By Michaela Gordoni
It’s hard to find a boy these days who doesn’t play video games, but is that a good or a bad thing?
One of the benefits games have is that children make friends through them.
Zishan Khan, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist and Regional Medical Director with Mindpath Health, said, “Video games are the modern equivalent of the neighborhood pickup game: a place to compete, connect and experiment with identity. Multiplayer and cooperative games can strengthen friendships, especially for kids who struggle socially offline, giving them a shared activity and low‑pressure way to interact.”
Games like Minecraft can also increase creativity and problem solving skills.
“Certain games appear to support attention, visual‑spatial skills, and problem solving, and some studies link regular gaming with better performance on specific cognitive tasks,” Khan explained.
However, moderation and the kinds of gamed played are key to healthy gaming.
Alanna Gallo, MEd, former teacher, founder of Play. Learn. Thrive. and parent of a young boy, also says moderation is essential.
“My oldest is 10 and was not allowed to play video games until he was 8 years old. When we introduced video games, we limited his time to 30-45 minutes 2-3 times per week, after conversations with him about what we all thought was reasonable,” said Gallo.
Related: After This Many Hours, Playing Video Games Becomes Harmful
Video game designer and parent American McGee, founder of Plushie Dreadfuls, explained, “As with any form of media, parents should be involved with the selection and playing of these games. I find playing various multiplayer games where I’m in the same room as my boy and we’re talking about the experience while running around together is educational for him and fun for us both.”
Dr. Khan believes that highly addictive games with casino-like mechanics are unhealthy.
“We limit video gaming because it is designed to be highly addictive and often negatively impacts behaviors [like] emotional regulation, focus, [and] impulse control. I’ve worked with many families who have boys with extremely unhealthy gaming habits, so I know the potential impact and don’t want that for my son,” Gallo explained.
Games like Roblox are especially harmful as they can expose children to predators. These games have open chats and wide creative possibilities that can expose them to sexual content, harassment and grooming.
Violent games can also increase violent behavior.
The National Center for Health Research said, “Studies have shown that playing violent video games can increase aggressive thoughts, behaviors, and feelings in both the short-term and long-term. Violent video games can also desensitize people to seeing aggressive behavior and decrease prosocial behaviors such as helping another person and feeling empathy (the ability to understand others). The longer that individuals are exposed to violent video games, the more likely they are to have aggressive behaviors, thoughts, and feelings.”
Dr. Khan says parents don’t need to eliminate games completely.
“The task for parents is not to eliminate that space but to make it safer, more balanced, and more aligned with the kind of young men they hope their sons will become,” he explained.
Parents Magazine suggested that if you allow your child to play video games, put a time limit, connect games with skills and values, model healthy digital habits and watch for warning signs in your child, like loss of sleep, changed mood and dishonesty about gaming.
Children’s Health also recommends that children don’t play games alone in their room. Playing with others or by themselves in a family room allows for more social opportunities.
Read Next: Can Video Games Be a Part of a Healthy Childhood?
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