If you have children, you might find yourself worried about their gaming habits. Perhaps you think it would be better for them to be more active, or you are concerned that they are gaming instead of doing their homework or reading or something else that would help with their education. Maybe you just don’t like the fact that they can ‘talk’ to other people, and you’re not sure who those people are (this will depend on the game, of course). 

If you feel this way, you’re definitely not the only one. Many parents have concerns over the amount of time their children spend playing video games. And the truth is that although gaming is a great hobby and something that can even be education (again, depending on the game), it can become too much, and this is when it can be a problem as it prevents your child from doing other things. 

Therefore, setting healthy boundaries when it comes to your child’s gaming can be the perfect solution to every issue. Read on to find out what you can do. 

Keep Track Of The Games

Some games will come with an age rating which lets parents know what age a child should ideally play them. This will be down to the subject matter of the game, and it might be that there is a lot of violence or foul language, for example. 

If you want to establish good boundaries, it’s important to keep track of what your child is playing and what the content of the game is. Explain why they need to stick to games in their age range and make sure you keep to those rules. 

Offer Alternatives With The Time Limits

Many parents will be happy to impose time limits on their children’s gaming. This makes sense; they can play for a while and then understand that it’s time to do something else. It limits any potential problems and ensures they still get to have fun. 

The problem is that if you limit their gaming time and then don’t offer them any alternatives, so they have something else to occupy their time, they will feel upset about not playing. They’ll start to get angry about having to stop doing something fun and then having nothing to do. So if you are limiting their gaming time, make sure they do have something to do. This might be an outing, it might be dinner, it might be a movie night or exercise class. Whatever it is, make it an attractive reason to stop playing video games for a while. 

Play Together

The old saying if you can’t beat them, join them, does ring true when it comes to gaming! If your child loves playing video games and you want to spend some time with them, the answer is to play games together. 

You don’t have to be there for every moment they’re playing, but half an hour here and there can be fun, and make the time special so you can bond. You might even do fun things like pre-order Dead Island 2 for PS5 and wait for it to arrive together before you play it. You can turn anything into a bonding opportunity if you think laterally.