Video games can be selected by children by choosing a particular gaming platform, or by narrowing their game choices by a particular character that they find entertaining. Many of the popular characters that can be found in video games include Harry Potter, YU-GI-OH and Dragonball Z. The Star Wars selections will give another generation of space alien feature enthusiasts the chance to explore the galaxies in style, and create lifelong pals in many of the video games character roles that they avidly play regardless of the weather conditions outside.

Younger children can choose characters like Dora the Explorer, Curious George, Spiderman, or take to exploring the Lord of the Rings trilogies in amazing detail. Little girls have fun with video games that focus on the Bratz doll collection, or they find Jimmy Neutron very appealing, and play his video games for hours on end if their parents will allow them to.

Many children are captivated by the brightly colored antics that are presented through the adventures of SpongeBob Squarepants video games. This yellow spongy character wearing designer underwear styles csan be found handsomely designed in any type of outfit, along with his equally colorful sidekick, Patrick in many video games whose titles take him through one level of adventure after the other.

Video games provide children with a form of entertainment that they can enjoy by themselves in the comfort of their living room, or in the privacy of their bedroom. Parents create recreation rooms where children can spread out dancing mats out on the floor to test their musical talents.

While some children enjoy stomping on the floor using their feet to create a rhythmic beat that is uniquely all their own, other children enjoying using steering wheel accessories and spend hours racing a variety of sports cars through city streets in time trials that violate most city speed laws. When police cars are in hot pursuit of these speed violators, children will quickly realize the importance of obeying the laws of the highways.

Parents need to realize that video games come ready for play and are packaged for sale to many different age groups. Some video games are not suitable for young children, and parents should pay particular attention to video games that are rated for Mature audiences. These video games are a bit racy, violence oriented and may feature blood and gore that many small children can not rationalize in their wildest imaginary efforts.

Overall, video games are a good source of entertainment that parents can easily control. Many of the video game consoles are very portable and are the perfect thing to have in the car to occupy a child’s mind when they are traveling on vacation or other trips that require many hours in the car.

Families can spend many hours playing video games with their children and see the world through their eyes for a short time. This type of familiar family interaction is very important and shows kids that their parents can be fun and exciting, and gives children the opportunity to consider that perhaps they will allow their parents to win a video game once in a while.



By: Stacey Day

About the Author:

There are video games that can be played on multimedia consoles in the home, or on a home personal computer system. The formats of these video games may be rated for an entire family to view, or the video games may be labeled strictly for play by people over the age of 21. These Mature rated video games contain graphic violence, and may contain lewd language and graphic content.

Before a parent invests more than $30 on any given video games collection, they may choose to rent several video games for their child to play to see which ones are a true delight, and which video games will be ignored after just a short time. Some video games are offered in collector’s series in decorative tins, and are cherished by all children who view them as a status symbol.

Many children think that their popularity at school is based on the number of video games that are in their collection, and the number of multimedia entertainment consoles they have in their home. There are several handheld models that are viewed as very desirable for youngsters because of their portability and compact features.

Many of the video games for the handheld game consoles require daily interaction with pets, and failure to participate on a day-to-day basis might cause people to move out of town because nobody is interested in them. This form of game play teaches children to keep appointments and remind them that there are people in the world that do count on them on a day-to-day basis.

The imaginary friends that some video games feature can make up for friends and pals that a child does not have in their real life. Children learn to repair their own self-esteem by making contributions to the games that are truly unique for their character. A gift of a fish is a big thing in some hand held games, and the gift of a new dresser can brighten a young girl day better than blue sky and rays of sunshine could ever hope to accomplish.

The competitive spirit of children learning to adapt in the real world, can be safely contained within the small cubicles of visual space provided in many handheld game console models. Children can use video games to teach themselves how to play basketball, football, and learn what it takes to be a competitor in a World Series Playoff.

As a child progresses through many experience levels in video games, their characters are not the only ones that grow strong. Children learn to make quick decisions, and manipulate screen data to make shots that are typical of a seasoned football or basketball player at a college or university level school.

These athletic achievements might seem quite small and insignificant to an adult, and generally are. Until the parents take the time to try and maneuver through course after course, they do not actually realize how hard some of those movements are, and think that many of the moves are unattainable. Savvy game players will quickly add salt to the wound. Parents must sit back quietly while their children beat them soundly with very few moves required in the entire game process.



By: Taisha Grant

About the Author:

These are some really amazing video games that are available on the market today that gamers are sure to enjoy and are available for the majority of the top video gaming systems. Video game developers are coming up with some really fantastic video games that gamers may want to check out.

Barrel Blast was created for the Wii video gaming system and unfortunately it has its ups and downs. This video game is truly terrifying in what you are expected to do in making your cute flying character race, which means that the Wii controller must be shook up and down extremely violently. This is not a video game that gamers will want to play for a long period of time, because it can get physically painful after a while. The video game has three tracks and limited game modes, but it would be perfect for the child with way too much energy because they would definitely grow tired after a while.

Cooking Mama Cook Off is another video game developed for the Wii video gaming system. This game offers gamers real life cooking tips and is great for gamers of all ages. Gamers will definitely feel like they are Rachel Ray or Gordon Ramsey when they are really peeling potatoes and chopping up onions, but with out the tears.

The best thing that can be said about the button mashing action video game Heavenly Sword is that it has well acted and rendered cut screens that move the finely crafted story line along. The characters within these mini movies are incredibly lifelike in that gamers will almost believe they have their own souls. The in-game action is sort of repetitive and even at times a bit frustrating. The main character, Nariko, can swing her mighty sword only in so many ways against the never ending supply of generic enemies.

