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Tips for Parents of Gamers
Play with your kids; look beyond ESRB ratings
By Nick McMaster
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Posted Jul 1, 09 4:00 PM CDT
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Video games can present a real challenge to parents—banning them from the household is too harsh, but allowing children to play without restrictions can lead to unhealthy consequences. Ars Technica compiles seven pointers:
- Remember that it’s like any other parenting challenge. The easiest way to discern gaming’s positive and negative aspects is to maintain an open dialogue with your child.
- Play games with your children. This allows you to see for yourself what your kid is actually up to when he/she powers up the console.
- Look beyond ratings. Consider two games: Halo 3 and Wolverine. Both have the same rating—Mature—but Halo is firmly in the Star Wars school of de-gored action while Wolverine is an anatomically faithful, non-stop decapitation fest.
- Set limits. Like any other pastime, gaming can detract from homework, chores, and socialization.
- Be wary of online play. The danger on services like Xbox Live is not online predators, but the culture of anti-social behavior and hate speech indulged in by other kids.
Click the link for the full list.