Tonight, Microsoft and Get Game Smart are holding the first Capitol Hill Family Game Night, in cooperation with several members of Congress. Several members, congressional staff, and their families will be there to learn tips on managing their family's gaming habits. Families will have the chance to play a selection of family-friendly game titles, such as Lips: Number One Hits, The Beatles: Rock Band, and Forza Motorsport 3.
The event is being held with the cooperation of Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), John Shimkus (R-Ill.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.). Capitol Hill Family Game Night is intended to educate families on safer and healthier ways to consume video games and other online media. In attendance will also be the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and their parents.
"The Get Game Smart program is connecting families across the country with the tools and resources needed to teach their children how to use technology responsibly and more safely," said Fred Humphries, Managing Director U.S. Government Affairs, Microsoft. "Tonight, we're bringing the program's tools and resources to our nation's lawmakers so they can not only use them with their own families but also share them with constituents in their home districts. We even plan to have a little fun while we're at it."
"The very same computers that help our children study and literally place the world's knowledge at their fingertips can also open up a pathway to risky behavior," said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. "Instead of preventing our children from using the computer or the Internet, or criminalizing speech online that would be permissible on the playground, we must instead teach children how to be good cybercitizens."
Microsoft will also demonstrate Kodu, a visual programming language for creating simple games, akin to the classic BASIC programming language. Kodu is designed for children and first-time programmers, with the goal of “inspiring the next generation of game developers.” The programming environment runs on both Windows and Xbox 360 platforms, being simple enough to allow input using only a controller.
"Online gaming and social networking have revolutionized how we communicate with one another and how we entertain ourselves," Rep. Scott said. "However, we all can take steps to help ensure that our digital environment is safe for our children. This event will be an excellent opportunity to educate members of Congress, congressional staff and their families on how parents can be more engaged in, and better understand, the online gaming and social network activities of their children."
"As the father to two teenagers, I know how concerned parents are about keeping their family safe online," said Rep. Rogers. "Parents are looking for every available safety technique to keep their children out of harm's way. That is why we are so interested in the new safety technology that is being developed by companies providing online games. The online experience for our children ought to be about having fun and learning how to use technology, not about dangers from criminals who would harm our families through online access."
"I have long advocated for children's safety issues," Rep. Shimkus added. "Bringing parental involvement and industry together is vital in order to help protect children from inappropriate graphic violence and sexual situations. Games have moved well beyond 'Pong' and Atari from my youth, and we must ensure that all the necessary information is being provided to help parents and their children enjoy appropriate entertainment."
We'll certainly be encouraged to see more initiatives like this that focus on education about games rather than legislators drumming up bills trying to regulate the sales of games.
1 Comments
June 24, 2010
A neat article. Its good to see someone in the industry taking the initiative of promoting games. We need to be proactive in this, in all sorts of ways. Leaving prosocial gaming decisions to politicians is like letting used car dealers tell you what to pay for a car. That being said, I respect Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla) a lot and view her as someone with whom the industry should be able to network. MS, in the person of Fred Humphries, is providing an important function.