Video Game Guide for Parents

Love it? Share it!

Just so you know, this post contains affiliate links. That means if you use them to make a purchase, I may earn a commission. You can read my full affiliate disclosure HERE.

Video games: kids love them and parents tend to have a love-hate relationship with them. On one hand, video games can be an effective way to keep kids busy. On the other hand, video games can contain questionable content, and the research around screens still isn’t clear.

Jenna Sherman from Parent-Leaders knows that if you’re a parent, making sense of it all can feel overwhelming. She has come up with the following video game guide for Blessed Homeschool readers, which is full of helpful tips and info for parents!

Before We Begin…

If your kids are going to be gaming or learning online, you’ll need an internet connection that is fast and reliable enough to handle the extra work. Fiber-optic connections generally provide the least amount of lag time and buffering, so that your family can play, learn, or even work online with a smoother connection and fewer interruptions.

Gaming and Safety Basics

If your kids are going to be online playing games, there are a few things you’ll need to know to keep your family protected. Let’s go over the basics:

Popular Video Games Aren’t Always Good for Your Kids

Have you overheard your kids talking about a game called “Among Us”? At first glance, this cartoonish game may seem like innocent fun, but murder is at its core. That’s right, kids who play this game are trying to murder other players. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the unsupervised chat sessions could expose your kids to real-life risks.

“Fortnite” is another title you should learn about because your kids will definitely ask to play it. Although the themes are much more nuanced, the risk for online chats with strangers and in-app purchases is still there. This means that if you’re okay with your kids playing this first-person shooter game, you’ll need to take precautions to keep things safe.

One of the most basic things you can do to safeguard your kids from any potential gaming risks is to familiarize yourself with the ESRB’s video game rating system. Games that are labeled with the following ratings should be suitable for your children (but always do your own research):

EC (Early Childhood)
E (Everyone)

Most Online Video Games Do Come With a Chat Option

Ready to ban multiplayer games like the ones mentioned above? Before you do, you should know that multiplayer games can actually have benefits for children. Many experts even recommend that parents relax their limitations around online gaming during the pandemic, since working with teammates teaches kids how to collaborate in a respectful and thoughtful manner.

Before your kids start playing multiplayer games, establish some clear boundaries and rules around their playtime, like:

They can only add other children from their school.
Or they can only add friends that have been approved by you.
You will review their friend list on a regular basis.

Educational Games Can Be a Lot of Fun for Kids

Some kids may think that educational games have to be boring, but this simply isn’t true! There are plenty of educational video games that are also engaging and fun. In fact, you may recognize a few of these titles as favorites from your own childhood:

“The Oregon Trail”
“Zoombinis”
“Minecraft”
“Nancy Drew Interactive Mysteries”

Even popular video games like “Super Mario Party” and “Pokemon Go” can teach your kids some valuable skills and lessons, like geography, math, problem-solving, and concentration.

It’s also worth noting that research around screen usage places the quality of screen time above any limitations. This simply means that so long as your kids are engaged in productive and educational gaming, you can let them use their screens more often.

Honestly, there are too many games and too many gaming facts to fit into a single guide, but these are the basics. Your best bet is to research titles and set clear guidelines before you allow your children to play. When in doubt, also spend some time playing those games with your kids, so you can see what they’re all about.

Do your kids love playing video games? Which are their favorites? Share your best practices for managing screen time below in the comments!

P.S. We use daily checklists in our homeschool – they must be completed before screen-time is earned each day. Grab your own set of checklists for free here!

Blessed Homeschool is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. You can read my full affiliate disclosure HERE.

Video Game Secrets and Facts Every Parent Needs to Know