Video games are so popular these days. With your kid hunched over the PC or console set, determined to destroy the enemies, you can’t be unconcerned if the violence of these video games won’t affect his behavior. It’s really a concern why many kids “have no lives at all” opting to play video games rather than go out and play. In some researches on video games, psychologists highlight increased aggression and hampered social skills as result of too much gaming. Guide child kid towards harmless fun with these tips.

Know what they’re playing. You should scan their video games and see if these are all right for your child’s age. Some of your kid’s CDs/DVDs may be too violent for him and should therefore be replaced with a more moderate general theme. Many video games today offer an elevated level of violence. And it’s not just blood and gore, some contain mature themes like sex, drugs, and organized crime. The ESRB rating should be able to guide you on the suitable age that is appropriate for such a game. However, the ESRB has also received flak about being too lenient with its ratings so better check the games if they contain animated blood and gore and sexually explicit themes.

Observe your kid at play. How is your kid reacting to the game? Observing your kid when he is at play will give you an idea as to how your kid is taking all these in. Your child may need you to explain that a video game is different from real-life. If your eight-year old child screams “Die, motherf*cker, die!” in the middle of the game, you should be alarmed.

Regulate. Don’t have your kid playing video games all day everyday. Make sure your kid plays with other kids, too. Have your kid play hide and seek or tag and have your kid run around like normal kids. This way, your kid will have other playmates than his heroes in the game and get more energy than sitting around facing a screen. Expose him to other crafts, make him learn sports and martial arts instead of just playing them.