Strollerderby : gaming

Bad Parent: The Littlest Gamer

editors — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:30:00 GMT

Today on Babble.com.

Bad Parent:The Littlest Gamer

by Annie Bacon.

I turned my toddler into a videogame addict.

Read it here.

Kids Can Build Habitat Houses Without Lifting a Hammer

JeanneSager — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:32:00 GMT

As important as it is to promote philanthropy when kids are still young, sometimes it's logistically impossible to put kids to work for your favorite charity. Take Habitat for Humanity; construction sites aren't for kids (at least not the younger set).

A toddler swinging a hammer is a safety issue on a job site no longer. Thanks to a new online game, kids can build virtual houses while the money paid to access the games goes to build real houses for Habitat for Humanity's Honduran chapter, and a host of other charities.

Elf Island takes a $5.95 monthly membership fee to do its good works (the basic level is free so you can try it out to see if your kids have an interest, but with the money going to charity, it's worth it to pay one month). The money is split among Habitat, Plant-It 2020, Wild Aid and Polar Bears International. Each game is charity appropriate, so playing to help polar bears in the real world requires racing against the Earth's rising CO2 levels in an effort to track female polar bears and help them avoid the melting ice in the virtual one, helping Plant-It requires planting trees in Niger, etc.

I've never been a big "get the kids on the computer to game" Mom, but what Elf Island's parent company has termed mirrored gaming (actions online equalling a mirrored action in the real world) intrigues me. It seems like one of those win-win-win situations. The kids have fun, learn something about the world and learn how to help others.

Oh yeah, and a worthy charity gets some help. Let's add another to the win column.

Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution

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Is Barack Obama Anti-Video Games?

Brett Singer — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:00:00 GMT

Not everyone is overjoyed that Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States last week. (Was it only last week?)

Of course there are people who voted for John McCain. They're not too thrilled. But some hardcore video game players are concerned that our new President-elect may not be so friendly to their favorite pastime.

From the New York Times:

"Blog posts scoring Mr. Obama’s positions on video games have received hundreds of comments, with some readers worrying that his admonitions during the campaign to 'put the video games away' signaled new regulations or restrictions on the industry."

Here's what our new prez said:

"We’re going to have to parent better, and turn off the television set, and put the video games away, and instill a sense of excellence in our children."

Whoa. If that isn't a call to arms, I don't know what is.

In reality, I would imagine that Barack Obama is more likely than any other President to be friendly to the gaming industry as a whole. First of all, his campaign made extensive use of the Internet and other technological tools, including advertising in video games. Plus there is ample evidence that he is at least a little bit geeky. For example, he collects comic books, and made a pretty nerdy Superman reference at the Alfred E. Smith charity dinner (video is below):

In reality, I don't think any politician really wants to "ban" video games. Titles like Grand Theft Auto and other violent or sexually explicit games make "a convenient scapegoat", as the Times quotes a commenter from 1up.com. Just because a guy doesn't spend 12 hours blasting zombies every day doesn't mean he wants to stop other people from doing it. Besides, I think he might have one or two (or a hundred) more important things to worry about come January. Somewhat like the earlier concern that he had stopped telling supporters that he loved them, I think we might be expecting a little bit too much from the guy.

Source: New York Times, Image: Newser

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Learning to Read through Video Games

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:30:00 GMT

Increasingly, books for children and young adults are being released with related video games. Since 97 percent of children ages 12 to 17 play computer and video games, this seems like a surefire to draw at least some reluctant readers into books. But when libraries host gaming tournaments and elementary schools incorporate video games into English lessons, you have to wonder, “Is this still reading?”

A large number of writers, publicists, and educators believe it is—and that, in the age of digital media, computer skills may be more important than proficiency with print media.

PJ Haarsma is a former advertising consultant who now designs online games about his science fiction novels for preteens. He argues that pairing video games with young adult literature “brings the book into their world, as opposed to going the other way around.”

But, as I pointed out in my tribute to Roald Dahl, the mark of a good book is precisely the ability to get lost in it, to live inside a world of which one has no experiential knowledge. This is particularly important for children, who largely learn empathy, respect for the imagination, and the value of introspection through reading. When one is being tested about a book’s plot in order to advance in a video game, the quiet, self-forgetful pleasure of being lost in a good book gets obliterated completely. Children learn that the only character who matters is the one holding the controller.

Photo: New York Times

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Good Kids Like Video Games Too – Who Knew?

JeanneSager — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:58:00 GMT

I came to terms with it long ago – I am a Playstation widow. For some guys it’s basketball or the bar, but I never have to worry that my husband’s straying too far from home. I can find him, in a pinch, in front of our TV.

Thanks to the Associated Press, I’ve finally got my proof – he’s just a little kid in man’s clothing. A Pew Internet & American Life Project survey published this week showed almost every single one of the more than 1,100 kids followed is a video gamer.

And there’s not been a grand theft auto reported among them.

The study was focused on kids age 12 through 17, but reporters have been talking to parents with kids as young as 4 who are getting fit with Wii and rocking out with Guitar Hero. They’ve found what my husband has been trying to tell me since he lovingly placed his game console on its special place on our first entertainment stand – it’s not that bad.

The survey showed the loser playing video games in his basement has been replaced by the social gaming kid who jams to Aerosmith with his buddies and building online relationships through the modem on Madden. They’re even talking about putting video games in schools in the DC metro area to drive down obesity.

I’d rather have my husband on the couch than out at the bar – I’ll give you that. But is placing a controller in my child’s hands really making her a more well-rounded kid?

Image: Rebecca Pollard

Teen Drops Out of School to Play Guitar Hero

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:15:00 GMT

Many parents of gifted children allow their kids to take time off of school to pursue their artistic or athletic vocation. But what if that vocation is playing video games?

