Parenting intervention would still be required. I generally keep the controllers away from the kids till they have done their homework and chores. But any timer would be helpful to help me regulate their gametime. The automatic shutoff can make imposing the the limit less stressful to the parent and backs up the parent's claim that the child has been on the game long enough. "It hasn't been an hour yet! I just started!" "Xbox 360 says differently. Sorry, one hour a day at most is the rule and the Xbox is just helping you comply." I've found that by placing more automatic controls, the kids are less emotional about being kicked off by a looming parental presence. I already implemented my own controls to deactivate computer accounts automatically on a daily basis and shut off internet access (for the kids' computers) at midnight. And the kids can always bargain for more time, while parents have the right to award more time as a reward for good behavior or to withhold that time as a consequence for bad behavior.