Video games can be a resource to entertain like Joker Game and learn different skills and concepts, as long as they are used in an appropriate way and we know how to choose the right games for their age and interests.
Keeping children away from the screens will not only be a fruitless task in a matter of time, but it can be counterproductive and we would limit an emerging cultural space in which they will develop throughout their lives, in the same way that we do now.
The key so that video games do not monopolize our children is to control the game, time and company. Let’s see some simple tips to make playing with the machines a pleasant and beneficial activity .
Let’s set a schedule for the use of video games. It can be on weekends, an hour in the afternoon … You can also make the schedule more flexible, for example on vacation, but it is important that they know when they can play or that they do not get used to it being a resource always at hand (it is easy to be tempted to play continuously).
Let’s offer alternatives to the machines. Although playing can be very educational, it must be combined with other different activities , outdoor games, traditional games, readings …
Let’s avoid playing alone . Fortunately there is an increasing offer of machines to play in company, let’s take advantage of those opportunities, but if they are individual games we can be with them to see how they develop, comment on the plays, ask them if they share the game …
Playing with family, friends, and in a common place in the house (not alone in the room) would be the best way to avoid the isolation that video games sometimes lead to.
Let’s exploit games that invite movement . Companies have started to launch video games and platforms that encourage exercise, to fight against sedentary lifestyle and play as a family, to avoid problems such as obesity and sedentary lifestyle for players. Consoles like the Wii ensure that we can move in front of the screens.
Parents should catch up on video games, know what our children talk about, try games … it will help us get closer to our children while discovering the most appropriate content and their tastes and interests.
To buy the right video game, we should know what the symbols that appear on the covers mean to classify them and thus choose the right one for the age of our children. Here is the PEGI system , the Pan-European Gaming Information age rating system that was established in 2003 to help parents decide on video games.
We fully recall the decalogue for a responsible and informed purchase of video games , to be taken into account when visiting the store, and also for family members who are going to give a game to the child.
Among the appropriate games for the little ones, they can choose the one they prefer, as there will always be certain equally suitable themes on which they lean. Although variety must also be sought so that not all games are of the same type, structure, content, format …
Controlling a controller can provide children with varied skills and reflexes, but it is also that there is an increasing offer of pedagogical games that invite them to learn languages, vocabulary, social behaviors, history, mathematics … So we must not alienate our children of these games, but make them grow up with them to become responsible adults who make good use of this entertainment.
With these simple tips we will make video games an educational and fun resource without becoming an element of risk that affects the visual health of our children, their body mass or their behavior or their social relationships.
