Microsoft have recently announced that it has created a panel directed at consumers with an aim to educate families on how to enjoy safe interactive entertainment in the household.For those that don't know, earlier this year Microsoft launched a website and initiative called "Get Game Smart" that has been put in place to educate parents on entertainment devices, like games consoles or personal computers. The website set up at GetGameSmart.com comes with information and resources on how a parent can enjoy and understand and manage the time their kids spend gaming through such things as competitions and agreements on how to make their habits safer.
As part of this goal that Microsoft has set, they have set up a panel labelled "The Get Game Smart Ambassadors" who are based around the United States in 8 cities.
10 teenagers and their parents were chosen through an internet campaign on the Get Game Smart website where they were able to each submitted a short video of themselves.
Through the website other families were then able to watch the submitted videos and then were able vote as to who out of the participating teen-parent teams would be chosen with an aim to educate other families through the interactive web site, their blogs and on-line social communities. The Get Game Smart Ambassadors will be able to give and share their own perspectives on gaming and other concerns that arise during an age where children are spending so much of their time in the on-line space.
Microsoft hopes that through such activities parents and their children will come to an understanding over how they manage their gaming time and what content is being played, and hopefully give families these tools to help them stay safe.
The Teen-Parent Ambassadors will be sharing their own tips and advice on how to maintain healthy and safe gaming environment for families, some of the advice shared includes making sure parents and their children understand each other and talk about their gaming habits, making sure they put other more sociable activities before games and that parents should understand the parental controls and ratings assigned to games.
Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment & Devices Division at Microsoft, understands the troubles with how gaming is being perceived and the lack of information on the subject for families "As a parent myself, I understand we tend to turn to other parents for advice on the suitability of video games or other digital entertainment for our children,"
He adds, "By working hand in hand with this group of parents and teens, we hope to inspire a more productive dialogue with families, communities, the media and the industry around healthy and balanced media use."
Mcrosoft keeping up with the latest trends has also set up other ways to get information away from the main site, you can find updates, tips and information about upcoming competitions at their Twitter page or join them on Facebook.
Step 2: When your 9 year old is shouting "Take That Muth** Ph******" at the top of his lungs he probably isn't playing Lego Batman, maybe step in the family room and see what he is up to?
Step 3: If your teenage daughter is naked in front of the Xbox with the camera on, you may want to review her friends list.
Step 4: Next time he says the word, ask your son what "teabagging" is and why he loves to do it so much?
Step 2: When your 9 year old is shouting "Take That Muth** Ph******" at the top of his lungs he probably isn't playing Lego Batman, maybe step in the family room and see what he is up to?
Step 3: If your teenage daughter is naked in front of the Xbox with the camera on, you may want to review her friends list.
Step 4: Next time he says the word, ask your son what "teabagging" is and why he loves to do it so much?
Step 5: ???
Step 6: Profit!
What's wrong with this again?
Step 2: When your 9 year old is shouting "Take That Muth** Ph******" at the top of his lungs he probably isn't playing Lego Batman, maybe step in the family room and see what he is up to?
Step 3: If your teenage daughter is naked in front of the Xbox with the camera on, you may want to review her friends list.
Step 4: Next time he says the word, ask your son what "teabagging" is and why he loves to do it so much?
So in otherwords... Parents, the console is not a babysitter nor is it a replacement to your parenting. Is that what you're saying?
When I was growing up, Nintendo was a reward. Screw up, no controllers. Bad grades, no controllers. When my brother and I were caught with an extra controller, no console. I know the ancient games on Nintendo were no where near the level of violence we have today. But the console was a reward, not a right. Our play time was based on our performance and behavior.
When I was growing up, Nintendo was a reward. Screw up, no controllers. Bad grades, no controllers. When my brother and I were caught with an extra controller, no console. I know the ancient games on Nintendo were no where near the level of violence we have today. But the console was a reward, not a right. Our play time was based on our performance and behavior.
Looking past how old fashioned that sounds, it is the fact of the matter.
+1
Step 2: When your 9 year old is shouting "Take That Muth** Ph******" at the top of his lungs he probably isn't playing Lego Batman, maybe step in the family room and see what he is up to?
