For parents seeking to better understand how to most effectively manage the “what, when and how” of the video games their children play (while still keeping things fun), the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is hosting a free webinar for parents: Harnessing the Positive Power of Video Games.

Some of the key topics we’ll focus on include:

• The very real benefits of video games, including the influences on children’s cognitive development, skill-building, and family bonding.
• How to set appropriate household rules and use parental controls to manage which video games your children play, for how long, and with whom online, even when you’re not around.
• Getting the most out of ESRB’s three-part rating system to help make more informed choices about the games your family plays.

Read on for details about this informative online session, which features expert panelists sharing helpful insights about how to create an appropriate, fun and positive video game experience for your entire family.

Embracing Your Children’s Passion for Video Games

If you’re a non-gaming parent, you’ve probably asked yourself why your kids love video games so much. You’re not alone!

Andy Robertson, video game journalist, author of the book Taming Gaming, and panelist in the ESRB’s upcoming webinar, explains how he explored his kids’ interest in games, without stigmatizing their passion.

After 10 years of playing video games with his kids, Robertson says that, while kids don’t need their parents’ help playing games, they do need their parents to “model a healthy relationship with” games. This includes how to stop playing when necessary, prioritizing face-to-face communications, and integrating games in a balanced way into the rest of their life.

Instead of relying on inflexible time restrictions, Robertson recommends creating limits that can shift and bend based on the circumstances – or as he refers to it, “parenting rather than policing.”

Robertson also encourages parents to play games with their kids. What if you’ve never picked up a controller before? It’s easy to get intimidated, but don’t worry! There are many games that include simple controls so even non-gamer parents can get in on the fun. And never underestimate what you can learn by simply sitting down with your kids during video game time and asking questions. Chances are they’ll love explaining the intricacies of their favorite games to you.

Picking Appropriate Games And Setting Limits

In our upcoming webinar, we’ll provide practical advice on how to make informed decisions about the games your kids want to play. We’ll discuss how to:

• Take full advantage of the three-part ESRB rating system
• Enable parental controls to help manage the what, when, and how of the video games your children play
• Maintain the balance between trusting your kids and enforcing household rules
• Make video games a normal part of conversations with your kids, including playing together as a family

Most important, my fellow panelists and I will go into detail about how to turn the conversation around video games into a positive and collaborative family experience.

If you’re interested in getting a head start on how you can begin the conversation, check out ESRB’s Family Discussion Guide.

Playing Games Is Good for Your Child’s Development

When playing video games, your child is doing more than just having fun — it’s fostering their healthy emotional and cognitive development. In her book A Parent’s Guide to Video Games, research psychologist, and panelist in ESRB’s upcoming webinar, Dr. Rachel Kowert asks: “Can cognitive skills be honed through video game play?”

The answer is an unequivocal yes.

“Video game play has been associated with the improvement of a range of cognitive skills, such as improved goal setting, initiative taking, and persistence in the face of difficult challenges. Video games are great vehicles for sharpening cognitive skills because they provide a wide range of different challenges within a single space. For example, in many games, players explore new spaces, solve puzzles, craft objects, and cooperate or compete with other players to achieve increasingly difficult tasks. These experiences are great for learning, as players must constantly develop strategies and solutions for new problems in a relatively short amount of time.”  — Dr. Kowert

Dr. Kowert will share a host of cognitive benefits that your children can gain from playing their favorite video games. To learn more, join the webinar!

Finding Options Suitable for Every Gamer

No matter your age, interests, and skill level, there are video games out there for you.

Of course, some kids and adults have specific needs that affect which video games they can play. Physical or cognitive impediments can make some games unapproachable — but, fortunately, the video game industry has been making strides in accessibility to ensure that there are good options for every gamer.

Whether you or your kids have difficulty with reading, navigation, visuals, mobility, or something else, there are games out there that feature settings to help your whole family to get in on the fun.

As part of his commitment to making video games approachable for all families, webinar panelist Andy Robertson set out to create a tool to help parents find video games with the accessibility settings they need. Robertson’s Family Video Game Database offers a comprehensive accessibility search so you can find games that your whole family can enjoy, regardless of special needs.

Armed with the right resources and strategy, video games can be an appropriate and fun activity for the whole family. But there’s no set-it-and-forget-it solution, so be sure to watch our upcoming webinar where our expert panelists will help you harness the positive power of video games.

The post Creating a Positive Video Game Experience for the Whole Family appeared first on ESRB Ratings.

For parents seeking to better understand how to most effectively manage the “what, when and how” of the video games their children play (while still keeping things fun), the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is hosting a free webinar for parents: Harnessing the Positive Power of Video Games.

