Silly Parent Video Games are for Kids

Since recent polls state that "99% of boys and 94% of girls play video games" it makes more sense to me to blog about ways to help parents get involved then to tell you to throw them away!  In my experience I would say video games are probably the most common activity that teens do that parents ignore (often just because of how fast the games, platforms, etc. change... it's hard to keep up).  Though I'm not encouraging you to jump in and become a full on "gamer", I do think if your son or daughter loves playing video games you should read this blog and see if you can find another connecting point with your teen.

I know for some video games are a sore subject but sometimes they lead to good things too... For example this week some online gamers witnessed a robbery and were able to call for help for their friend (read more here) OR that fact that many platforms are trying to develop games to stretch and grow students learning capacities since the future is in computers (here's a list of "5 games that won't rot your brain").

This blog has taken information from all over to give you a quick overview to "get you in the game" or at least educate you on enough to help you stay in the conversation with your son or daughter...

The Basics… Genres of Games 
- Action-Adventure
- First Person Shooter (FPS)
- Roll Playing Game (RPG)
- Simulation (Sim)
- Strategy
- Sports

The rating system...

	EARLY CHILDHOOD Content is intended for young children.
	EVERYONE Content is generally suitable for all ages. May contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.
	EVERYONE 10+ Content is generally suitable for ages 10 and up. May contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.
	TEEN Content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. May contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language.
	MATURE Content is generally suitable for ages 17 and up. May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.
	ADULTS ONLY Content suitable only for adults ages 18 and up. May include prolonged scenes of intense violence, graphic sexual content and/or gambling with real currency.
	RATING PENDING Not yet assigned a final ESRB rating. Appears only in advertising, marketing and promotional materials related to a game that is expected to carry an ESRB rating, and should be replaced by a game's rating once it has been assigned.

Top PC (Computer) Games:
- World of Warcraft ($10.5 billion)
- Minecraft (over 5 billion hours)
- League of Legends
- The Sims
- Diablo
 
Top Console Games:
- Tetris (143 million copies)
- Wii Sports (81.9 million copies)
- Super Mario Bros. (1985)
- Call of Duty (10 games currently)
- Grand Theft Auto (15 games)

Connect with your Teen through Video Games (by Eric Rogers): 

1. Talk 
• What are you playing and what do you enjoy most about that game? 
• Are you playing with any of your friends? If so, who?
• Are there any games coming out soon you are excited about?
2. Play
• Watch your son or daughter play for awhile
• Find a good starter game 
• Portal 2 (FPS)
• New Super Mario Bros. (Strategy)
• Burnout Paradise (Sport)
• World of Warcraft (RPG)
• Ask your son or daughter to teach you!
3. Watch
• When you watch the professionals, you are watching the best (yes, I said professionals)
• When we watch we learn
• When we watch, we share in the experience

*Go to YouTube and type in "Let's Play _____" (insert whatever game you are looking for) Disclaimer that many will have foul language 
**Want to blow your mind... Here's the full documentary on some professional gamers playing free online games, click here to watch "Free to Play" (You can also find it on iTunes)

Picking out a game for my son or daughter...
- What game would my teenager be interested in? (Ask & start keeping a list!!)
- What content is in this game? (See Rating system above)
- Is this game any good? (PluggedIN & Metacritic)

Parental Controls (Set passwords, manage time, block users, etc.):
- WiiU: http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu/parents/
- Xbox One: support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-360/security/xbox-live-parental-control
- PS4: support.us.playstation.com/app/answers/detail/5097/~/ps4-parental-controls

Did you know!?!?!?!?
- There are “Glasses that eliminate eye fatigue for gamers”
- Carpal Tunnel or “Trigger Finger Surgery” for excessive gamers
- “Predators Targeting Online Gaming”

The Bergs

**Follow Jeff (Family Pastor of High School), also known as "surgeberg" on: Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

You're watching that!?

I have a little secret.  Some know it but most probably don't know how deep it goes.  It's something I have been involved in for sometime.  I've read about it, study it and have spent countless hours participating in it... I love movies!  And not like, "Hey, I enjoy a good flick every now and then" but like I have watched all 100 of the AFI's top movies (both lists), have seen every Academy award winning Best Picture and most of the 'Best Picture' nominees from each year.  Though many like going to movies to be entertained I go to experience the art... the emotion, the story telling, the dialogue and the cinematography.  I love it anytime someone can tell you a story and draw you so far in you cry, are angry or laugh so hard you can't breath when they are finished.  But I also love critically thinking about what the director was trying to convey and seeing if that "truth" is applicable to my life.  It's been my experience that most folks don't know why movies receive ratings they have or process the intent of movies very often.  For most individuals movies are just fun or about a plot they were drawn to.  I'm not saying it's wrong to go to a movie for purely entertainment reasons... that's why we have Marvel!  I just thought I would explain the ratings, show you a couple resources so you can be ahead of the curve and tell you about our 'Reel Time' event happening this summer at NBHighSchool.

So where do they get those ratings?

MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) is a group that pushes movies and technology forward through many different avenues but is most well known by the MPAA Rating System.  The rating system is voluntary for every film (though most theaters will not show a movie that hasn't received a rating) and decided by a group of 13 members from different backgrounds all with parenting experience to give a parent's perspective, crucial for the rating system.

Each movie is submitted by the production company, then reviewed by the MPAA board and issued a rating.  The production company then decides to release their film with the given rating or appeal the decision seeking a different rating (we have seen a rise in the winning of appeals in the past couple of years).

Current rating scales and reasons:

G — General Audiences. All Ages Admitted. A G-rated motion picture contains nothing in theme, language, nudity, sex, violence or other matters that, in the view of the Rating Board, would offend parents whose younger children view the motion picture. The G rating is not a "certificate of approval," nor does it signify a "children’s" motion picture. Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation but they are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated motion pictures. Depictions of violence are minimal. No nudity, sex scenes or drug use are present in the motion picture.

PG — Parental Guidance Suggested. Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children. A PG-rated motion picture should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children attend. The PG rating indicates, in the view of the Rating Board, that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, and parents should make that decision. The more mature themes in some PG-rated motion pictures may call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence or brief nudity. But these elements are not deemed so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated motion picture.

PG-13 — Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13. A PG-13 rating is a sterner warning by the Rating Board to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should view the motion picture, as some material might not be suited for them. A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category. The theme of the motion picture by itself will not result in a rating greater than PG-13, although depictions of activities related to a mature theme may result in a restricted rating for the motion picture. Any drug use will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. More than brief nudity will require at least a PG-13 rating, but such nudity in a PG-13 rated motion picture generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence. A motion picture’s single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, initially requires at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context. The Rating Board nevertheless may rate such a motion picture PG-13 if, based on a special vote by a two-thirds majority, the Raters feel that most American parents would believe that a PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context or manner in which the words are used or because the use of those words in the motion picture is inconspicuous.

R — Restricted. Children Under 17 Require Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian. An R-rated motion picture, in the view of the Rating Board, contains some adult material. An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously. Children under 17 are not allowed to attend R-rated motion pictures unaccompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about R-rated motion pictures in determining their suitability for their children. Generally, it is not appropriate for parents to bring their young children with them to R-rated motion pictures.

NC-17 — No One 17 and Under Admitted. An NC-17 rated motion picture is one that, in the view of the Rating Board, most parents would consider patently too adult for their children 17 and under. No children will be admitted. NC-17 does not mean "obscene" or "pornographic" in the common or legal meaning of those words, and should not be construed as a negative judgment in any sense. The rating simply signals that the content is appropriate only for an adult audience. An NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children.

Great resources for parents and others to research each movie before going:

- IMDb (See: "Parents Guide" midway down on any specific movie selected)

- Plugged In (See: "Movie Nights" in the top right corner)

- Screen It (Unfortunately not free anymore but far more detailed than Plugged In)

- The Source for Parents (Great free spot for lots of resources including movie reviews)

Beginning next week (June 4^th) our annual summer program (Reel Time) is back!!  Every Wednesday night we will watch a great movie in its entirety, starting at our normal time of 6:30p but extending our evening by thirty minutes to accommodate the post-movie discussion for the summer (9:00p).  Statistics say, “90% of teenagers spend 20-40 hours a week in front of a screen…” That is a lot of time watching movies, television and videos!  While most kids simply ‘check their brains at the door,’ Reel Time wants to help teens think through movies.  We are proud to announce that this summer we have selected a batch of “old” movies, our hope is to create some excitement for great films and probably movies most of our students have never seen.

Details I want everyone to be aware of:

-   The Goal: Help teens develop skills to watch movies with a filter (helping them spot the lies Hollywood is trying to sell them as well as find redeeming qualities to share their faith with others)

-      Every Wednesday this summer (June 4^th – Aug. 13^th), in the Loft (the 4^th floor of New Beginnings: 4104 East 151^st Street South) starting at 6:30pm-9:00p (Doors open at 6p)!!

-       Please feel welcome to attend any or all of the movies with us this summer (We have couches J)!!

-       Here’s this summer’s movies and their main discussion points:

o   12 Angry Men (Judgment)

o   A Place in the Sun (Image)

o   Chariots of Fire (Commitment)

o   Dead Poets Society (Pressure)

o   Elephant Man (Acceptance)

o   Going My Way (Calling)

o   Patch Adams (Passion)

o   Pleasantville (Youth Culture)

o   Shane (Sacrifice)

o   Simon Birch (Purpose)

o   Quiz Show (Integrity)

*These films will be viewed through our ClearPlay unit (www.clearplay.com)

**There will be a weekly sheet covering the plot of the film & follow-up quetsions

We understand that movies are possibly a major issue in your home.  Please pray that our time would be effective in supporting what you are already teaching at home and that God would use this as another way to train students in finding real Truth. 

The Bergs

**Follow Jeff (Family Pastor of High School), also known as "surgeberg" on: Facebook, Twitter & Instagram