Parents, Teens & Video Games

Last weekend I caught an episode of the Fifth Estate that touched on the subject of violence in video games, the companies that produce them and the parents who are stuck wondering what to do. Before I get into my thoughts on the “Top Gun” Fifth Estate episode, I’d like to provide a bit of background on my insight into this subject.

Gaming has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Over the years I’ve owned a Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Sega Genesis, Sony PlayStation’s 1,2 and 3, Sony PSP, Microsoft’s XBOX, XBOX 360 and an iPhone. I enjoyed gaming so much that I eventually worked my way through university to become a partner in a company that now focuses on gaming as a delivery platform for all kinds of experiences (sales and makerting, education, entertainment, etc.) Our company currently produces web-based games for both the public and private sectors and we are in the process of releasing our own online game for tweens. I’m not a child psychologist nor do I claim to have all the answers on this subject but I do have some thoughts nonetheless.

The “Top Gun” episode isn’t the first time gaming has been reported by the media. It seems like everyday there is a new story of parents crying foul over a specific video game they claim influenced their child to a) enter the family car in a street race (Need for Speed), b) shoot up a convenience store (insert a Rockstar game here) or c) start the kitchen on fire (Cooking Mama) – okay I’m being sarcastic with this one but can’t you see this happening at some point?

I will be the first to admit that the rating system is a bit out of whack and that my 12 year old nephew shouldn’t be “hoarding” in Gears of War 2 after he was able to freely rent the game from his local rental outlet. While gaming companies should take a more proactive role in producing alternate, family-friendly games (see Nintendo Wii), the responsibility for which a child should or shouldn’t play a game resides with the parent.

Granted, I don’t have a teen yet (and I’m a bit terrified at that prospect) but my 2 year old is already exposed to a myriad of games because of me. The games that my son is exposed to are all pre-screened and it’s a lot easier with a 2 year old than a 14+ year old, I’m sure. Having said that, the Fifth Estate episode really got me thinking about the way that I was exposed to video games and how I plan on helping my child through gaming, should this become his favorite pastime. After some reflection, here are a few tips for parents:

1) For the love of God, get the tv and gaming console out of your kids bedroom! As a kid, our consoles were in full view of my parents at all times.

2) Play a round or two of your kids game(s). I don’t see how this is any different that going to your kid’s hockey game, meeting the coach, parents, etc. If it’s “lame” for you to play with your teen then wait until they go to bed, create your own account, and build an understanding of the world in which your child participates.

3) The key is not to dismiss what your child is doing as “just goofing off” or “playing games.” To them this is as real as any other activity – sporting or other. This is serious business and as the report pointed out, you can make money playing these games (weather these pay-to-play tournaments are appropriate for younger children is a debate for another day).

4) Don’t discount the emotion involved. One of the gamers in the Fifth Estate report actually stated that when playing a violent video game he feels anger when he “shoots another player” and feels joy when he “gets more kills.” Using the hockey analogy, how is this any different than feeling angry when missing a wide open net or feeling a sense of jubilation after scoring the game clinching goal? The emotions involved in playing video games are real, don’t discount it as a stupid game and nothing more.

5) The era of ripping the cords out of the wall, hiding the games, yelling, screaming, etc. is over. Declaring that “I should have never bought that thing in the first place” is not the answer either. Instead try . . .

6) Channeling the interest into a legitimate career path. Try limiting the gaming by encouraging the knowledge of the gaming industry itself. Enroll your kid in a programming course or buy them some literature in the area of game mechanics, game theory, etc. (for example, see: The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design).

The key to all of this is communication. Talk to your kids. Understand what they are doing and if they are really passionate about gaming, work with them to try to legitimize it into a career. Luckily my parents knew the importance of balance and encouraged me to take my love of gaming to the next level.

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Gaming & Education

The basis for the geology initiative came from a perceived gap in the market where you have those of the “Serious Games” school of thought (where everything is rendered in 3D and costs a lot of money ) and those on the opposite end of the spectrum who believe that implementing the use of Microsoft Office is the way to provide students with “stimulating, hands on interaction.” Our geology project shows that you can provide an online, interactive experience that delivers refreshed curriculum content in an engaging format.

And while there were many goals when developing this project, one of the most important was to ensure that students would feel as though they were directly influencing their own learning experience.

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Company “X” & The Sales Call

I’ve been involved in countless numbers of pitches and presentations over the years. Being involved in operations management and interactive consulting, we get a lot of “Company X’s” who give us a call wondering if their application, software product, hosting service, etc. is right for us. Some of the calls are very informative and insightful while others are just downright awful. In my opinion, here are some of the “gems” to avoid when pitching your product or service:

Company X: “My expertise is in (insert product or service here) but I can also provide (insert ANY product or service here).”
Translation: “Although I do something really well, I don’t have strength of conviction and will take any work that comes to my door regardless of the end result.”

Company X: “We have no competitors.”
Translation: “I don’t do any research and don’t understand my market, audience, etc.”
You should just assume that someone, somewhere, is doing exactly what you are doing (and that they are probably doing it better than you). Just because you might not know of another company that does what you do, don’t assume you are the only company on the planet. Do some research for your own benefit but also assume that the client does their homework.

Company X: “We have so many clients and are so busy that my team is having a hard time keeping up.”
Translation: “If you need support from me and/or my team, good luck.”
Let the work and portfolio of clients speak for itself. It’s better to have selected, quality clients and show that you can deliver than to claim you have every client under the sun and may or may not be available when I need you.

Company X: “Our clients are (insert major brand here)”
Translation: “True or false?”
If that’s true, show me some samples. If your portfolio doesn’t back it up, don’t name drop. You look like an ass.

Company X: “I’m a local company and provide hands on service but I live in Country X”
Translation: “I’m virtual” – Note: this can be a good thing but it really depends on the product or service being sold.

Company X: “We use Web 2.0 which includes thousands of integrated web servers with virtualized back up racks and incorporate Pearl scripting languages through the deployment of longtail methodologies and SWOT analysis”
Translation:” I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about but I use big buzz words and technology speak that you don’t understand to make me sound smart and I’m banking on that because you don’t know how the technology works.”

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The Art of Email

A while back, i got into a debate with a colleague about the contents and the amount one should write in an email. This issue comes up a lot and I’m sure we all work with individuals who are all over the map.

I’ve often described writing an email as an art form: too wordy and you run the risk of losing your audience, don’t say enough and the recipient can still become confused and frustrated. Obviously I don’t claim to know the formula for the perfect e-mail but here are some things to think about before you click send:

1) Don’t “type out loud.” Don’t use e-mail as a platform to talk something out. I’ve seen people actually correct themselves as if they were talking to themselves as the paragraphs progressed (yikes).

2) Assume that what you write may end up in court. Writing the wrong thing in a email (especially a business email) can cause big trouble. For example, imagine approving a piece of work from a contractor only to find out (after the fact) that you misjudged the work and something is wrong? You’ve now provided “written” approval.

3) When in doubt, use the phone. If you are unsure about number 2 above, give the other party a call instead.

4) Be clear, concise and direct. Numbered and bulleted lists are your best friend as long as each bullet isn’t a paragraph long.

5) Get to the point but don’t assume that the other person understands acronyms and “text speak.” It’s not about how quickly you can fire off an email, unless of course it’s a casual message to a friend that gets your jargon.

When writing an email, I always try to keep in mind the wise words of Eliot Spencer (New York State Attorney General):

Never write when you can talk. Never talk when you can nod. And never put anything in an email.

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