With the holiday season in full swing, we know lots of parents are seeing video games on gift wish lists. We also know parents, like us, have so many questions about them. What are upsides and downsides? When do we know too much is too much? Will Fortnite ever go away or should we just join in the fun?
Well, we’re resharing one of our favorite episodes on this very topic. Our guest, video game expert Dr. Rachel Kowert, PhD, researcher, and author of A Parent’s Guide to Video Games has lots of answers that are research-based and common sense. You can take a listen right now on your Podcast app, or just click on this link right here.
Don’t forget to subscribe Spawned with Kristen + Liz on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app, and save the episode so you can listen offline as well. Thanks so much for joining us — and extra thanks to everyone who sent us a question!
Top Photo by Corey Motta on Unsplash
A few links we mention during the show
–Twitch, the leading live-streaming video platform.
–Conan O’Brien’s Clueless Gamer video series
–A parent’s intro guide to Minecraft PE
–Controversy around Grand Theft Auto
–Common Sense Media video game reviews for families
–Metacritic video game reviews for gamers
This week’s awesome sponsor
We couldn’t think of a more perfect sponsor for this week’s episode than GameStop, a one-stop shop for everything video games plus a whole lot more. Did you know they have toys, card and board games, even cool clothes? Pretty awesome! Every time we’ve gone into the store (which we did recently for our Facebook Live, did you catch it?), we’re blown away by how helpful the GameStop associates are. They can tell you what’s age appropriate, plus the skills your kids (and grown-ups) need for different games and consoles. And don’t forget about their hand trade-in program. Just bring games, consoles, even phones and other electronics into your local store for cash or GameStop credit.
We definitely agree: Your fun family game nights start at GameStop.
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Our Cool Picks of the Week
Rachel’s Cool Pick: Season 4 of Black Mirror. (Liz gives this pick an emphatic SECONDED!)
Liz’s Cool Pick: Mommy Poppins is the parent’s non-pretentious guide to activities in the NYC metro area, Boston, Philly, LA, Houston and beyond. Especially great for finding cool kid-friendly holiday activities!
Kristen’s Cool Picks: 23 digital subscription gifts for people who don’t need more stuff. Great ideas!
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Thanks for listening to Spawned! Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to save or download our episode! It actually does help other people find us, and for that, we’re grateful.