Gaming, for myself and many like me, is a term reserved for console game systems (like the XBOX 360 and PS3) and desktop computers.  I’ve been playing games for years and when someone mentions a “gaming system” I think of fast graphics, surround sound and a controller.  That’s what seemed so “off” in Steve’s speech.  How can you “game” on the iPad when there are no buttons?

CES 2011

Fast forward to January 2011.  iPad in hand, I traveled to CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, where over 34 football fields worth of electronic gadgets were on hand for viewing, touching and testing.  Of the thousands of new tech toys I saw, many were geared for use with the iPad, but only one caught my attention enough to warrant a purchase.  That item was fling.

Geometry Wars

At one small, unsuspecting booth at CES I came across two guys from Ten One Design who were showing off the fling, a tactile joystick for the iPad.  In the simplest terms, the fling is a button on suction cups that attaches to the front of your iPad.  Use one or pair up two of them for a controller-esque experience.  Only a few seconds passed before I was standing with the “flinged out” iPad in hand playing one of my favorite console games of all time Geometry Wars.  One word crossed my lips. “Awesome!!”

After the Demo

I played for 5 minutes, then finally headed on my way, but that experience changed the iPad for me forever.  Upon returning home to Houston, I pre-ordered a pair of fling controllers and 2 weeks later they were in.  I’ve now had my fling controllers for a couple weeks and I can’t put the iPad down.  These simple little add-ons have made the iPad a true gaming experience for me.  In fact, within 48 hours of receiving the flings I had cracked the top 10 on the all-time leaderboard for Geometry Wars, something I could never have done simply using my thumbs.

What Now

If you are interested in seeing the fling in action, check out the official demo video:

The fling lists at $19.95 or you can pick up a 2-pack for $29.94 at tenonedesign.com right now.

UPDATE: In my research since posting this article, I came across a few more great reviews of the fling, including this article on Apps for the Fling Joystick.  In case you were wondering on what games to get for your fling, this is a great reference tool to start with.

** Just so you know, I was not compensated in any way for this post.  Ten One Design did not ask me to write this article.  The views and comments above are all mine.

JumpstartMyPC.com has decided to bring FollowFriday to our blog. Read on and, if you are so inclined, add these “interesting people” to your own list.

FollowFriday – Round 15

We’ve focused on gaming news and reviews in the past (see our #FF on Video Games), but with all of the video game talk of the last month (E3) we thought it would be good to revisit the topic.  This time, instead of simply wetting your appetite with information, we’re gonna give you some details on saving money on video games, consoles and accessories.  After all, video game setups can get quite expensive if you aren’t careful.

The XBOX360, PS3 and Wii are all currently in their prime and new toys are on the way for summer and Christmas.  The problem for the big three is that disposable income is not what it was 2 or 3 years ago, competition is at an all-time high and people only have so many hours in a day.  That creates the perfect storm for the consumers.  Deals, deals and more deals are everywhere you turn.  Today’s list focuses on some of the best places to find these gaming deals, so you can spend less and own more.

LogicBuy.com is one of my favorite bargain-shopping sites.  We’ve talked about finding deals on LogicBuy before, but did you know that they have an entire area of their site dedicated to gaming? LogicBuy employees and site visitors hunt down the biggest bargains of the web and post them here for everyone to enjoy.  Amazon, Steam, NewEgg, Buy.com, Dell, GameFly…. The list of sites represented goes on for days.  If there is a bargain out there, LogicBuy has it.

One of the best features of LogicBuy is the ability to set Deal Alerts.  Do you know a specific game, console, accessory or item that you want, but aren’t willing to pay full retail?  Set up a Deal Alert and get up-to-date information on deals, coupons and more delivered right to your inbox.  I did this when we first bought a Wii and saved $100’s on new games and accessories.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LogicBUY (not specific to gaming, but gaming deals are included in feed)
Web Site: http://www.logicbuy.com/categorydeals/20/Gaming.aspx
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/LogicBUYcom (again, not specific to gaming)

Just Look at These Deals!!!!!

Cheap Ass Gamer (CAG)

CAG is also giving away 5 brand new XBOX 360 250GB Slim consoles.  Follow them on Twitter, create a wish list, check out deals, etc. to earn entries into the contest.  This is a great way to get familiar with the site while getting your name into the drawing.  What do you have to lose?  I earned 7 entries into their contest in under 30 minutes.

