If Santa left a video game under the tree or if your child is already a diehard gamer, how do you keep them from spending too much time glued to the screen? One system is allowing parents some control over game time.

Consider these comments from young video game players.

"If I had a chance to play it, I would play it most of my time."

"Almost everyday."

"Probably like, a lot."

"Probably like, three times a week."

"If he could, all the time," says parent Jackie McKeever. And it all leads to a dilemma for many parents. How much video game playing is too much?

That's where a new feature on this year’s Xbox 360 comes in. The family timer gives parents control.

The feature allows parents to take control over how much time their child plays. The parent can set the time and once expired, the system shuts down and will stay shut down for a 24-hour period.

It's found under family settings and gives the player notification when time is expiring in five, 15 and 30-minute intervals.

One expert says setting limits on game playing isn't a bad thing. "It's not a bad thing if you can teach your teenager to control the usage," says tech expert Cali Lewis.

It doesn't appear the popularity of playing is slowing down. “All the kids are playing the games so it seems our kids like them as much as everyone else," says a parent.

One parent thinks less can be more. "I have never heard of it before, but I think it would be a great idea."

The timer is available as a free download from Xbox Live. It can also be found on new game disks in 2008.