A Nielsen report on how gamers are responding to the current economic climate.

Read the Report at Nielsen

A new report highlights the way that digital media is embedded in the lives of young children, commencing in pre-school years. In 2007, 94 per cent of 3 to 4 year olds watched television and 91 per cent watched DVDs or videos, while a sizeable proportion also used a computer at home (40 per cent) and a minority (16 per cent) had played games using an electronic games system.

Children in this age group spent an average one hour and 11 minutes watching television per day, 44 minutes watching DVDs and videos, seven minutes using computers and three minutes playing electronic games. Use of electronic media and communications: Early childhood to teenage years, a report released today by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, brings together the ACMA’s research on media use by 8-17 year olds and new findings about 3-4 and 7-8 year olds from the Australian Institute of Family Studies study Growing Up in Australia; The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.

View the Full Media Release

AT first glance, Blizzard Entertainment’s headquarters in Irvine, California looks like any other business campus. Neat paths and fresh cut lawns separate the unremarkable low-rise office buildings.

But that’s when you notice the 12 foot high bronze statue of an Orc riding a wolf and the beach volleyball court it becomes clear – this is the house that Warcraft built.

Read the Full Story at news.com.au

To read Nintendo’s Corporate Social Responsibilty Report Click Here

 What:                                         

A new addition to the Xbox 360 Family Settings called the Family Timer.

 Availability:                          

The feature is available on new game discs purchased at retail stores and is available as a software download via Xbox LIVE for owners of older consoles.

 Product Overview:           

Xbox 360 added the Family Timer to its existing set of industry-leading parental control features intended to help make the Xbox 360 experience safer and more secure for the whole family.  

 The Family Timer enables parents to set the amount of time their Xbox 360 can be used by members of their household by day or by week. For example, if a parent has allowed their child to play the Xbox 360 for two hours a day, they can set the console to allow for only two hours of play a day. After those two hours expire, the child will not be able to use the console again within that 24-hour period, unless additional time is granted by the parent.

 Features:

• Easy to use: intuitive to discover, use and monitor.
• Flexible: limits can be set on a per-day or per-week basis.
• Reminders: the console will give notifications at one hour, 30 minute, 15 minute and five minute intervals before the time expires. 
• Override access: parents and caregivers can simply enter the security Pass Code to “suspend” the Family Timer functionality (pauses the Timer so they can spend time on the console without using up the Timer clock).

 Additional  Details:

 Access:

To access the Family Timer, go to the System Blade and select “Family Settings” then “Console Controls” and then “Family Timer.” This is the only access point for the initial set-up of the Family Timer. Once set, the parent/administrator can access the feature through the Personal Settings button on the Guide, which will list the Family Timer as an option. 

 Setting:

• When setting the Family Timer, a parent/administrator has three options for setting limits:  Daily, Weekly or Off. 
• The Daily option allows the parent/administrator to set limits on console use per day in 15-minute increments.
• The Weekly option allows the parent/administrator to set limits on console use per week in one-hour increments.
• During the inaugural set up of the Family Timer, the system will prompt the administrator to “Set Clock” to the current time and time zone. This will allow the timer to track time appropriately, replenishing the time at midnight if set Daily and midnight on Sunday if set Weekly. 
• The first time any of the Family Settings features are accessed, whether it is the Family Timer feature or others, the console administrator is required to set a Pass Code. This is a four-button combination. If a Pass Code has already been set, the system will ask for the Pass Code in order to edit Family Settings.
• The Timer is set per console, not per profile.

 Timer:

• While the console is in use, notifications will appear at one hour, 30 minutes, 15 minutes and five minutes before the time expires.  Additionally, the Guide blade has a real-time countdown so a user can check the Timer status at any time.  These functions provide gamers sufficient notification to save their game.
• When the Timer expires, a pop-up alerts the gamer of the end of the session and offers three options:  Add More Time, Suspend Timer and Shut Down Console.  In order to select the Add More Time or Suspend Timer functions, the user is required to enter the Family Settings Pass Code. 
• The Suspend Timer function allows parents and/or other users with access to the Pass Code to spend time on the console without using up the Timer clock. 
• When the Suspend Timer function is on, the Timer is suspended for that session only.  Once the console is turned off, the Suspend Timer function will automatically turn off and the console will default back to the pre-determined Family Timer settings.

Parents now have additional management tools once computer games are brought into their homes.

