Axis Conversations "How to Talk to Your Teen About Video Games" with CJ Fant
Mar 31, 2026
CJ Fant, AXIS team member and self-described gaming aficionado, shares his gaming roots and why games matter culturally. He covers escapism versus restoration, teamwork and problem-solving from multiplayer play, practical parenting tools like time limits and parental controls, and ways parents can enter their teen’s gaming world with curiosity.
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Games Teach Fast Problem Solving
- Games train rapid pattern recognition and adaptive problem solving through repeated rule-learning each new level or match requires identifying constraints and optimizing within them.
- CJ Fant explains his experience of using games to learn rules, iterate quickly, and transfer that thinking to real-life puzzle solving.
Check If Gaming Is Rest Or Stress
- Ask whether gaming is restorative or stress-inducing by checking if the player feels refreshed after sessions or leaves frustrated and angry.
- CJ Fant suggests parents ask "How is this affecting you?" and notice signs like bloodshot eyes or post-game anger to evaluate rest versus escapism.
Use Boundaries And A Games Sabbath
- Set clear household rhythms like time limits and a games Sabbath to create boundaries parents will enforce.
- CJ Fant recounts his parents' rules (asking permission to play and no games on Sunday) as effective constraints during adolescence.