Children playing computer games

[MobilityCat]

Video games can be highly engaging, potentially leading to addiction or excessive screen time, which might interfere with a child’s daily routines, responsibilities, or social interactions. How old should they be and how much screen time should they be allowed?

No answer to that really.
Use common sense.

Depends in what context, playing together as family or with friends on a switch, on games like mario, I think is fine to join in with when they are interested and able.

Sitting alone in a bedroom with unmonitored access to online games that facilitate interactions with strangers, obviously not the same thing

I'm thinking of an eighth year old that I know, playing Assassins Creed with headphones on and totally absorbed in the multiplayer worlds

Why is it bad for a kid to be absorbed in an online game for hours at a time... yet if they sat in front of the TV for the same time, it would be ok? Or did a different hobby, or sport?
There needs to be more context here. Are they still doing homework, socialising, doing other things. Is there balance?
Gaming is bad if it has a knock on effect on other things. And that applies to everyone, kids and adults.

You're completely correct there, I'm a hardcore gamer and it affects my sleeping habits. But since I've retired I don't really care

My son is 7, and he is allowed circa 1 hour per day of some type of gaming. He has age appropriate games, things like car racing, Mario, fairly innocent games on my phone like those car parking ones etc and maybe some.minecraft. the vast majority of the time he plays with us his paremts nearby and chatting to him about the game and or helping. On hard parenting days I may let him have half hour on his tablet playing a kids game if I need to get stuff done. It's true he can throw a bit of a strop getting off it which I think is pretty typical but hes a very active kid who likes lots of outside activities, has good social skills snd other interests so I dont lose sleep over it

My 8yo plays computer games, but only single player/off-line ones. He's pretty nieve and would get eaten alive by teenagers in online community.

We don't limit screen time directly, as for my DC scarcity would make it feel higher value and more desirable. Instead I focus on encourageing/insist on non screen activities, which effectively limit the free time remaining for screens without putting them in direct focuse. However, if we've spent 4-6 hours out & interacting with the world, I'm fine with them doing whatever they want once we're home, sometimes pc, sometimes TV, often drawing, lego or other play.

Minecraft and LEGO are good because they aren't just games, they are digital toolboxes that empower kids to become the architects of their own worlds while building essential logic and problem solving skills.