CAG also allows you to create a “collection list” of games that you currently own and might want to trade or sell.  Other CAG users can offer up their games for trade or make you an offer.  If you are sick of losing out on trade value at your local game shop, simply pay the price of shipping to swap games with others throughout the country.  This could really save you some cash in the long run.

Web Site: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/
RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/cheapassgamer
Twitter: http://twitter.com/videogamedeals

Cheap Ass Gamer Has a Top Notch Site

Amazon.com offers several ways to save on your gaming needs.  There is an area dedicated to Video Game Deals, A Deal of the Day (one or more gaming products at a very special, low, one-day only price) and Warehouse Deals (used games, consoles and accessories).  Patience and a Prime membership could mean big savings on purchases for past and upcoming games.

Also, don’t underestimate the power of being a loyal Amazon.com customer.  Case in point, I just pre-ordered the game Crackdown 2 for XBOX 360.  Amazon was offering $4 off, FREE shipping (on release day) and $10 off of my next game purchase.  Also, I didn’t have to pay sales tax.  Total up the savings and I saved somewhere in the neighborhood of $25.50 on this purchase. (4 + 10 + 7 + 4.50).  The next game I buy or pre-order might offer a similar deal, so I’ll keep the savings rolling with each and every purchase.

Finally, did you know that you can trade in your games on Amazon?  Look up your games, print a shipping label (for FREE) and receive an Amazon.com Gift Card that will be deposited into your account upon receipt of games.  The offers seem to be fair, when compared to other retailers like GameStop.  You can always use the tools on Cheap Ass Game (links above) to compare values between the two.

Web Site (Video Game Deals): http://www.amazon.com/Outlet/b?ie=UTF8&node=40956
Web Site (Deal of the Day – Gaming): Click Here
Web Site (Warehouse Deals): Click Here
Twitter (AmazonGames): http://twitter.com/amazongames

Amazon.com Offers Up Great Deals

Try out one or all three of the sites we recommended today and check back next Friday for more great #FollowFriday recommendations. Don’t forget, if you want to share this article with friends or family, all you have to do is click on the ShareThis button below.

Over the last few weeks, I have written several articles on my switch from DirecTV to a TiVo Premiere setup.  Yesterday, I received a series of questions from one of my readers (thanks Dave) and thought that the answers to his questions would make a great article.  This way, everyone would benefit from the responses and maybe begin asking some questions of their own.  His questions and my responses are outlined below.

Before We Start

Full Disclosure: I was not paid to write any of this about TiVo, DirecTV, Amazon, Blockbuster, YouTube or the shows/movies in question.  I am simply writing about my personal experience and have not been compensated (in any way) by any of the companies listed.  On this site (JumpstartMyPC.com) I do have advertising from several companies, including Google Ads, Amazon and TiVo.  The Amazon and TiVo advertisements are pay-per-click programs that I signed up for to help with the cost of running the site, but in no way influenced my comments or suggestions within this or any other article posted within the JumpstartMyPC blog.

Q&A

Question 1: You must comment on how the Premiere combines (or doesn’t) OTA recordings with available streams. In other words, is there a single Now Playing list that shows you everything you could watch? (Like you had with DirecTivo.) Or do you have a Now Playing list that shows the things Tivo has grabbed from the antenna, but some OTHER kind of list to show you what episodes are available on Amazon iTunes or whatever. And if it’s two (or more) different lists, isn’t that a pain?

• There is one list of recorded programs under the “My Shows” area.  Any OTA recordings and Amazon Video on Demand downloads that I have purchases appear there.
• Netflix movies and TV shows must be accessed from the Netflix menu (separate area).
• I have not tested the Blockbuster feature personally, so I cannot speak to where those recordings show.
• It’s really not a pain at all.  It would be nice to have the two lists combined, but I am sure there is a reason for the separation and it doesn’t cause me any frustration.

Question 2: What about searching (“Wish Lists”)? Can you set up an actor (say) wish list and have all the available Amazon or Netflix streams featuring that actor show up? Or would you see only the shows in the online schedule for your OTA stations that happened to have that actor? If the latter, isn’t that a bit of a loss of function?

