Video games are fun, but require diligence

When I was growing up, I couldn't get enough of Space Invaders, Frogger and Ms. Pac-Man.

We didn't have a home video game system. But we could play those and other arcade games at my auntie's bakery for free, which meant a lot of practice time after school and throughout the summer.

Like most Gen Xers, video games always have been a big part of my life. In fact, I still love playing Frogger, only instead of a glass-top arcade table, I play it on my cell phone.

My daughter and I took turns playing the classic version of the game for nearly five hours last spring during a trip to the emergency room. It was, by far, one of the best ER experiences ever. Among the highlights: only having to stay in the germ-filled waiting area for about 30 minutes before getting admitted to a private room, learning that my daughter didn't suffer internal injuries from her bike crash, and successfully defending the high scores on my favorite video game.

My husband loves video games even more than I do, which is why our children didn't have much choice in becoming future gamers.

Still, so far, we have been pretty careful about which games we play around them, and the games they're allowed to play.

We also try to limit their screen time, but that doesn't seem to be much of an issue yet because of their short attention spans and occasional I-don't-want-to-play-if-I-can't-win-every-time attitudes.

Plus, my husband and I have a habit of, well, hogging the game controllers. ... What can we say? We're competitive, and we've been rescuing Mario from big scary cartoon monsters for decades.

Lately, most of the games our kids have been playing are fitness-related and use our Wii system. Let me tell you: Our 8-year-old daughter puts up a good fight in the boxing ring, and our 3-year-old son plays video golf way better than I play any kind of golf — video, putt-putt or otherwise.

Our 19-month-old son doesn't play video games yet, but he loves to shake the Wii controllers while staring at the TV. He thinks he's playing something. I can't wait to see how he mimics Guitar Hero, the game I'm asking Santa to give the entire family.

Besides Wii, we let my daughter and oldest son play games on a few Web sites that are related to their favorite TV shows.

We also have a V-Smile system with educational games that enforce basic reading, math and problem-solving skills. But the V-Smile rarely gets played anymore. Our daughter is too old for most of our V-Smile games, which are geared mainly to kids in kindergarten and first grade, and our sons are too young for them. For now, it's collecting dust with our Xbox, which has become the backup DVD player because most of our Xbox games and controllers are still packed away in the garage somewhere. We moved almost a year ago, but we pretty much stopped unpacking boxes months ago when we finally found the TV remotes and silverware.

Right now, our children are young and we can limit their exposure to games with violence and mature content. But we know that won't always be the case. One of these days they might want to play my husband's alien hunting or Army combat games. Or maybe they'll want to play one of those complicated role-playing fantasy games with their friends over the Internet.

Our job will be to make sure they know their limits, aren't being cyberbullied, and aren't viewing material that's inappropriate for their age.

A whopping 92 percent of kids ages 2 to 17 regularly play video games, according to a study released last week by the National Institute on Media and the Family. That translates to nearly 59 million youngsters.

Just in time for holiday shopping, the Institute last week released its annual MediaWise Video Game Buying Guide, which includes its best and worst games for kids. Several of the recommended picks promote creativity, problem-solving and physical movement — plus they've been expertly tested and deemed fun for kids.

Meanwhile, most of the games to avoid contain sexually suggestive themes, strong language and violence. Some promote the use of drugs and violence, according to the Institute.

The Institute recommends:

• Rated E: All Star Cheer, Animal Crossing: City Folk, FIFA Soccer 09, Hasbro Family Game Night, High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance!, LittleBigPlanet, Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy, NBA Live 09, NCAA Basketball 09 and Samba de Amigo.

• Rated T: Guitar Hero World Tour, Rock Band 2, Rock Revolution, Shaun White Snowboarding (also marketed as Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip) and Spider-Man: Web of Shadows.

All of the Institute's games to avoid are rated M. They include Blitz the League II, Dead Space, Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, Gears of War 2, Left 4 Dead, Legendary, Resistance 2, Saints Row 2 and Silent Hill: Homecoming.

To view a complete copy of the Buying Guide, and read about the latest research on video game addiction, ratings and other industry news, go to www.mediafamily.org.

Former Olympian reporter Lisa Pemberton is busier than ever with her three children, ages 1, 3 and8. She can be reached at lisapemberton@rocketmail.com.