Major game console developers (Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo) all offer parental control tools in their new gaming systems. For example, the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii consoles allow parents to enter the Australian Government classification level that they believe is acceptable for their children. Once they do so, no game above that level can be played on the console. Classified games contain embedded metadata “flags,” or a string of code in the software, that allow the consoles to automatically recognise the game’s rating.

Personal computers using the new Microsoft Windows Vista operating platform have the same screening capabilities as these stand-alone gaming consoles. For example, parents can set the classification threshold on their child’s video game console or personal computer to PG for pre-teens and then no games rated M or MA15+ can be played on the console (or PC) unless the parent first enters a password.

Sony’s PlayStation 3 console and PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld gaming system work a little differently. Both Sony gaming products let parents use a 1-11 scale to determine the level of game content.

To read X360’s Fact Sheet click here

To read Nintendo’s CSR Report click here

To read Sony’s Playsafe Guidlines click here

Computer games, whether they are locally made or come from overseas, have to be classified before they can be sold, hired or demonstrated in Australia.  The Classification Board classifies films, computer games, and publications and some internet content.

Consumer Advice (content descriptors)

The Classification Board also adds consumer advice to indicate the type of content in a game.  Consumer advice does not include descriptions of all content.

For example a game classified M - Moderate Coarse Language will include language of a moderate impact that requires an M classification; but it may also include violence that could be accommodated at a lower classification such as PG, even if the violence is not mentioned in the consumer advice.

The classifcations currently used for video games in Australia are as follows:

Very Mild Content

Mild Content - Previously Known as G8+

Moderate Content - Previously Known as M15

Strong Content - Currently the highest rating available for Video Games in Australia

Tips for Parents

Check the Classification. Use both the classification symbol and consumer advice on the front of the package to select the most appropriate games for your child and family. Visit the Classification website to search for classification information before you head out to the shops.

Carefully read and look at the package. Game content is described and depicted in detail on the back of virtually every game box.

Talk to other parents and older children. This is a good way to learn about computer and video games.

Monitor your child’s computer game play. Just as with TV, movies, and the Internet, it is always a good idea to be aware of and involved in the media your children consume.

Learn about and use parental controls. All of the newest video game consoles and handheld hardware devices, as well as the new operating system from Windows (Vista), offer parents the ability to limit what type of content their children can access by activating built-in parental control features. By activating parent controls you can ensure that your kids only play games that carry ratings you deem appropriate for them.

Consider your child’s unique personality and abilities. Nobody knows your child better than you do.  Use your knowledge about your child when selecting computer and video games.

Play computer and video games with your children. Play games and talk about them with your kids as often as possible. This is a good way to have fun together as well as getting to know which games your child finds to be interesting and exciting.

Read more than the ratings. Game reviews, trailers and “demos” that allow you to sample games are broadly available online and in game enthusiast magazines.  They can provide additional detail about game content that is useful when determining which games are appropriate for your family.

Exercise caution with online-enabled games. Some games let users play with other people on the Internet, but it’s important to realize that some of these games contain live chat features or other user-generated content, including character models (“skins”), settings (“maps”), weapons and other content that are not part of the Classification Board decision.

Be aware of downloadable “mods” that can significantly change the content of a game. Most PC games can be altered through the use of downloadable programs called “mods” which are broadly available on the Internet and can change the content of the game. Since players create them, mods are not considered in classifications. It is important for parents to be aware that some mods can alter a game in ways that may not be appropriate for younger players and may be inconsistent with the Classification.

A healthy media diet means limits and balance.

Who likes to say “no” to their kids? And what kid comes with moderation installed? Because media is such a huge part of children’s lives, we can’t just shut it out. Besides, it’s fun and can be an important learning tool. But kids need limits and guidelines. Just as we don’t let our kids eat junk food all day long, we need to give them healthy ground rules for choosing and using media.

Play games with your children. Parent-child play opens up pathways of communication and bonding and gives mums and dads the ‘cred’ they need to monitor their children’s experience, set rules and learn about the emerging world of interactive entertainment.

One of the best and easiest ways to manage your child’s game play is to play the games with him/her. If you’re a technophobe, don’t let intimidating technology or jargon stop you from playing with your child. While it’s true that some genres of video games practically have their own language, kids under 8 won’t be talking over your head. That said, be prepared for some humiliation.