Pokemon Go Slow – Teach Kids Safety And Moderation In Online Games

You have to be living under a rock not to have heard the words ” Pokemon Go! “, the online game.

It’s a virtual reality game, played on apps in IOS or Android devices. It’s a free app (with some in app purchases) made by Niantic where players use the device’s GPS to capture, battle and train pretend creators called Pokemon who appear in the screen as if they were in the same surroundings as the players.

In layman terms, once you launch the game you will see characters around your surroundings in real time (Kinda scary if you ask me!) . You follow instructions, doing whatever is needed to get to the next step in the game. So, you will walk towards the next location, jump onto the character or do something else. The key word is act.

For most kids playing this is a novelty. For adults, there is the added instant thrill of having caught a character they saw on tv in their childhood. This game in particular, is being hailed for getting people out and about, being active instead of sitting on the couch glued to just the screen. Now they are glued to the screen on streets. Haha !

Consequently, there are tonnes of news reports coming in where people are falling, getting into small and big accidents, climbing up trees, and even getting hit by lightning in the process of playing. There was even a news about a brother killing his sibling for uninstalling the app from his phone ( which in fact hadn’t even happened ). Many people while sharing the news of these accidents on social media accuse the company or the game for these unfortunate events.

Online game playing : and here I’m referring to playing is it’s most diverse term, is wonderful for flexing your brain muscles. It increases reaction time, thinking power, makes you think out of the box and in this case even gets you moving when you may not want to. You learn working in co ordination when you play online with other players, sportsman spirit even. You learn to look at the bigger picture rather than what’s right in front of you. And it even teaches you to persevere because you have to keep trying to get to the next level.

But one needs to know when to stop ! There’s always a thin line dividing the appropriate and the inappropriate. There seems to be an inherent loss of awareness of where that line is among us the current generation. They need to be able to made aware of that line. To recognize it and know when not to cross it.  This has to be nurtured into them by core moral values. Most importantly, pertaining to this particular scenario, moderation and self control. To be able to be aware of your surrounding when playing, stop playing as required and to be able to understand that they have a responsibility not just to them but those around them.

This goes much deeper than kids just being too engrossed into a game to look up from their screen or believing that playing a game is matter of life or death.

Humans are attracted to instant gratification, which can easily go out of control. Nurturing a basic instinct of responsibility is paramount for success in life and that doesn’t just apply to games. The crux is to recognize that simple rules or actions like the ones below instill the importance of moderation, self control and thinking before we leap.

Limited Gadget Time.

Kids shouldn’t get so engrossed that they prefer staying inside or start walking into doors ! Let them play outdoors.

Supervision is Paramount

Playing games should be supervised and limited to certain levels a day. Snacking/Candy being limited to a bowl/one. This goes a long way in teaching self control and importance of moderation.

Make Online Games Reward Based

Pursuit of some interests being reward based. They know the joy of actually working hard to achieve a goal. Do some chores around the house, because it is your house. Clean up, putting shoes where they belong, bringing water for others etc. And no, they shouldn’t ideally be rewarded for keeping their environment clean.

Discuss Context

Any video being watched should be explained to them. Often times a topic is subjective. Explaining it to them in terms they can understand goes a long way in dividing the real and pretend world of gaming and television.

Explain Your Permission

Explain to them logically why you say yes or no, when they ask for something. Yes, this will lead to many more discussions but it is worth it in the long run in thinking of what is the right thing to do.

Encourage Questions

It drives us crazy. But it’s important to encourage the curiousness, even at odd times. We all are often busy in our day to day chores and not every moment is convenient but giving them your attention that time lets you know what goes on in their mind. This gives you a chance to mold their thinking positively.

Brave Through Defiance

Saying no and hearing them cry, while disappointing is not the end of the world. Yes, it is sometimes embarrassing and makes us hot in our face to have them throw a tantrum specially in the middle of a store. Brave through it because every other parent around you understands and the kids get a lesson by association.

Appropriate punishment for unacceptable behavior. This is so they understand that their actions have consequences and they need to take responsibility for the same.

Drill Safety Rules

Look when you cross the road. Look before you jump. Be careful. Teaching them to be ‘aware’ of their surroundings at all times is very important. Being kind and talking to strangers is different than ‘helping’ them or going away with them. Again, be aware and careful. Not scared.

Stop playing and drink water/go potty. Take a break. It’s important to know that no matter what you are doing, it’s important to pay attention to your body and it’s needs.

Monetary Consequences

Explain to them the importance of money. It may seem they are too young for it, but understanding why you can afford some things and why not some others gets them thinking along the same lines.

Make Them World Conscious

Share with them social media news that you think is appropriate. Many news like alcohol/medication parties, dangerous trends like planking in scary places etc can be explained to in simple terms so that they understand that what you do and share online is permanent and can be dangerous.

Explain to them why their interests do not match of those around them. This may be tricky but having them understand that will hopefully help them avoid peer pressure when the time comes and they will not do something just because everyone else is doing it.

Every chance you get. Reading to them. Telling them about your childhood. Stories you heard as a child or even interesting ones you grab off the internet. These get their thinking gears moving and makes them aware of moral values and give them a good directional thinking.

Let Them Get Bored.

This allows them to think of ways to entertain themselves. Lots of time for free play, supervised and unsupervised. Unsupervised play allows them to know how to keep themselves safe while they are playing and lets them learn that they need to take care of themselves.

In other words, you want to find ways to make your child self reliant in thinking for themselves. This is as, if not more important as basic knowledge like CPR or swimming.

When a child pulls a toy away from another, you don’t blame the children. You don’t blame the toy for causing the rift.  You teach the child to share. Games, trends have their own place in our social and mental grown but doing anything blindly in life and literally in the case of playing Pokemon can be hazardous to your very being ! Always go slow and keep your blinkers on.