Go outside/inside and play!

It's summer time and parents everywhere are directing their kids to turn off their consoles, drop the controllers, and head outside to get some fresh air, sunshine, sunburns, cuts/scrapes, and bug bites.

But what if you kid wants to stay indoors and play video games*? 

There's a lot of pressure on parents to treat video games a unhealthy pastimes that rot the brain and the body. As a viral post went around social media recently said "Kids need less Xboxes and more tackle boxes!". Public Service Announcements blame too much screen time for a host of social ills and medical journals now say  and sitting too long is almost as bad a smoking.

So what's a parent to do?

Simple- Get the kids up an moving! Help them learn that while the fantastical worlds that games transport us to are nice, we have to live in this one which can also be filled with wonder and excitement. Exercise and movement are essential for healthy development.

BUT... (there's always a but)

Don't forget that an healthy imagination, problem solving, and abstract thinking can all be improved when kids spend time with quality games. A healthy body needs a healthy brain too, and good quality video games that challenge the mind (puzzles, mysteries, stories, adventure) can promote that.

*I hear there's a new on coming for the Wii U that's quite fun

 

~Mutz

Cult Games

It’s said that video games are going to surpass other methods of mass entertainment in the early 21^st century. So will video games ever become as common an experience as listening to the radio, watching TV, or going to the movies?  Chances are good as more designers understand that story-driven games are a prime motivator, not just an afterthought.

Think of some of best games you’ve ever played- did they have characters, places, and plots you could relate to?  More than likely that’s the case. Getting people to play a game is easy, make it accessible to them. Getting people to keep playing over and over and want more after they’re done takes the elements of storytelling that best-sellers and cult favorites are known for.

What are some of your favorite cult games, and what is it about them that keeps you coming back?

~Mutz