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MMO Family: How to lobby your parents for more gaming time
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. Today's MMO Family is for all the MMO-playing teens out there who'd like more time to game. Parents, you're most welcome to stay and read along (and hand this to your own teen afterwards), but we've covered your perspective before. (Refer back to our tips on how to balance gaming with the rest of your life, or check the signs that your teen may be over-indulging in too much gaming.) What we haven't covered yet explicitly are strategies for responsible teens to earn permission for more gaming time. If you're jonesing for more time in game and online, there are things that you should and shouldn't do before you even make your case with your parents. Here's our game plan.
WoW, Casually: Playing WoW with your teen
Robin Torres writes WoW, Casually for the player with limited playtime. Of course, you people with lots of playtime can read this too, but you may get annoyed by the fact that we are unashamed, even proud, of the fact that beating WoW isn't our highest priority. Take solace in the fact that your gear is better than ours, but if that doesn't work, remember that we outnumber you. Not that that's a threat, after all, we don't have time to do anything about it. But if WoW were a democracy, we'd win. Last year, I talked about playing with preschoolers and reading-age children. Several months later, I'd like to continue the series by tackling the topic of teens. I'm now tempted to talk in tantalizing alliteration, but I really can't keep it up. Anyway... Teens provide a completely different challenge than the young children we've discussed before. Teens are already extremely competent readers, experience Trade Chat-like talk in school on a regular basis and have the coordination skills required to fully play the game. So they don't need the coddling and constant supervision, but that doesn't mean that the benefits of parents playing with teens aren't just as valuable.
Dumbest kids in the universe rob gas station for money to buy 360
According to a report from a Bellevue, WA news station, four boys, ages 11 through 15, were recently charged with armed robbery after allegedly holding up a local Chevron Food Stop using an airsoft pistol. The goal of their crime of the century was to yoink enough money to purchase an Xbox 360. According to the police report, the boys got away with around $200 -- just enough to purchase a 360 Arcade and no games -- before being caught by an officer shortly thereafter. The amount of thought that went into this thing is just staggering. By a stroke of coincidence, four men across town were apprehended after robbing a local GameStop to garner money with which to purchase Slurpees and Taco Dogs at a nearby Speedway. More at eleven.
iPod touch passes iPhone in holiday app downloads
Well, Merry Christmas to the iPod touch! According to mobile analytics firm Flurry, iPod touch downloads from the App Store saw a nice 1000% jump on Christmas Day, presumably due to all of those new iPods being unwrapped from under the tree. That surge sent iPod touch downloads up above iPhone downloads for the first time ever. Considering that teens and pre-teens are heavy on the app usage, Flurry speculates that a lot of those iPods went to younger users, who than ran to the App Store and started marathon downloads. Overall, the App Store saw download increases of 51% compared to November. There was good news for up and comer Android too: the Android market saw a healthy 20% bump in app sales, largely helped by sales of the Motorola Droid. A full 49% of Android app sales were for the Droid. But Motorola can't celebrate quite yet; App Store downloads are still running 13 times higher than the Android market. With all the publicity over the iPhone, it's good to remember that the other device behind a lot of the momentum driving the App Store is the iPod touch. Who knows, maybe an iPhone OS based tablet will make the numbers even more impressive. [Via MobileCrunch]
Survey says, yes, teens and tweens still want video games this holiday
Image credit: alliet What we want to know: If 86 percent of surveyed youngsters are asking for at least one video game this holiday gift-getting season, what miserable manner of childhood have the other 14 percent been living? No doubt leading a crusade to bring joy to teens and tweens everywhere (and, uh, recoup some losses), retailer Game Crazy has put together a handy buyer's guide for concerned parents.Don't know which video games to get your kids because they haven't clearly indicated them in large, bold, triple-underlined letters on their wish lists? Just follow these simple guidelines: For the "Girly Girl" whose fashion obsession is getting way too costly: Wii Sports Resort For the "Music Addict" who's not worth spending real guitar lessons on: Guitar Hero 5 For the "All Things Sports" lover who's just a tad bit uncoordinated to enjoy "outside" sports: Wii Sports Resort For "The Adventurer" who needs to learn that "real life" is largely confined to the indoors: New Super Mario Brothers Wii Oh, and parents, whatever you do, don't buy the oft-requested "Call of Duty" for your kids. It's rated M -- for Mature! -- for a reason. Might we suggest Ubisoft's wonderful line of imagination-expanding titles in its place? Don't worry, their initial weeps are totally normal. Trust us. They'll thank you later, once they've grown up to become animal doctors, champion riders, master chefs, movie stars, and ... babyz.
