Keep play feeling good

Make space around play

Games are most enjoyable when they leave room for everything else. The following guidance supports that balance without asking you to give up a hobby.

Pause and reflect

Use the nine statements to think about how play has fitted your life lately. Answers stay temporary and private, and the result cannot diagnose a condition.

Plan before launching

Agree how long to play and where to stop before opening the game. Device limits and our planner can help; keep several evenings for family, study and other activities.

Move between sessions

Use the 20–20–20 habit for eyes: twenty minutes, six metres, twenty seconds. Add a five-to-ten-minute hourly movement break. Keep posture comfortable and pause for aching, nausea or dizziness, asking a GP if it continues.

Leave the last hour free

Plan to close the game an hour before bed. Most adults need seven to nine hours and teenagers eight to ten, with individual variation. An overnight charging spot outside the bedroom helps protect that time.

Play by your own timetable

A reward for returning is still a request for your time. Mute reminders for streaks, passes and short-lived events; choose the session for enjoyment rather than to keep a counter alive.

Put spending in pounds

Agree spending limits first, then check the pound value behind every virtual bundle. Review payments, require purchase approval and remove saved cards for younger players. Mistaken spending should be raised with the store’s refund support promptly.

Chance-based purchases

A paid pack or prize wheel can invite another purchase because the result is unknown. Choose transparent offers and parental approval for younger players. UK industry principles seek parental knowledge or consent below eighteen. External skin-staking sites carry serious spending risks and should be avoided.

Age information matters

Check the PEGI number and symbols for themes, purchases and paid random items. The five categories are 3, 7, 12, 16 and 18. Ratings measure content rather than challenge; UK physical sales at 12, 16 and 18 are age-restricted under the GRA system.

Set up together

Major platforms provide free family tools for age content, spending, hours and social contact: Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Steam Families, Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link. Agree their purpose before the next game begins.

Keep online boundaries

Do not share your school, address, full name, passwords or private images in game chat. Filter contacts, block pushy users and report suspicious conversations. CEOP and Internet Matters provide UK guidance when a child’s contact or platform setup causes concern.

Put frustration down

When a session becomes irritating, step away rather than chase one more win. Silence unpleasant chat and choose another activity. Rankings are narrow game measures, not judgements about you.

Use the helpful settings

Subtitles, alternative inputs, colour settings and difficulty aids are there to help. Read seizure warnings, reduce camera shake or adjust field of view, and stop if motion causes sickness. Photosensitivity can affect someone without a known history.

Recognise a change

Repeatedly overrunning, losing sleep, avoiding responsibilities, hiding costs or abandoning relationships deserves attention. WHO describes gaming disorder through loss of control, priority and continuation despite harm, normally for twelve months. England’s NHS NCGD serves ages thirteen-plus; a GP can identify other routes.

Helping someone close

Try asking someone to show you their game before proposing rules. Hear how sessions affect them, agree practical adjustments and make room for other enjoyable plans. Continuing harm merits outside support.

Support without judgement

If time or money feels hard to control, these services can help you consider the next step. Their free, confidential support also extends to people worried about someone close.

Further help and urgent needs

You do not need a particular checklist result to talk to someone. Youth support, parent guidance and round-the-clock listening services are listed below alongside urgent UK contacts.

For immediate danger in the UK, call 999. For urgent health advice outside an emergency, contact NHS 111 or use NHS information. Free confidential text support is available around the clock: SHOUT to 85258.

Share the hobby

Occasional shared play makes later discussions easier. Agree screen-free meals and the pre-bed hour, keep consoles in communal spaces where possible and use our cost and session notes to plan together.

Our own boundaries

Solavera avoids accounts, notifications, daily streaks, countdown offers and return rewards. Its timer supports a chosen finish. Write to hello@solavera.co.uk about these pages.