Gamerscore Blog

Hooray for Gamer Dad!!!

So I guess this is part of the "Safety is no game" campaign.  Personally, I think it's good for everyone to be informed about ratings to avoid conflicts and disputes about violence or other ratings-related issues.

haha cool.  go Gamer Dad!  represent!

Good stuff, Brize!  I'm interested in seeing your exploration of the darker effects of gaming on young ones, and what parents can do to prevent these effects from taking hold.

When I was a kid, gaming was not portable...well, the best we had were those Nintendo original dual screen type games.  They weren't that accessible (they were kinda pricey, and not every kid on the block had em).

Nowadays, kids are with their PSPs or Nintendo DS units at an early age, and parents negligently use these gaming systems as a pacifier, babysitter, and best friend.  Gaming used to be a reward for good behavior - now it's being used as a replacement for proper parenting.

As a result, some children seem to have an even shorter attention span, they are less socially adept, and their level of creativity and imagination, hampered.  Not all gaming kids suffer these consequences, but I have personally seen some that do.

Obviously, the kids can't be held responsible...it's the parent that has to set boundaries.  Gaming has been shown to improve skills, abilities, intellect, and yes, even social interactivity, but only if permitted in appropriate doses.  

I hope I don't come across as being a party pooper, but gaming safety is more than just about protecting kids from violent games.  I am glad that you're going to address this issue in a future column.

Keep up the good work, Brize - I'll definitely be interested in reading your work, as a lifelong gamer who is in the process of making my own little gamers.  ;)

Awesome!
More material for my research and mainly, more info on for the parents.
Great idea!!!!!!

I'm already looking forward his articles.

Welcome Brize!

Man, I am so glad more Gaming Parents are making an impact. I no longer have to hide the fact that I am a gaming dad and that I much rather play videogames with the family than watch television.

I am finding more often than not, there are more parents out there like myself and Brize. And the cool thing is, we're very responsible parents. We like the cool 'M' rated games, yet we are in control of the media in the home. At the same time, we enjoy the family titles as well and the kids get so much out of gaming with mom and dad.

My 9 year old daughter is so proud of the fact that she has gaming parents and appreciates the family time that much more.

Don't get me wrong, we do not spend every waking moment gaming. Between work, school, softball, and social activities outside of gaming events and home gaming we live a full life. Our low < 2000 gamerscore will attest to that. But we know that we can have fun gaming as a family and reward ourselves with the activity.

Congratulations again to Brize!

Although I want to assume the intentions are good for looking out for parents I am very skeptical that the effect will be to help parents make better decisions about their childrens gaming activities. I think this this just a campaign to get Lawmakers to back off of MS and game companies for making alot of violent games and selling them to people not old enough to buy them if the laws were strong enough. I'd say in 17+ M-rated games I've noticed the average age of players on XBL is around 15 years old, I believe i they wanted to release data it would prove I was right. This also means I believe a +- 3 error on my estimate meaning that the average could be as low as 12 becuase I have seen many kids online in M-Rated titles as low as 12 years of age.

Informing people to make better decisions doesn't make people make better decisions becuase the information is always in front of their face. The real option I believe MS should take is limited by updates the ability for children to play online not by allowing parents the option. I believe XBL should segregate players of a younger age into a separate clean service where as an older gamer myself I wouldn't have to hear annoying young kids and likewise I wouldnt say anything that might affect their precious childhood years.

I am a hardcore gamer and being so I would cut the age off at about 16, anyone 16 and older would be able to play regular Xbox live. I would get rid of gamerzones becuase they don't really work and do this instead. Its kinda like how aol does a semi-separate solution for their younger members.  When I was younger than 16 I didn't play video games online they were just wholesome games like mario and any action games didn't really affect my childhood becuase the graphics were 8-bit and you really couldn't make out the blood.

So basically all I am saying is whenever people think the solution is informing parents I don't think that will ever work, bad parenting is never the problem and educating parent's doesn't make games like GTA any safer for their kids.

As a dad and a gamer, I'm all for discussing parenting issues related to gaming.  But why does "Brize" have to rip off the GamerDad name from an established web site?  

Welcome to GamerDad.  (not to be confused with GamerDad.com).

WTF???!?!?

Are you trying to be a zero-cred rip-off artist?

Perhaps someone should have a new site called 'Microsoft.com' - not to be confused with Microsoft?

C'mon, give me a break - this is a typical grab, and you'll be shut down like the shill that you are.

Too bad - the idea is great, as proven BY THE FACT THAT AN ESTABLISHED SITE HAS BEEN DOING IT FOR YEARS!

"not to be confused with GamerDad.com"

Good thing you put this disclaimer in!  Because you're doing EVERYTHING THE PEOPLE AT GAMERDAD.COM HAVE DONE FOR THREE YEARS NOW, and stealing their name to boot.  People might have gotten confused otherwise.

I guess it's too much to expect a tiny little company like Microsoft to actually either find their own name or simply CONTACT Gamerdad.com and work out some kind of agreement.

Nicely done.

Whereas I find it heartening to see that big companies like Microsoft finallycop on to the needs of parents, the integrity of this 'gamerdad' is doubtful in my mind if he can't even come up with his own name, but has to borrow the name and fame of a Gamerdad who has been doing exactly what this guy is promising to do for years. Especially considering how often Gamerdad (the real one that is) has stood up for gaming companies, and how much time he has stuck in impartial volentary reviews.
I thought you would have been on the same side, taking his name is like a kick in the teath...

