Many people have debated this topic for years. There are countless studies about this topic and most people have taken one side or the other. In this article, let us briefly look at the reasons why.

Pro Video

Most parents find video games to be the best choice for their children. Many of those people allow them to play video games in order to keep them busy. Many find it easier than fighting with them to play outside. Finally there are those that find that video games can bring about a certain sense of accomplishment. Given the right attitude, these games can actually be a very positive experience. The idea that video games are bad is too general a statement.

As a parent, one must become a part of the child's life. That means monitoring what your children play. While many parents allow their children to play at other homes, they may not be able to control what their children's pals play. That is where you, the parent, come in. By giving your child the guidelines for video game play, he or she will hopefully decide what games are appropriate for them. Obviously this is in a perfect world. What we, as parents, hope to do, is to instill a certain sense of responsibility in our children.

Video games are not all bad. There are some educational games, puzzle games, games that make one think, and even with the invention of Wii, which is geared to families, there is the infamous Wii Sports and Wii Fit. Wii Sports allows the player to become involved in a myriad of activities. There is bowling, golf, tennis, and baseball. For anyone who has played this game, the exercise gleaned from this is pretty surprising. Wii Fit has yoga, aerobics, strength training , and balance games. Buying the balance board allows for daily weigh ins as well as a way to monitor yoga stances. Being a Wii Fit veteran, there are results with this workout program.

It is about choosing the right system, the age appropriate games, and the amount of time spent with the system.

Many people argue that video games suppress the creativity process, allow the children to be reliant on external sources of happiness, and even possibly cause them to go out and commit crimes. There is evidence that many kids do commit crimes and they also are video game players. But 30 years ago, children committed crimes and they never touched a video game. There are crimes committed where there is no exposure to video games

Another valid point is the lack of creativity. That is where the parent comes in. The child should only spend a certain amount of time playing video games. Too much of anything, other than love, is not good. The responsibility of the parent is to teach the child the limits, foster creativity, ensure proper variations in the child's day, and finally, being aware of any behavior issues that may arise from too much stimulation. Boundaries must be set. That is true in all facets of life. Being the guiding force in your child's life can be the best thing you can do for your child. Video games come in all types, make the right choices and it can be a pleasurable experience.

Courtesy of Maureen at http://mommymomo.blogspot.com/