Hey guys, how many of you think video games are fun and great to play?

Come on now, raise your hand. (I’m raising mine ?).

A LOT of games are super fun but some can be a BIG waste of money too, don’t you think?

Gaming genres help you [narrow] down the games you’re looking for.

If you like Mario games like Super Mario Odyssey, than you might like adventure games.

A cool game besides Mario Odyssey is the Legend of Zelda or Yo-kai Watch.

Both are fun and ADDICTING (my dad thinks I’m addicted to them =]).

If you like Super Smash Bros. (I love that game) and play it in on the Wii, Wii U, Switch, ect., than you like “fighting” games. Try Kirby Battle Royal or Street Fighter.

You’ll love em’ both.

There are way more gaming genres out there.

Visit the game informer magazines to help you find a game you’d enjoy.

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Parents, this section is for you.

For the mom’s and dad’s who avoid the slick aisles of Target, Walmart and Best Buy that lead to the video games section.

It’s ok to reward your kid with a video game but they have to earn it.

Taking out the trash, picking up their room or getting good grades shouldn’t be a reason for them to get a video game.

It’s important for them to learn they have to EARN it!

Right?

When you do decide to buy them a game, be careful.

Remember the video game Grand Theft Auto that took the video game industry by storm years ago?

It was about a young thug-like man, walking down the street and stealing cars.

He earned money by completing drugs runs. In turn, buying guns, bats and anything violent to inflict pain on innocent people.

SCARY.

A lot of people think video game violence leads to real world violence.

There isn’t any (“real”) proof that says it does – only rumors.

Still, you should check the games your kid is playing.

Their young mind is still developing, growing and maturing.

Here are two ways to check if the video games your child throws into the shopping cart are suitable for them:

(1)  Take (1)-second: Look at the cover of the video game.  Are there soldiers, guns or scary characters? Yes. More than likely the game is VIOLENT.

(2)  Look for one of these LETTERS in the bottom left hand corner of the front cover of each game:

E means everyone (kids of all ages can play)
E 10+ (everyone 10 and older can play)
(T)een (13 and older can play)
(M)ature (17 and older can play)
(A)dults over 18+

These rating  are from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings.

Most video game genres (role playing, sports, puzzle, racing, combat, etc…) are fun and addicting.

Sometimes the way characters speak and act is a little surprising.

If you’re a parent who wants to make sure their child isn’t growing up too fast, go to YouTube.com.

In the search field, type “[insert your video game name here”] + and the word “review”.

Your search in YouTube should look like this:

“Mario Odyssey game” + review

If the game is popular, videos of people reviewing the game will come back.

If not, you can visit Target, Amazon or Walmart and read the reviews of people who bought the game.