Parental Controls
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MMO Family: 17 internet safety tactics for gaming families
MMO Family is your resource for leveling a gaming-specced family. From tips on balancing gaming with family life to finding age-appropriate niches for every family member, MMO Family offers you advice on MMO gaming of the family, by the family and for the family. "Be careful, there's nasty stuff out there on the internet." It's frustrating to hear this warning clarioned over and over again. We're gamers ourselves, after all. We know easily children can get in over their heads on the internet. "Be careful," intone the experts. "Watch carefully, and be very, very careful ..." But how? What must we be careful to do? To not do? What does "being careful" mean in actual practice? Specific online safety tactics – and putting them into practice without driving anyone crazy in the process – become an epic quest reward that always manages to stay two turn-ins out of reach. As we mentioned last week, your main objective as the parent of a young MMO player is to remain figuratively logged in to their activity. When children are online, parents cannot afford to be figuratively AFK. We're not suggesting you pull up a chair and some popcorn to faithfully oversee kids' every move online. No child needs direct supervision to kill 10 rats (or pick 20 flowers or befriend 30 fairies or frag 50 enemies ...). But young gamers do need your boundaries and your guidance (as well as your feedback, your enthusiasm and your support). Just how strong the boundaries should be will depend on the age of your child and the game that they're playing. Apply common sense, based on your own MMO experience, along with these 17 tactics for safe online gaming.
Diablo 3 to include parental controls, region-specific gore edits
Diablo 3 designer Jay Wilson was on hand at the recent GamesCom, where he met up with Wired and frankly discussed the game's gore. He confirmed that the title would not only have parental controls, but could have a lot of its signature violence stripped for select regions. "Yeah, we're going to have to be able to turn off blood, change the color and things like that, because you can't have red blood in some regions, regions that we would very much like to sell the game in," Wilson said. Though he doesn't foresee any issue in selling the game in Germany and Australia, Blizzard will have to carefully weigh its options when it comes to a release in in China. "With our relationship with NetEase, we recently got new information about what China really wants, and it's a lengthy list. It's really hard for us to cater to. We'll try. There's no reason we wouldn't want to go there, but there is a certain point where we'd have to redo so much of the game that it's not viable anymore," Wilson explained.
China backtracks, makes Green Dam 'optional'
China's efforts to preload the Green Dam censorware on all PCs in the country have been going pretty poorly so far, with accusations of software piracy and manufacturer displeasure causing delays. Now the government is backing down from that stance, stating that the original regulation wasn't "expressed clearly, and gave everyone the impression that [Green Dam] was mandatory." For home computers, that means the internet filtering software will likely continue to be bundled as an optional (and inactive) extra -- something Acer, ASUS, Lenovo and Sony have been doing since early July -- but if you're at school, an internet cafe or some other public access point, expect to see Green Dam running, alive and well. Censorship is dead, long live censorship. [Via CNET]
Apple pulls adult-content app from App Store, anyone surprised? Updated
And just like that, the iPhone App Store is once again safe for children, people at work, and those who enjoy the iron fist of an anonymous application reviewer gently controlling their hardware / software ecosystem. Yep, the "Hottest Girls" application has been yanked after just a few hours of availability, and it's no secret why: although the app was clearly labeled and approved under iPhone OS 3.0's app rating and parental control guidelines, naked-ladies-on-the-iPhone was quickly becoming too much news for Apple's squeaky-clean image to bear. Of course, that once again prompts us to remind everyone that this exact same content is easily accessible through any number of applications on the iPhone, like, say, Safari, and that the App Store's arbitrary and capricious review procedures are an incredible liability to an otherwise dominant platform, but honestly, no one's listening because they'd rather talk about boobs. Good work.Update: Interesting -- the dev's site now says that Hottest Girls has been "pulled" because their servers were "reaching their limits" and that the app will be back up soon, naughty pictures intact. We're guessing that means their image servers are cracking under the strain, but we'll see if this app or others like it make a reappearance anytime soon.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPhone OS 3.0's parental controls to assuage some app submission woes?
Here's something that should help Trent reach a level of moderate contentment. Although we already knew that Apple was expanding its parental controls with iPhone OS 3.0 into the realm of TV shows, movies and App Store apps, a report today about the rejection of Makayama's Newspaper(s) app provides a good example at the ramifications of such alterations. According to iLounge, it was rejected due to a picture of a topless woman under the section for UK-based tabloid The Sun. The accompanying letter suggested a resubmission once 3.0 (and subsequently the parental controls) go public, which we take to mean that the questionable content will suddenly be okay for the App Store once it's behind the appropriate age gate. We won't know for sure until everything falls into place, but sounds like this is one part of the submission approval process that'll soon end up much less frustrating for developers. [Via 9 to 5 Mac]
WoW Rookie: Putting a leash on playtimes for young players
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the resources they need to get acclimated. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic.When school's out, WoW's in ... Is that the usual state of affairs at your house? If you want to limit the times when your kids can log in – protecting evening study time and bedtime, or setting weekend, holiday and vacation limits – then you need Blizzard's parental control feature. Parental control settings allow you to choose blocks of time that an account is and is not accessible for play. Players cannot log in during restricted hours, and they'll be automatically logged out if they play past their allowed time window.The parental control is part of the account user interface on the web. Anyone who has access to an account's log-in and password can set up parental controls on the account. Once parental controls have been created, they may be modified only with access via a parental control password.