I wasn’t sure about this one, so I set up a test.  As it turns out, with groups enabled (folder view), actor wish-list recordings do show up under the actor/actress name instead of the program name.  Within the folder, the program name does appear.  These programs (Lucy Liu example below) are from the OTA signal only.  Any Netflix or Amazon programs would have to be found via a manual search.

Actor Wish-List Recordings Example

Question 3: Does the new Tivo still voluntarily record “suggestions” and are they only from the antenna? Or can it snag “suggestions” from other sources?

Suggestions are still part of the TiVo experience, but seem to be from the cable/OTA source only.  I honestly don’t look in the TiVo suggestions area very often.  What I do like about the new interface is that the suggestions are in their own folder and not mixed with the other programs.  If that was a part of the older versions of the software, I don’t remember.  On my HR10-250 (DirecTV/TiVo DVR) I turned that off long ago.

Question 4: You mention Youtube, but what about other internet streaming sites, esp. Vimeo and Mevio (which are typically of higher quality than Youtube). Can you use Hulu for broadcast episodes?

There are currently no other options for these types of internet streaming sites.  You can choose to pull down video podcasts from a predetermined list of options, but that is the only option other than YouTube.

Question 5: What kind of data connection do you have that can handle 1080p streams from Netflix, which are of higher quality than DirecTv’s MPEG4 streams? Can you watch such a stream live, or do you have to let it buffer-up ahead to avoid stuttering?

Using a high-speed internet connection from Comcast, D-Link 802.11n router and CAT6 cabling, I am getting some super-fast feeds to my TiVo Premiere units.  Without fail, I get the maximum number of bars and HD icon in the “quality bar” area.  With the ability to fast-forward and rewind (via lower resolution images) and locate Watch Instantly movies and television shows via the TiVo Seach feature, the Premiere experience far surpasses the experience of watching Netflix via an XBOX 360 or PS3 (I have tried both).

I have only experienced the “stuttering” a few times while watching Netflix programming via the TiVo Premiere.  Honestly, out of the hundred hours (give or take a few) of TV shows and movies that we have watched, I think we may have experienced this less than 5 times and even then, it was only for a second or two.

Netflix Streaming in Full HD

Additional Info

Dave (our reader who submitted the questions) asked some fantastic, specific questions but did not hit on a few topics that seem to grace every other review of the TiVo Premiere DVR.  I thought I would take a quick moment to comment on my experience with these “issues.”

Issue 1: The new interface is slow

Yes, there are times when I click a button and have to wait for a few seconds before the unit responds.  Is this frustrating?  Maybe to some people, but I am willing to wait a few seconds here and there.  From what I have read, the hardware within the Premiere unit is not being utilized fully yet.  Maybe these speed issues will become a thing of the past as new updates are released.  The thing that matters to me is the viewing of my programs.  I have not had any problems there.  They play back perfectly and the fast-forward, rewind and 30-second skip functionality is as smooth as silk.

Issue 2: The New/Old Experience

Many have criticized TiVo for mixing their new menu system with the old menu system.  For example, if you select the menu option to view the programs recorded on another TiVo unit, there is a pause and then you are taken to a screen that looks like it was from a TiVo Series II or HD.  The words are still there.  The options are still fully functional.  I can still see my programs and choose to copy them over to the unit I am on.  In other words, there is no loss in functionality, just some cosmetic issues with the flow of the menus.  Personally, I don’t think it is a big deal.  Sure, it would have been nice if all of the menu options were in the new interface, but how long would we have waited for this hardware to be released.  I am not complaining.

Issue 3: Room-to-Room Copy vs Streaming

Want to view a program in your bedroom but it was recorded in the living room.  You can do that if you own 2 Premiere units.  Some have complained that this is done via a copy of the original program and not a stream of the content from the other device.  Personally, I don’t think it is a big problem.  It might be if you had a slow connection between the two units and your router, but I opted for CAT6 cabling between all of my devices.  For me, I click once to begin the copy and once more to begin watching the show (as it copies).  That is as good as streaming to me.  You might just want to avoid the wireless option if this is something that might bother you.

