As a dad who plays a ton of games with my kids (not at the moment with our bum 360) I always appreciate articles that talk about videogames as possibly not being such an evil think for fathers and sons to do. Problem solving, teamwork, thumb-eye coordination – come on, that is stuff that can’t be learned climbing in trees and playing sports. MSNBC agrees, too. Here’s a clip:

Albright, 38, says he’s the only dad among his son’s friend group that plays games with his kids. This jives with a recent AOL/Associated Press poll that showed four in 10 parents never game with their game-playing kids. “It’s such a waste of time,” one parent was quoted as saying.

Parent-child bonding
But is it? Or is gaming with your youngster a way to grow closer, teach lessons — and have fun in the meantime?

Albright thinks so. “It is a shame that parents don’t see this as an opportunity for bonding, communication and supervision,” he says. “Clearly, boundaries need to be set, but there are way more positives than negatives.”

This dad has strict rules about gaming in the family’s Seattle home. Screen time — be it gaming or TV-watching — is limited to weekends only. And that’s only if Caleb gets his schoolwork and chores done.

JG