My dear friend John passed me a link to a recent article on Ars Technica. Raising a Healthy Gamer: Seven Tips for Parents offers some good common sense insights and some excellent references. The author’s first recommendation really struck home. He suggested that parents make time to take an active role in the gaming lives of their children. He expounded with the following:

Even if you aren’t always there when your child or children plays a game, putting an hour or two into the game when it’s first opened up will give you a great idea about what kind of content you can expect to see in the game. Watch your child’s body language, because games can evoke strong emotions and reactions in those playing them.

The article has a number of other excellent observations and they all stem from the fact that parents are the best judges of whether or not content is appropriate for their children. That requires time and involvement…which pretty much defines parenting.

If you get a chance, point your browser in their direction. It will be time well-invested.

From Kotaku:

The ability to download and purchase Apps from the App Store can now be limited by rating. The ratings are based on for what age the games are appropriate: No Apps, 4+, 9+, 12+, 17+ and all Apps.

The device also allows people to disable the ability to make in-App purchases. It also allows similar policing of movies, music and TV shows.

This is great news. Apple is now rating the games they have for sale in their App Store and parents can now set permissions on what can be accessed on the device.

Here’s a quick guide to set the Parental Controls.

From the Home screen select “Settings” then “General”

Tap “Restrictions”

By default restrictions are disabled. Tap the “Enable Restrictions” button to enable. You’ll be prompted to enter a passcode to lock these settings.

After entering the new passcode twice you’ll then have the options to set parental controls for everything from Safari and YouTube to the App Store.

If you scroll down a little you’ll see an option for Apps. Tap this option to bring up the allowed apps rating.

From here select the rating you’d like to have as the maximum.

This is a great way to keep the more mature games separate from the kid approved ones! Apps that are above the threshold don’t appear on the home screen. Visiting the Parental Controls options and setting a lighter restriction will make them reappear.

We’re always on the lookout for a video game deal here at Game Apparent. Infact the majority of our purchases are not the instant a new title hits the shelf, but when the price drop reaches a reasonable level.

Thanks to Joystiq we just heard that Cheap Ass Gamer has announced a new feature for their site that will make hunting for bargins even easier.

The site has just implemented an adjustable “Price Email Alerts” feature that automatically sends a tip to your inbox once a game hits the low price you’ve personally set.

Checkout the video above for the skinny from none other than CheapyD himself.  I’m off to start my list of games!

Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force? We have a task force dedicated to internet crimes in the middle of Missouri? And they’re keeping the Internet safe by writing about Animal Crossing: City Folk? [Smacks forehead on desk]

For the uninitiated, the Animal Crossing series is by Nintendo (Of Mario and Zelda fame) where you live an idyllic life in a town.  That’s it.  There is no end goal to the game, no gigantic boss battles, no credits, nada.

The game is whatever you want to make of it. Go fishing, help your neighbors with chores, pluck weeds, furnish your house, go shopping, etc.  Think of it as Sims-light.

One component of the game, but not required to play, is the online component.  You can share messages, send gifts and visit other people’s cities. On the Wii version of the game you have to use friend codes.  Friend codes are unique to each Wii and allow you to connect with your friends in particular Wii games. These codes in turn must be shared in the real world or via some other form of communication outside of the Wii software.

According to officer Andy Anderson of the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force:

“There is no reason an adult should have [Animal Crossing: City Folk],”

Anderson says adults playing “Animal Crossing” and similar games are likely doing it for the wrong reasons.

What? Did I hear that right? It gets better. From Wired’s GameLife:

Before you gamers verbally assault Anderson and the Missouri police, please note that they almost have to focus on the Wii, as apparently it’s the only console they could get the funding to purchase. “The equipment is real expensive and we cannot afford to buy all of the systems and do not have the resources either to examine all of the possibilities,” Anderson said.

I’d like to link to the original artile at KMIZ (a local ABC affilate) but they’ve since removed it from their site.

In an updated statement, the task force reiderates thier concern:

The agency issued another statement urging parents to watch children who play the game, but stressed that all adults using the game or game system likely are not contacting children inappropriately.

That sounds a little more rational.

Since the original story broke there’s been a lot of further coverage of this blunder.  I can’t help but feel like this is all a misunderstanding, but something bothers me when the uneducated try to educated the uneducated.

Parents who don’t know what Animal Crossing is may read these reports, trusting of thier source and then go off acting suspicious of anyone playing the game.  It just doesn’t settle right with me.