Net Nanny for the Mac released
Are you concerned about the youngsters in your household being exposed to inappropriate content on the Web? ContentWatch today announced the release of Net Nanny for the Mac, the first Mac version of their popular Internet filtering and parental control software. With Net Nanny, you can block access to gambling and pornography sites, and specify what games or sites (enabled with parental ratings) your kids can visit. NetNanny does this by integrating with Safe Search options on most major search engines, including Google, MSN, AllTheWeb, Yahoo, Dogpile, Lycos, and AltaVista.NetNanny provides usage reports so parents can see what each user has been viewing on the Internet, browser alerts when access to an inappropriate or blocked page is attempted, time restrictions for users, and a Content Assistant feature to define the right level of protection for each user.Although ContentWatch's Web site hasn't yet been updated with news about the Mac release, their press release announcing the new software states that the Mac product info will be listed at http://netnanny.com/mac/. NetNanny is available for US$39.99 for the first license, with each additional computer in the house costing just $19.99. The application is available in English, German, French, Japanese, Spanish, and Italian.
Mac 101: Parental Controls
Mac OS X Leopard has a slew of controls meant to keep whipper-snappers at bay protect our kids (and data). They aren't the most powerful tools in the world (especially if Junior knows your administrator password), but they are helpful.To make use of Parental Controls, you'll first have to create an account other than the administrator account. That's simple enough -- just go to the Accounts Preference Pane and click the "+" button. After naming the user and creating a password, select the user and click the "Parental Controls" button.There are several options under the following tabs: System Content Mail & iChat Time Limits Logs Read on to find out how you can use each of these to customize your children's Mac OS X experience.
WoW as a bargaining chip
My wife is a shrewd little fox. She knows just how much I love the fact that she plays the game with me so sometimes, when we have our little domestic arguments, she makes sure to cancel her WoW account just to drive home a point. Of course, it doesn't mean much since we're both paid up for the next few months, but the message is clear -- "we make up (or you see things my way) or I'm quitting the game!" Of course, we don't reconcile merely because I'll be losing my favorite playing partner, but I have to confess that it doesn't make me happy one bit.For parents, World of Warcraft can be a useful bargaining chip for their kids with the parental controls feature. It's easy enough to control WoW time if kids aren't doing their homework, floundering in school, or simply not doing their chores. Conversely, a friend of mine gave his son a WoW subscription when he did well in school. World of Warcraft can be so much fun and addicting that it's often used as a social tool, and it's often upsetting when our friends quit playing the game. How many of us have had friends whose significant others have "allowed" them to play the game after, say, a wonderful date?I'm not sure if it only applies to me, but because I play the game with many of my RL friends and my family, I use the lure of WoW to full effect. I once had my brother do a specific task for the promise of an upgrade to The Burning Crusade. A little before he finished what I asked him to do, I secretly upgraded his account so he could finally make his Blood Elf Priest. Kind of manipulative, I know, but we did end up having a lot of fun leveling our alts together. How about you? How much a part of your life is WoW and has it ever been used as a bargaining chip in your social life?
Microsoft launches family timer for Xbox 360
Microsoft has finally released its 'Family Timer' for the Xbox 360, a long rumored update which was only recently confirmed by MS exec Robbie Bach last month. Once applied, the timer can be used to adjust and set the amount of available console playtime "on a daily or weekly basis...and the feature will automatically turn off the console when the predetermined time limit has been exceeded." Thankfully Microsoft has included reminders which it says will appear to notify players when their time is growing short, so hopefully they can make a mad dash for the nearest save point instead of being cut off without warning.Interestingly, Microsoft notes that this feature came about as a result of two independent surveys conducted by the company throughout Europe and the United States, which included 800 parents in the US and some 4,000 parents in the U.K., France, Germany and Italy. According to the company, the surveys found that the majority of respondents (75% in Europe, 62% in the US) welcomed the idea of having such parental controls built into their game consoles, though it remains to be seen how many of said parents will actually take the time to implement and use the controls now that they are available.
