Playing It Safe: A Guide To Good Gamer Parenting

Follow these helpful tips to stay on top of the games your kids are playing.

Play them yourself

A family that plays together, stays together. Seriously. If you're uncertain about a game's suitability, rent it yourself and find out. It ought to be clear within the first hour or so if it's a no-no, and you're only going to be out the rental fee instead of a full-priced game purchase. (Opened video games typically can't be returned at all.) If the game in question offers a two-player mode, play it along with your child. You'll gain invaluable information about the game's content and how your child is relating to it. And who knows -- you might even enjoy it.

Use hardware parental controls

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to password-protect a console so it wouldn't play games above a certain age rating? Yes, it would, and you'll be pleased to hear that each major console (and Windows Vista, although not earlier Windows versions) has such a capability. To set up the parental controls for your particular console, refer to the following official instructions:

- Set up your Wii
- Set up your Xbox 360
- Set up your PlayStation 3

Once you've made these changes, even if a friend brings around a game that doesn't meet your standards or if older children (and adults) keep more mature games in the house, your kids won't even be able to load them without your consent. Understanding these controls is your most secure line of defense against games that don't meet your standards and requires the least amount of upkeep.

Some consoles also include timer functions that you can use to limit your child's gaming hours. If you're concerned about excessive video gaming cutting into other pursuits - school, say, or sleep - you may find these particularly useful.

Watch their purchases

You might be surprised to learn that most game retailers can be relied upon to enforce video game age ratings. A recent FTC survey indicated that underage youths have considerable difficulty purchasing inappropriate games, and the best performers were specialist game stores like Gamestop. Mistakes happen, though, and as there's no official law-enforcement weight behind the ESRB's ratings, your recourse is limited to complaining to store management (and, of course, chastising your offspring appropriately). There's no substitute for keeping aware of exactly what media your kids bring into your home, and that applies well beyond the video game realm.

Online services: proceed with caution

Lots of kids enjoy the sociability and competition of online gaming via services like Xbox Live. Despite the makers' attempts to keep things clean, however, they still remain a rather "Wild West" scenario, especially when voice chat is thrown into the mix. Although it sounds draconian, the only way to be completely sure that your kids aren't being exposed to bad language, racial and/or homophobic slurs is simply to prevent them going online.

If that isn't an option, consider limiting them to playing online with friends you already know, or making sure they're aware that it's never appropriate to give out personal information to online friends. Removing voice chat from the equation should be an option, too - just take the headset away. Many popular games can be played perfectly well without the chatter, although your kids may plead otherwise.

You might also think about suggesting an online game like World of Warcraft, which does a fine job of moderating its players and preventing abuse (although it comes with its own set of well-documented problems and carries a T rating), or Runescape, which is a cheaper, less high-tech (and potentially less objectionable) alternative.

Make sure they understand

If your kids have a clear understanding of your position on objectionable media, they won't be able to plead ignorance if they break the rules. Make it clear that you have standards -- assuming you do have standards, of course -- and be very explicit about what they are and what awful consequences will ensue if they are ignored. Removing power cords to game consoles for a period of time is a good start, but we're sure you can come up with more creative ideas.