I’m really interested in cooperative gaming. For example, the board games Pandemic and Shadows over Camelot, in which the players have complementary roles and must work together against the game (or even semi-cooperative games like Terra, where the players compete, but must also ensure that they keep the world running at the same time, or no one can win). Bridge is my favorite card game, because of the partnership dynamic.  I like competitive games, too, but cooperative games are really where I get excited.

As a kid, this was the appeal of the arcade game Gauntlet. You could work together with your friends, and even if someone was better at the game than someone else, everyone could benefit.

I’ve been trying to think about video games now that support that kind of play. On the console front, we have a Nintendo GameCube, and two examples of cooperative games, Mario Kart Double Dash (where two players work together in the cart) and one of the Mario Party games (played in teams.) I think the Nintendo DS’s wireless link also allows for some cooperative play if both players have a DS. On the internet, I’ve been active in the mud/mush community for a long time, and played a fair amount of PuzzlePirates, again, because I value the cooperative aspects.

What other computer games are out that that emphasize interesting cooperative play?

I’ve included it as a PDF attachment in case the link goes dead.  The article is fair, balanced, and presents an excellent look at video game addiction.

Sit down and talk with your child about common-sense rules for computer use.  You both should think about:

1. How much time per day is reasonable?
2. What sites are ok to visit?
3. Is it ok to IM and chat?
4. When your kid is using the internet for homework, what are the guidelines?
5. What happens when a rule is broken?
6. What kinds of games are ok to play?
7. What should your kid do if they encounter something that makes them feel uncomfortable?
8. How often should these rules be revisited?
9. Will you install parent-survey software? Will you discuss the results?

You should keep the computer in a public place in the house.

2. Write up some rules about computer use with your child.  Make sure to include stuff like safeguarding personal information, limiting the amount of time your child can play on the computer, cyberbullying (don’t say it online if you wouldn’t say it in person), and what to do if your child encounters some inappropriate content. Finally, agree on a healthy amount of time to spend on the computer.  here’s a template you can use.

3. Find out why your child plays games. This will involve some work. read this thoroughly - pay special attention to the part about how kids run into trouble when they use games to escape. People play games for different reasons - we need to understand this as parents.

So what is important? I have no idea. For me, important stuff is (in order):

Taking care of my family
Working and making money
Progressing in my career
Taking care of myself (part of this is having fun)
Participating in a meaningful spiritual community
Keeping up with the d&d 4e rules
Learning how to rocket jump in tf2

There is no way we can say what is healthy or not healthy - it depends on your kid and circumstances.  The only time I get worried about kids who play video games in extreme, or who only play video games (playing more than 70% of non-school, non-work time playing video games).

I remember I played a computer game every day for almost a full year.  I was in 8th grade, and I remember coming home, doing my homework, and playing until 9 or 10 at night. It was fantastic. A great escape for me during the throes of early adolescence. Over the years, as a teacher I saw the educational value of games in my classroom.  I still enjoy playing computer games casually.

The issue becomes when important stuff doesn’t get done.  Then you need to sit down, spend times with your kid and talk to them.  If there is someone who can give them a dutch uncle talk all the better.

Because of this, there is a tremendous variation in the ways families and people approach video games. Some families might be very liberal, some might be quite conservative.

I always thought good parenting is about the right balance of letting go and holding on, and like our immune system, kids need to be exposed to society in order to learn how to deal with it.