Are your kids into gaming? Our interview with psychologist and gaming expert Matt Missar on Kidsburgh Podcast S3-Ep2 is for you.

On our second episode for Season 3 of The Kidsburgh Podcast, our team talked with Matt Missar, a psychologist who specializes in the role that digital gaming can play in people’s lives and the impact it can have. This is a subject many parents are curious about, so we were glad to bring Matt’s knowledge to our audience. 

Missar shares advice about the ways parents can examine their own perspective about gaming and the kinds of questions they can ask to better understand their kids’ feelings about the games they play. 

“Open-ended questions are usually the best,” Missar explains. “‘What video games do you like playing? Why do you like playing them? Do you have a favorite streamer? Do you have a favorite character?’ Those kind of disarm your child or teenager to make them see that, ‘Oh, they’re actually genuinely interested in learning about what I’m doing rather than just constantly limit setting.’ So this way, you are kind of forming an alliance with your teenager or kid about video games rather than just trying to limit set, limit set, limit set.”

In this episode of the Kidsburgh Podcast, we also share details about MuseumLab, a Pittsburgh gem that you’ll find on the Children’s Museum campus. Designed with older kids in mind, it’s an incredible space where kids (and grownups) can explore, create and even climb through a two-story rope maze. 

Lastly, our Tea with Teens team interviews local high schoolers about their own interests in video games, so don’t miss that insight. 

You can listen to the entire conversation on Apple Podcasts, Pandora and Spotify, at the SLB website, or listen right here:

S3 Ep2: MuseumLab, Matt Missar on youth gaming, and teens talk about their own interests in video games

Matt Missar is a psychologist – specifically a gaming expert – who shares with our hosts all about building an alliance between parents and kids making sure gaming can be a source of learning and positive interaction.

Our hosts – Kristine Sorensen, Yu-Ling Cheng and Melissa Rayworth – also explore MuseumLab, a Pittsburgh gem you won’t want to miss, and you can hear what local students wish their own parents understood about their love of gaming and watching streamers.

Links: MuseumLab 

Download episode | Play in new window | File size: 28.6 MB

 

 

 

 

Our podcast is hosted by the Kidsburgh team — Kristine Sorensen, Melissa Rayworth and Yu-Ling Cheng — and recorded by SLB Radio Productions. Get all the details here.

Photo at top of story by Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash.