Engage regularly with your CTKid in ways that explore both the sticky, toxic side of video games and the introduction of offsetting virtues and faith stories. 
Candy canes aren’t just sugar, friends. Candy often includes chemicals. And candy canes are sticky when eaten. But a sticky candy cane is more than that to the CTK Parent who masters transitioning between their kid’s video game time and all their other time.
Behind the Cane and the Screen
It wasn’t that long ago that candy could be colored with dyes made from coal tar. Yum. And just this year the FDA began phaseout of the more recent petroleum-based dyes to move toward natural colors. Care to lick a Vaseline® stick this Christmas?
But you know what’s sweet about that? It would be reasonably interesting to your CTKid. (Short story: My mother as a child would pull off a piece of hot blacktop from the road in the summer and chew it as her day’s gum.)
So after your CTKid has told you about his latest video gaming adventure (I encourage these conversations), you segue. At the sweet spot after his happy reminiscing or frustrated intoning, you interject. You say, did you know that video games are sticky like candy canes?
How Video Games Are Sticky
To the video game player, games are actually sticky in their own way. You may notice he doesn’t easily give up the game controller or mouse. His (untrained) instinct is to play until the game’s protracted, natural ending. Then there are also the addictive features of gaming. He’ll want to play that game until ’twas the night before Christmas. The dopamine rushes and brain changes from being online and gaming are real.
But keep in mind that a game’s stickiness is often also a function of the infinite exploring or building available (see Minecraft or The Sims). In these “sandbox games,” the player’s creativity has an open-ended environment—there’s no reason to stop, Mom! Or your CTKid may be attempting that eternal ‘one last try’ to beat a previous score. Do your CTKids’ chosen games employ infinite qualities? Does he realize he has a hard time stopping? Help him to notice (to eventually understand) his own behaviors.
It shouldn’t be surprising, however, that our CTKid falls prey to these enticing mechanisms. It is easy to, because his nature is sinful (Ps 51:5). And, like us all, he wants to fulfill the cravings of his flesh and indulge its desires and thoughts (Ephesians 2:1-3).
Sticky Games May Mean More Brushing
So, you have talked with him about games’ stickiness and helped him notice it. You didn’t fault him given your (our) shared sinful natures, not to mention the insatiable attention economy in gaming. Now it’s time to shift toward a topic of lasting value. Topics such as developing virtues, avoiding vices, and gaining biblical understanding. This is a way he can brush after his video game snack.
We want him to see that to everything there is a season, a time to do and not do (Eccl 3). That he is to make the most of his time (Eph 5:16). And that he’s not his own; he is to glorify God in his body (1 Cor 6:19-20). Of course, don’t just throw verses at him. Nor is this a structured lesson. It’s a casual, conversational transition between his gaming and the Bible and its benefits. Pick a relevant verse you understand and draw a connection to it. Maybe he’s old and trained enough to pull out his own verse. Coach him lightly, keeping aligned to his interests, understanding, or willingness to listen.
To make this even easier, or quicker, you can simply mention what the Bible says we should stick to. We should stick to God. Cleave to him. Follow what He wants us to do. Hate what is evil and cling to what is good. Or, describe how the games can be played with virtues such as patience, discipline, or empathy.
Your own biblical literacy, the virtues you want to instill, and the random facts you have in your head (not within AI*), are what you swirl into a sweet treat for your CTKid to nibble on.
He will hear you. Later he might even remember what you said. And finally, he may one day act on that knowledge.
Don’t Let Him Subsist on the Coal Tar of Video Games
Do not expect any governmental agency to save your CTKid from the coal tar of video games. Help him to notice and to better consider the whirl of entertainment, the hook of vices, and the seeming sweetness of sin revealed in his gaming.
Engage regularly with your CTKid in ways that explore both the sticky, toxic side of video games and the introduction of offsetting virtues and faith stories. Consistently connect his gaming activity to his Christian worldview. It may awaken his conscience. It could point him toward biblical virtue and help him practice it. And then you can celebrate with that sticky, ubiquitous seasonal candy. If you dare.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
* although it may help on occasion
Image Credit: Travel Photographer @ https://stocksnap.io