What is he doing in there?

*Re-posted from Feb 21st 2017* I recently listened to a fantastic podcast that was put together by Michelle Ransom-Hughes, a radio producer at the ABC. Her podcast is called “What’s he doing in there?” and it was done on the ABC show called Earshot. The expressive illustration was done by Sophie Beer. You’ll hear Michelle interviewing her son Marco to discuss his involvement in gaming culture. You’ll also hear from Marco’s dad who has a commonly held point of view around the role of video games. It is an honest look at how games are being played in her home and all of the parental concerns that come it. The honest conversations address issues that many parents would immediately identify with. We also get a bit of insight into one gamer’s online world, and how he values those games. To truly empathise with someone, you must walk a mile in their shoes. This is one of 10 strategies that the GameAware program employs to manage gaming time if it’s gotten out of control. It’s essentially empathy training for parents. Understanding why our gamer plays is really important so that you can better understand the nuance and culture of their world. Michelle does a great job to allow her son to share his experiences around gaming and the worldwide online community that it has become. The essential point here is: If you want to know what he’s doing in there, ask him (or her). Don’t demonize the games. More to come on this issue in upcoming posts.   Click here to check out the interview Click here to check out Michelle’s tips for how to talk to your kids about gaming If you are wondering how much is too much, try the quiz found on the homepage.