With the increase of available gaming systems, the debate is becoming more and more heated about whether or not to allow our children to play video games. I think the true key is moderation, just as will everything else. If your child is doing their school work, getting in enough physical activity and having a social life, then they should be allowed to play video games. However there should be some guidelines.

Limit the time

Your child should only be allowed to play video games for 30-60 minutes in a single 24 period. If you also let them have television time, it should not be more than 60 minutes total for both. The best way to ensure they are not going over their time limit is to set a timer. You might want to use the timer or alarm setting on your cell phone if it has one, so that your child cannot mess with the time. If the time is up and they are at a critical stage in the game – maybe about to make it the next level or earn whatever they are trying to earn – only allow more time if you are going to stand there and watch them turn it off once they have achieved the goal and saved it – and still no more than five more minutes.

Monitor What They Are Playing

You really should be paying attention to the content rating system used by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (you can view the specifics on ersb.org). These ratings tell you who the game is appropriate from EC (early childhood) all the way up to AO (adults only). They also give you an idea of the content of the game which has resulted in the given rating – for example it might have comic mischief (slapstick) or crude humor (potty jokes) or there might be partial nudity all the way up to strong sexual situations. This is all very similar to the rating system used to rate movies, so read the large rating as well as the reasons, which must be located on both the front and the back of the package.

Select the Get Up and Move Versions

There are couple of different gaming systems with components that require your full body involvement to play a game. These are great ways to allow your child to play their video games and get their physical activity in. These are especially great when the weather is preventing outdoor physical activity. And with the popularity of these types of games, come more variety in the games themselves. It started out as actual workout programs (which is great for mom and dad) but not so fun for the kiddos. But now you can find games that actual competitive activities that just require actual movement to play.

Might Not Be as Bad as We Thought

A recent study actually found some benefits to playing video games regularly. A study of young adults aged 18-25 showed that those who played video games had enhanced decision making skills. They were better able to make speedy and concise decisions under pressure, which is a very important life skill and translates well into real world situations. They also had a better ability to focus on the important aspects of a given scenario resulting in faster resolution.