother is terrible. As soon as I come home, he’s still got his uniform, he’s on it constantly screaming.’
When asked why the mother simply didn’t ban games all together, she said: ‘It is a little bit bittersweet. Because as much as I moan about them being on the game, they’re in their home playing the game.
However, viewers weren’t convinced by Lisa’s methods, and claimed that despite their reactions, she should switch of the consoles no matter how much her children moan about the choice
‘I’d rather them be playing the game than in the outside world. They still get to communicate with their friends so they have a social life.’
However, viewers weren’t convinced by Lisa’s methods, and claimed that despite their reactions, she should switch off the consoles no matter how much her children moan about the choice.
One said: ‘Here’s an idea, take it off them. I took my sons tablet off him and now he no longer moans to go on it. Parents let them play for an easy life. Turn the wifi off!’
‘Turn the internet off! I’d take the router with me to bed and elsewhere so they don’t have internet access! #ThisMorning’, commented another.
A third said: ‘My son is on a daily timer monitored on my phone. Has a list of jobs after school/weekends before he goes on games. Too much giving in from parents for a quiet life, I’ve been guilty of this unfortunately!’
