State of California Teams Up With Konami To Fight Obesity

The California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (CAHPERD) and game publisher Konami announced yesterday that they would be partnering up in a program to fight childhood obesity; a problem that now afflicts 32% of children in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control. Read On »

The Gamer Parent’s Guide To Gaming

Last year I did a piece titled “A Parent’s Guide To Video Games For Your Kids”, to help parents determine what kinds of games are appropriate for their little gamers.  But what about those parents who are gamers themselves?  What kinds of games should they grab to play alongside their gaming progeny?  How do you find balance between what Dad or Mom wants to play versus what your young ones should be exposed to?  Well, with a little help from a panel of pros at FamilyFriendlyVideogames.com, we explore these questions, and have the answers for you! Read On »

ESRB Mobile App Does Well to Make Our Lives (As Parents) Easier

Being a gamer and a father, I’m well aware of the goings on in the Games Industry and what my 12 year old daughter should and should not be exposed to when playing video games.  However, many parents simply don’t know the difference between Call of Duty and Pokemon.  While the ESRB has done wonders for the gaming industry in the way of education, and clearly marking games today with a rating and a brief description as to why the game received the rating that it did, many parents still seem to need more information to help them make a determination on whether a game purchase is ok for their child or not.

For example, take Halo: Reach and Duke Nukem.  Both games receive an M rating.  However, parents may have seen Reach and said to themselves, “Well, it’s just a bunch of guys shooting aliens.  That’s not all that bad.”  Then they look at Duke and wonder how it can be any different.  In reality, we as gamers know that Duke is a far cry from Halo, as the Chief has never come across topless dancers or received a BJ in a stall on a Covenant carrier.  So these poor parents buy Duke Nukem, take it to their frothing 12-year-old and Read On »

A Parent’s Guide To Video Games For Your Kids

This story never gets old. A few weeks ago, I was at BestBuy picking up some goodies for my wife.  While I was in line, a mother walks up with her son that had to be no more than eight or ten years old, and clutched in his hot little hands was a copy of Call Of Duty: Black Ops. I’ve seen this more than once this holiday season mind you.  But for some reason,… Read On »