Related Articles

• Cancel Your Cable/Satellite and Save Money While Adding Functionality
• Buh-Bye DirecTV, Hello TiVo – How I Ditched Cable
• Buh-Bye DirecTV, Hello TiVo – How I Ditched Cable – Part II

Organizing this collection of digital data and keeping track of what we have becomes more and more difficult as time goes on.  Storage cabinets, boxes, shelving units, entertainment centers and other furniture options are available at every store from Walgreens to Ikea and everyone has owned a few in hopes of keeping their collection organized, accessible and visually appealing.  No matter what you have to hold your data, it is most likely a temporary solution, as you’ll soon be purchasing that latest album, movie or video game.

What do we do next?

There are several options available to the TV, movie, music and game lovers of the world, but before we jump into the details, let’s take a look at the specifics of what we need to organize:

• The discs themselves – they need a home that will protect them from the elements and their worst enemy… scratches.
• The cases and artwork – depending on who you are and how “particular” you are about your collection, you might be concerned about the packaging of these discs as well.
• The contents of your collection – no matter how you store the physical discs, you’ll need a way to store the names of all of your individual titles.  At some point, you won’t be able to remember what all you have.
• New items – no matter what solution you decide on, you’ll need to be able to easily update the collection with new physical media and keep your list of titles updated.

Digitizing Your Media

If you are a techie type and really want to get organized, you can always convert your physical collection into a digital one.  Other than a familiarity with computers, there are several hurdles to this plan-of-attack that you should consider before jumping.

1. Storage – converting DVD’s, CD’s, etc. means you’ll need space for them all.  DVD’s can go over 4GB each and Blu-Rays as much as 25GB.  Of course you can shrink those file sizes, but that comes at a price.
2. Equipment – chances are you already have a computer, but do you have one that is powerful enough to rip through DVD’s?  Do you have a Blu-Ray reader on your PC?
3. Software – there are hundreds of programs out there that will help you “backup” your collection, but they each come with a price and their own limitations.  For instance, iTunes can help you back up your music collection, but you’ll find it incredibly difficult to back up your movies, not to mention time consuming.
4. Quality – Making backup copes of your media to a hard drive or storage device means you will probably need to compress the files.  Doing so can have a negative impact on the sound and/or picture quality and chances are you didn’t buy a Blu-Ray player to watch movies at a lower quality.
5. Types of Media – Assuming you get past the other issues listed above, you’ll still have one major hurdle.  Certain media types cannot legally be “backed up” or digitized.  The biggest limitation will be games for the major consoles.
6. Time – Converting hundreds or even thousands of discs could take months.

Benefits of converting your collection include easy access, limited physical space requirements (since you can now toss or store your physical media), and minimized risk of loss.  You could even free up some valuable storage space by simply backing up those older formats, like CD and DVD.  Keep your Blu-Ray discs and games in a physical storage device until technology advancements make it a little more feasible to convert them.

Verdict: It’s just not worth the hassle.

Physical Storage with Digital Cataloging

It may seem a little dated, but storing all of these discs for easy access is the least expensive route and will save you hours and hours of your valuable time.  There are several options out there, but I am going to focus on the solution I implemented.

Part 1: Storing the Physical Media

I received a discgear storage solution for Christmas last year and, at first, thought it was something I wouldn’t use.  As it turns out, this was one of the best gifts I ever received.  My Selector 120 HD (shown below) is now home to the majority of my movie collection.

Selector 120HD

My movies are kept secure, protected from scratches and, thanks to the slide out Disc Index, I know exactly what movies I have and which slot they are located in.  Software included with the unit made it easy for me to type in the names of my movies, print out a listing and insert it in the slide-out drawer located below the discs.

My Selector 120HD - Filled With Movies

The artwork that originally came in the case for each of my movies has been added to the provided book (shown below) so that I can flip through my collection visually and decide what I want to watch.

Provided Cover Book for Selector 120HD

CONS: Although this system is great, there are some downfalls that you should be aware of before you get started:

• Size – you can only put 120 movies in the holder before you’ll need more space or another holder from discgear.
• Time – I spent about 5 hours on this project, from start to finish.  Who knew it would take that long?
• Titles – There is no database or list for entering the movie titles.  You’ll have to type them all out yourself.
• Updating – I put my movies in alphabetical order (for easy location).  That’s great until I want to add a new movie to the holder.  Then I’ll have to reprint my listing and move the covers around in the book.

