Most parents feel stuck on video games: ban them and your kid feels left out, allow them and you worry about who's on the other end of the chat. Devyn Ricks has spent her whole life in games and now runs Miss Devyn's Video Game Universe, where a team of teachers hosts moderated online gaming clubs for kids. She's also a mom of four.
In this conversation she walks through how she decides which games her own kids play, why she's a hard pass on Roblox, the simple signal that tells you a game is doing more harm than good, and how to check whether any game is safe even if you've never picked up a controller. We also get into why a console beats an iPad, which system to buy at each age, and why teaching kids the "why" protects them long after the rules stop working.
If gaming is a fight in your house, this one is for you.
Chapters: 0:00 Meet Miss Devyn and her video-game clubs
2:14 What the clubs actually do (and why community matters)
13:23 Games are neutral: how you use them is everything
15:16 Why she's a hard pass on Roblox, and reading your kid's cues
18:38 If a game is free, your child is the product: console vs iPad
24:52 How to vet any new game (research, chat settings, observe)
31:03 The hard truth about who's online, and staying involved
34:32 Skills, not rules
38:16 What game system to buy at every age
48:09 The biggest misconception about kids who game
53:49 One piece of advice: play the game with your kid
Find Devyn: Miss Devyn's Video Game Universe — missdevyn.com
YouTube: @MissDevynsVGU
TikTok: @MissDevynGames Classes on Outschool: search "Miss Devyn"
Family IT Guy helps parents protect their kids from the two biggest digital dangers: addictive algorithms and anonymous communication. Learn the problems, protect your family, start with yourself.
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