Gaming, The Benefits and The Harms

The video game sector is the fastest growing entertainment industry and second only to music in profitability. The industry’s future looks even brighter thanks to technological advances that have made the latest generation of games incredibly realistic, with images approaching motion picture quality.

Despite the huge influence of video games on youth culture, there is not much research available in this area. This lack of scrutiny means that we know little about the effects that video games have on children’s development and socialization. While video games have many positive aspects, parents should be aware of the issues related to this highly interactive form of entertainment.

What’s good about video games?

Good-quality video games offer many benefits. They can

• provide a fun and social form of entertainment;

• encourage teamwork and cooperation when played with others;

•make kids feel comfortable with technology—particularly important for girls, who don’t use technology as much as boys;

• increase children’s self-confidence and self-esteem as they master games;

• develop skills in reading, math, and problem-solving; and

• improve eye–hand coordination and fine motor skills.

Managing video game-playing in the home

Studies show that parents rarely play video games with their children and have little knowledge of the themes, characters or ratings of the games their kids play. Your children are much more likely to follow your advice if you show them you are genuinely interested in their video game playing.

 Become involved

• Choose video games for young children. Look for games that don’t contain violence or stereotyping. Talk to other parents for advice and suggestions of good games.

• Check the rating on a game before renting or buying it.

• Talk to your children as they get older about the games they like. Accompany them when they buy or rent games.

• Sit down and play with your children, particularly if they have a new game and you’re unsure of its content. (Be aware that some games are designed to become more violent as the game progresses—be prepared to invest time in playing new games with your children.)

• Situate your computer or video game console in a public area of your house so that you can monitor what your children are playing.

• Restrict access to violent games.

• Visit your local video store and put restrictions on your account that will prevent your children from renting or buying games that are rated for older players. (Most stores will honour such a request. If they don’t follow through, find a more cooperative, family-friendly store.)

Discuss video game content

• Talk to your children from a young age about why you find certain video game content objectionable. Most teens will play video games with violent or sexist content from time to time, so it’s unrealistic to ban them outright. However, if you talk to your teens about why you find certain games offensive, they will respect your feelings, and hopefully they will carry your values with them even when they play games away from home.

Control the amount of time your children spend playing video games

• Don’t ban game-playing outright—it is an important part of children’s social lives, particularly for boys.

• Establish rules for how much time per day your children can play games and stick to the rules.

• If you put limits on how long a gaming session can last, keep in mind that many games take a certain amount of time to finish.

• Remember that while a new game will completely consume your children, the novelty will pass and other pursuits will eventually hold more appeal.

Encourage other activities

• Do whatever is necessary to encourage and support your child’s participation in other activities. If your child doesn’t seem to be interested in anything other than video games, try a tie-in to one of his or her favourite games. If your son prefers fantasy role-playing games, for example, you might encourage him to read books with fantasy themes.

Control video game spending

• Video games, consoles and online video game subscriptions are expensive. Keep costs down by renting or borrowing games and consoles.

Take action on video games

Approach your local video store and ask the manager to do the following:

• Separate the adult-rated violent games from the kid-friendly ones.

• Display information about the Entertainment Software Rating Board ESRB rating system.

• Provide reviews of video games.

Approach your local video arcade and ask the manager to do the following:

• Rate the games.

• Restrict minors from playing games meant for adults.

• Ban ultraviolent games.

Approach other parents and do the following:

• Start an anti-media-violence campaign in your community.

• Organize a parent–media awareness group at your school.

• Provide information about the Media Awareness Network (www.media-awareness.ca) and the Network’s video game Weblink (http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/video_games/choosing_videogames.cfm).

Choosing video games for your children

Think about your children’s interests when looking for games.

Think about your children’s interests when looking for games.

• Ask your children what kind of games they are interested in playing: sports, fantasy or strategy-style games.

• Talk to other parents to obtain advice and suggestions for appropriate games. Read gaming magazines and consult game review sites for parents on the Internet. Try the game first by borrowing or renting it. Ask for an in-store demo and make sure you can return the game if you are not satisfied with the content.

• Find games that have the appropriate ESRB rating for your child’s age. But be aware that even games with the seemingly benign "Everyone" rating can still contain violence.

• Look for games that involve two players, to encourage cooperative play and to make game-playing a social activity. Look for games that are challenging and exciting without being violent. Video game manufacturers create violent games to satisfy children’s need to feel powerful and in control. Try to find games that offer children thrills and the chance to experience control in a non-violent way.

• Find games that require strategy and problem-solving skills. If they have an educational component, that’s a bonus.

• Choose games for girls that have strong, non-stereotypical female characters.

• Video games are expensive—make sure the game has good play value before you buy.