GameDr Videogame Timer

It?s game over for your kids when the timer on this reaches zero, metering out the time they play.

As former childhood gamers, we almost feel bad revealing a device as insidious as the GameDr. But then again, if they’re still young, it might not be too late to uncouple the console game controller from your kids’ hands and spare them from the life of crippling game addiction we now deal with every day. So pay attention.

The GameDr limits the time your kids can spend planted in front of a TV using a very simple method: It cuts off the power to a game console (or any other electronic device, for that matter) by killing the power when the time you set it up. Just set the amount of time you want them to be able to play in a 24-hour period, plug the device into the GameDr, plug the GameDr into the wall, and it does the rest.

To prevent the unspeakable frustration of games lost due to an abrupt power shortage, the device will also display how much play time is left on its built-in LCD, and beep when there’s only 10 minutes remaining as a heads up.

But won’t kids just unplug the console to bypass the unit? Not with the GameDr’s locking device, which prevents the console’s cable from being removed after it’s been plugged in. And if they manage to bypass the zip ties used to lock it in there? Well, maybe the clever little guys deserve a little more time on the box.

You can pick up a GameDr for a relatively affordable $30, but keep in mind that some devices, like the Xbox 360, already have parental controls in the software that will allow you to set time limits for your kids without any special devices. More information is available from the devices’ manufacturer, Digital Innovations.