PLAY: School Sessions
One of the things we don't write about often enough is our school visits. A number of times each year we go into schools to provide advice and guidance for parents and teachers about the benefits of video games.
This can take the form of a session delivered by the VSC Rating Board, or (like today) a visit from our editor. This is a great way to engage parents and carers to hear questions, concerns and success stories.
The main areas that come up in these sessions are:
- Video game violence
- Obsessive gaming
- Controlling spending
- Online interactions
Along with providing resources on the day, we have comprehensive guidance in each of these areas on the site. Whether you want to limit access to games by PEGI rating, set boundaries on screen time, understand video game costs or ensure you understand online interactions, there are posts for you.
Along with this detailed advice, in these sessions, we discuss how to establish video games as a family activity. This can be finding games that particular families want to play together, offering advice on the best technology to expand gaming options or just highlighting multiplayer modes on games they already have. The aim is that by the end of the sessions parents and carers can make informed choices about the games their family plays.
Finally, we focus on practical advice. Parents and carers are short on time so are often keen to hear what quick wins there are for families with avid gamers.
Introducing the tools and reports offered by all game consoles has been a well-recieved response in this area. This puts not only the ability to control gaming in the hands of carers but also a more in-depth understanding of the sorts of games their children play.
Like at the end of today's session, our aim is that everyone goes home better informed and equipped to guide children is this important part of childhood.
If you'd like a session for your school, leave a comment here or contact our editor Andy Robertson. Thanks to Trinity CofE Primary School for having us there today.
