ITINERARY
20
DECEMBER 01, 2011
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
{ GAMING }
PixelsandTinsel
Everymemberof the familycandance, dunkanddragon-slay
with this season’sbest videogames.
{
}
Videogamescelebrated
somehuge silver anniversaries
this year, particularly
TheLegend
ofZelda
. Twenty-fiveyears later,
thosegames’ childhood fans are
nowbuyinggames for their own
kids—and joining the fun. Bridge
thegenerationgapwith this
season’sbest digital fare.
MILITARYMIGHT
Call ofDuty
will resume its
annual holidayblitzwith its latest
sequel,
MODERNWARFARE3
,
whicheasily compares to Jerry
Bruckheimer films. That’snot a
good thing; the series that once
pushed themilitary-gaming
envelopehas turned rote, using
overblown cinematicmoments
tomakeup for ho-humaction.
Couch recruitswill findabetter
thrill in the recently released
BATTLEFIELD3
,whose
souped-upvehicles and class-
basedwarfaremake this the
season’s thriller tobeat.
JUMPAROUND
Don’t expect asmany innovative,
arm-wavinggames this year,
asdevelopershavecooled
on the fad—with
oneexception. New
versionsof
JustDance
and
DanceCentral
faceoff for
2011’sbooty-shaking crown, and
while they’ll both set your living-
roompartieson fire,
DANCE
CENTRAL2
takes the cakewith
cooler art design,more involved
dancebattles, better tutorials and
ahip set list that favorsold-school
hip-hop (“TheHumptyDance,”
“MyPrerogative”).
DC2
’sonly catch:
It onlyplaysonXbox360Kinect,
while
JUSTDANCE3
playsnice
withallmajor home systems.
GETCARDED
Someof thebest onlinePCgames
now followamicrotransaction
model. Thesegames are free to
play, andplayerswho reallyenjoy
themselves canbuyupgrades like
newweaponsor cooler in-game
costumes for $2 to$10each. The
currentmicrotransaction titan
is
LEAGUEOFLEGENDS
, an
addictivebattlegame that sells
cardsof Riot Points atmostmajor
stores, but itsonline community
canget abit, er, colorful. For
younger players, consider stuffing
their stockingswithStationCash,
the currency for Sony’s kid-friendly
onlinegame
FREEREALMS
.
HOLYPLEASANTSURPRISE!
Videogamesbasedon comic
books tend todisappoint, but
2009’s
Batman:ArkhamAsylum
pleased the fanboynationwith
stealthyactionand top-notch
writing. This year’s follow-up,
BATMAN:ARKHAMCITY
, aims
higherwithmore famedvillains
(Penguin, Two-Face),morepuzzles
anda lotmoreGotham toexplore.
Other fantasydelights this season
include
ELDERSCROLLSV:
SKYRIM
(amassive swords-and-
dragonsquest),
RESISTANCE3
(think
Halo
’s aliens and
Duke
Nukem
’s crazyguns) and family-
friendly
LEGENDOFZELDA:
SKYWARDSWORD
(the classic
series finallymakes themost of the
Wii’smotion controls).
SPORTINGCHANCE
Gamersof the ’80s fondly recall
the
Jordanvs. Bird
series, and this
year’s
NBA2K12
reignites that
feudwithpristine, HDversionsof
theduo—andMagic Johnson to
boot. Relive classic ’80s and ’90s
momentsor takeamodern team
all theway to theNBAFinals in the
industry’smost fluid re-creationof
basketball todate.
Cat’sinthe
Console
Itused to
beas simpleas
saying thekidswere “playing
Nintendo.”But as thevideogame
industry continues toexpandvia
onlineplayand smartphones, how
cana responsibleparent keepup?
Techexpert—anddotingdad—
Scott Steinberg throws families an
extra life in
TheModernParent’s
Guide toKidsandVideoGames
.
Startwith these tips from thebook,
thengrab the full versiononline,
available freeatwww.parents
guidebooks.com.—S.M.
TICKTOCK
“Most experts agree that setting
limitsonall screen time is impor-
tant for healthydevelopment,”
Steinberg says. Stick to roughlyan
hour of gamingper day.
READTHEBOX
When checkingagame’sEnter-
tainment SoftwareRatingBoard
(ESRB) rating, always lookat the
backof thebox formore specific
informationaboutwhy it earneda
particular designation.
HOLDTHECORD
Almost two-thirdsof kidswho
gameonline report havinghadat
least onenegativeexperience. By
joining inand showingavested
interest, parents can steer children
away from rudegamers and set a
morepositiveexample.
KidsandVideoGames
PLAY IT SAFE PRESENTS
INFORMATION FOR TODAY’S GENERATION™
“Anessentialguide forparents.”
—JonSwartz,TechnologyReporter,
USAToday
TO
G U I D E
THE
ForewordByDr.CarlG.Arinoldo
Author,
EssentialsofSmartParenting
Feat. JohnerRiehlandRuselDeMaria
By SCOTT STEINBERG
“Containsawealthof information…Anabsolutemust-read forparents
and childrenalike!”
JeffreyM.Taekman,M.D.
Director,HumanSimulationandPatientSafetyCenter,DukeUniversityMedicalCenter
“Takes thebiteoutofyourworriesandofferspracticalstrategieson
whenandhow to tame thehigh-techbeast.”
ChristinaTynan-Wood,Columnist,FamilyCircle
STAYAHEADOFTHEGAME
Nearly40yearsafter their inventionandadecadeafterexplodingonto themainstream,
videogames still remainamystery tomanyparents, includingwhich titlesareappropri-
ate,and theirpotential side-effectson kids.Now theanswersareatyourfingertips.
Offeringunrivaled insightandpractical, real-world strategies formakinggamingaposi-
tivepartof family life,TheModernParent’sGuide toKidsandVideoGamesprovidesa
vital resource for today’sparent.Frompicking the right software forallages topromoting
online safety, setting limitsandenforcinghouse rules, itoffersan indispensable range
ofhints, tipsandhow-toguides for fosteringhealthyplayanddevelopment.
Built foragenerationofparentsandprofessionalswhose childrenare surroundedby
cutting-edgeelectronicgamesandappsatevery turn,you’lldiscover insidehow tomake
play safe, funand simple.Providinga complete lookat theentire spectrumofgames—
includingPC, console,online, free, socialandmobile—and the issues theypresent,all
the toolsyouneed to take charge liewithin.Easy to readanddesigned forboth kids
andparentsalike, joinusaswe reveal the secrets tomaking videogames,andhigh-tech
familygamenights,anenrichingpartofhousehold life.
FEATURES INCLUDE:
•CompleteGuides:PC,Console,Mobile,OnlineandSocialGames
•UsingParentalControlsandVideoGameRatings
•Hints,TipsandStrategies:Picking theRightVideoGames
•CommonConcerns:Violence,Addiction,Health,OnlineSafety
•SettingHouseRulesandTimeLimits
•BestGames forKids,TeensandTweens
•EssentialToolsandResources forParents
154478
781105
9
ISBN 978-1-105-15447-8
90000
GUIDE
THE
THEMODERNPARENT’SGUIDETOKIDSANDVIDEOGAMES ScottSteinberg
FROMAN
AMERICANWAY
CONTRIBUTOR!
