Children and Gaming

If you have a computer in your home or have bought your children an Xbox, PlayStation or Wii, you understand clearly how many hours your children can spend being entertained by their games. Today's children are more computer-savvy and technically astute than in any other time in history. Of course this is understandable since they have more access to computers than ever before.

When it comes to buying games and gaming equipment, the games console is generally sold as a unit with the individual video games sold separately on disk. A huge amount of competition exists between the various games console manufacturers because gaming is big business. Whenever a popular games console is due to be released it creates a buzz and a stir for months before it ever reaches our shelves. In fact, when the Wii was released in 2006 consoles were sold out in most shops the first day they hit shelves.

Online Gaming

Video games today are not what us adults remember video games to be. These days, video games can connect to the Internet so that many players can play a single game all at the same time. Children can play games against a brother or sister in their own home or they can play games and compete against players that they don't know via the Internet. When your children play a video game on a computer or console that can connect to the Internet, they can play games against other online gamers. Not only this, children can communicate with those they compete with online whether through an instant messenger type program that sits to the side of the screen or by talking with them if they own a headset with microphone.

Today's Most Popular Video Games:

Xbox 360 (various versions)
Wii (various versions)
PlayStation (various versions)
PSP (various versions)

Parental Gaming Concerns

Children of all ages play video games online. Like any repetitive activity, children soon learn the ropes of operating a games console and of reaching higher levels in the games that they enjoy. It is important for parents to monitor the games that their children play on a regular basis. Some games are sexually explicit, others are filled with violence and some allow them to interact with strangers online. To prevent young children from being exposed to these problems, most video games have a parental guidance rating on their cover. This means that when parents are buying games for children, they can check the rating to know whether or not the game is appropriate for their children.

Handling Excessive Gaming

It is possible for children to become addicted to gaming. This is a real and serious issue when it does happen. If as a parent you have worries about the amount of time your children are spending gaming, you as a parent can take charge of the console. Perhaps you can bring it out for use for a certain, limited number of hours each day. You could also implement a points system where by doing chores your children can earn gaming time.

Susan Roberts is a writer born, raised and educated in the UK. She has a degree in Psychology, and currently writes for KS Child Locate [http://www.kschildlocate.co.uk/], which is part of the KS Mobile Locate [http://www.ksmobilelocate.co.uk/] group.

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