Step 3: If your teenage daughter is naked in front of the Xbox with the camera on, you may want to review her friends list.
Step 4: Next time he says the word, ask your son what "teabagging" is and why he loves to do it so much?
So in otherwords... Parents, the console is not a babysitter nor is it a replacement to your parenting. Is that what you're saying?
When I was growing up, Nintendo was a reward. Screw up, no controllers. Bad grades, no controllers. When my brother and I were caught with an extra controller, no console. I know the ancient games on Nintendo were no where near the level of violence we have today. But the console was a reward, not a right. Our play time was based on our performance and behavior.
Exactly, from my Atari 2600 forward games were a privilege, not a right and my parents knew what they were spending their money on.
But yeah, remember the days when parents used to actually punish you? For me, not being able to go outside and play basketball or ride bikes was my punishment. I'd only get like 1 or 2 day groundings (I guess I never did anything THAT bad) but man, for me, that was harsh...
Maybe she wants to be a stripper when she grows up?
Seriously if a kid is stupid and doesn't understand right from wrong and the whole concept of virtual and reality and goes shooting up school or local mall and then an heros nobody is to blame except for the kids own retardation.
One thing we have to understand is conventional ideals and things with children coming up these days don't work period. It's called generation, technological, social and human evolution. Until people learn to adapt not much will change specially with politically correct moral police boards like this one.
"The colonies would gladly have borne the little tax on tea and other matters had it not been that England took away from the colonies their money, which created unemployment and dissatisfaction. The inability of the colonists to get power to issue their own money permanently out of the hands of King George III and the international bankers was the PRIME reason for the Revolutionary War."
-Benjamin Franklin's autobiography
"I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated governments in the civilized world. No longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men."
-Woodrow Wilson
Twenty-eighth President of The Unites States
Signed in the Federal Reserve act of 1913
1. I play games with my teenage kids - get involved. You know first hand what is appropriate and more than that have fun with your kids.
2. Set a time limit. I write it down get them off at the end of the gaming time. It takes an effort to set limits.
3. Screen what they can and can play. Those who rate stuff are so inconsistent. Some things rated M should be PG etc. Ratings are different to the USA. Many of their friends are playing MA and R rated games. Seriously what are the parents thinking. My kids are aged 13 and 10 so it's not appropriate to expose your kids to that stuff and not expect it to come out in some way.
4. Expect them to act the way you act. If you swear, I think you call it cuss or curse in the USA, don't be surprised if your kids copy you. They are sponges they will do what you DO not what you TELL them to do. If your mean online to others so will they be.
5. Microsoft probably doing the getsmart.com thing for two reasons. Firstly to avoid legal litigation from someone that your games ruined my child's life. But to be honest as I am both tech savvy, (I fix all my friends computers), I'm always asked about keeping their kids safe and asked for good habits because the only thing they are leet on a computer is Microsoft word. So if it turns out to have some good advice it might help some.
6. Digix says "if a kid is stupid and doesn't understand right from wrong." Well I have met grown ups that haven't worked that out. How does anyone work out right and wrong. There are a few factors I think. One genetics contributes to some genetic personality traits, ie anger etc. But parents, friends and the social environment around them is pretty much where you draw from so a passive approach to parenting etc will mean your not guiding your kids to sift through the many competing ideas of life and make health choices even if they are different from your own. 14 year old kids in the Sudan, Africa which kill following their older roll models model don't think they are doing anything wrong they just think its cool. Even Hitler thought what he was doing what is right. Well were in to ethics now I will leave it there.
6. Well I'm just an old 44 year old (birthday today), and I'm off to play CoD 5 World at War and Red Alert 3. Seriously though even I set limits. There is a bit debate in Australia as we don't have an R rating classification here and we need it. So either the game gets banned and people download it illegally or a game like GTA IV gets and MA rating and dads and mums buy it for their 12 year old. You know I could play that game and it wouldn't change me but I don't even play those games or watch some movies simply because if my kids know I do they would be confused. I will happily blast pixels apart in games but when your a PARENT and have been playing for some 24 years you have to be careful what you play.
7. Please don't flame me lol
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