Alltel adding content blocker for parents
Making a child's mobile experience a safe one can arguably be seen as a multi-faceted task: there's tracking, call / do-not-call lists, allowances, monitoring, schedules, and a whole host of other options (when they work, that is) that carriers seem to be rolling out as quickly as they can (and who can blame them, considering most of the features carry monthly fees). Alltel's adding support for another piece of the puzzle -- content filtering -- in early 2008 with its simply and obviously named "Parental Controls" feature. Refreshingly, it'll be available free of charge and offer parents the chance to set filtering preferences and tap into a database of pre-filtered sites. No more gambling from the comfort of your school desk, kiddies!
Xbox 360 parental timer coming in December?
Xbox 360 addicts, particularly ones under the age of 18 (or still camping out in your 'rents crib), take note: a "Family Timer" could be wrecking your habitual play as early as next month. The above image was reportedly spotted in the pamphlet of a Guitar Hero III keychain (we know...), and it touts the timer's ability to easily limit how much time kids spend on the console. If this proves legitimate, the new functionality will be available via Xbox Live next month, and there's even an option to "suspend or add time" depending on how those report cards turn out. Parents, we know how much flak you'll be getting should you activate this "feature" right around the holidays, but hey, just tell those immature youngsters of yours that you're simply following in the footsteps of Bill Gates himself.[Via Joystiq]
Wii Warm Up: Using parental controls
A recent study questioned the efficacy of parental controls on a number of electronic devices, including game consoles, and the whole thing just makes us sigh a little whilst shaking our heads. Not long ago, we test drove the parental controls features on the Wii and found them shockingly easy. While the study, which featured a very small sample and a variety of electronics, isn't exactly a concrete reason to state that parental controls don't work because they aren't used or understood, it does raise some interesting questions. We thought we would turn to you guys who are parents -- or who have 'em in your house, making rules -- for some answers. Do you use the parental controls features? Is it just on the Wii, or also on other systems? If you use multiple systems or devices, how does the Wii stack up when it comes to ease of use?We understand that a lot of parents just don't get video game systems, or various other devices popular with their children. While we can't understand why those parents don't take steps to remedy the situation, we do understand that it happens. We grant it. In light of that, beyond censorship, youthening content, or other solutions that might affect what we adults get to play, can you think of better solutions for protecting kids? Obviously, we think the answer is being involved and knowing what's going on in the games parents allow their children to play, but we know that not everyone agrees.
Other new features from the Apple TV software update
While YouTube on the Apple TV stole the show of the device's most recent software update, Apple managed to sneak in a few other features and some intriguing hints at possible future features. As TUAW reader Brandon mentioned, there is a new iTunes Store section in the Settings menu, but all this does (for now) is allow you to select your country of residence. Could this be a precursor to shopping the iTunes Store from the comforts of your living room couch? Or is it simply a way to make the Apple TV access the streaming content (such as top songs, movies, etc.) from one's own country?Also new is the ability to use iPhoto slideshows for the Apple TV's screensaver (and possibly Aperture slideshows as well; I'll have to check on that), and a new Parental Controls section in Settings that allows you to lock the Apple TV with a 4-digit numerical password. Brandon also says he now sees a 'no audio' feedback on the Apple TV when trying to use an Apple Remote to change volume, but I don't.I'm also not sure about this one, but I believe a 'Shuffle' option is new above lists of items like playlists, artists, etc. Can anyone confirm that one? How about features we're missing? Let us know if anything else is new in the comments or via our tips form.
GDC 07: Home lets you delete people from your world
At Sony's blogger event tonight, Phil Harrison addressed the issue of parental controls in the world of Home. Home will not only utilize the in-system PlayStation Network parental controls, but will offer you the ability to delete users from your view ... instantly. So if some prick is attacking you with flying dongs, you'll be able to have them disappear from your world at a push of a button. "I wish I could have that in real life," Phil Harrison joked.
Wii Warm Up: and now, sensationalism
Today's Warm Up topic is one of those things you just know is going to snowball (like the wrist straps) and be the next silly mainstream spaz session we'll be unlucky enough to see on Fox News. It seems that the outcry against the Wii as a gateway into the seedy world of internet pornography has begun.Here's the deal: a few adult-oriented sites have decided to optimize areas for the Wii browser, in the same way we saw Finetune offer Wii-friendly content. But there are some people who freak out any time adult content is made more accessible, because they invariably add the phrase "for children." And this week, it's a news station in Texas that's making a fuss about the potential damage to the children ... because, after all, video games are only for kids, right?Adults -- that's right, people over the age of 18 -- are an enormous slice of the gamer pie, and yet we are consistently ignored any time someone brings up game or console content. No one talks about the adults, who have every right to play whatever they want ... just like no one talks about measures like parental controls, or hey, good ol' fashioned supervision. We're gonna guess that you probably don't think of the Wii as a devil machine, or you wouldn't be here, but we are curious about your take on this whole situation.