Drama Mamas: My GM is a succubus
Dodge the drama and become that player everyone wants in their group with the Drama Mamas. Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are real-life mamas and experienced WoW players -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your server. We're taking your questions at DramaMamas (at) WoW (dot) com.We know, we know: A hot, fresh Succubus managing your every need - in game, in Vent, on the forums ... How's this a problem, again? Unfortunately, we suspect the reader who submitted the headline question this week was thinking of the more traditional type of succubus: the life force-sucking vampires who impose a real-life Curse of Exhaustion on their hapless victims. Yeah, this guy from this week's headline sub-mission (har, har) has got it that bad. The Drama Mamas exorcise his demon, plus explore what to do when you catch a young guildmate indulging in some not-so-pretty behavior, after the break.
Drama Mamas: Let the drama begin!
Let the Drama Mamas guide you through the sticky business of dodging drama, toward becoming that player everyone wants in their group. Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are taking your questions at DramaMamas (at) WoW (dot) com. Getting your own 15 Minutes of Fame is not a bad thing – except when it's for all the wrong reasons. Leave the drama, Dear Reader, to the denizens of GuildWatch. Introducing WoW.com's Drama Mamas, here to help you stay out of the wrong kind of spotlight. Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are real-life mamas and experienced WoW players. And just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your server. What to do, what to say? Let the Drama Mamas guide you: The polite way to share quest monsters When someone "accidentally" ninjas your loot When you accidentally ninja someone else's loot Handling the (nice but annoying) pest When your friend's significant other is an awful player What's your dilemma? Send your questions to the Drama Mamas at DramaMamas (at) WoW (dot) com. And now, on to the matters at hand ...
Video: 15 year old spends summer hacking iPhones
When we were fifteen we were too busy smoking Winstons behind the Country Fair on Pennsylvania state route 99 to do anything of real value for society, so perhaps that's why whenever we cover one of these "teenager does good" stories it's with a slight tinge of regret. Ari Weinstein, the precocious spawn of a real-estate developer and a social worker, says he began his career as a "hacker" at the age of 7 when he figured out how to get around AOL's parental controls. Since then its only been onward and upward for the lad, who has since made short work of the iPod mini, the iPod touch (which led to the development of iJailbreak) and, with as a member of the Chronic Dev Team, the iPhone 3GS. Now, according to the Wall Street Journal, "he's going legit, as he spends his summer tooling up a new app." Sure. As we know, once the hacking bug bites, there's no going back to the straight world. That is, until AriX (as he's known on the street) discovers girls. Jailbreaking fans, please enjoy a rather confused (and wildly conflated) video after the break.
Researcher zeroes in on kids playing RuneScape
Hey kids! Do you want to try an experiment? No, you won't get paid but you will help further scientific research through the process of "cognitive ethnography." Not interested? Hmmm, well, you do get to play video games... Oh, you are interested! Let me just get you these waivers to sign...Constance Steinkuehler is an MMO researcher studying teens and tweens in the world of RuneScape. Her research aims to find commonalities in thought process between young individuals who play MMOs. Her work will also assess the impacts of game play over a longer period on their daily lives, social relationships, and school work. Given the abundance and accessibility of games aimed at youth these days, it will be interesting to see how they influence us humans in our more impressionable years.
Massively webcomic: Grinders - Hot or Not
Sticking to the theme of horrible MMO ideas that shouldn't, but are, the Grinders thinktank has aimed its sights at the new Seventeen MMO. Though, I bet calling it an MMO is really starting to abuse the term, much like Virtual Laguna Beach and Habbo Hotel have caused us to do in the past. Still, I expect there will be a few fun-loving fuggos who will want to mix up the bubbly suburban content. You've been warned.Have a funny story of your own? Submit your tale complete with a screenshot to lemuel@massively.com. The best will he harangued for showing up the rest of them and upsetting the curve, but will be probably worked into the comic somehow. %Gallery-63060%Lemuel Pew is a webcomic artist and MMO player with the attention span of a guppy. Between sketching gamers in cartoon form and taking naps at his desk with his nose on the H key, he draws an online comic called Blank It. Feel free to watch his Twitter at your own risk.