Lair has to be the worst video game of 2007 simply because it is so unplayable. Although there were a ton of developers that worked really hard on the story line and the technology this was all completely undone by some really poorly executed controls. Steering the giant dragon is sort of like trying to herd a dozen kittens into a box and getting them to stay due to the impossible to control controls.

Mass Effect is not the kind of video game you pick up and play for just a little while, then go on to something else. It is more like a truly long sci-fi mystery novel where there is action at the turn of every page. This video game might be complicated and intense, but it is perfect for the gamer that has a large amount of time to invest in solving the countless mysteries of the confusingly named species in the galaxies of the future.

Not too many role playing video games get more immersed and as hard to follow as Mass Effect, which is due to it being stocked full of choices for the gamer and plots. Gamers are able to create their own version of Commander Shepard and live their life as the leader of a squad of interspecies soldiers who are out to save humanity. If you are a gamer that enjoys this type of video game, then you will definitely have a hard time finding a better experience than this video game.



By: Victor Epand

About the Author:

The debate over the prevalence of violence in children who play violent video games versus those who do not has been raging for as long as violent video games have been in existence. Who is really to blame for children who become increasingly violent? Is it really all the fault of video games or is there more to it than placing the blame on an inanimate object?

While children who play violent video games may have more exposure to “active” violence than those who do not is it really fair to place the blame on the game itself? Where do parents come in on all of this? Isn’t it the parent who hands the child the game in the first place? Isn’t it the parent who sits their child in front of a video game console for babysitting purposes whilst they are elsewhere catering to their own lives? When you take a look at potential contributing factors in children who show a tendency towards violence it really is doubtful that video gaming is to blame…or at least it is not the only thing to blame. With the many contributing factors of parental guidance (or lack there of,) Newspaper stories, News broadcasts, Books, Videos, DVD’s, Societal interaction and DVD and TV productions it is extremely unlikely that violent video games are the only reason that children often become aggressive.

The primary factor in determining a child’s moral guidelines in my personal opinion is the regulation of that child’s behavior by parents or guardians. With the lack of parental guidance children are not put on the right path, nor are they taught what is socially acceptable as far as behavior. Children who are never taught to act in a way that is socially responsible can hardly be expected to know how to do so by sitting down in front of the television or a video game to learn how to interact. If a child is taking social cues from video games and movies of course they are going to pick up their behavioral patterns from those things as opposed to the vacant parental figures. Even though these behavior patterns may be imprinted from video games, it is not the fault of the games themselves for imprinting the child; it is the fault of the parent for not imprinting their own child with the correct sequences of socially acceptable behaviors in the first place. A child who has been taught right from wrong and behaviors that are socially acceptable is a child who can identify these unacceptable behaviors when they are viewed in various forms of media.

It is perfectly accurate to say that children can pick up violent tendencies from playing video games and watching various forms of violent media; however, the assumptions that these behaviors are the fault of the game are absolutely ludicrous. Violent behaviors from media sources are going to stick only when the correct “programming” as it were has not been instilled in a child. When a child is unsure of what is expected of them in certain situations he or she can hardly be blamed for taking cues from his/her surrounding environment and experiences.



By: Amy T

About the Author:

Setting guidelines for video games can be difficult. Most kids would play for hours - at least until the bathroom or the refrigerator calls them away. So how do you determine what is fair and safe for your child?

Time Limits

Your child may prefer to spend every waking moment plugged into a video game console, but healthy kids need a balanced schedule. Homework, chores, outdoor play, and family time need to take precedence over video games. Video games are a reward for completing tasks. Set a time limit for each day’s maximum gaming time.

A good guideline for children aged 5-10 is 30-60 minutes a day, with a few extra minutes allowed on weekends. Up to two hours per day is appropriate for teens and pre-teens, as long as homework and chores are completed.

An egg timer is a good tool for tracking game time. The timer begins once play starts. When the bell sounds, the child must save and exit the game immediately. Parents may be tempted to allow the child to finish the current game or level when the alarm sounds, but some children are crafty. They take advantage of this lenience to extend playing time.

Monitoring Video Game Content

A standardized rating system tags each video game to levels of appropriateness for different age ranges. This rating system is a general guideline only. Just because a game is rated “E” for everyone does not mean the game is free of offensive language, actions and themes.

Each family must decide what is unacceptable. Discuss and draft these family guidelines with your children. Spell out clear consequences for violating guidelines. These guidelines apply to the child whether the game is played at home or at a friend’s house, as well as when other children bring games into your home.

If you are unsure of a video game, rent the game and play it when the child is not present to preview the content. Most salespersons at gaming stores are very knowledgeable of many of the games they sell. They can usually tell you if a particular game violates your family’s guidelines. You can also check the annual Video Game Report Card produced by the National Institute on Media and the Family. The Entertainment Software Rating Board website contains in-depth information about the video game rating system as well.

One of the best ways to monitor your child’s video game habits is to play with them. Plug in an extra controller once a week and spend a few minutes appreciating your child’s video game skills. This can be a period of bonding even into the troublesome teenage years.

Video games do have some redeeming qualities. They are entertaining for your child, encourage fantasy play, build imagination, increase eye/hand coordination, teach strategy, and can be educational. They also teach younger children to share, lose, and win gracefully. Time spent with a video game controller also strengthens the small muscles in a child’s hands, resulting in better handwriting and small motor control.

Video games are a popular pastime for children, but they require parental supervision the same as other areas of your child’s life. Become involved, get informed, set limits, and reap the benefits of your child’s love of video gaming.



By: Lily Morgan

About the Author: