In this digital era, video games are an inevitable part of our every day entertainment and learning. It is important to know how parents guide video games for their children so that the games don’t become an obsession. The glaring negative effects of gaming have sent an ominous signal to all parents. This includes mental distraction causing

the children to prioritize gaming over lessons, lesser outdoor time (which leads to lesser exercises causing greater obesity), age inappropriate behavior due to the constant exposure to aggression seen in video games, addictive behavior etc.

There are good tools and resources that parents can rely to be informed about the games. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating system guides parents on how age appropriate the content of video is. Theclassification has the following categories: Early Childhood (EC) for 3

and older, Everyone (E) for content suitable for 6 years and older, Everyone 10+ with content for 10 and older, Teen (T) for 13 and older, Mature (M) for ages 17 and older, Rating Pending (RP) for non-classified games and Adults Only (AO) for 18 years and older.
At Microsoft the makers of the gaming console, there is good advice imparted to parents to avoid the harmful repercussion. Following simple principles would make new-age parents guide video games for their children in an effective way. Comfortable posture while playing, taking a break regularly during gaming, maintaining a balanced

lifestyle by restricting the hours of play, choosing age appropriate games for children and setting parental controls will go a long way in making our children enjoy gaming and not get hooked to it. Playing games can be hazardous to some causing discomfort on hands, arms, shoulders. Some of them experience pain, numbness, throbbing and stiffness too. In these cases a health professional’s advice has to be sought as early as possible.

Xbox 360 Family settings allow parents to control access to children. Securing the content with a password or PIN helps. Parents can restrict video content based on the ESRB rating. While using Xbox live where they interact with online community parents can seal the child’s communication via the video, conceal the child’s profile and restrict the child’s exposure to online content.

Raising children has become challenging today with many instances of cyber bullying and parents have to take corrective measures and know how parents guide video games. Stay informed and involved, secure content, communicate to children and enjoy. Parenting, like gaming is indeed a fun!