Free Realms video blog hits on game's unique features
Free Realms is one of those rare massively multiplayer online games that seems to hold appeal for both children and adults, despite its target group of teens and tweens. Sony Online Entertainment released a video blog from CES 2009 specifically about the game, with SOE President John Smedley and Creative Director Laralyn McWilliams. They explain a bit about what the game is, and some of what makes the title unique. The video blog is interspersed with footage from Free Realms, highlighting its combat-optional design philosophy. This should provide gamers with a variety of options -- including pets and mini-games -- allowing them to play however they choose.
Cellphone jammer crammed into key fob, ends texting / talking while driving
Face it, kids. You missed the best time to be a teenager by around five or so years. As it stands now, technology is cutting into that adolescent fun, with device like Ford's MyKey and this one here ensuring that you're actually safe behind the wheel. In all seriousness, the terribly named Key2SafeDriving is a fine concept (at least in the parent's eye), as it fuses a cellphone jammer (of sorts) into a key fob in order to put the kibosh on freeway conversations. Essentially, the signal blocking kicks into action anytime the "key" portion is flicked out, connecting to a handset via Bluetooth or RFID and forcing it into "driving mode." No actual jamming, per se, is going on; it's more like a manual override of the ringer. Anyone who phones / texts you while you're safely driving will receive an automated response informing them of such, though we are told that handsfree devices can be utilized. Researchers at the University of Utah are hoping to see it on the market within six months via a private company "at a cost of less than $50 per key plus a yet-undetermined monthly service fee."[Via Gadgets-Weblog]
Free Realms site relaunches with beta registration, videos, and more!
Massively has been following the Free Realms project over at Sony Online Entertainment for some time now. Not quite as targeted as The Agency or action-oriented as DCUO, Free Realms nonetheless represents the third axis of a whole new base for the company. In its way Free Realms is actually more important than either of those two titles, throwing together a AAA-quality teen-aimed fantasy MMO experience together with free-to-play and microtransactional economics. An ambitious and unique undertaking, to be sure, from a fairly traditional company. It's great, then, to see real public progress on the game over at the official Free Realms website.They've updated with a ton of new content, including videos, screenshots, and writeups about what they hope to accomplish with the game. Even more exciting is a page which will allow prospective players the chance to sign up to participate in the game's Beta. Word from SOE is that the game will have a lengthy Beta experience, eventually leading to a 'service-style' launch rather than one you'd expect from a boxed game. If you're not familiar with Free Realms, we have you covered. Read into our A to Z guide on the game, take a peak at plans for eventual sequels (already!), and figure out how social networking will fit into all of this! Go check it out.%Gallery-27753%
Keen Teens? Not on MMOGs/Virtual Worlds, study finds
Pew Research has just published results of a study into American teens focusing on video games and civics, entitled (oddly enough) Teens, Video Games and Civics. Almost all teens game, but few are into MMOGs and virtual environments. Overall, 97% of teens (99% of boys, and 94% of girls) were gamers, with 80% of teens generally playing five or more different genres of games. Racing, Puzzle and Sports games topped the list (with 74%, 72% and 68% respectively), while MMOGs like World of Warcraft, et al came in at second-last place with just 21% and virtual environments (Second Life, Habbo Hotel, and so) in last place with only 10%. The five most popular games among teens were Guitar Hero, Halo 3, Madden NFL, Solitaire, and Dance Dance Revolution ranging in ratings from E for Everyone to M (Mature).
