Boingboing ran this story of a father whose concern about his 13 year old son playing Call of Duty led him to led to an agreement that the boy read - and play by - the rules of the Geneva Conventions. The Geneva Conventions consist of for treaties which set standards for the treatment of prisoners of war and non-combatants. As far as I know it's not even possible to violate the convention in the game (which is pressumably the latest title in the series, CoD: World at War), but I think this is not really the point.
This is a very good example of how parents should take their kids activities seriously and try to utilise them to interest them in something bigger. In this case, the game becomes a way for the boy to learn about history and ethics.
Why not get your kid interested in car mechanics or design if he/ she is an obsessive Gran Turismo player? Ask them to look up the parallels between the backstory of a game and its real world inspiration etc. The kids feel respected and interests that lie outside the play situation can be furthered.
-Jens
Thanks to Brad Buset for emailing Parker the story and suggesting to write about it at the excact same time I emailed him to ask him if we should cover it…