As many of you may (or may not) know, I am a dad. And I’m a gamer. I recently read this article from a fellow dad gamer about his mixed feelings about his situation, and immediately felt relieved. Mark Serrels is a tech journalist, who has spent most of his career fighting against the moral panic that video games are ruining kids. And yet, some of his personal experiences as a dad with a young kid and video games seem to give more nuance to the story.
I grew up in a household that begrudgingly allowed video games. My mother was very against them and knew that they were rotting out brains out. I like to think that I turned out okay, but now as an adult, I still love them. I might be a game studies academic, but I’m still a gamer.
So it’s hard for me to grapple with how I can balance my pre-schooler’s video game time, (he wants to be Link for Halloween after playing Breath of the Wild with me) when I am so conflicted. I don’t think video games are terrible, and parents should set boundaries, but at what age are games appropriate? He is obsessed with them right now, and my wife and I notice a difference in his behavior after play sessions. Much like the tantrums that most parents attribute to video games.
It’s been really hard. I see so many other gamers who think that video games are just fine, no worries with kids of any age. And I see parents who hate them but give in still to keep their kids happy. I’m slowly realizing that, like any aspect of parenting, there shouldn’t be judgment from outsiders on what parents allow when it comes to screen time and video games. I shouldn’t think less of parents who let their kids play more than I would, and I shouldn’t think less of myself when I give in and play with my four-year-old.
Hyrule University 