ONE TV?

Anyone who knows us may be surprised that we only have ONE functional TV in our house. ONE TV?? YOU LOVE VIDEO GAMES, HAVE CHILDREN THAT LOVE VIDEO GAMES AND ONE OF YOU HAS AN ADDICTION TO NETWORK TELEVISION AND YOU ONLY HAVE ONE TV?!!!??? That's the level of surprise that this news usually creates. But yes, we only have one tv that ALL of our systems and cable box are plugged into.
HOW do we manage the needs and wants of each individual??? That may be the next question that pops into your head. Well, its simple; we SHARE. It's a radical idea in this materialistic world, but my husband, my two children and I SHARE the TV. During the work/school day it is mostly turned off, although I may occasionally have a lunch break that I'm HOME and can sneak some TV in. In the evenings after homework and before bedtime is when most of the negotiating happens. If Jeff has a video game that he's been playing, that's usually what we watch. Otherwise its cartoons for the kids. After bedtime its nearly ALWAYS Jeff's video game, unless he has school work. And on the weekends we trade off. And we don't use a timer! We've ALWAYS had ONLY ONE tv, so the kids have grown up sharing. They know to ask politely for their turn, and as adults we know to mediate appropriately. Its actually a system that works out nicely.
Your third question after learning of this ARCHAIC condition is probably "WHY??? You own every console ever made! You have three computers! Its obvious that you can AFFORD another TV! In fact EVERY ROOM IN YOUR HOME HAS A CABLE HOOK UP!" Well LONG ago when Sean was first born I was voraciously reading Parenting magazines. And in that reading I read about a study that linked tvs in bedrooms to childhood obesity and lowered GPAs. Having been a very heavy child, that is something I want to avoid AT ALL COSTS for my own children. So I became NAZI-MOM about tvs in bedrooms. Later readings would reveal studies that linked tvs in adult bedrooms to lack of sleep and poor sex drive. NO TVS IN OUR BEDROOMS EITHER. And although I was pretty heavy handed about it before, I've relaxed since. But we still have yet to move a tv into another room besides the FAMILY room. We've found that we're closer as a family, brought together by our mutual love of video games and cartoons. We've found that our kids have learned patience in a practical but useful way. And while my husband disagrees, I think our choices in video games have been subtly changed by the fact that we HAVE to play in front of the kids. I think we dont' just run out and by the newest greatest game that comes out. We think about our TIME investment, the effect it'll have on the kids. I think we've invested more time in really engaging games that the whole family can enjoy, like Little Big Planet and Katamari Damacy just because we CAN.
One TV has really brought us together as a family. I wish more people would try it.

Jeff's angle: Juri makes a wonderful argument for one TV in a household. As I think about it more, I do begin to wonder if my choices in games HAD changed since having children and having only one TV in the house. I'd like to think that I still play games that I've always wanted to play through since my kids were born. Yeah, my tastes have definitely changed over the years. I don't find first-person shooters to be as fun any more. Granted, I have still played some of them: Bioshock being the most recent example. I'm finding that action games are getting harder for me as I get older too. Of course, that doesn't stop me from playing them, or twitch music games like beatmania. Juri and I played through Bioshock at night only after the kids have gone to sleep. We have done that for other games that we don't want the kids to see as well, such as Metal Gear Solid 4 and Dead Space. I would say that most games we play in our house though are family friendly and we definitely make an informed choice about the games we buy. That choice isn't just about the kids though, it is also about the time investment. If there is anything that playing RPG's has taught me, it is that I ensure that I only play games that I ensure will be worth the time spent and that it will be something that the majority of the family can enjoy together.