My suggestion?  Hire someone like Ted or myself to help bring you guys up to speed.  Heck, pay my bus ticket and I’ll bring my gaming systems out to the ol’ HQ. I’ll answer any questions you may have about how the different current gen systems work ON THE INTERNET!

[via GamePolitics]

Photo by MrBeck (an adult!) – Licensed under Creative Commons

This particular individual happens to be one of the smartest and most successful people I know.  At 5 years his senior he makes me feel like some sort of devolved monkey.  While talking about him we came to a theory about why he is more successful than his peers.

He likes to try new things.  And he spends his time doing new things.

I think parents need to encourage their children, even at very young ages, to try new things.  Kids need to be raised without fear – of course as long as they won’t recieve physical or mental harm.

Take my daughter for example.  She likes bugs and dolls. When we find a bug crawling around neither my wife or I freak out and start swinging at it. We calmly explain to Kari what it is and how to interact with it.

If it’s a dangerous insect we tell her to stay back and let us handle it.  If it’s something benign we encourage her to watch it, ask questions and tell us what she sees.

These days parents are fearful of everything.  Every object, social scenario, environment – is a mine field of things that we only see as potential harm. I witness far too many parents who won’t let their kids play video games, for fear of what they might see.  

These same parents, frustratingly, would willingly plop their tyke down infront of the TV for hours and be comfortably oblivious to what they’re experiencing.

If there are no other benefits of video games over TV but one, let it be this – Video games, even the most basic, offer more interactivity and create more mental stimulus than your average television show.

My theory is that parents are too fearful and don’t want to try new things.  Therefore their children suffer the same fate.  We wonder why so many children rise to mediocrity as adults when the cause is us, the parents.

Once again, I’m not suggesting you plop your children down with a video game.  You need to interact with them regardless of the medium they are experiencing.  (Yes, books too!)  But video games are inherently curved to produce a more meaningful experience than most mainstream media.

For more on this subject I encourage you to check out two books.  The first is Free Range Kids - a book about allowing kids to take risks as they grow up.  The second is by Malcom Gladwell called Outliers.  In Gladwell’s book he discusses how benefits at young ages creates opportunities latter in life that give some individuals a leg-up on their peers.  Both are highly recommended.

In the December issue of the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, Christopher Ferguson takes a critical look at the media’s obsession with the potential impact of violent video games on our youth. In his article, The School Shooting/Violent Video Game Link: Causal Relationship or Moral Panic?, he attempts to identify if there is scientific evidence that school shootings are the result of exposure to violent video games.

The important argument here that many tend to overlook is the concept of true causality. One can easily identify commonalities and even correlations. However, causality means that without the presence of a particular element, the outcome would be different. And conversely, because of the presence of a particular element, an outcome is inevitable. Jack Thompson, the anti-gaming activist and (former) lawyer is cited in this article almost immediately because he stated through the national media outlets that the Virgina Tech massacre was a result of Seung-Hui Cho’s exposure to violent video games. As investigators eventually revealed, Seung-Hui Cho didn’t play video games. Jack Thompson was betting that he had, though, because the majority males in college do.

But even if the shooter had been an avid gamer, scientific method would dictate that we verify causality by looking at others who play violent games. If the games cause shootings, then all people playing these games are attempting to commit similar acts. This is obviously not the case. Instead, gaming is a pervasive part of the culture and  everyone playing these games is not committing violence on this level. This attempt at causality is much like identifying that a shooter breathes oxygen, therefore oxygen causes the urge to kill.

Still, with such violence in our society we must continue to reflect upon the true source(s). I believe that children should not be exposed to any form of violent media before they are old enough to distinguish between reality and fantasy. Modeling such acts without grasping the consequences is tragic. As parents it is our responsibility to maintain an active dialog with our families to identify what our children see, hear, and believe.

I just found out about this really cool site Microsoft has started.  While it only covers the Xbox 360 (naturally)  the principals behind family gaming extend across all systems.  The site covers how to set parental controls, how to manage the time spent playing games, and even has a section for kids, letting them know to tell an adult if they see something that upsets them.

 

Maybe a certain Web site upset you. Maybe you were playing a video game online and another player bullied you. Maybe someone you met online wants to meet you, but you’re not sure.

