I was one of those people who, when I was still single and childless, would look with concern at kids who seemed to spend all their out of school hours glued to a gaming system. I'd read the news reports of kids playing these violent games with so much inappropriate sexual content and imagery and utter the only appropriate kind of oath, "my kids will NEVER play video games!" Now fast forward a few million parenting years (15 years on your calendar) and our house is full of gaming consoles, controllers, handheld systems and PC gamer accounts. Is it a case of kids ruling the roost or did I gain some kind of insight over the years? Could it also be caused by lack of sleep and infrequent adult forms of communication? Possibly.
I'd like to think it was a gradual realization that gaming is FUN! Gaming can also be highly educational, can promote good hand eye coordination, can develop critical thinking skills. Rather than causing my children to form permanent butt dents in a basement couch, it's proven to be a highly social activity, since we often host their classmates in gaming afternoons. Or my son will be online or on the phone coaching other kids in "beating the game" or "making it to the next level". And there's no doubt it's enabled my kids to endure lengthy plane trips as a good entertainment alternative to the in-flight movie. Gaming can also be an effective reward for getting your kids to accomplish important goals. Even removing it as a form of recreation can be helpful as part of a "behavioral modification program" (others might call it "punishment.")
Your decision as to whether or not to include gaming as a recreational option in your home is highly personal. At least you have the ratings system as a terrific parenting tool if you choose to use it. Too often parents rely on each other to know what games are appropriate. My kids will say, "I played it at Susie's house" thinking I'll assume it's rated for their age. But I check! I'll also check to see what parents like me are saying about the game. That is also easy to do. So here are a few online resources to help you pick games, reject games or just bolster your speaking points when explaining your decisions to your child.
Whattheyplay - this site provides extensive editorial reviews and parent comments about every game possible. You will find information about all the platforms, the latest games, blogs, contests and newsletters to keep your level of education about kids and gaming high. There's a contest running right now to win a FREE PC and access to a new Sony game, Free Realms. It's meant for teens and tweens and if you do play it, let me know what you think! Sign up for the contest and you can download a FREE Parents gaming guide, "Let The Kids Game! The Good News About Video Games." They quoted me a few times in it.
Entertainment Ratings Service Board (ESRB) - these are the folks who actually create the ratings our games carry. You may notice them as the solid "T for Teen" or "M for Mature" ratings shown on the boxes or the online sites. Find out more about the ratings, what they mean and how you should use them. They also have a free parents' guide on the site, theirs is co-authored with the PTA.
Gamerdad - this site began from a single parent's passion to share his love of video and computer gaming with his own children. It's turned into a great community site where adults and kids share their opinions about every aspect of games, give advice on appropriate games for ages or types of kids. I've used it to vet games I was going to purchase for birthdays or holidays, situations where I don't want to ask my child's opinion. The host, Andrew Bub, also writes for a number of tech and parenting magazines, including the WhatTheyPlay site.