Gaming and Parenting.

As a gaming enthusiast, I always find myself wondering how parenting and gaming would synchronize and become a powerhouse. I have always envisioned myself gaming with kids I don't have, yet. But then how will it be like? I know for sure they may or may not be fanatic gamers like I am. But if they will be, how can I use that to my advantage and how can every other gaming parent out there?

Growing up in the early 2000's my old man wasn't familiar to gaming neither did he give it a chance. This is in Africa where technology was not as prevalent as it is right now. But I was lucky enough to have an elder brother who introduced me to the gaming world. It was fantastic being able to virtually control people, drive cars and even fight. And eventually I was already a 'certified' gamer by the time I was a decade old.

The most interesting thing about my gaming experience is that I could have fun without having to go out and that would in turn create a better and stronger bond with my brother, who are extremely close currently. Now that I'm grown up an looking forward to having a family of my own, how can I utilise gaming to get the best out of my family, most importantly my kids?

I will not force them one way but I sure will be the bridge between them and gaming. I hope to use gaming as a punishing and awarding tool. But how effective will it be? Or I might just be making things difficult for myself. No, I hope not. But I'm sure there are people, or rather parents and guardians who have done this and got something out of it. How did you go about it and how would you go about it? Your experiences will be of great help and importance to others.

 

Hey man just wanted to say I found your thoughts really interesting. While it's true that we'll probably be the first generation of parents who will participate in video games with their children, I don't think its too complicated of an issue. Imagine when your father took you out to do sports like football and cycling. That's just what he did and loved when he was a kid, and when you do it together, a naturally, a bond is formed between the family. Since you gamed a lot as a kid, seeing your kid growing up and having fun in a similar way you did will be sure to create strong feelings of solidarity between you, just in the way how you and your father bonded over sports. While I don't have much experience either; my dad wasn't much of a gamer, I hope these thoughts may be of some use to you.