Thank you! I love how my thinking of this topic has been expanded by your (and other) replies.

It’s fascinating to see how much someone can learn not just from the video games, but by researching the world behind them.

As for the crane kick, or jump front kick, it didn’t work so well in the sequel as it made the kid vulnerable to attack.

And, no, we’re not learning karate from the movies - although I would’ve loved it if this inspired the kids to want to go back to taking martial arts lessons.

In real karate, the arms are in front of the body to block as well as to punch. Held in front of the body, the arms also help with balance. Arms held out to the sides actually throw you off balance a bit.

Sherri
Advising: don’t learn karate from the movies!

To his friends and him, and to the anonymous people he plays against in MMORPGs (massive multi-player online role-playing games), the cheat codes are no longer called cheat codes. The advantage of the code knowledge comes to those willing to do the research to find them and use them properly. There are entire blogs and forums devoted to power-ups and other tricks and tips to create characters in these role-playing games and using the characters correctly with the proper powers and weapon choices to advance in the game.

My son also sees a big difference between playing against someone with a Nintendo DS or Wii, vs the online game universe. When he plays friends on the hand-held or home systems they agree on what codes to use and they share the codes and where to find out more about them. It’s the most cooperative play I’ve ever seen between males. It’s competitive and cooperative at the same time.

IMHO, it’s not cheating. It’s a separation of those willing to learn the ins and outs of the game and study the deeper context vs those not willing to do their homework.

Amazingly, with all the codes and power-ups for so many games, it’s a matter of research and homework to get the advantage, just like in real life. If you put more effort into learning the deeper stuff, you reap the rewards. If you don’t, it takes you longer to succeed, or you just might not succeed. I now see it as playing without the codes is slacking, not cheating.

BTW, the kick used in The Karate Kid is actually called the jump front kick. Every white belt (beginner) is taught how to do it before their first test for a colored belt. What makes the kick in the movie special is the kid kicks with the leg he is standing on because the other is injured, and he’s flexible enough to kick someone his own height in the face with a great deal of force.

The kick is easy to learn but very hard to perfect. Doing it that well requires a lot of discipline, practice and stretching. Learning that kick for a black belt test for example means learning to kick high with excellent form, and with great enough force to break a board. In trying to break the board, if your form is off, you will break your foot. The same happens when you fight an opponent for real. If you do the kick incorrectly you may break his noes, but you will also break your foot.

Great post and thought-provoking,
Sherri

I like what you’ve said -
“Perhaps, like in learning math, there are times where a hint in one problem might help one learn how to tackle those kinds of problems in the future. Thus, a cheat could be a tool that could enable deeper learning.”

BTW, my daughter does not use cheats if a site prohibits them or if there’s any other uncool aspect involved. And, you’re right, sharing them can foster cooperation and socializing. I’ve noticed that she enjoys helping others find helpful info for the games, even coaching them.

I appreciate your openness to looking at this from other viewpoints! I want to remain open as well.

Blessings,
Ann

I’m so glad that you are growing up to be such a smart girl with a strong sense of what’s right. And, you’re realizing that figuring things out for yourself is much better than just gettinng the solution. I’m proud of you!

LOLUV, Mom

Aren’t you over reacting a little bit??? It’s not like I’m gonna get an extra life on new super Mario bros. then go and con some guy into paying me 50 bucks for a glass of lemonade.

It’s just a video game! I use my cheats so i can get farther in the game and See what the last level is like. It’s not like I get paid every time i beat a level, (though it would be nice.)

When I am playing single player It gets a bit boring cheating all the time. I am constantly finding myself restarting a game to play it without cheats. I enjoy the satisfaction i get when i beat a game, that I don’t get when I beat it in 5 minutes due to cheats. It really depends on the cheat. I don’t feel satisfied when I choose beat all levels, but I still feel satisfied when I choose always big Mario.

When I am playing multi-player it’s a different story. I loooove beating other kids butts, with or without cheats. Of course, if i was playing pokemon with a 6 year old i wouldn’t choose 1 hit kill, but if i was battling a friend then i would.

If you always beat people they wont want to battle you anymore. I would play cheats with someone else who has cheats then it would be fair, a battle of the cheats. If I was battling someone without cheats I might cheat the first time, to surprise them but I wouldn’t continue using cheats.

I guess what I’m saying is that cheats are fine and anyone no mater how old will find out that it is no fun to always win. You don’t have to worry about us kids, we know when to stop cheating.

Your game savvy daughter with cheat know how,

Kayla