Forum post of the day: Where's my big brother
At one point in time Chuck Norris jokes dominated trade chat. Then it was the Murloc game. I'm sure we've all noticed that now it's the anal <insert spell> gibberish that now floods the channel. Dolce of Blackrock believes that it's time the Blizzard begin moderating trade channels during prime time. The chat channel can be turned off, but then it loses utility for valid messages such as selling enchants, transmutes, and well, general trade. As a parent, Dolce continued his argument: Wow has a very broad appeal and the average parent would look at the packaging of the World of Warcraft and assume that it is nothing more than a fantasy game where their son or daughter can play with their friends and have "adventures". The average parent I imagine (and this is merely a broadstroke comment based on the huge playerbase), may not have any sort of familiairity with online games, and even to a certain degree, computers as a whole. Asking parents (although I am extremely attentive to what my childrens activities are) to have an intimate knowledge of joining and exiting out of city channels is a bit extreme. Perhaps if there were parental controls that you could set ot make this easier...... /wink In any event I would not be suprised to see some news anchor with some over the top expository on the lewd and profane content that is seen in WoW spun out of context in the near future. I would say they would be killing a variety of birds with one stone if they simply moderated these popular channels.
Gaia Online's MMO is actually called zOMG! (and it's in beta now)
The closed beta test of Gaia Online's much-anticipated MMO has officially begun. Here's the kicker: it has a name! And that name is zOMG!. No, really. The name of the MMO is actually zOMG!. Previously, it was called Gaia Battle. That was rather generic, so this is probably a step up. The name was chosen out of hundreds of submissions from Gaia regulars. Said Senior Producer Dave Georgeson to Wired: "it captures the spirit of our users." Those users are mostly teens. Until now, Gaia Online has simply been a casual games portal and forum community. zOMG! is an MMO built on that foundation.If you're not familiar with Gaia Battle -- err, we mean zOMG! -- it's a browser-based game that will run on any computer that plays nice with Flash. Gameplay involves combat -- which centers around upgradable magic ring items -- and minigames. Social networking type stuff is laced in as well.%Gallery-27139%
Habbo aims to erase hate in online communities
Let's face it, being a teen is not easy. With the ever-growing mountain of potential pitfalls teens may face, the last thing they want to deal with is the hatred, discrimination and bigotry that seems to be plaguing our online environments. To help combat this problem, Habbo has joined forces with the Matthew Shepard Foundation in a project they call "Erase Hate".Beginning July 7th, the Matthew Shepard Foundation staff will make appearances twice a week in Habbo's InfoBus to discuss those issues concerning young people in a safe environment. Main topics will include bullying, discrimination and any other forms of hate experienced on and offline. Not only will these teens be taught how to deal with these concerns, but they will learn how to encourage respect among peers. "It is a mission of the Foundation to support young people and provide them with the resources to lead healthy, productive, hate free lives," said Judy Shepard, executive director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. "Our partnership with Habbo will allow us to have ongoing conversations with young people about what they can do in the fight to replace hate with understanding, compassion, and acceptance."
Teen survey suggests preference for PS3
A survey of teens from youth-oriented social networking site Habbo shows that PS3 is the most desirable console of the three current-gen systems. Nearly 60,000 teens, between the ages of 11 and 18, took part of a site-wide survey. Of the three systems, PS3 topped out with 69% of voters describing the system as "great" or "good." In comparison, the Wii earned a 64% vote of confidence, and the Xbox 360 earned 58%.It's good to hear that today's youth finds the PlayStation brand just as attractive as ever. According to the survey, 20% of responders say that they plan on getting a new console in the next 12 months. Hopefully, its desirability will help outweigh the PS3's slightly higher cost of entry -- but from what we hear, kids are pretty rich these days.[Thanks, Andy!]
WeeWorld announces 'World'
WeeWorld, the company that gave us the ubiquitous WeeMees, has answered its customers' requests for a virtual world. It's the next logical step for a company that's consistently listened to what its users want.To be entitled 'World' (well, at least it's easy to pronounce) the new virtual world will offer a space for users to walk around in and interact as their avatars. Future content will likely include quest and gaming elements, and an oft-requested shopping feature.
HP to, like, totally launch PC line for teens
Apparently HP's gotten so desperate to connect with the youth market that they've actually hired on a "teen council" to help design a new line of products -- likeliest PCs -- from top to bottom. Will it be another bomb like the hip-e? Guess we'll find out when the line launches this fall.
