Game Apparent » Pokemon

Confessions of a Game Parent 004

Ted — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:19:10 +0000

“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!”

Top 10 Recommendations for the 2007 Holiday Season

Ted — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:43:45 +0000

We mentioned some of our top game suggestions for this year in our last VodCast. We promised that we would follow-up with a longer list for each system to cover a wider range of games. This is the collection of those lists. Not all of these games are brand new, but almost all were released within the year. Please note the ESRB ratings for these games when you’re deciding what would be best for your family and feel free to comment below or chime in on the forums if you have questions about these titles. We’ll gladly get into more detail. (Chris can testify that I would easily talk anyone’s ear off about practically any of them. You should see how much editing he has to do on our videos. Once I get going…um…there I go again.)

Before I get sidetracked again, we present our lists. They are in ESRB rating order (lowest to highest) per system and alphabetical within the rating group. Enjoy!

Microsoft Xbox 360

(E) Beautiful Katamari
(E) Forza Motorsport 2
(E) Geometry Wars
(E) Project Gotham Racing 4
(E) Viva Piñata
(T) Guitar Hero 3
(M) Assassin’s Creed
(M) Call of Duty 4
(M) Halo 3
(M) Mass Effect

Nintendo Wii

(E) Excite Truck
(E) Mario Strikers Charged
(E) Super Mario Galaxy
(E) Super Paper Mario
(E) WarioWare: Smooth Moves
(E) Zack & Wiki:
Quest of Barbaros’ Treasure
(E10+) Rayman Raving Rabbids
(T) Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
(T) Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
(M) Resident Evil 4

Sony PlayStation 3

(E) Everyday Shooter
(E) Flow
(E10+) Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
(T) Eye of Judgment
(T) Guitar Hero 3
(T) Ratchet and Clank Future:
Tools of Destruction
(T) Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
(M) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
(M) The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles
(M) The Orange Box

Sony PlayStation 2

(E) Lumines Plus
(E10+) Burnout Dominator
(E10+) GrimGrimoire
(E10+) Puzzle Quest:
Challenge of the Warlords
(T) Dragon Ball Z:
Budokai Tenkaichi 3
(T) Final Fantasy XII
(T) Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
(T) Metal Slug Anthology
(T) Rogue Galaxy
(M) God of War II

Nintendo DS

(E) Brain Age 2
(E) Kirby Canvas Curse
(E) Legend of Zelda:
Phantom Hourglass
(E) Mario Kart DS
(E) Meteos
(E) New Super Mario Bros.
(E) Pokemon Diamond/Pearl
(E) Super Mario 64 DS
(E10+) Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
(T) Metroid Prime Hunters

Sony PlayStation Portable

(E10+) Crush
(E10+) Daxter
(E10+) Lumines II
(E10+) Puzzle Quest:
Challenge of the Warlords
(E10+) Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters
(T) Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
(T) Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness
(T) Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
(T) Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow
(M) Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus

To relieve stress, play a game

Chris — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 23:14:40 +0000

From our friends at Kotaku comes news of a study out of the NPD Group that reports that video games are a great way to relieve stress and bond with family members. From the report:

“…while heavier gamers are much more inclined than lighter gaming groups to prefer playing games alone, both groups are equally inclined to enjoy playing games as a family, group or as a party activity, and both groups value gaming as a way to bring their families closer together. Notable also is that the majority of gamers, especially teens and older gamers ages 15 to 65 and older view playing video games as a way to alleviate stress and to help them unwind.”

Pretty cool news.

League of Extraordinary Pokemon

Chris — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:51:38 +0000

Our friends¹ over at Penny Arcade are hosting a Pokemon TCG event² for anyone near Seattle, WA. We’d go, but you know the TSA gives us a funny look when we board the plane with our duffel bag of Pokemon cards.

“If you’ve got kids that play feel free to bring them as well. As I mentioned before one of my favorite things about Pokemon is how great it is for kids. I’d really like for the league to be an all ages group.”

If you’re near Seattle this is a great oppertunity to hang out with like-minded folk and play some friendly Pokemon. (They even suggest to bring your DS and Diamond/Pearl too!)

¹I like to dream. The Penny Arcade guys don’t even know we exist…yet.

²The post of importance is titled ‘Pokemon and is about half way down. PA is also known for their adult vocabulary, so ye be warned.’