As a nerd that has grown up loving franchises like Pokemon and playing Nintendo, I found it slightly easier to connect with my son when he talks about trading cards or video games. It also gave me an advantage of understanding the gaming industry to properly monitor what is appropriate for him. However, when chatting with other parents, nine times out of ten I hear, “He/she/they play ___ game. I have no idea what it is or what it’s about. They ask for it, and I buy it.” This…kinda bothers me.

Most parents aren’t cool enough to like video games, and that’s okay. I don’t care about Target runs, shoe shopping, or the Kardashians. We all are entitled to enjoy our own things; however, video games come in a wide variety–from innocent farming sims or platformers to beating up prostitutes in Grand Theft Auto. Many games have multi-player where you can chat with complete strangers. Each in its own vacuum is not a bad thing, only bad when it is in the wrong hands at the wrong time.

For example, I have a family friend debating to get Fortnite for his six year old son. In this scenario, this child is easily impressionable, is already obsessed with guns and killing, and he is frequently unsupervised with his electronics (he has full reign of the internet). The friends’ spouse admitted she knows nothing of video games and didn’t express interest in even educating herself about the risks and benefits.

Am I saying Fortnite has to be restricted until he turns 13 (the ESRB rating is Teen)? Not necessarily! However, like with all things, I believe it is a parent’s responsibility to ensure their child is psychologically ready to consume whatever media (video game in this case) appropriately. Questions to ask include: what is the video games’ rating and what are the reasons for this rating? Does this game have multi-player and allows contact with strangers? Is there a mode to shut that part off?

A parent doesn’t need to be into video games or be an expert, but sadly, many I speak to don’t seem to do basic research. Video games are an incredible means of entertainment–if not an art–but with all things, there is a bright side and a dark side. In my profession as a pharmacist, I believe in the phrase, ‘do your due diligence’.

Do you have kids that play video games? How much stock do you put into researching the titles they want to play? Do ESRB ratings mean anything these days? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.

The Boss Rush Podcast: The Flagship Podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network

The Boss Rush Podcast – The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, Stephanie, LeRon, and their friends from around the internet come together with other creators, developers, and industry veterans to talk about games they’ve been playing, discuss video game and entertainment based topics, and answer questions solicited on social media and the community Discord. 

New episodes of the Boss Rush Podcast release every Monday morning on YouTube and all major podcast applications like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Patreon supporters gain one week early access. 

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Featured Image Source: Fortnite