Whatever it is, if it bothers you, if it doesn’t feel right, turn off the screen and tell an adult you trust. It could be your parents, a teacher, a family friend, even a police officer. Just don’t keep it to yourself. It’s not your fault.

 

That’s great advice and couldn’t have been said better.  I have a sneaking suspicion Microsoft got some really smart people to work on this site.

Oh wait, they did!

Another section of the site is the Experts blog  While a bit light at the moment it contains posts from folks like David Walsh, Ph.D, founder of the MediaWise Movement and author of the book No: Why Kids – of All Ages – Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It.  In other words, real experts who know their stuff when it comes to kids!

We at GameApparent always enjoy hearing about new resources to help parents better understand video games and how they can positively fit into their time with their children.  This is a great start on Microsoft’s behalf, and we look forward to hearing more.

This week the ESRB has announced a new campaign (press release). They are partnering with the Parent Teacher Association to help parents within the community to recognize and utilize the rating system in order to identify appropriate game content for children. The initiative includes a booklet (view the electronic version) that will be distributed throughout the 26,000 PTAs nationwide.

We at Game Apparent always encourage families to look for the ESRB ratings on games before purchasing them. It’s a simple way to help parents filter media for which their children aren’t prepared. It’s good to see the ESRB engaging in proactive initiatives like this and the Game Search Widget (see the yellow box in the upper left corner of our main page).

“I Love Pokemon!” 

I am a media consumer and so are my children. There – I said it. My kids watch television, enjoy movies, and even play games. Having said that, they also enjoy drawing, finger-paints, Lock Blocks, Exo-Bonz, and anything that you can do with a ball. We try to use moderation. Yet, Saturday mornings are an exception.

Long before I discovered that Saturday mornings were invented to sleep in after hanging out with your friends on Friday night, I used to relish the Saturday morning cartoon brigade. I have fond childhood memories of getting up as early as I could to watch Scooby Doo: Where Are You? Yes – the original. I’m that old. Well my son has his favorites and the commercials are just as devious now as they were when we were young. I had the opportunity of witnessing the impact this weekend.

Yesterday we were at a local soccer park for a birthday party. Kids were running as fast as they could in every direction (and occasionally toward the ball) and it was a workout for all. During the break when the kids got to replenish their energy with a the ever healthy mega dose of sugar (cupcakes with a layer of diabetic-shock inducing icing), my son saw another child playing with a Nintendo DS. He had never seen one in person, but thanks to the ever-so-helpful Saturday morning brainwashing, I heard the following comment erupt from his mouth, “Wow, that’s Pokemon! Pokemon is so cool! I love Pokemon!”

As it turned out, the child was, indeed, playing the current Pokemon title on the DS (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time). It’s not that I have a problem with my children enjoying games. I don’t even mind them begging for them. I understand. Granted, it can be a bit trying at times, but it’s part of life. However, my son had never played a Pokemon game. He has never played a handheld game. He has never seen the Pokemon television series. Yet, thanks to the wonders of targeted marketing, he knows that he loves Pokemon and that it is cool.

Honestly, the Pokemon titles are a good choice for kids. They involve a sense of justice and fair play and provide opportunities to develop good problem-solving skills. I don’t have reservations about the franchise. But it is a bit unsettling to witness the power of the Saturday morning commercial in effect. As with all things, this provides an opportunity for discussion. I wish you all the best with this and I recommend practicing the fine art of diversion. I believe that my response yesterday was, “That’s pretty cool, son, and – HEY there goes the ball!”

From NetworkWorld’s review of the poll:

“Students surveyed say learning via video games would help them better understand difficult concepts, become more engaged in the subject matter and practice skills.”

I agree totally. Even at the institution I work at, where the ‘kids’ are much older, I find this to be very true. Students are always more adoptive of technology than those who are doing the teaching. I think that not only can video games result in new experience in which students can learn, but that the common bond video games offer can bring teachers and students closer in their relationship. For me it was always the teachers and professors that shared common interests inside and outside the classroom that I most respected.

Also of interest is some of the comments from Slashdot (comments are always worth a read)

“It’s about breaking down barriers and proving that games can be more useful than just leisure and entertainment. Collaboration, teamwork, and problem solving are just a few things that come from games without the edutainment factor predesigned into them.” -eldavojohn

“I think gaming has snuck in a variety of educational facts into his noggin. Planning, thinking logically, history, reading, and problem solving are just a few of the things I’ve noticed rubbing off in the name of fun. ” -PIPBoy3000