Monday, November 23, 2009

Parents Should Stop Feeling Guilty Because Video Games Have Benefits

By Daniel Sose

It is certainly true. Video games can be good and benefical for kids. A study from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, researchers discovered that playing active video games can work as well as doing moderate exercises.

Parents may not have full control over applying learnings and design principles into games. But they can read this six helpful tips why video games are good for kids.

The first thing to do is to go for "E" rated games: Try to pick video games that the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rates as E for everyone or EC for early childhood.

Next is to get physical: There are games keep coming out that require players to move around to interact with the game.

Get some recommendations from teachers and other parents: Schools may sometimes have games available for the kids to play during recess and free time. The games may be checked out by other parents, try to get their opinion before purchasing a video game.

It is best to try before you buy: There are numerous web sites that offer free downloads of games that you can play for 30 to 60 minutes before the trial runs out. This greatly provides parents a chance to assess the game before buying.

It is good to go with known brands: Educational software publishers tend to put out reliable games that teach. Broderbund (The Learning Company), Riverdeep Interactive Interactive Learning Limited, Scholastic and Vivendi Universal Games' Knowledge Adventures are listed as reliable educational software publishers.

Read reviews: Visit Amazon, game and parenting web sites to read game reviews. Rely on more than one source and plenty of reviews.

Of course, books and classroom learning still remain vital. However, video games can challenge the brain because kids have to figure out the rules of a game and navigate around the virtual world.

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