Easier to steal the thunder from others' press and hard work, evidently.

Xbox.com highlighting parenting issues with gaming - that's great.  But Brize hijacking GamerDad's name to establish false credibility?  Bad form.

Yep, another patented MS ripoff of a great site ... but, then, we've come to expect this and really shouldn't be shocked in the least.  

Do yourselves a favor and go to the original gamerdad.com instead of giving MS your hits.

I just like the fact that MS not only knew someone was already doing the same thing, with the same name, but blithely went ahead and copied it anyway. There's such an utter disinterest in propriety that I'd feel dumb talking about the ethics of it: it's so obviously irrelevant to those behind this clone.

"Micro Soft! Not to be confused with Microsoft.com"

Amazing. I guess this Brian fellow is just a PR person and couldn't care less, but to allow oneself to be the public face of this is pretty ballsy.

With all the smart people working at Microsoft, you couldn't come up with your own name?

I have to say, as someone who writes about games for part of his living, i find it really inconscionable that Microsoft, the most notorious defender of the broadest interpretation of its own trademark, sees fit to simply ROLL OVER Andrew Bub, who has been running a site under exactly this name, doing essentially exactly the same thing, as a business, with a registered trademark, for years.

I'm not a Microsoft basher.  I've been a staunch defender of Microsoft's right to both innovate and protect it's IP.  I'm not some ridiculous troll, I'm a professional.

And I find this just flat out insulting.

Brian and MS should be ashamed of themselves.  I happen to know for a fact that at least a few staff members at Xbox.com were aware of Gamerdad.com.  If anyone from MS comes out and states otherwise, they are lying.

Might I reccomend:

"The GameFather " a play on The Godfather...makes you look tough =)
"Papa Game"
Daddy's Got Game
How to hang with your Kids

How about a contest?
HELP NAME THE NEW PARENTAL HELP SECTION OF XBOX.COM
give em like a  free month of XBL or something.


I hope XBOX.COM does change it, cause it is a good idea, and the more folks reviewing the CONTENT of the actual game the less ammo gamehaters will have to throw at us.

oh btw...Old School Gamer/Father of 2 Gamers

Man, what a shameless ripoff!

Unbelievable.  Not only do you rip off a 3 or 4 year old site with  TRADEMARKED (http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=jtteec.2.1)name that had it's first commercial use in 2003, you even had the unmitigated balls to say "Oh, not to be confused with the real guy, who spent all this time and work on building name recognition".  

Just what I expect from Microsoft, really.  Crap, lies and theft.

Change the name. Do it now before this gets out of hand.

It's a shame that the name was stolen.

I'll echo the comments above mine.  It's inconscionable to take the name another person has spent years and visible effort to develop.  I hope that someone working at Microsoft steps up to remedy the situation before it gets further out of hand.  Linking to the trademarked Gamerdad site makes it clear this was not a simple goof up.

--------- RIP OFF ---------------------

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Change the name or pull down your site.

GamerDad is great name, but cmon M$ with all that money could not do better?  
How about MS PlayStation360  not to be confsed with Sony PS3?

boo!

The reason Microsoft stole GamerDad is because they aren't going to come up with a better name. This is how it always is with Microsoft: either they steal someone else's ideas or they make pathetic attempts at originality and look like clowns. They know this.

I encourage people to spam Microsoft's "GamerDad" as well as this site until they change the name.

Do the right thing and change the name.

Give the other guy his site name back!

Please take the comments seriously - change the name of the column before the bad press and reader anger gets out of control. This is territory that should never have been entered, and getting out the starting gate with an introductory column that alienates the target readership is just plain dumb.

One can only hope all these please do not fall on deaf ears.

Way to absolutely stick it in the REAL GamerDad's butt. This is total crap.

Why do you hate us? WHY??

A GOOD parent would teach his children to stand on their own accomplishments without trading on the good name and accomplishments of others.

The unseemliness of this new column's initial actions reflect poorly on Mr. Johnson's attempts to comment responsibly on issues regarding parenting and the gaming industry.  Continued use of the already established "Gamer Dad" moniker call Mr. Johnson's abilities not only as a journalist but as a role model into question.

Horrible, terrible, stupendously thoughtless.

How dare you.

Has anyone else noticed that you can't, well at least I can't,  get to "the Fake Gamerdad's" article on Xbox.com, and he is not under the personalities section anymore either, other than the link on this page still working there seems to be no FGD anymore.  If so, then I'm almost impressed Xbox, it does not explain what you were thinking in the first place but at least you are doing something about it.

This is so very sad.

I have no respect for you.

Disgraceful.

Excellent - glad to see you guys doing the right thing!  Nw we can get back to the mission for your new column, which I *totally* support!  Hope you're very successful with it!

BRAVO.

You have earned quite a bit of respect from me (and it's all about me) for doing the right thing, and doing it quickly.  Thank you.

Julian

Good call Microsoft.

The new link, John, is http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/personality/xboxdad/20061013-whatimdoinghere.htm

PingBack from http://gamerbabble.com/2006/10/24/xboxcoms-gamer-dad-now-xbox-dad/

That this should even be a controversy is just too damn sad for words. If any of you were real parents you'd  grow up, get your asses off the computer, and spend some time coaching little league.

PingBack from http://news.naikmichel.com/2006/10/24/ms-drops-gamer-from-gamer-dad/