Do you feel like you can't relate to them or worry that they
aren't getting anything from the experience other than entertainment? Well
there are some simple ways you can put your mind at ease.
Take an interest: This may be really hard to do when your
young child is constantly babbling at you about brightly coloured monsters or
when your teen is talking about how they 'pwnd' all the enemies and got a lot
of head shots but ask them what they are playing and what they like about it.
There may be surprising ways you can turn it into a positive experience for
them or for both of you! For example if your teen really likes war games, talk
to them about the period its depicting, the differences of real verses game
world. Any WW2 game can open up a dialog on that part of history, tell them
about any relatives that were alive back then, show them family medals from
then if you have them. Find out why your child likes the games and talk to
them. Maybe the reason your son or daughter likes the monster games is because
they take care of them or maybe they enjoy the story, you won't know unless you
ask and believe me they will relish in telling you all about it.
Play together: If you are into games this is easier, Love an
old Mario or some other retro game? Take turns in playing it with your kid or
better still find a co-op, they will have fun seeing what you like and trying
to do it as well as you if not better. If you are not into games this can be a
little scary but ask your child to teach you or show you, they will get a
massive kick out of feeling so accomplished and helping a grown-up and you get
to see how smart they actually are.
Offer help: Knowing that a parent has your back, even if
it's just that you can snuggle on the sofa, safe in the knowledge that they
will Google an answer for you when you get stuck, really means a lot to a
child. It shows that not only are you interested in them but that you are there
for them too! Here is where gamer parent's actually fall over, yes they may
have fallen down the same pit at least a hundred times but accept if they don't
take you up on your offer of assistance, do help them if they really are stuck
but try to encourage them to solve the puzzle or jump a gap on their own. Be
supportive and encouraging, as tempting as it is to do it for them, they won't
learn or grow if you help them out the moment they become stuck, allow them to
progress on their own at their own pace, be supportive if they fail, they will
get there in end, no matter how annoying you find the game over music.
Encourage deeper research: Tones of games have interesting facts hidden in them, they are a great
way to encourage your child to research deeper into things, be it finding all
the secret arrears on a walkthrough or learning about the meaning of the names
of certain characters; for example in one game a character was called
Yggdrasil, this opens up a whole area of research on Norse mythology that you
can explore together and may even give you both a deeper understanding of some
parts of the game. I myself would not know some of the things I do now if I
hadn't seen it in a game and researched it.
You can even weave some games into your child's education, for example
if they are studying samurai at school then why not play something Like Shogun
Total War and bring that part of history to life in a small way? There are so
many games with so many subjects that even pure entertainment games can be an
opportunity to educate.
Pick age appropriate games:
It's very easy to blame games for having a bad effect on your kids but
be mindful of the age ratings on games, they are there for a reason and are too
often ignored. Can your child really handle the content of the 18 rated game
they are bugging you for at the age of 12? A smart way to make informed choices
is to play a little yourself or ask the staff in the shop what they think of
it. There are games out there that can give very positive life lessons about
friendship, love, sacrifice, teamwork and a whole host of other things. For
example the game 'Tales of Symphonia' is packed with positive lessons like how
to be brave and selfless. Read reviews and make informed choices about the
games you actually let your kids play.
Get the whole family involved: Party games can be a really
great way to spend family nights in and they are becoming more and more accessible
to non gamers . Why not have a Wii Sports night where even Grandma and Grandpa
join in with the bowling? There are plenty of party games that you can enjoy as
a family that are not just fun at Christmas or parties but great for family
nights in!
So there you go, the key things to keep in mind are; listen,
try and relate even in a small or remote way, be supportive, be encouraging,
make informed choices on the games they play, get involved if you can, and if
you can find an educating tie in go for it!
Update: I will be doing spotlights on games that can help education the first of which is now here.
Update: I will be doing spotlights on games that can help education the first of which is now here.