Meet Blake Peebles, a 16-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina who is one of the best Guitar Hero players in the country—meaning, he has a rare talent for pressing buttons on a toy guitar hooked up to a TV screen. Last September, Blake’s parents finally gave in to his repeated requests to drop out of high school and focus on what he loves. Now, instead of attending high school, Blake studies with a private tutor—and puts in long hours with his Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox.

But this is not all fun and games. Blakes hopes to turn his gaming abilities into a lucrative career. Players signed by Major League Gaming (no, I'm not making this up) earn as much as $80,000 a year competing in tournaments.

So far, Blake has won around $1,000—but that money came in the form of gift certificates, gaming equipment, and Chick Fil-A combo meals. He hopes to start bringing in some actual cash after his father takes him to the U.S. regionals of the World Cyber Games.

Concerned family and friends have been quick to condemn the Peebles' decision. But Blake's parents have watched his work ethic and grades improve under a private tutor, and most importantly, they say that Blake is now happy. “I wasn’t really good at anything else that I liked,” he says. Still, the fact remains that being good at Guitar Hero means staying up till 4 a.m. staring at a TV screen.

Do you think the Peebles should have forced Blake to remain in school? Or were they right to trust their son to know what was best for him?

Photo: The News and Observer/Corey Lowenstein

Game Designer to Teachers: Don't Knock It Til You Try It

Brett Singer — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Clint Hocking is the Creative Director of Ubisoft Montreal, a video game developer and publisher. His credits include Splinter Cell, a Tom Clancy-inspired adventure game. On his blog, he has a suggestion for the Canadian Teacher's Federation (CTF): before you tell someone not to play a game, why not play it yourself first?

Hocking was responding to the CTF issuing a press release "condemning" the game on the grounds that "the video game [Bully] is mean-spirited in that it trivializes and glorifies bullying in school." According to the release, a total of eight "teacher organizations," including the U.S.-based National Education Association (NEA) have joined in their efforts to pressure retailers not to sell the game. An article in The Globe and Mail offers a fairly balanced discussion of the issues, something Hocking praises in his blog entry.

When it was first released in 2006 for the Playstation 2, Bully caused controversy (for the record, the company that makes the game also makes Grand Theft Auto, so they're used to defending themselves.) Bully just became available for the Wii and the XBox360, prompting this latest outcry. The stated goal of the coalition is to "condemn bullying and cyberbullying in all its forms," which is certainly admirable. But blaming the game? The Globe and Mail piece quotes McGill University professor Michael Hoechsmann as saying, "As tempting as it may seem, I'm not so certain that banning this will somehow result in a more peaceful and more loving school population." Asking retailers to boycott it does call attention to the bullying/cyberbullying problem, but one wonders if the teachers' efforts are a little misplaced.

Hocking actually invites the teachers to play Bully with him, since he hasn't played the game either. Maybe they should take him up on it. This review seems to say that at least some of the criticism is misguided - that the main character, Jimmy Hopkins, is the one who defends "weird chicks, nerds and underdogs" from the bullies, who are often "jocks." So it's a bit, shall we say, retro, but it certainly doesn't sound like the goal is to give wedgies and intimidate other students.

Some school districts, like the one in Charlotte that Mike wrote about, have introduced specific policies that address the problem of bullies, which seems more proactive than issuing press releases about video games.

As the parent of a budding young gamer, I do this weird thing when my kid wants a particular game - research. If possible, I play the game myself first. If I have any doubt about whether or not a game is appropriate, I play it with him so I can see what's going on there. So with all due respect to the teachers, I appreciate the efforts, but video games are really not the problem.

Full disclosure: I haven't played the game myself, and I don't know if the teachers have either. But whether they have or they haven't (my guess is no), Hocking makes a good point.

image: Amazon.com

Boy Finds Xbox Porn; Cops Drop Everything

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 23:16:00 GMT

More than pornography popped up for a 14-year-old Utah boy when he tried to play Madden NFL 07 on his new Xbox 360 and instead discovered explicit images.

"This is definitely not Madden," he said, probably adding, "Huh huh, boobs."

Of course, his digital dalliance didn't end there. He told his parents. And they, in turn, told the cops. This is where the tale of a teenage boy's best. Christmas. present. ever. takes a horrible turn. According to an Associated Press article, the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will investigate how the images made their way into the video game.

"The hard part (huh huh) is finding out who did it," said the task force lieutenant. "We'll give it a shot. I would go through the roof if this happened to my kid."

Really? The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force doesn't have anything better to do? It's investigating how a 14-year-old boy discovered porn on his video game? I am totally moving to Utah.

Advent Calendar - Gamer Style!

Patti — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 18:30:00 GMT

Here's a fun little holiday timewaster for kids of all ages: Nintendo's got an advent calendar game, Mission In Snowdriftland: one new level opens every day through the 24th of December, but you can play all the previous levels up to the current day.

It's a classic platform game, starring a little snowman who runs and jumps through the levels, catching snowflakes and trying to catch a bad guy by retrieving stolen data. The graphics are reminiscent of the good old days before game characters grew tits that would be realistic if they weren't so freakishly huge, and before game systems became something grown men called in sick to their jobs and camped out for a week to buy and resell for thousands of dollars on eBay. And it's really well done, too.

Well...the introduction and level one are really well done, anyway; I suck at games and can't get any farther than that. But, after naptime I'm going to sit the four-year-old in front of the keyboard and see if the rest of the levels up to today's are any good.

(Update: Levels two through six are pretty cool, too. The four year old is taking a snack break before tackling level seven. Her little sister had a great time just watching and cheering us on.)

Even taking my game suckage into account, this is a hell of a lot more fun than opening a cardboard door and getting a piece of cheap, stale chocolate every day for twenty-four days.