If the headlines are to be believed, video games will be the death of us all. They're to blame for everything from negligent driving to murder, rape and the general degradation of society itself.
Yet, parents are told by study after study that video games can be great learning tools, enticing kids to reach out, explore and most importantly imagine.
So, what's right and what's not? Are video games good for our children or are they tools of the devil?
You'll get all kinds of answers to that question. But, since I'm the one writing this piece, I'll give you mine. I'm not going to tell you to rush out and buy Grand Theft Auto for your child, but I won't tell you not to either.
What I will recommend is taking the time to check out games in advance of your children playing them, and to make judgment calls based on your beliefs in regard to what is appropriate.
It is my opinion that video games can be fantastic learning tools for children (and adults) of all ages. They can challenge the mind and the imagination. They can make learning fun for early learners and they can encourage older children to strive to do better. They can enhance eye-hand coordination and inspire youngsters to improve skills of all sorts from writing and mathematics to communication and beyond.
The key to finding the right games to do this, however, involves applying a little common sense. Not all video games are necessarily appropriate for children and even some adults for that matter. If quality is a concern, it's your job as a parent to screen titles in advance and make sure your kids are playing the kinds of games you want them to play. Ratings are a great tool to use as a guide, but if you've ever actually watched some of the movies or played some of the games that pass the muster for a kid-friendly rating, I'm willing to bet you've found at least one or two you didn't agree with. And, that's your right as a parent.
So, what's a parent to do?
Here are some things I find useful in locating games for my children to play:
- Know your child. It's important to have a good understanding of what your child is capable of. Whether it's a game for fun or it's an educational title designed to help them improve their reading, math or even writing skills, if the game's too easy, they'll lose interest. If it's too hard, they'll get discouraged. If you can target their current level and pick a game that's just above it, you'll give them something to strive for. A little challenge is a great thing; an impossible one can be discouraging and cause them to quit or give up.
- Use ratings and reviews as reference material. These are not gospel and they're not always perfect. In defense of raters and reviewers, they cannot (and neither can I) speak to what would be right for your child. They can give you a good rule of thumb and let you know if a game is geared to a basic level or has certain traits that some parents might find undesirable, such as violence or nudity, but that's all they can (or should) really do. Moral judgments belong in the parents' hands.
- Play the games. Check out the games yourself. Find out for yourself what the games involve. This is, hands down, the best way to find an ideal game for a child.
- Supervise your children while they're playing. Whether it's a title for pure enjoyment or an educational game that requires an 8-year-old to spell her way through an adventure, it's a very good idea to keep an eye on what's going on. Don't take over, but keep an eye out for anything that might seem inappropriate or even to make sure a task isn't too difficult for them to handle. Supervision is especially important when a child's on the Internet.
Anyone who has visited Igniq in the last little while knows I'm a parent of two daughters and an avid gamer. I'm also an opponent of government censorship and video game laws. I believe it's a parent's right to decide what is right or wrong for their own children. But, I also believe it's an awesome responsibility that parents should take seriously. Parental control only works if we exercise that right.
Take the time to check out the games you buy before giving them to your children, or at the very least play along with them. This goes for 6-year-olds or 16-year-olds. If you invest a little time in their play time, you'll find the outcome can be amazing.
Related:
Study finds no link between video games and aggression
EA Announce "Teaching With Games" Study
New Study on Gaming in the U.S.
Parents don't care for game-ratings
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