OK, that title is a bit pretentious..  Nonetheless, I know that most parents are not like me.  You see, I am an avid gamer, and even at 43 years old I have 5 consoles in my house.  Wait, actually that is four, one of the xBox 360s is in for repairs.  (My son has the other one, and he is rather protective of it, that said, he doesn’t know that I use his console after he goes to bed, don’t tell him…)  Anyway, some Dads are like me, but most I think buy games based on what their kid wants and “needs” rather than based on the appropriateness of the game.  So let us get to it.

1. Know what console you have

Yes I know this seems silly, but let’s say you are buying for a relative in another city, or frankly, that you don’t pay much attention.  Find out what console your kid or relative or whatever has.  Now there is some backwards compatibility in that original xBox games will play on the 360, but that is a hit or miss proposition.  The same is true of the Playstation 3, though it is even more complicated there.  Frankly, just get games that match the system.

2. Read online reviews

When you find out about a hot title, check out the various online review sites like gamespot and IGN.  Frankly a wikipedia search usually lists most of the review scores for games.

3. Check the ratings

The ESRB (The Entertainment Software Rating Board) actually does a really decent job of rating games.  You might want to avoid games rated M for mature and you almost certainly want to avoid games rated A for adult.  In our house, games rated T for teen are usually ok, even for our 7 year old son.  I have a couple of M games, Call of Duty: World at War and Grand Theft Auto 4.  I let him play COD, but not GTA IV.  GTA IV is a great game, but put it this way, would you let your kid watch the Sopranos?  Perhaps not, and frankly GTA IV is like being in the Sopranos.  (I could go on about how it is brilliant satire, as it is, but frankly, I would avoid buying it for a younger kid).

4. Family games can rock, literally

Rockband, Rockband 2, Guitar Hero etc, these are fun, and they are fun even for non gamers.  Games that let everyone participate can bring families together, and they are fun to boot.  Plus, you get to teach your kids about old bands you liked when you were a kid….. (“When I was young I liked Boston, but was afraid to admit it as it as not that cool, even then”).

5. Educational games are often not that fun

Games that are designed to be ‘educational’ are often not that great.  Indeed, Ken Perlin of NYU is now using off the shelf games in a recent project for education that I heard him speak about at a gaming conference.  I think the new Leapfrog Didj has some potential here, but I have yet to play with one.  (I will soon though, man I hope my son does not read this blog….)

6. Ask

I find the guys at our local game shop really helpful.  Now I know games, but I have seen them stop parents from buying GTA or Saints Row for kids simply by saying “how old is your child?”  They then explain the graphic content.  Just ask.

I hope this helped a bit.  Do you have any other tips?  Throw them in!