Verdict: At a price tag of $69.95 (unless you catch it on sale over at QVC.com – last price was $54.75) this storage unit is well worth the price.  I would have spent so much more on software and storage if I went the digital route.  Also, the Selector 120HD is attractive (leather finish) and makes a great conversation piece.  Anyone can walk up to the holder, find a movie quickly and get the disc in hand without training or technical skills.

UPDATE (posted 3-09-2011 @ 9:30am) – QVC apparently stopped carrying the Selector 120HD, but I just located another website, with a lower price.  Check out CSN Stores, where you can pick up this unit for $47.99 + shipping (a flat $7.95).  That’s about $15 off the retail price.  If you find it cheaper, be sure to leave us all a link in the comments below.

Part 2: Digital Cataloging

Because all of my movies would not fit in the Selector 120HD and I still have another 100+, including Blu-Ray discs (kept separately), and box sets (that I wanted to keep in the box they came in), my collection is still all over the place.  I need a way to catalog my list of titles, both for easy referencing and location.  After all, once I figure out if I own the movie, where do I go to get it.

There are several software solutions online that meet these requirements, but I will be going with Movie Collector from collectorz.com.  That’s right, I WILL be going with this software.  This is something that I have been putting off and now it is time to tackle it head on.

Movie Collector from Collectorz.com

Once I have my collection of movies entered and ready to reference I’ll follow up with a review of this handy software.

JumpstartMyPC.com has decided to bring FollowFriday to our blog. Read on and, if you are so inclined, add these “interesting people” to your own list.

FollowFriday – Round 9

Console and PC gaming have grown into a multi-billion dollar business, with total sales of hardware and software (not counting PC’s) reaching $19.66 billion in 2009.  And while you might think that gaming is just for teenage boys, recent research has shown that the majority of male gamers now fall into the 25-40 age group.  According to the ESRB, almost 41% of PC gamers are women and the average American gamer has been playing for 12 years.

Before you make a decision on gaming or gamers, take a moment to reflect on your daily activities.  You might not consider yourself a traditional gamer, but how many hours of Facebook games have you played?  With titles like FarmVille, Mafia Wars, Bejeweled Blitz and Uno attracting millions of users each day, it is hard to find someone who doesn’t play any games at all.  I can tell you from experience that many of my customers and family members have only learned about computers through work or games.  I have a 90 year old grandmother who uses her Nintendo DS regularly and another who has played more hours of Scrabble and Boggle than you could even imagine.

The following sites are dedicated to gaming and gaming news. Add these sites to your inbox, Twitter follow list or Facebook “likes” and let the information come to you.

IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation, is probably the largest player in the video game news industry.  According to their own web site they are a “leading online media and services company obsessed with gaming, entertainment and everything guys enjoy.”

From the IGN web site, visitors can access up-to-date information on games for the XBOX 360, PS3, Wii, PC, DS, PSP and more.  Read reviews on games before you purchase and even rate them yourself.  In recent news, IGN has begun reviews of iPad games (found in the “Wireless” section) and added the new Facebook Like feature to it’s web site.  Find a game you like, leave a review and share it with your friends in just a few clicks.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/igncom
Web Site: http://www.ign.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ign

IGN Entertainment Covers it All

G4

The only thing that confuses me about G4 is the link between gaming, which dominates their web site, and their television station, which is ruled by programs completely unrelated to gaming.  I am not saying that these shows aren’t great, I just don’t get the connection.  In this day and age, I would think that a station could broadcast, gaming news, reviews, demos, etc. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Maybe that is the long-term goal.

Web Site: http://g4tv.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/g4tv
Facebook: http://facebook.com/g4tv

G4tv is All About Games... At least on the web site

Inside Social Games is for all of you “social gamers” out there.  Inside Social Games is a service of Inside Network, the first company dedicated to providing news and market research to the Facebook platform and social gaming ecosystem.  Although this site is really meant for developers, marketers and analysts, it has some great game reviews and news that you can benefit from.  Wanna know what the fastest growing game on Facebook is this week?  Looking for a review on a new game before you dedicate hours and hours to it?  This is the place.

