eBook Review: The Modern Parent’s’ Guide to Kids and Video Games by Scott Steinberg

Video games are everywhere these days. There is hardly a kid alive who does not play games at home, at school, and at friends’ houses. How is a modern parent supposed to know what games are approrpiate, for how much time, and at what age?

Thank goodness for Scott Steinberg, who has created The Modern Parent’s Guide to Kids and Video Games and made it available completely free to download in .pdf form from The Modern Parent’s Guide website.

In a very clear and easy to follow format, Steinberg sets out how to talk to kids about video games, addresses common concerns such as how much time to allow, age appropriateness, health concerns, concerns about game addiction, safety and worries about how games, especially violent games, effect behavior. The guide’s approach to these questions is very balanced. There are no scare tactics, just information about current research and good advice.

Steinberg also discusses the benefits as well as the drawbacks of video games. He then explains how to use video game ratings,and how to establish guidelines for healthy gaming, and how to resolve conflicts.

The guide also covers online gaming, including multiplayer games (MMOs) and how to determine whether the online games are safe for children. It explains special rules for playing on the computer, such as overspending, protecting identity, being wary of strangers, and spending too much time online.

Don’t overlook the appendices here: they provide a wealth of great resources and information, from a video game glossary to instructions on how to set up parental controls, top MMOs for kids and adults, and top game franchises. It also explains what parents need to know about gaming on the iPhone and iPad, plus much more.

Altogether, there are 79 pages of excellent information, making The Modern Parent’s’ Guide to Kids and Video Games an invaluable guide for all parents of kids and teens, all provided as an ebook at no cost!

If you wish, you can also buy the book at Lulu.com or for Kindle or Nook. Learn more about that at the Videos Games and Kids website.