Hide Yo Kids...

I am fairly certain that we have covered this topic before, but I feel like I need to bring it up again.  Little kids and video games.  I don't have a problem with parents deciding that their child is okay to play an "M" rated game.  I do, however, take major issue with little kids being all up on the mic.

When a game requires a clan, I see the whole idea as being a way to play together, socialize, group up, and engage with one another.  MMOs are particularly meant for a social experience.  When you take a game for adults (violence, skimpy clothes, F-bombs) and add small children (ages 12 and below), the parent is doing so at their own risk.  Allowing those same small children to get on a mic in clan chat is painful for everybody involved.  

Let's start with what should be the most obvious: my age vs their age.  I am 31 years old and I sure as hell do not want to hang out with your 7 year old.  That's weird.  It's annoying to me that I now have to spend time with a small child in order to get things done with my clan of adults aged 40 and up.

Second, what the hell kind of parent is allowing their child to get on the mic and talk to complete strangers?  Would you allow your kid to hang out in chat rooms online by themselves?  Or approach and converse with strangers in a park by themselves?  So why are there people that think it is harmless to allow their small children to be in a public lobby?  There is nothing to keep me or anyone else from saying something violent, threatening, or sexual.

Lastly, the adults that allow these kids online are super inconsiderate.  I was actually told in clan chat that I need to watch my language because there was a small child in chat.  An adult game full of talking adults should be no kids allowed.  It makes the game less fun and more awkward for everyone else.

So please, please leave your kids off the mic.  It's inappropriate for everyone involved, and I definitely won't be sorry when I teach your kid some new words.

I'm Always Watching

I have never had a problem watching my friends play a single player game.  I have spent many a happy hour watching the Hub wander the wasteland of Fallout 3.  In high school I vicariously played Final Fantasy 7 and Socom through my group of friends.  I have now moved on to watching hour upon hour of my children playing Kirby or Mario, and most recently, Skyrim.  For real.

My husband has been teaching the 4-yr-old the basics on Skyrim.  It is so fun to watch them play together and bond over the game.  The kidlet seems to have a natural talent for gaming.  She struggled briefly with controlling both joysticks at once - for movement and camera - but now she's got it down pat.  There's nothing she loves more than wandering around in the forest, searching for the friendly animals and swimming in the streams.  She has had moments of panic and throwing the controller back at dad when there's a vicious bear or group of bandits attacking, but who can blame her?  Having dad there is like a gaming spotter - he's ready to take over in the event that it gets too difficult.

That being said, my watching habits have been strained to the max trying to watch the hub play Skyrim on his own.  Why?  Surprisingly it's not because it makes me nauseous like Oblivion always did... rather it's because we have such radically different play styles that it drives me bananas to watch him play!  He is a hoarder of goods, and even when he desperately needs money he won't sell off his things.  I am the opposite - if I have it and am not immediately using it, I sell it for cold hard cash.  Sometimes to my detriment, but hey, at least I can buy myself a house!  To sit empty.  Because I sold everything..

Are you a watcher, or are you the one that has to be in control?

My Little Lifesaver

Yes I am seriously going to blog about My Little Pony.  This was one of the games my 3-year-old got for her birthday, and the first official game she beat all by herself.

*CHEER!* *Party!* *Celebrate!*

There's not a lot to say about this game, other than it is good for little kids.  I played it a little, and...well...  There's just not a lot to say, haha.  The story gets a 10/10 as far as Ponyland goes, because those darn silly ponies hid all 20 of the birthday presents around Ponyville and you have to find them before the birthday party!  Those crazy technicolor horses.  You also have to fine 10 or so puzzle pieces.  Each present unlocks an item you can play with, like a box of glitter you can blow all over the screen.  Or a jack-in-the box.  They're pretty adorable, actually.  And I think the puzzle unlocked a mini-game?  I haven't asked Kiera.  There are a series of 8 mini games you unlock as you play the story mode though.  I had to help with one that was an imitation of Simon Says/Dance Dance.  And even I had to play it like, three times.  It was way confusing because that pony would not get moving.

All in all, this is a fabulous young person's game.  Kiera has played it for hours on end.  She loves replaying the minigames even though there is such a small selection.  And to top it all off, this game goes for like, $5 on Amazon.  So if your little has a DS, pick this one up as a stocking stuffer.

You Can Sim with This, or You Can Sim with That...

I have some thoughts, and my thoughts are trending towards sim (simulation) games.  There's a bloggable series in this, I just know it.

The idea for this came from a combination of 2 sources:
    1.  My love for games like Harvest Moon
    2.  Changing a poopy diaper

Weird, I know!  But work with me on this one.  Harvest Moon - Concept: Build up a farm.  Plant seeds.  Water, wait, harvest.  Get animals.  Feed, groom, kill & eat.  (Ok not kill.  Or eat.  But you can eat their by-products, I'm looking at you, Chicken!)  This game would not be fun in real life.  I mean, yes, farming has its definite advantages, like providing me with food which I love...but it is hard work.  And I believe 4 hours of watering plants would not be quite as delightful in the hot sun as it is on my nice, soft bed.

Also the Sims.  Has anyone noticed that you are just living your life on that game?  I can live life 100% of the time, but somehow living life on my computer is just that much more fun.  Heck, I can even make my virtual self on the Sims sit there and play the computer!  It's like a bizarro loop has occurred there...am I playing The Sims, or is The Sims playing me?  Ok, I know I'm playing it - but the same ideas are brought up here as they are in Harvest Moon.  In The Sims 2 I have to clean the toilet, wipe up the counters, take out the trash, pay bills.  These are things I do on a daily basis, and on a daily basis they are boring.  I avoid paying my real bills by logging into Sims and paying my fake bills.  How does this make any sense?

So I know you're wondering how the poopy diaper comes into play.  I was changing my little baby and thinking, "Would this be fun as a Sim game?"  I know there is a sim baby game on DS but I have never played it.  Maybe when you you it is just totally awesome to get a poopy diaper, and you feel a real sense of achievement when the baby is spotlessly clean again.  Maybe I would like to change poopy diapers if I got 10 gamerscore for doing it.

What other things in this life seem totally boring, but you know you would lose yourself to if it was a sim game?  (That is if you're like me and sim games just seem to suck you in and make you lose yourself.)  Sim-Watch-Repair?  Sim-Garbage-Man?  Sim-Dental-Hygenist?  The possibilities are endless!