Regardless of what decade you grew up in, odds are you got your hands on a video gaming console — at some point.

Now, you’re raising children of your own, and video games have advanced to levels of realism you never thought possible.

Close

It’s both a blessing and a curse. Some games feature violence, adult language or include sexual undertones we don’t want our kids to see. That makes it difficult to expose our kids to the gaming we participate in. And that leads parents to a difficult situation: How do you integrate gaming into your children’s life, and when?

They’ll appreciate playing something that Mommy and Daddy enjoyed when they were young.

Gaming is interactive; therefore, you should take a co-playing approach with your children when introducing them to one of your favorite hobbies. Here are a few practices that will introduce them to gaming while keeping them (and you) entertained.

  • Multiplayer gaming — Every single platform — Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo, and PC — has games available that are rated “E” for everyone and contain multiplayer options. Often called “Couch co-op,” the industry term is “Local Co-op” and means there’s no online play (in which you play with others online). All multiplayer gameplay is done right in your own living room. Couch co-op also ensures that you can teach your children the basics of a video game at their own pace. You have a controller in your hands, so they can mimic your movements, and you can even let them win to help build their confidence (but better to teach them the realities of brutal defeat!).

[lz_ndn video= 29188501]

  • Go vintage — If you have an old console kicking around that you’ve been dying to break out of storage, now is the perfect time. Your children don’t care about “cutting-edge visuals,” or “deep, engrossing stories.” They care that they have a controller and they’re the ones making the guy on the screen jump. They’ll appreciate playing something that Mommy and Daddy enjoyed when they were young.
  • Consume other gaming media — Sometimes playing a game is great and leads to wonderful creativity for both parents and children, but (despite what we tell our kids) we don’t know everything. With the amount of gaming content available on YouTube or streaming live via Twitch, there’s no end to the videos that you watch with your child. Be warned, though: You should probably vet the content you plan on watching. Some YouTubers use adult language, play games not suitable for children or show an uncomfortable amount of skin.
  • Create your own channel — When I decided I wanted my son to enjoy gaming as much as I do, we chose to create our own Twitch Channel. It’s something you can do, too, regardless of your level of gaming knowledge. While many offer content that caters to children, it’s rare to find youngsters playing age-appropriate games and speaking to kids on their own level. My son and I created “Kids Play the Darndest Things” on Twitch.tv as a way to let him experience play while I talk to him about what he’s thinking. It’s a “seasonal” channel, shutting down for most of spring and summer — when we’re outside more — but as fall and winter pick up we’ll start up again. It’s been a great way to give my son a voice and let me as a parent gauge my child’s interest. We’ve even allowed some personal friends and their kids to do their own shows on the channel, proof that children love it as much as parents.