Can someone fill in my parenting knowledge gap about video games for kids?

Antisocial behavior? Hee hee. No. Games with multiple player functions can help with reinforcing the idea of teamwork and force kids to improve their people skills if they want to get things done. Heck, even a simulation game, the only way you get anywhere is by being a decent person. Games are most fun when played with other people. Humans are social creatures and if anything can help them socialize more, including a game, they will use it to fulfill that feeling.

Which is great if you're a non-athletic kid. Some kids aren't built with the same energy "normal" children are. But some gentle exercise is always recommended. At least for the sheer fact it really does make you feel a lot better in the end. Always encourage exercise. Games like Dance Dance Revolution or even some Wii game titles can be an aid to gentle exercise.

Games are a VERY unhealthy experience when your children cannot tell the difference between a game and reality, however. Always monitor your child's games that he or she plays. Be VERY honest with yourself when thinking about your child's ability to handle such a game. If your child can handle, say, an R rated movie, they can probably handle some mature-themed games. Just be a smart parent.

Have you ever watched a movie and the suspense made you really edgy and you felt the fear in you? How many times do you spend watching TV with your child? I watched digimon, gigimon and whatever else is out there, and it is all about domination, winning, and moving to the next level. Does that imitate life the way we would like our children to live? Not in my book. When my son was five and he wanted these manga cartoon trade cards, I went to the local library and asked what the suggested age level for Pokemon was, and the librarian told me it was fourteen, so I looked at my son and said, I guess we will wait for a while. I bought him something else instead. It did not hurt that the librarian was my friend and made the age up for me. Yes, we lied, I admit it. Then he wanted a Nintendo because everybody had one. We got one, and the rule was, for every thirty minutes game, it is thirty minutes reading or playing ball with me, or Frisbee, or whatever, and that is how we did it. I never had to argue with my son, not when the rule was established there will not be any TV during school days, not when he wanted an Xbox and so on. He is 14 now, I just purchased a new PSPgo, and he loves it, the applications are great. We use the PSPgo to talk on via skype, and if there is no wifi he can use his cell phone blue tooth, my son is not a nerd because he does not have these game consoles in the house. I did not want to invite these violent games in our home, and he learned to respect that. Now he tells me that when he is "grown" and makes his own money, he will have them all. I tell him good on him for having that dream. Children need dreams and goals, so that is alright with me. Maybe when he is old enough to afford it then it does not have the allure. I think children will respect what parents tell them, if they see that the parent is genuine about it. How many times do parents buy these things because everybody has them? I bet a lot.
I can not stop the world outside of our home, and I am hoping that he will be prepared to deal with it, but our home is a sanctuary, and that is not a place for Grand Theft Auto or whatever else is out there.
The Nintendo WII games that are supposed to be for fitness, well, maybe if I live in a really cold climate, but we live in Hawaii, we are outside all of the time. So, every family has to judge for themselves, but every parent has to realize that they are the guiding light in their child's life.

we as parents try so hard to make the right decision. look at this as you would when it come to feeding your child the best food. a little snack every once in awhile is ok. moderation is the key. keep up the good parenting.

Thanks so much for starting this discussion! I (and my community of concerned parents) have spent some time putting together a library of kid safe games for my 2 and 4 year olds (http://www.hunu.com/kids_games). I really feel that the web is a scattered wasteland of potentially dangerous sites for our kids. After seeing what my son wanted to play with, I was concerned the only viable content was something from Disney, Nick or some other big corporation. I am now writing a blog with the top 10 iphone games for your toddler. Check my site (www.hunu.com) soon and you should see it.

A lot of the Wii sports games actualy get you off the couch and moving around. My 6 year old loves to play golf, and on a rainy day I'd much rather her do that then watch tv shows that have nothing to offer. I actualy play more video games then she does, they are more entertaining then tv because you are involved. I do not agree with them causing obesity unless that is the only thing your kid is doing which is a bad thing.

You know how movies have those awesome special effects where the fight scenes slow down and spin around the actors so you can see them from every angle, and the characters pull off moves that 99% of the human population could never emulate? Videogames do the same thing. Really playing the game goes fast, and you don't get to see everything that happens like you can in a game. And kids may not know how to do that thing where they throw themselves backwards and kick the ball over their heads all the way down the field and score a goal in real life, but with the right combo of buttons they can do it in a videogame. There's the attraction. As to the benefits of playing, some studies show that videogames can help improve hand-eye coordination greatly. And kids can play videogames with other kids either in the home or online--so it can actually be a very social thing.

That being said, like modern movies, today's videogames often come with storylines and scenes that may not be appropriate for children, so you'll want to be careful about what games you buy your kid. You may also want to limit video-game time, as it seems to be addictive to people who play games 24/7.

We as parents have the obligation and responsibility to teach our children to become the best of whatever they want to be when they grow up. Children need boundaries, loving and caring support as well as the discipline they need which should start as soon as possible. Up until the age of about eleven years of age, we have to teach our children the reality of how the world is today. Having a child who is five or six play video games or watching TV (even the Disney channel, or Nick) during the ages of anywhere between three to ten years of age, in my opinion is not good parenting. The video games they now have are all about fighting, killing, etc., these types of video games are only teaching children that it's O.K. to fight and kill. As for TV, the Disney/Nick channels, are not the same as they were say ten, twelve years ago. The kids in these shows are at least twelve years old and inappropriate for young children. The children now a days are being exposed to too much at a very early age. There are so many other things which parents can do to entertain their children, e.g., make up games to play with them, dance with them, etc. It does not matter what kind of climate you have where you live. The games which you can make up to play with them whether it's snowing, raining, or very hot outside, we have to remember that WE ARE THE PARENT(S.) Parenting is a very difficult job which requires patience, unconditional love, understanding, consistency, sticking to your word, not favoring one child over another, and ensuring to tell your child/children how very proud you are of them and how much you love them, just because they are your children. And that no matter what they do you will continue to love them and be proud of them. But at the same time, they need to be disciplined and taught that if they do something wrong, they will have to suffer the consequences. We have to decide what kind of TV shows, video games, etc., according to the age of our child/children are appropriate. Then, set limits as to how much TV or video game time our child/children can have each day. I feel the most important thing about PARENTING is that we follow through...and that no matter how much our child/children insist on doing or getting what THEY want...WE ARE THE PARENT(S.) Always keep your word, if you make a promise ALWAYS keep it, no excuses. This is my advise to fill in the gaps about video games and a "bit" more. Playing the actual game, no matter what the game is, it's better than video games/TV. I was a full time working single parent, raised three children, and now have seven grandchildren. Two of my children went to college and earned their Bachelors Degree, one of them is continuing part time to get her Masters. I prayed a lot to God for his help and guidance, and still do.

This is for MESSY's post 17 hours ago. Your comment has nothing to do with this topic!! You're on the WRONG SITE to be posting your comment!!! PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENT SOMEWHERE ELSE. YOU'RE NOT PROVIDING ANY INTELLIGENT COMMENT ON THIS TOPIC!!!!

I know exactly how you feel because whenever I see one of those commercials for these kinds of games, especially ones for toddlers and little children I always think "Why can't they instead go outside and play *insert some sport here* with their mom/dad/ friend?" But one commercial that really got to me was the one where the mom even sets up some sort of sport game for her two year old when it's sunny out (sun was shining through the windows) and just sits there for awhile and then goes into the kitchen I always think "Why wouldn't you want to take your daughter outside to play with her instead so that the both of you can always have those fond memories?"

And while I'm not opposed to kids who play these types of games when it's cold and rainy out, how are they supposed to make friends if they spend all day inside playing mind numbing video games?

Just my two cents :-)

As a parent, you have an obligation to become aware of whatever your child is doing. Period. I play online games called MMO, which is just a term for games that are open to the public to all play online together at one time. These games are dangerous for children. I don't care how much your child, other parents & the game company try to convince you it's safe & moderated & nothing bad will ever happen to your child. That is a lie. I've seen these companies make pages they tell the kids to show to their parents so they parents will approve then in reality the kids are given outrageous & illegal activities to engage in with absolutely ZERO moderation or supervision by the game site owners. I've been horrified & outraged to go on game forums where children use their cellphone cameras to post nude photos of themselves & the owners of these games are extremely slow to take down this child pornography which against my civil rights to be exposed to without my consent! And all the adults who are on the game site minding their own business trying to just have some clean fun all ask the same question... WHERE ARE THE PARENTS!!! The kids give out their real full names, addresses, phone numbers & images. It's totally confusing to me. When I was a child anyone over 18 years old was "gross" to us. We didn't have any desire to entice adults in that manner. But these kids today not only have no fear of sexual exploitation they SEEK IT OUT. And what happens to the "good kids" that go on these games? They get an eye full I assure you. Their values slip & they want to fit in & be "hardcore" like all the other kids on the game. Next thing you know that sweet innocent child you think you have in your home has a secret internet lifestyle where you wouldn't even recognize them as being your own offspring. And they learn horrible moral values. They see cheating & stealing on these games & then are told "that's just part of the game". They learn to verbally abuse each other & think it's all just part of the game. At best, they learn they have to take abuses and be nice to the abusers because it's supposedly their own faults for being "FAIL" as the kids call it. So they become enablers & willing victims which robs them of healthy self esteem & values. There is nothing positive about releasing a child under the age of 18 into a public game environment without your constant presence there with them at all times. I do know some parents who play these games with their children however, they still are exposed to these elements & how can you "unring the bell" once your child has read sexually explicit material about bondage & sexual perversions they never knew existed? Limited kids games to the ones that they play by themselves & with their own friends at home. Games are excellent for teaching coordination, mental sharpness, verbal & communication skills, reading skills, vocabulary, and even moral values especially in RPG (role playing games). Check out the games first. Play along with your kid. If you don't have time to do that, then you are a bad parent. Period. If your job comes before your kid... or your social life because mommy & daddy have a life too... then you are a bad parent and a bad person. Having kids is a SACRIFICE of everything. You don't own your own life anymore. That's just the fact of life about being a parent. If you don't take an interest in the things your kid has an interest in then you are FAIL at being a good parent to them. It's part of loving your kid. If you can't do that then give them to someone who can. And no... YOU get real. Because that is the reality.

It's kind of funny because I got a Wii exactly a year ago before the Holidays and I thought it was going to be MINE and something I could enjoy. Turn outs my parents are totally hooked on it and love the Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus, and other activity games such as EA Sports Active, My fitness Coach, etc. The games are really fun and get you moving. I assume these games are good for children, once winter or school starts. During the summer time, you can take a kid to the park and kick ball with him/her, but when it's winter time or it's dark after school -turning on an active game is fun too. I personally love coming home to do Yoga on the wii/ and also off the wii. It's so relaxing and more comforting than driving/walking in the cold to a gym. (I'm 19 and my parents are in their late 40's early 50's). I think these types of games are a lot better than having your kid laying around eating chips and spending hours watching TV/on the computer.