If you have a child who loves to play video games, you might sometimes feel like this is their first and only priority in life. Especially if you don’t enjoy or understand video games yourself, you might also have a hard time getting through to your child or feeling like you can connect with them on any kind of deeper level. But luckily, this doesn’t have to be the case.
With a little time and effort on your part, you can meet your child exactly where' they are and start connecting better with them. To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for connecting to your child who loves video games.
Learn More About Video Games Yourself
In order to have any kind of meaningful conversation with your child about video games, you first have to learn more about video games yourself.
Talk With Them About The Games They’re Playing
Once you know what games they’re playing and have a little background knowledge about that game, you can then start to have conversations with them regarding this activity and the content of the games.
While this can be a great way to just have a conversation that’s longer than a few sentences, Dr. Eric Rasmussen, a contributor to PBS.org, shares that talking about the games themselves can also help you talk about some of the issues that might be presented in the games. For example, if your child plays a shooting game, you can discuss how to safely handle a handgun in real life or how seriously hurt people can get when playing with weapons they don’t understand.
Play The Games With Them
To connect with your child on an even deeper level, Andy Robertson, a contributor to Forbes.com, recommends that you try to play video games with your child. Even if you’re not very good or don’t really understand what you’re doing, showing a genuine interest in something that your child loves will help you grow closer together. And sometimes, even just sitting together and watching while they play can help do the trick, too.
If you’ve found it hard to connect with your child because they’re playing video games, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you work around and through this.