If you want to use a PC for gaming or what a monitor to use with your Xbox or PlayStation, then you need to consider the specifications before buying one. Computers and games consoles all have different capabilities when it comes t graphics and its not only the PC or console that decides the graphics but also the games.

The new PS5 have a lot better graphics capabilities than the PS4 but you can only really take advantage of these if you have the right telly or monitor linked up to it, the right game and also the right leads. Gaming monitors often have a higher refresh rate than televisions and they also have a quicker response rate. This is ideal for when you are playing games where there is a lot of quick action such as first person shooter games like Call of Duty. If you use a telly or monitor with a slow refresh rate you mat notice that the screen cannot keep up with the graphics of the game.

It is vital that you do plenty of research before you choose which gaming monitor to buy. Prices often start from around two hundred pounds and can easily creep up in to the thousands. You need to check not just the refresh rate and response rate but also the ability to tilt the monitor and adjust the height as this will make a big difference as you may need to adjust it when sat down. If you are also thinking about fixing the monitor to the wall, you will need to make sure that it is compatible with a TV bracket.

Many monitors now have a HDMLI input and VGA input. Sometimes these ports are able to display different graphics. You may find that the spec stated is only achieved if you sue the VGA port and the HDMI port is not as good. If you are thinking of connecting the screen to a games console then you will need to use the HDMI connection.

Be wary when asking advice in some electric stores as often the advisors do not have much training on all the products so will only be reading of the specification. They also sometimes tend to guess answers that they do not know rather than being honest so you may find that you buy something that is not going to be suitable for what you need it for. Reading expert guides and forums often give you a better idea of what to look for.

So many children now have gaming console or access to online gaming through a device such as a tablet. There are a huge number of games out there that are online or have elements that are online that are aimed at children. Often these sorts of games are aimed at children between the ages of 6 and 18.

As a parent, it is important that you take the time to review these games and find out what they can and can’t do on them before you allow your children to use them. There have been some very awful situations involving online gaming where children have been taken advantage of whilst playing what they think is an innocent game.

It is far too easy to give in to peer pressure from your child or other parents and allow your child to play a game that may not be suitable for them. Most games have age limits and these are in place off a reason. If the game has a chat facility then you have no idea who your child may be able to chat with. It is important that you find out if this function can be limited or turned off and if not, if there is a way of you monitoring it safely.

Games consoles are very popular amongst people of all ages as many adults find them as enjoyable as children do. New consoles like the PS4 or 5 and Xbox can easily set you back a few hundred pounds and even after you have forked out for a console, you then have to buy games for it. The cost of games varies from as little as a few pounds upward of £70. You may even be able to get some games for free as a download or save a bit of money by buying them second hand.

If you want one of the newer games or want to buy it new then it really is worth shopping around for the best price. You may be surprised as to how much the cost of the game can vary from seller to seller. It is not the case that one seller is always the cheapest either. One time you may find the game is cheaper to buy from Game or Amazon and another time it may be cheaper to buy as a download from the PlayStation store. It is important to bear in mind that any game you buy as a download cannot be sold on whereas any with a disk can be traded or sold elsewhere to make a bit of money back.

With many children having to do school work from home again, managing screen time can be a bit of a nightmare. It may be that your child is having to spend almost of the day in front of a screen, sat watching it or working on it. This is not ideal but makes it possible for their education to still continue whilst they are off school.

If you have a child that enjoys playing on a tablet or games console such as an Xbox or PS5 then you will probably find that after a hard days schoolwork all they want to do is play on their device. This means yet again more screen time but you may feel it’s unfair to say to them they are not allowed when they have worked so hard during the day.

Many schools are using different online applications to send the work home but that doesn’t mean that all the work has to be done online. It may be possible to print off a few of the worksheets or to hand write out some of the answers as that will give the child a little bit of time away from the screen.

If you own a PS4 you are probably aware that some games take a long time to download. If you have purchased PS4 games for your child or loved one for Christmas then you probably want to try and install them prior to the big day. If you do not install them in advance then you will most likely have to wait a good number of hours before you can play them which can be frustrating. Once you install a game, I’ll will appear as a tile on the home page of the console. This will give away the present you have bought and the person could even start playing it. There is no way to remove this tile from the home menu without deleting the game but you can put them in a folder. Add lots of other tiles to the folder to disguise the game icon that you have bought and that should be enough to keep it hidden until the big day. If you really struggle to install the games then you may even decide to give them that present early so they can preload it on Christmas Eve – just remember to tell them not to play until Christmas day!