Parenting Kids that Game (A LOT!)

My kids game a lot. Do yours? Probably not ideal, or so I thought.
I’ve discovered a “Parenting Win” from this…

We’re a household of two parents working from home, and we need to keep the kids occupied. Gaming is regular part of their day.

I recently discovered Jane McGonigal. She’s a PhD Game Designer who evangelizes the use of games to help people learn real-world skills, improve attitudes, and build self-esteem in children.

To turn gaming into a productive, positive experience for you kids, engage in conversation with your kids around what they’re playing. Here are 3 powerful questions to ask them about their favorite game:

  1. What does it take to be good at this game? (what skills, what personality, what strategies)
  2. What have you gotten better at since you’ve started playing this game?
  3. What’s the hardest thing you’ve accomplished in this game? (how’d you do it?)

Based on her research, people that can talk about these learned skills tend to transfer them better to the real world applications/scenarios.

So, don’t feel guilty if your child is gaming a bunch. There are some real life skills they can be learning/absorbing with the right nurturing.

BTW, she also believes the tipping point to too much is ~21 hrs/wk.

Happy Parenting. Now get back to work!