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ISomething that really ticks me off is when people
don't realize how much better I am than them. :) I
know I'm an arrogant person, but when I became a parent
I found out exactly how much better of a parent I
am compared to other people. In fact I think all parents
get this exact same feeling. Anyway, in an effort
to be the best parent I possibly could I wanted to
do something about all the video game bashing going
on in the media lately. I wanted to bring my views
into the public that video games aren't bad, they
just require constant and consistent education and
communication between parent and child. A basic understanding
of what is contained within that shiny disk, cartridge,
etc.
A recent broadcast on the radio actually prompted
me to publish these thoughts instead of holding on
to them. In the speech, the speaker said something
to the effect that in order for us as people to do
the most good in society we need to find a balance
between what we need to do (our career) and what we
love to do (our vocation), that will make the greatest
positive impact in society. It got me to thinking.
How can my love and knowledge of video games be used
to benefit anyone? The answer? I still haven't figured
that part out yet. I've often thought of having a
parents section on my website explaining what is really
going on in the games our/your kids play. But, I realized
that it's basically already been done with the ESRB
rating system and think that it's a very accurate
scale. In favor of adding information to the games
I review on my website about content, I could be much
more accurate and specific than an small ESRB rating
on the back of a package. As I thought further about
the type of information required to educate parents
about games I've come to think that it's best to get
that type of information first hand. Basically it
comes down to the fact that each parent knows their
children better than anyone else. You should know
if your kids know the difference between fantasy and
reality, if watching a scary movie will give them
nightmares, or even if a video game has (what you
consider) appropriate content.
Fortunately my daughter need not worry about me being
ignorant of video game content because they are already
a big part of my life. However other parents who feign
interest in what their kids are doing will have the
biggest problem. Herein lies my dilemma. Where can
parents go to find out about the games their kids
are playing? Well, they can certainly come to me with
questions, read reviews in magazines or on the internet,
chat in forums, but most of all, watch what your kids
are playing and experience it with them. The last
reason there is why I find it difficult to publish
anything strictly for parents. Because I think that
experiencing the game with them is the MOST important
way to educate yourself and build bonds with your
kids.
This article turned out to be way different than
when I started writing it. I was originally going
to complain about
www.mediafamily.org and their substandard way
of reporting video game content to people. Here is
my example: Metroid Prime 2 came out at a time when
I was thinking most about my child and the impact
video games will have on her. I checked out mediafamily.org
to see if they had any information on MP2 and sure
enough they did not. Not surprising because the game
had only been out for a few days. I secretly wanted
there to be nothing listed on the site so I could
submit some information. Here is a paragraph I wrote
and submitted to them based on their guidelines:
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is a first person platformer/shooter.
You take on the role of Samus Aran, a famous bounty
hunter, as she lands on the planet Aether. This planet
is in the midst of a battle between different races
called the "dark" Ing and "light" Luminoth. As a result
of the battle the planet is caught in a dimensional
shift between light and dark versions. Players must
travel between the light and dark dimensions, solving
puzzles, and battling enemies, in order to bring peace
and stability to the planet. Samus' weaponry consists
of various lasers and missiles. Echoes is not excessively
violent, when destroyed, enemies merely evaporate
into the darkness or burn away (no blood and guts).
The dark world areas and some of the monsters could
be considered scary to players below the "Teen" rating.
There is no nudity, sexual content, or suggestive
themes.
I thought it was quite complete if you were a parent
looking at that you could judge if it would be appropriate
for your child. However, without hearing a word from
medaifamily.org I waited patiently. About one month
later the following appeared on their
site about Metroid Prime 2:
Description: Metroid Prime: Echoes is the first
game in the series to support a multiplayer mode for
up to four, in which bounty hunters battle each other
to find hidden passages and recover weapon power-ups,
and use their special grappling and morph-ball abilities
to traverse dangerous alien environments. As in the
original Metroid Prime, this sequels single-player
adventure features first-person exploration, combat,
and platform puzzles.
Honestly, what does that say about the game? It's
4 players battling each other on an alien planet in
first person mode using special abilities, weapons,
and power ups. How is that even remotely helpful if
I'm a parent wondering if my child should play this
particular game or not. They didn't even publish the
"green, yellow, red" rating levels I had sent in with
my submission. It disgusted me so much because their
information is largely useless in making a decision
about that game. Subsequently I decided I didn't want
to be part of mediafamily.org and will have to search
for something else to be part of, or create my own.
On another side of the argument is that it really
shouldn't matter what is written there because it's
ultimately the parent that should learn for themselves
first hand what their child wants to play. Go rent
the game and try it out with your child to see if
it's something that you think is acceptable for them
to play. That whole situation is largely the reason
why I'm still trying to figure out the best way to
educate parents in the arena of video games. Perhaps
most don't need to be educated but simply require
a support group of peers to say "Yes, I know what
you're going through. Raising a child IS hard work.
It does take a lot of work to raise a productive member
of society."
So hear I am still thinking of the best way to communicate
my passion for video games to other parents and give
them resources, information, and a community they
can truly use and believe in. I keep coming back to
the need for parents to get involved in their children's
lives, definitely not limited to, but including video
games. It's the parent's ultimate responsibility to
step up to the plate and get involved. If there are
any other parents out there that feel the same, I
would love to hear from you. Of course if there are
any other parents at all among the 30 people that
have read anything on my website I would be happy
to hear from any of you too.
-wileee
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