Technology has permanently and irrevocably invaded kids’ lives — smartphones, tablets, portable media players, computers and connected video game systems fill there lives. Happily for today’s family, it can be an immensely rewarding and uplifting part of life as long as parents and children observe a few simple rules. From The Modern Parent’s Guide series (free to download, and the first covering all aspects of connected life), here are five tips for making high-tech devices a healthy part of your home.

Make a Commitment to Education

Dozens software programs, apps and child-friendly Web browsers promise to block questionable online content. But software’s no substitute for proactive parenting. As many new ways to connect constantly emerge or evolve, technology’s a moving target. The only way to meet the challenge is to constantly keep tabs on and personally try out new advancements. Ongoing research and hands-on trials are essential: You can’t teach the rules of the game if you don’t comprehend them yourself.

Keep Connected Devices in Common Rooms

It’s tempting to let kids keep computers, video game consoles and other Internet-ready devices in their bedrooms. But screens should be confined to common areas of the home. Beyond allowing you to monitor kids’ play patterns and time investment, doing so also lets you see how sprouts utilize systems in context, and whom they interact with. This provides a sense of children’s general computing habits and way in which kids employ devices. Ancillary benefits are also substantial – i.e. not having to worry about anyone sneaking down to pay World of Warcraft at midnight, apart from Dad, that is.

Use Parental Controls

Don’t ignore the basics: From Windows 8 to iPad and PlayStation Vita, most mass-market computing and entertainment devices offer parental controls built-in. System settings – optionally guarded with a password – can limit access to questionable content, the Internet or hardware itself, or filter material by age-appropriateness. Solutions make it simple to block R-rated movies and mature games, limit access to devices during off-hours, prevent downloadable purchases, and/or confine online interactions to pre-approved friend lists. Thankfully, even clueless grown-ups can configure them in minutes without reading the user manual.

Guard Your Personal Information

The Internet can be a wonderful place, but it’s also an intensely public one: Keep your personal information private. Intimate as social networks seem, everyone is ultimately playing a character. Many healthy relationships can be formed online. But it never hurts to stay paranoid. Knowing this, never give out personal information such as names, addresses, birthdays or telephone numbers, or reveal when you’ll be out of town. Likewise, use online services’ built-in tools and custom privacy settings to limit access to photos, status updates or videos of yourself only to pre-approved viewers.

Create and Enforce House Rules

Help kids understand the difference between right and wrong by setting house rules the entire family agrees to on appropriate content, when/how it’s suitable to use high-tech devices and when access is prohibited. Limiting screen time is important too: While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours daily, some parents offer more or less time as a reward or punishment for good or bad behavior. (Others treat use of high-tech devices as a privilege, reinforcing positive habits by letting kids earn time by doing chores or performing well in school.) Note that kids should feel comfortable approaching you with questions as well concerning house rules and questionable content – open, honest discussion is paramount. Long story short: Technology can be a hugely beneficial part of kids’ lives. But to realize it’s full potential, you’ve got to prepare them to meet its ups and downs, and commit to cruising alongside them on the rollercoaster ride.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series on how to create a high-tech family game night. Today I’m wrapping up the series with a few important guidelines worth keeping in mind for any family game night:

• Good sportsmanship pays. Gaming isn’t about sour grapes. After all, everyone’s ultimately a winner.
• Play nicely together. Set up a system so everyone takes turns, and gets to experience titles for an equal amount of time.
• Praise kids’ performance. Win or lose, any time they give it their all, it’s a job well done.
• Encourage teamwork. Join forces to surmount obstacles or shut down opponents.
• Avoid trash talk. If nothing else, it’ll keep kids from sassing you after kicking your sorry butt in a rematch.

I’d love to hear your stories of high-tech family game nights so leave a comment in the comment field below. Thanks for joining me.

First, ask yourself what’s appropriate: Are titles featuring cartoon violence, toy weapons or simulated combat kosher? Then think about what type of games make sense: Collections of frantic, bite-sized mini-games; teeth-gnashing head-to-head puzzlers; fist-pumping sports simulations; or grand-scale strategic engagements? Afterwards, you’ll also want to consider which control schemes you prefer, i.e. titles played on traditional gamepads, or motion controlled amusements that require you to get up and moving. Once you’ve picked the evening’s contenders, and set some limits, here are a few genres that make great choices for group play to consider:

• ACTION/ARCADE – Butt-bounce your way through titles together via cooperative play options. Alternately, go head-to-head against loved ones in fast-paced, whimsical affairs from pumpkin tosses to turkey shoots.
• CARD/CLASSIC – Virtually all your favorite board and card games are available in electronic form. Better yet, these titles remain as playable and addictive now as they did decades ago when first invented.
• MUSIC, RHYTHM AND DANCING – Burn calories while strumming along or busting a groove to today’s top pop, rock and rap songs. Such offerings – which may require the use of plastic instruments or dance mat controllers – let you literally jam to radio’s greatest hits, or shake a leg along with the beat. Many popular music and dance games offer a great mix of competitive options and cooperative routines, and some even allow for up to 20 players to play at once.
• PARTY – Crazy, competitive, and whimsical experiences specifically designed for the enjoyment of large gatherings are common fixtures at family gatherings.  These titles typically offer a collection of different mini-games, and require family members to perform many different quick, hilarious activities in order to score points.
• PUZZLE – Test your brainpower and reflexes against one or more opponents; the quicker you form set shapes or clear screens of blocks, the harder rivals must work to catch up.
• RACING – Quench your need for speed zipping along fantasy or real-world courses at maximum velocity. Most of today’s racing options allow up to four players to compete simultaneously on one screen (still more can play online), and many even provide the use of zany weapons (turtle shells, bombs, banana peels) as well.
• SPORTS – Baseball, football, basketball, hockey, tennis, golf, wrestling… If you can name it, there’s a virtual rendition. Fans will find all sorts of zany, arcade-style spoofs up for grabs in addition to pro-level simulations.

Tomorrow I’ll be wrapping up this series with some important guidelines for creating the kind of high-tech family game night that your family will remember fondly for decades to come.

Yesterday I talked about why it’s valuable to have a high-tech version of the old family game night. Today I’m going to get more specific about how you can host a high-tech family game night.

Essential Supplies

• Console – Although handhelds like the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Portable/Vita support wireless networking, they’re best reserved for killing time while software loads. Instead, stick with set-top systems when planning a family game night. The Nintendo Wii and backward compatible Wii U (which will run original Wii system software when in ships in 2012) have the greatest selection of family-friendly offerings to date, but consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 also sport a healthy range of choices that everyone can enjoy. Motion control accessories including Microsoft Kinect and PlayStation Move further offer compelling family play opportunities that can be cooperative or competitive, depending on your preference.
• Controllers – It never hurts to have a few extra gamepads lying around – preferably one for each player, plus a couple of back-ups. Make sure you look carefully at each before buying, however. Many sport added features like time-speed, slow-motion, or rapid-fire functions that can give users an unfair advantage.  And don’t forget to have a good supply of batteries or chargers on-hand as well.
• Snacks – Cheese. Crackers. Alright… even carrots, celery and juice. Just have something nearby to nibble; you’re sure to work up an appetite jabbing wildly away on the controller or hopping around the room while hooting and hollering at the screen – and each other. Rather than junk food though, we always advise serving up a healthy range of snacks. In a pinch, a range of diet, non-fat or low-fat alternatives can also help shave pointless calories.
• Pen and Paper – For keeping track of scores. For many, gaming is all about competition – the longer you play, the more you’re rewarded with points, victories, collectible items and so forth. Keep a running tally, so you can see how everyone stacks up. Even if you’re all working together, chances are there will be something worth keeping track of, even if it’s just the number of times Dad accidentally trips over the dog.

Please join me tomorrow when I’ll be addressing  “the right game” for your high-tech family game night.

Video games can be a great way to connect with kids, and make lasting memories, while experiencing a positive activity that the whole family can enjoy. The best way to begin: Start planning your own family game night.

“Playing video games with your kids makes them see you as a person, not just a parent,”says Chasity Hicks, an Oklahoma mother of three. Her household’s gaming habits offer a great example of the many types of family-friendly games available today for different age ranges. She and her husband play NBA basketball simulations with their 14 year-old son; dancing game Dance Central and motion-powered outing Kinect Sports with their 11 year-old daughter; and virtual pet simulator Kinectimals with their 6 year-old. “We still get all the benefits of spending time together and having a great time while doing it.” She also likes that games can be educational, help with hand-eye coordination, and provide a physical workout.

Don’t be afraid to look silly in front of your children either, says Mary Heston of online site Wired Moms, a mother of four kids ranging from 13-21 years of age. “Dancing games are really fun for the entire family, and definitely provide lots of laughs for the kids when Mom and Dad get up there to shake their groove thing.” Heston’s family plays games on nearly every console available, and even participates in a family fitness challenge using active, exercise-oriented “exergame” Wii Fit.

The key for families is obviously finding the right kind of games to play together. “I know a lot of parents who don’t let their children play any type of video games, but I think that just like a lot of other things, it can be a good thing if monitored and limited,” says Hicks.

“As parents, it is important for us to find things in common with our kids and build those connections,” agrees Heston. “Playing video games together is a great equalizer.”

That said, those looking for a little Friday evening fun can forget Monopoly, Scrabble, chess, checkers and Old Maid – at least, the versions that don’t run on an Xbox 360 or iPad. Easier to enjoy, and clean up after, today’s family game nights belong to video games.

Tomorrow I’ll share some tips that can help get you started building your own high-tech game night.