Some of the key topics we’ll focus on include:

• The very real benefits of video games, including the influences on children’s cognitive development, skill-building, and family bonding.
• How to set appropriate household rules and use parental controls to manage which video games your children play, for how long, and with whom online, even when you’re not around.
• Getting the most out of ESRB’s three-part rating system to help make more informed choices about the games your family plays.

Read on for details about this informative online session, which features expert panelists sharing helpful insights about how to create an appropriate, fun and positive video game experience for your entire family.

Embracing Your Children’s Passion for Video Games

If you’re a non-gaming parent, you’ve probably asked yourself why your kids love video games so much. You’re not alone!

Andy Robertson, video game journalist, author of the book Taming Gaming, and panelist in the ESRB’s upcoming webinar, explains how he explored his kids’ interest in games, without stigmatizing their passion.

After 10 years of playing video games with his kids, Robertson says that, while kids don’t need their parents’ help playing games, they do need their parents to “model a healthy relationship with” games. This includes how to stop playing when necessary, prioritizing face-to-face communications, and integrating games in a balanced way into the rest of their life.

Instead of relying on inflexible time restrictions, Robertson recommends creating limits that can shift and bend based on the circumstances – or as he refers to it, “parenting rather than policing.”

Robertson also encourages parents to play games with their kids. What if you’ve never picked up a controller before? It’s easy to get intimidated, but don’t worry! There are many games that include simple controls so even non-gamer parents can get in on the fun. And never underestimate what you can learn by simply sitting down with your kids during video game time and asking questions. Chances are they’ll love explaining the intricacies of their favorite games to you.

Picking Appropriate Games And Setting Limits

In our upcoming webinar, we’ll provide practical advice on how to make informed decisions about the games your kids want to play. We’ll discuss how to:

• Take full advantage of the three-part ESRB rating system
• Enable parental controls to help manage the what, when, and how of the video games your children play
• Maintain the balance between trusting your kids and enforcing household rules
• Make video games a normal part of conversations with your kids, including playing together as a family

Most important, my fellow panelists and I will go into detail about how to turn the conversation around video games into a positive and collaborative family experience.

If you’re interested in getting a head start on how you can begin the conversation, check out ESRB’s Family Discussion Guide.

Playing Games Is Good for Your Child’s Development

When playing video games, your child is doing more than just having fun — it’s fostering their healthy emotional and cognitive development. In her book A Parent’s Guide to Video Games, research psychologist, and panelist in ESRB’s upcoming webinar, Dr. Rachel Kowert asks: “Can cognitive skills be honed through video game play?”

The answer is an unequivocal yes.

“Video game play has been associated with the improvement of a range of cognitive skills, such as improved goal setting, initiative taking, and persistence in the face of difficult challenges. Video games are great vehicles for sharpening cognitive skills because they provide a wide range of different challenges within a single space. For example, in many games, players explore new spaces, solve puzzles, craft objects, and cooperate or compete with other players to achieve increasingly difficult tasks. These experiences are great for learning, as players must constantly develop strategies and solutions for new problems in a relatively short amount of time.”  — Dr. Kowert

Dr. Kowert will share a host of cognitive benefits that your children can gain from playing their favorite video games. To learn more, join the webinar!

Finding Options Suitable for Every Gamer

No matter your age, interests, and skill level, there are video games out there for you.

Of course, some kids and adults have specific needs that affect which video games they can play. Physical or cognitive impediments can make some games unapproachable — but, fortunately, the video game industry has been making strides in accessibility to ensure that there are good options for every gamer.

Whether you or your kids have difficulty with reading, navigation, visuals, mobility, or something else, there are games out there that feature settings to help your whole family to get in on the fun.

As part of his commitment to making video games approachable for all families, webinar panelist Andy Robertson set out to create a tool to help parents find video games with the accessibility settings they need. Robertson’s Family Video Game Database offers a comprehensive accessibility search so you can find games that your whole family can enjoy, regardless of special needs.

Armed with the right resources and strategy, video games can be an appropriate and fun activity for the whole family. But there’s no set-it-and-forget-it solution, so be sure to watch our upcoming webinar where our expert panelists will help you harness the positive power of video games.

The post Creating a Positive Video Game Experience for the Whole Family appeared first on ESRB Ratings.

Mood Management and Mental Well-being

As humans, we have been playing since the beginning of time. Within ancient, ruined cities researchers often find card decks and dice found among the rubble. Play has been important for humans of all ages throughout time; it’s not something that is only critical for child development like many people assume. Not only is play crucial to mental well-being, including enhancing creativity and happiness, but it has also been associated with reduced depression and anxiety (see here, here, and here).

Far too often we forget that video games are at their core playful. All video games are designed to be entertaining, engaging, and fun!

