Knot-Tying? Nah, Cub Scouts Offers Video Game Awards

April 30, 2010— -- These are not your father's Boy Scout awards.

Carpentry, campfire building and other outdoor feats might have occupied Scouts of yesteryear. But in the digital age, Boy Scouts of America wants to reward its troop members for digital deeds.

For boys interested in mastering their Nintendo Wiis, Sony PlayStations or any other gaming platforms, the organization announced that it now offers a belt loop and academic pin for video games.

"Let's be serious, most households have video games in them, and if they don't have them in their households, they're at school, they're in libraries," said Renee Fairrer, manager of public relations for the Boy Scouts of America. "They're a part of our lives."

She said the video game merit awards are for Cub Scouts (the Boy Scout program for boys 7- to 11-years-old) and are earned by kids who don't just play video games, but learn the media literacy skills related to them.

To earn the belt loop, Scouts have to learn about the video game ratings system, play a parent- or teacher-approved game and create a schedule that includes chores, homework and game playing. Scouts trying for the pin must install a gaming system, learn to comparison shop and complete other educational tasks.

Fairrer said pins and belt loops reward Cub Scouts for developing a range of interests, from photography and pet care to various sports and science.

The video game awards aren't meant to create couch potatoes, but rather to help kids and parents learn to create healthy guidelines and critical thinking skills related to video gaming, she said.

"We realize kids are interested," Fairrer said. "When it comes to video games, we want to make sure parents have tools and a full understanding of how best to integrate [them] into their households."

But the new awards have left some former Boy Scouts shaking their heads in dismay.

"Being a Boy Scout is about getting outdoors, it's about being in the woods with your friends and building campfires," said Christian Marino, 24, a Home Depot manager in Emerson, N.J. "It's not about sitting at home playing video games."