While Inside Social Games is not the perfect option for consumers (Facebook users) it is currently the only dedicated option.  I have a strong feeling that this will change very soon, as these social games have become big business.  A recent article on GIGAOM stated that Zynga, the company behind social games like Farmville and Mafia Wars, would “likely be worth as much as $5 billion, if it were publicly traded instead of privately held.”  That is just one of the companies currently producing FREE games for social networking users.

Web Site: http://www.insidesocialgames.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/InsideNetwork
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/InsideSocialGamescom

Inside Social Games for You "Non-Gamers"

Try out one or all three of the sites we recommended today and check back next Friday for more great #FollowFriday recommendations. Don’t forget, if you want to share this article with friends or family, all you have to do is click on the ShareThis button below.

We are a 2-DVR family and both of our units were put through some serious stress-testing this season.  Every so often, bad weather or a power outage caused one or both of our DVR units to miss a show, or at least a portion of it.  Being the true television fans that we are, we didn’t want to miss out on important plot-lines and details, so we headed out to the world wide web, in search of the episode in question.  In almost every situation, we found the solution on the web site of the television station itself.  There were however a few situations that required additional searching.  That’s where the fun really started.

Episode Failure 1: Smallville

Description: Our DirecTV DVR only recorded a portion of a critical episode, so I headed out to CWTV.com.  Their site does allow users to watch full episodes of some programs, but only stores the 2 most recent at any given time.  I am not sure what the reasoning is, but it meant we couldn’t watch our missing episode there.  I decided to try the Playstation Store (from Sony) next.  The PS3 needed a quick update, but a few minutes later we located our program and had to simply decide on SD (standard definition) or HD (high definition).  Since the HD version was $2.99 and I thought it would take longer to download, we opted for SD at $1.99.  We were able to begin viewing the program as it downloaded and the service worked perfectly!

Verdict: The Playstation Store experience was great.  The SD program was amazingly crisp and clean (nearly HD) and it only took a few minutes to begin watching the show.  I highly recommend the PS3 and the Playstation Store.

The Playstation Store on PS3

Episode Failure 2: Big Bang Theory

Description: Our favorite new comedy on CBS this season is a must watch.  Due to an operator error (my fault), we missed an episode.  I immediately went out to the CBS web site and found the page for the show.  To my surprise, CBS did NOT offer full episodes at all.  Off to Amazon.com, then iTunes, then some intense Google searching.

Verdict: FAIL! FAIL! FAIL! I couldn’t find a legal method for watching the episode, paid or not.

Episode Failure 3: The Mentalist

Description: Just like the Smallville recording, we only got a portion of the program.  Not very helpful for a crime solving mystery.  Off to CBS.com I went again and then on to Amazon.com, iTunes …  Nothing.  Finally, through some Google searches, I found a site called Yidio that provided a link to www.watch-mentalist-online.com.  I’m not sure if this site was operating legally, but we took a chance and watched the show anyway.  Unfortunately, the quality was so bad that we could barely make out the faces of the actors.  At least we got the storyline.

Verdict: FAIL! FAIL! FAIL! I couldn’t find a legal method for watching the episode, paid or not.  The site I found filled the void just enough, but I feel like I did something wrong by watching it.

Overall Verdict

Being able to watch TV online just seems logical.  For the most part, the programming I want is available, but you can see that there are still some holes.  Until Apple, or some other mega-company, makes some serious changes, I will have to hold onto my satellite and DVR boxes and give up on my dream of just buying the shows I want to watch online.  For now, there just seems to be a lack of information on where to go when I want to watch a show.  I couldn’t find a single site that provided information on every show and what sites you could buy it from (there is a FREE business idea for some lucky soul out there).  TVGuide.com did provide valuable information on where to buy some shows, but fell short on the 2 programs I was looking for.

@CBS – I am not sure what is going on, but it seems to me that you are missing out on a HUGE market.  You have some great programs and there are millions of us who think so.  Why are you not taking advantage of any of the services available to distribute your content?  You missed out on at least $4 of my money.  With 110 million TVs in the U.S., you are probably giving up on quite a bit of money.  Yes, I might buy a series on DVD/Blu-Ray, but I can’t get that until a year after it is shown on TV.  That doesn’t help me much.  We are a nation of “here and now.”  You should probably take advantage of that instead of banking on media that will begin to fade as quickly as it came to be.

