{"id":13860,"date":"2020-11-20T01:00:16","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T01:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/365smiles.net\/?p=13860"},"modified":"2020-11-18T16:36:36","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T16:36:36","slug":"interest-in-video-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/365smiles.net\/en\/interest-in-video-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Show interest in the video games of your child"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Children, no matter what age, crave attention from their parents. For us parents, that is sometimes hard if their world is so different from ours when we were young.<\/p>

As from a young age my son Arthur is totally immersed in online gaming. \u00a0I did not understand this and used to focus more on the potential dangers than on the benefits. But I realise that these games are now a normal part of modern childhood.<\/strong><\/p>

A while ago, my son was in the midst of a game, when I entered his room. Of course he could not focus on my question let alone answer it. “I\u2019m in a game”<\/em> is the standard answer.<\/p>

This time, I sat next to him and watched. Although I was not allowed to play myself (‘way too embarassing’) he gave me some insights. \u00a0<\/p>

And frankly I was pleasantly surprised.<\/strong> The quality of the games, the graphics, the strategy, the team play with his friends, the creativity needed…..
I\u2019m now really convinced that online\/video games can be powerful tools to develop certain life skills.<\/p>

Tip for today
<\/strong>Show some active (and positive!) interest in the video games of your child. Even if it is not your thing, your child will love the attention.<\/p>

If you do not have kids, you can become the cool relative who does know something about gaming.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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How to become a cool parent (when it comes to video gaming)?\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>

Take an interest<\/strong> : What games do they play? Treat their interest in gaming much the same as you would do for a sport or other hobby. Do a little research and watch a few YouTube videos.<\/p>

Roll up your sleeves and play with them<\/strong>, but if that’s not realistic, at least spend some time watching your child play.\u00a0 It’s not only a great way to just keep informed about the games themselves, but a wonderful excuse to spend some quality time with your child as well.”<\/p>

Your child is likely to play with other people, so set expectations about when to play and be flexible<\/strong>. That way they can plan when they\u2019re going to spend time with their friends without interruptions. There\u2019s nothing more frustrating to a gamer, than when your parent demands that you stop playing immediately. You can\u2019t pause a competitive online game and if you\u2019re forcing your child to quit at the drop of a hat, they\u2019re having to be very rude to the group of people they\u2019re playing with.<\/p>

Be aware of the language used in online games. <\/strong>I was actually shocked the first time I heard this. Racial and sexual terms are common, abusive language is the rule instead of the exception, \u00a0So talk about this to your children.\u00a0<\/p>

Lastly, encourage your child to have a balanced lifestyle<\/strong> and try to use games as a way to get your child interested in other things, like sport or history. But don\u2019t do that by pulling down gaming. Gaming has a lot of benefits, but kids should also get out, see the world and most importantly, do some exercise.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Benefits of online gaming I was barely aware of:\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>