Video Game Rules

My son regulates his own video game time.
He's like a snake in the regard that he might play a lot O. day (2 hours) and then nothing for a few days.
We have no hard & fast "rules" other than when it's time for a shower, bed, dinner, etc. we expect "save and quit" to happen immediately.
He's got plenty of other activities and interests, so this isn't too much of an issue. He probably plays more in the winter/cold seasons.
And "gaming", like any other activity, comes after homework. That goes without saying.

We do "marbles for minutes". So they spend the week getting marbles for chores and self care (getting dressed, brushing teeth) then on Friday night or Saturday they cash them in. They do not get to play video games during the week, with the occasional exception, like the whole family played Mario party once this week. My oldest has a REAL obsession with them and unfortunately it is a problem to let him play more often, because the rest of the family just enjoys them, but he lives for them. I actually recently made a rule where he was no longer allowed to ask me if he could play. Because he would ask me everyday and I would say no, because that is the RULE and he would get angry at me for saying no, sheesh. So he isn't allowed to ask anymore. I really encourage my kids to play outside, or with toys using imagination.

only when its raining, too snowy or cold can my kids use video games....and never anything with violence or MA ratings...i am very strict. and even when my kids are with their other parents home they repect that rule....cuz they know they still cant bring the games here otherwise.

After school - all homework MUST be done prior to the XBOX coming on - or ANY computer or video game.

Summer? I limit it to about 30 minutes then they have to go outside or go to the pool. Since it can get VERY humid here in the summer - they tend to go to the pool.

Weekends? if there isn't a baseball game that we have to go to and their chores and homework are done - as long as no one is fighting - I'm fine with it.

We play board games and card games as a family too. We love to play Uno. Both boys are learning how to play Chess and getting good at it. I encourage our boys to do things OTHER than video games...it's NOT all about video games.

Never let the kid win! Bwahaha!

Oh, that probably isn't what you meant. :-D We monitor games for ratings and content, but we don't have rules about set time limits. We don't allow playing video games before school or after until after homework is done.

Sometimes they play a lot, sometimes days go by and they don't touch a game. They have other interests and hobbies, so I feel like there is a good balance.

I do know some kids that left to their own devices would play constantly and obsessively, to the exclusion of life in general. They also develop behavior and sleep problems. So it really depends on your child(ren) and the specific needs of your family.

Much like Janette's boy, my 9 year old is and has always been obsessed with video games. I truly believe that if I allowed it, that is the only activity he would ever choose. So we do not allow it on school days anymore. We set a timer and had been allowing 1 hour per day on weekend or vacation days. We recently started a "mom buck" program where the kids earn an allowance of mom bucks each week they can cash in for things- video/computer/phone game time, dates with Mom, choosing dinner that night, picking the next Netflix movie to come in the mail, trading each mom buck for $1 etc. They can also earn or lose mom bucks by going above and beyond or by misbehaving. School will be out for summer in a few days and I think this will work better for us since he will be able to play video games only if he has "the money" to trade in. I also have to make sure we set a timer or it is to easy to lose track of time and the kids will play forever.
Oh, and no M ratings, no blood and gore or scantily clad women. My husband is a big video gamer, so I will ask him what the game is like. I used to be a lot more lenient, but after watching some of the games and cringing I have had to modify a lot of our rules.