Play well

Why we wrote this

We review games that are very good at holding on to your attention. That is what makes them worth playing, and it is also why we think a review site owes its readers an honest page about the other side. Games work best as one part of a full life. Here is what helps keep them there.

The lantern check

This is a prompt for reflection, not a diagnosis. Your answers stay on this page and are never sent.

Plan the session first

• Decide how long you will play before you start, and set the timer your console, PC or phone already has. The session lantern on our home page marks your breaks too.
• Pick a stopping point you can actually reach: the end of a chapter, a finished run, a completed level.
• Stop at that point, not at “just one more”. Good games are designed so there is always one more.
• Keep a few evenings a week free of games, especially before exams, early starts and family plans.

Look after your body

• Every twenty minutes, look at something about six metres away for twenty seconds.
• Every hour, spend five to ten minutes away from the screen: stand, stretch your hands, wrists and shoulders, and drink some water.
• Sit with your back supported and the screen at eye level, and keep your wrists relaxed.
• If your hands, neck or eyes ache, or you feel dizzy or sick, stop playing, and talk to a GP if it keeps happening.

Protect your sleep

Finish at least an hour before bed. Bright screens and exciting games make it harder to fall asleep, and a late session steals from the next day. Teenagers usually need eight to ten hours a night and adults seven to nine. If gaming keeps eating into that, move it earlier in the day.

Streaks, events and nudges

Daily rewards, login streaks, season passes and limited-time events are designed to bring you back on the game’s timetable instead of yours. Switch off the game’s notifications, let a streak lapse without guilt and come back when you actually want to. A good game does not punish you for having a life.

Money in games

• Agree a monthly amount before you play, never in the middle of a session.
• Work out what gems, coins and points cost in pounds before you spend them.
• Steer clear of paid random items where you can; not knowing what you will get is exactly what makes them hard to stop buying.
• UK industry principles say under-18s should not be able to buy paid random items without a parent or carer knowing. Platform spending limits are how that works at home.
• Keep purchase approval on, remove saved cards from children’s accounts and check your statements.

Age ratings

Games sold in the UK carry PEGI age ratings: 3, 7, 12, 16 and 18. Content descriptors explain the reason for a rating, and separate notices flag in-game purchases and (includes random items). PEGI 12, 16 and 18 are legally enforced for games sold in UK shops, overseen by the Games Rating Authority. The PEGI label guide explains every symbol.

Family settings

Every major platform has free controls for play time, spending, age filters and who can contact a child: Xbox Family Settings, PlayStation Family Management, Nintendo Switch Parental Controls, Steam Families, Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link. Set them up together with your child and explain why. Rules agreed at the start work much better than rules imposed halfway through a game.

Staying safe online

• Keep your full name, address, school, passwords and photos to yourself.
• Use the chat filters, and keep voice and text chat to people you know where you can.
• Block and report anyone who is abusive, pushy, or asks you to move to a private app, send pictures or keep a secret.
• If an adult’s contact with a child feels wrong, report it to CEOP. Internet Matters has step-by-step setup guides for every console and app.

When a game gets frustrating

Hard levels and ranked matches can be exciting and stressful in equal measure. Take a break after a run of losses instead of queuing straight back in, mute or block players who spoil the fun, and remember that a rank measures a match, not a person.

Comfort and accessibility

Read each game’s photosensitivity warning: a small number of people can have seizures triggered by flashing lights or patterns, sometimes without any previous history. Turn on reduced motion, lower camera shake, widen the field of view and use subtitles, colour-blind modes and difficulty assists whenever they help. Using them is still playing the game properly.

When gaming becomes a problem

The World Health Organization describes “gaming disorder” when gaming takes priority over other interests and daily life despite the harm it causes, usually for a year or more. Signs to watch for, in yourself or someone else:

• regularly playing far longer than planned;
• losing sleep or skipping meals, school, work or friends;
• irritability, low mood or anxiety when not playing;
• spending more than intended, or hiding it;
• dropping other hobbies and people.

The NHS National Centre for Gaming Disorders treats people aged 13 and over in England and Wales, and a GP can point you to the right support anywhere in the UK.

Talking to someone you are worried about

Start with curiosity rather than a verdict: ask what they enjoy about the game and how they feel after a long session. Agree small changes together instead of an outright ban, and suggest other plans that are genuinely fun. If nothing improves, a GP or one of the services below can help.

Free, confidential help

Paid random items such as loot boxes, card packs and prize wheels in shops work like a lucky dip: you pay before you know what you will get, which makes it easy to keep buying. If the time or money you put into games feels out of control, for you or for someone you care about, these organisations help for free and in confidence:

• GamCare

  Free, confidential advice and counselling, with a helpline on 0808 8020 133 and live chat open around the clock, for anyone whose play or spending feels out of control and for their families.

  Visit GamCare ↗

• BeGambleAware

  An independent UK charity with confidential advice, a quick self-assessment and a guide to free support and treatment near you.

  Visit BeGambleAware ↗

• Gambling Therapy

  Free online support from trained advisers, with peer groups and self-help tools you can use from home, in several languages.

  Visit Gambling Therapy ↗

Urgent help and young people

Free and confidential, for anything that is troubling you, not only games:

• Childline

  For anyone under 19, about anything at all: call 0800 1111 free or chat online, day or night.

  Visit Childline ↗

• Samaritans

  Someone to talk to at any hour, whatever you are going through: call 116 123 free.

  Visit Samaritans ↗

• YoungMinds

  Mental health advice for young people, plus a helpline for parents and carers who are worried about a child.

  Visit YoungMinds ↗

In an emergency, call 999. For urgent medical advice that is not an emergency, call NHS 111 or visit nhs.uk. You can also text SHOUT to 85258 for free, confidential support at any time.

For parents and carers

Play with your children now and then, and ask them to show you what they love about their favourite games. Keep consoles in shared rooms where you can, agree screen-free times such as meals and the hour before bed, and aim for balance rather than bans.

How this site is built

Lanternby has no accounts, notifications, streaks, countdown offers or rewards for coming back, and the session lantern exists to help you stop. Questions about this guide are welcome through our contact page.