Play has such a strong influence on our well-being because of the role it can play in mood management and repair. Mood management and mood repair strategies refer to techniques that a person can use to shift their mood from a negative mood to one of greater contentment of happiness. From sadness to happiness. Or high stress to lower stress.

In fact, research has found video games to be a particularly efficient vehicle for mood management. This is because good games (well-designed games) engage players in a way that meets basic psychological needs as humans. They give you a sense autonomy (you are free to make your own choices and have control), competence (you can achieve things, be successful), and relatedness (connecting with other villagers and your friends via online play). These three components – autonomy, competence, and relatedness – are universal and thought to be essential for psychological health and well-being of an individual. Having these needs met, while also having the added element of playfulness, makes us feel good, happy, and satisfied.

Far too often we forget that video games are at their core playful. All video games are designed to be entertaining, engaging, and fun!

Social Connection

Video games are a great way to foster social relationships, particularly online. Due to their interactivity, connecting online through a video game is uniquely different from connecting socially online through an online forum or social media. They provide us with a way to actively engage with others, collaborate or compete with them and have shared experiences which is particularly notable now as COVID-19 has kept us (and continues to keep us) physically distanced and less able to have traditional shared experiences, like play dates and dinner parties.

In and of itself, socialization is a key component of our wellbeing. One of the key reasons for that is how it reduces our sense of loneliness,

which can have a range of negative effects on our physical and mental health including increased stress and depression. In fact, research has found that loneliness and social isolation is twice as harmful to a person’s physical and mental health than obesity. Shared experiences can provide a buffer for these effects and have also been found to be related to increased self-esteem, decreased feelings of depression, anxiety, and isolation and an increased sense of belonging.

Video games are a fantastic vehicle for shared experiences as they can connect us in a fun, safe social space. This is, at least partially, why games such as Animal Crossing (Everyone) and Among Us (Everyone 10+) have been so popular over the last year.

“Unintentional” Learning 

While claims about the effects of video game use often focus on what negative thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors they might teach players, often with little supporting evidence, in more recent years researchers have turned their attention to the potential positive “unintentional” learning experiences that can occur when playing games. I refer to it here as “unintentional learning” because the things we are talking about – learning new information and new skills – are not the explicit goal of the games they are playing, but rather an “unintentional consequence” of playing them.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI (Everyone 10+)

While it may not seem obvious at first, video games are fantastic vehicles for learning new skills. Part of the reason for this is that they induce a state of flow. Often referred to as being “in the zone”, players experience flow states when in-game challenges are balanced with the skill level of the player. When in a state of flow, players become hyper focused on the in-game task and are determined to overcome it because their skills are being challenged. It is in this state that various kinds of learning can occur. Games are also great learning tools because people want to play them. On top of that, playing together with others can socially reinforce the activity, making them want to play more.

What can be learned playing video games you ask? Research has found video game play can promote the acquisition of a variety of skills and abilities including creative thinking, problem solving, adaptability and resourcefulness, and leadership skills.

The link between video game play and creative thinking may not be particularly surprising, as most video games require players to develop new solutions to different problems in a short amount of time.  Overcoming various in-game challenges can promote thinking outside the box and help develop more complex problem-solving skills.

Leadership skills are also often discussed in the context of unintentional learning when playing online games. Online games provide a particularly unique opportunity to observe, learn, and lead groups of all sizes, ages, and backgrounds. Experimenting with and experiencing success in leadership roles online have been found to cross over into other offline contexts.

Players can also unintentionally gain knowledge while playing video games, the nature of which depends on the video game they are playing. For example, you can learn about history playing games like Age of Empires (Everyone 10+, Teen), or what it takes to be a successful city planner by playing the popular simulation series Sim City (Everyone 10+), or the wonders of the world, key world leaders, and world history through Sid Meier’s Civilization (Everyone 10+).

While there will likely always be discussions of “how much is too much” and “are games impacting our children problematically”, it is important to keep in mind the other side of the coin: Video games can, and do, have a proven range of positive impacts on those who play them. From mood management and stress release to social connection and learning, video games are fantastic tools to have in our family toolkit… especially when advised to stay safely 6-feet away from those around us.

Dr. Rachel Kowert is a research psychologist, Research Director of Take This, and science content creator Psychgeist. Dr. Kowert has dedicated her career to studying video games and the gamers who love them. She has published numerous books and scientific articles on the topic and has been featured by the Wall Street Journal, Polygon, The Science of Us and NPR among others. Her latest book, A Parent’s Guide to Video Games, won an INDIES award in the science category. To learn more about Rachel and her work, visit www.rkowert.com.

The post Unspoken Benefits of Video Game Play appeared first on ESRB Ratings.