Parenting is Like a Video Game

Parents know how addictive video games can be. Kids, particularly boys, prefer to spend hours playing them than doing other more important tasks, like homework and exercise. Apart from the dopamine rush that kids experience while gaming, there is another aspect of video games that is not often talked about, and it is something parents can learn from.

How many children do you know who actually read the instructions before playing a video game? They are more likely to search the Web for hacks and cheats to help them get ahead faster. Children learn the rules of the game as they play them. After a few failures and restarts, they eventually know the rules and learn that in order to progress to the next level and have more hours of fun, they would have to abide by the rules. Each restart of the game is an opportunity for the child to learn from their past mistakes and do better. And there is no limit to the number of times they can restart the game. This energises the child and keeps him motivated. This is how parenting should look and feel like. 

If you are setting rules for your kids, remember to have a fixed set of rules. Resist the temptation to keep adding to them. It frustrates children when parents keep changing the rules or adding new ones along the way. It is equally important to be patient and give them time to learn the rules and to align their behaviour with them. Practise not only makes perfect, it also makes permanence. 

By Parcsen Loke, Family Life Coach, Centre for Fathering.

Food for Thought: Video games can be addictive and for this reason parents view them as ‘bad’. Are there any benefits from playing video games?

Ask Your Child: Discuss with your child the possible pros and cons of video games.