Astronaut? Rock star? No, boys dream of designing video games
ALMOST one in three Irish boys want to be a video game designer when they grow up – beating traditional dream jobs such as fireman, astronaut and actor.
A new study reveals that 30% of boys aged between six and 12 said they want a career in video games, which is, perhaps, unsurprising as almost half of the children cited playing video games as their favourite pastime.
But it’s not all about sedentary activities for the tech-savvy generation, as 45% said they want to follow in the footsteps of rugby hero Brian O’Driscoll and MMA champion Conor McGregor by carving out a career as a ‘professional sports star’.
But some of the more traditional jobs like becoming teachers, doctors, nurses and vets still dominate the wish list, according to the survey carried out on behalf of Calpol.
The difference in career ambitions between boys and girls is ‘telling’, according to the Millward Brown study, as it appears that girls are ditching tutus in favour of the classroom.
‘All girls don’t dream of becoming ballerinas and princesses any more,’ the report says. ‘Growing up to become a teacher ranks as the number one future career fantasy for 33% of girls with a healthy number also wanting to pursue more traditional careers like becoming a doctor, 23%, and nurse 22%.’
The arts are well represented among girls with one in four wanting to become a singer and one in five wanting to pursue an acting career.
The study found that more than double the amount of children preferred to play indoors than outdoors, as 42% cited computer games as their favourite activity. Just 18% said they like ‘chasing and running games’.
Traditional games like Lego and jigsaws rank lower with just 8% of the boys and girls quizzed saying they like to spend time with puzzles.
One in four said ‘not doing their homework’ is what they clash most with parents about, and 38% said they are told off for fighting with siblings.
Almost 60% said the worst thing about being a child is homework, while almost one in ten said it’s ‘being forced to eat vegetables’.
The study also found that soccer is one of the most popular sports with 36% saying they like to play it while just 9% favoured Irish dancing.
A visit to Disneyland tops children’s wishlists. Indeed, ‘some 29% of kids say it would be their biggest childhood regret if they didn’t get to go to Disneyland when they’re a child.’
The survey was commissioned by Calpol makers Johnson and Johnson as part of its Let Kids Be Kids campaign. A spokesman said: ‘The research is refreshing and affirming; clearly children today are having the time of their lives, their dreams are full of optimism and happiness.’
Girls don’t want to be ballerinas
A NEW survey shows that many boys want to be video game designers when they grow up. Indeed, it’s the second most popular choice of career after professional athlete. Children clearly realise that the tech industry is where the jobs of the future lie.
They may never achieve their goal, though, unless we take urgent action to introduce computer coding to the curriculum at the earliest possible stage, in primary school. It is just as important a language for today’s children to learn as Irish, French or German.