Non-profit organisation Games for Change has published a white paper exploring how parents approach video games, and how to shift their focus away from “fear-driven narratives focused on addiction, violence, and excessive screen time.”
Authored by G4C research director Dr Rachel Kowert and supported by Tencent, ‘What Families Need to Know About Video Games and Well-Being’ seeks to highlight how parents can positively engage with their children playing video games.
As Kowert summarised, the paper’s goal is “not to eliminate parental concerns, but to ground them in evidence rather than fear.”
“Parents are often not concerned about the right things,” Kowert told GamesIndustry.biz. “So let’s talk about what we don’t have to be worried about so we can focus our energy more efficiently.”
“We’re focusing on parents because they are an underserved group in this ecosystem. The same applies to educators; we could all collaborate more effectively. Importantly, research should be translated into clear, accessible language.”
Kowert continued: “Academics typically are very bad at getting any information out in a way that doesn’t use big, long words that no one understands, and that’s a perfect echo chamber. By bringing industry, advocates, and educators to the table, we can share our expertise and discuss what we know and don’t know.”
The paper also encourages parents to engage with their children during gameplay. Nearly 60% of children want their parents to be more involved when they play games.
“By bringing industry, advocates, and educators to the table, we can share our expertise and discuss what we know and don’t know”
Dr Rachel Kowert
Kowert illustrates this by saying: “If you can sit through a five-year-old’s soccer game, you can talk to them for five minutes about what game they’re playing.”
“Parents often think, ‘Oh, I guess I could.’ You don’t have to be great at playing games. My kids love Minecraft, but I don’t because I have poor spatial awareness, so it’s hard for me to play. But do I play it? Yes. Am I good at it? Do they care? It’s funnier that way.”
G4C founder and president Susanna Pollack also observed that parents’ perspectives on gaming have shifted following the pandemic.
“Gaming became a space for kids to connect when otherwise they couldn’t. Parents did see that, and there were many parents who were grateful for that because it was the only way to play with your friends. Parents were able to see that value. I don’t think it shifted tremendously, but I think it opened up people’s eyes.”
Pollack stated that the goal is to reduce parental anxiety about games and foster a “deeper understanding of what games can mean to children’s lives.”
“Gaming became a space for kids to connect when otherwise they couldn’t”
Susanna Pollack
“Starting from a place of anxiety, fear, and panic stems from not understanding something. And if we can move the conversation from that place to something deeper, then that can result in a holistic understanding of games. This includes things to be honestly concerned about, but also includes how it’s contributing to kids’ lives.”
Beyond the white paper’s findings, G4C is applying these principles through its Raising Good Gamers program, which offers families tools and resources to navigate gaming at home.
The organisation has also introduced pilot workshops where families create video gaming agreements. 82% of participants reported increased confidence in discussing video games with their children.
Workshops will launch across the US and UK this September, with global expansion planned for 2027.