Online Gaming – What is it?

By the next day, I had purchased an XBOX for myself and was online playing against people all over the world.  Team games like “capture the flag” and “team deathmatch” allowed 4-8 players on each team to work together against another team.  The competitive nature in me took hold and I found myself playing for hours on end.  Two key elements of this “online experience” made these types of games better than any I had ever played.

• XBOX Live -the system that allows all of these gamers to come together to play against and/or with one another.
• The headset -  This clumsy, plastic, funny-looking headset connected to the controller allows me to communicate with teammates during the game.  I could hear them speak (in real-time) and I could talk back to them.  Honestly, I am still a bit amazed that this works.

My passion for video games has only grown since that day and many games have come and gone during that time.  The one constant has been XBOX Live.  No matter what game I play, I can join in with friends or randomly team up with others around the world.  Because of this, I never have to play alone and the experience changes for every match.  Playing against other, real people makes the games so much more exciting because people learn, adapt and get better every time they play.  Apparently, I’m not the only one that enjoys the opportunity to play online, against others.  On February 5, 2010, Microsoft announced that XBOX Live had reached 23 million members.

The Problems Begin

YouTube Video of Teen on XBOX Live

Unfortunately, as XBOX Live has grown so have the problems.  The problems aren’t with the hardware or functionality of connecting these gamers, but the gamers themselves.  On any given day, I can join a game on XBOX Live and be greeted with an onslaught of bad language, racial slurs, harassment and all-around hostility.  It is virtually impossible to find a game where this does not happen.  I have heard people from ages 5 to 40 use every cuss word known to man.  I’ve been attacked by individuals who have decided to simply work their way through the list of gamers until they find one that responds.  I have had people threaten to find and hurt me.  XBOX Live is still a game changer, but I have almost decided to retire the headset and play without the voices of these angry, troubled individuals who are ruining the game.  Thankfully, I am an adult and I know how to handle this.  What I am concerned about is the children that are exposed to these same situations.

I have planned this article for months and early-on thought I would present the you (the readers) with recordings from actual games, but quickly changed my mind.  After recording some of my own games and reviewing several that are already posted on YouTube, I decided that the content was too vulgar.  Instead, I urge parents to seek out this information on your own and experience it for yourself.

*** Before I go any further, I want you all to know that I am not telling anyone how to parent.  I am simply trying to educate you on the dangers of online gaming.

Hear it For Yourself

XBOX Live is not the issue here, but merely an example of an online gaming provider.  The Playstation3 also has an online gaming community.  I do not use it, but I feel quite certain that those gamers are no different.  Both companies have done a great job of providing these services and are not the reason for this behavior.

For parents interested in learning more about this situation, it will only take a minute.  Next time your son or daughter is playing a game online, ask them to unplug the headset from the controller.  Doing so will allow the voices of the other players to come through the speakers on the television.  During the game, it can be bad, but between games it gets much worse.  This is down time, while the next game is chosen, and definitely provides for the most “material.”

YouTube can also provide a number of examples.  Just type in “XBOX Live Cuss” and see what you find.  I did this yesterday and found a clip where a 16 year old (just guessing there) spent 4 minutes cussing, yelling and berating another player who could have only been 6 or 7 years old.  The worst part is, the younger player was participating and using some of the same foul language in return.

The Solution

I don’t know that there is a single answer to this ongoing problem.  Parents can set up the gaming system to limit who their children can hear (XBOX 360 instructions here), but I imagine these gamers will quickly figure out a way around this hurdle.  XBOX Live does allow users to “report” or “file complaints” against other users for in-game behavior, but I have done this repeatedly over the years and I am not sure what good it is doing.  I think the only way to help this growing situation is a 2-part plan:

1) Parents who are concerned about what their children hear could monitor the gaming at home.  Maybe move the TV and game system into a room where they can listen in on the “conversations.”

2) Microsoft/Sony or a third party should have moderators (actual people) playing the games and issuing “banhammers” to players who don’t abide by the rules of communicating with one another.  “Banhammer” is a term often used to describe how users accounts are shut down or terminated for not following the rules.