As my kids get older, their interest in gaming has continues to grow and change. Even though I consider myself a fairly active gamer (not quite hardcore but moreso than the everyday social gamer), I think it is important as a parent to learn more about the world my kids are exploring.
I happened to stumble onto an ebook called "The Modern Parents Guide to Kids and Gaming." Written by a professional in the gaming industry, this book encourages parents to consider the positives of games for kids and how to embrace the gaming world alongside your kids. Primarily focused on parents who might not be gamers themselves, there is still plenty of great information, suggestions, and resources for the more invested gaming parent.
Far too often, we hear about how bad video games are for kids - citing research into brain and social development, so it was a nice change to get information about the benefits that game can offer. The author takes some time to tackle the major concerns head on, especially the ideas of increased violence, addiction, health, and online safety. (In fact, there were a few times that I felt he might have repeated himself on these arguments.) In opposition, he presents all the good things that have come because of games.
His practical ideas surrounding setting ground rules are terrific, as are his suggestions for parents to be involved with their kids' gaming life - asking questions, joining in, and being genuinely interested to know more. There are explanations on how games are rated, basics of gaming lingo if you aren't familiar with it, how to handle conflicts with your kids over gaming, and explaining the differences between kinds of games (and why kids find them enjoyable). I love the ideas of thinking like gamer in order to help prevent arguments. Let's face it - which of us would like to have to hard-crash a game after hours without a save point just because our time was up? It was a great reminder to me when dealing with my boys and their time limits.
There were several great extras - such as a whole section all about girls in the gaming world and what kinds of games they like, especially how they don't care if a package is pink and girly. I loved that. It's ok for girls to like games that aren't marketed to them explicitly! Yay! The back of the book also has recommended links and gaming sites. As the book isn't exactly new, some of these are sadly obsolete, but still a great tool to have.
If you are a parent with kids who are interested in gaming, I'd say snag it and read it. It's insightful, useful, and a handy reference to have.
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Written by: Lisa Marie Fletcher is a Canadian, homeschooling mom of 4 boys,
and wife to a man in the golf industry. She keeps herself (extra) busy
by blogging at The Canadian Homeschooler, reading, and doing other miscellaneous
design work. She loves to game - and spends many an evening playing
Final Fantasy XI online with her hubby.
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