Video Games

Parents must enforce moderation if they're going to keep their kids from getting addicted to video games, the developer of one of the hottest games to hit the market said Friday. Vance Wallace, the lead designer of "Tomb Raider: Underworld" which is set for release later this month just in time for Christmas, admitted gaming could become an obsession for some kids.

"I'm not a politician, a judge or even a parent, but I would say that just like with anything else, moderation is really important whether you're talking about video games or anything in your life - movies, TV," he said.

Remember wayyyyy back when E3 meant your "industry" hook-ups would hit up their co-workers with unisex names for badges to get your sorry "non-industry" butt in on some of the sweet gaming action? Back when you smuggly fanned yourself with your borrowed "Tony" name badge as you passed all the wanna-be hopefuls crowding the LA Convention Center doors? Back when Tony Hawk and friends showed off on indoor half pipes while sexy vikings and Everquest fairies mingled and posed for pictures with Pikachus and Katamari princes.

I think this must be a common thing for iPhone-owning parents--wondering if it's OK to let your two year-old old use it as a video game console... Once they get their hands on it, they're addicted. Kinda like their parents... A friend of mine at work even proposed we create a line of educational iPhone apps for kids. Victor Agreda, Jr. discusses this phenomenon on tuaw.com:

For a game that's being targeted at a family audience (the ESRB rates it "Everyone 10+" suitable for kids ages 10 and up) there has been an awful lot of naughty content ("sporn") created using the game's pre-released creature creation tools. Will Wright, Spore's creator, is not phased by these explicit monsters that some folks already have created.

According to my new Wii Fit, I'm a total porker! OK, maybe not that bad, but I'm definitely "Overweight." So 20 minutes later, a sweaty mess, I think -- this is what video games were made for. Self-improvement. If only it was a first person shooter, too!

Apparently, some folks are upset that the Wii is calling your kids fatty-cakes...

A year after revealing at Comic-Con 2007 in San Diego that Cartoon Network plans to join the MMOG realm with Fushion Fall whipping us into a cartoon/MMOG induced frenzy the fine people at Cartoon Network are back this year to remind us Fushion Fall is coming and it's gonna rock the MMOG world. Cartoon Network¹s browser-based MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) was announced yesterday at Comic-Con 2008 in San Diego giving more to go all ga-ga over. Set to be released this fall, the game will incorporate characters from the network¹s many shows.

If you have a six year old + kid it's impossible you've escaped the craziness of Lego Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones.

I’m a 37 year old father of two; my oldest is 8—the age at which video game addiction really begins to take root—especially in homes where fathers (and many a mother) are natural born suckers for a good MMO, frag fight or Wii-fest.

We’re children of the 80’s video game revolution, right? It’s only natural that our kids find their way to the Temple of Mario at an early age. Monkey see, monkey start farming gold.

With filtering software that catches 500 to 1000 phrases and two-thirds of the company's staff to positions such as safety moderators and customer service, Club Penguin is taking Big Brother to the next level and doing it well.

According to information released by the company:

Funbrain, which has always been a great place for primary age through middle school kids to go for educational puzzles, games, online books, and resources, has just launched a new "playground" on their popular site offering 22 wacky, mouse-driven games suitable for young kids ages 2-6. It's being tagged as a safe, fun place for parents to play with their children online.