Hey now.
Don't you think this entire board should be renamed
RF Generation CollectorCasts, seeing as how the only other active RF Gen podcast,
PlayCast, posts its discussion threads in the
Community Playthroughs child board of the
Video Game Generation forum? Yeah, let's do that! Make this a CollectorCast-exclusive forum! That's what those elitist
PlayCast dolts deserve for thinking they're too good for us!
Who's with me on this?!
On a more serious note: How about a show where you discuss parental responsibilities and control when it comes to introducing the kids to the wonderful world of vidya? Yeah, I know, this is a strange suggestion from someone who hates young'uns and violently recoils at the notion of parenthood before laying in a fetal position on the floor for hours, whimpering. Okay, so I possess a contradictory nature, sue me.
ANYway, points of discussion could include, but not be limited to...
- Games that you consider appropriate for certain age levels. Not just based on content, but also on the child's abilities and skill level. Your takes on the ESRB rating system, and perhaps the various international rating systems (PEGI immediately comes to mind) could be added to this particular discussion. And this could lead into...
- Judging whether or not a child is emotionally mature enough to play certain games that fall outside of his/her age bracket. I'll use my own childhood experiences with "mature" media as examples. I started watching and listening to the stand-up routines of George Carlin-- a decidedly adult-oriented entertainer-- when I was twelve years old. And my parents were cool with it, and allowed me to keep watching and listening to his stuff, 'cuz they felt that my maturity level was higher than my chronological age. Oh, if they only knew the horrible truth...
Of course, I realize the scenes and gameplay of today's violence-laden games, and the profane taunts by twelve-year-olds on XBox Live tend to be a bit more vivid and graphic than 1980s standup routines... it's just the best example I had on hand. Which could segue into...
- Parental control of a child's access to content. Again, I'll use my own childhood experiences as an example: although mom didn't object to my Carlin viewing, she would vet each new issue of MAD magazine I wanted to pick up at the newsstand for naughty bits and other things she found objectionable. The one ish I was absolutely positively NOT allowed to get was...
[img width=533 height=800]http://s3.amazonaws.com/bonanzleimages/afu/images/0629/1872/__kgrhquokice3kse5phebn0prskfjq___3.jpg[/img]
...which, when I finally grabbed a copy of it many years later, busted on kids just as harshly as it did parents. 'Cuz, let's face it, kids do lots of dumb things, and making fun of the dumb things they do can be pretty freakin' funny. However, mom didn't see it that way, and it was her prerogative (not Bobby Brown's) to deny me the pleasure of owning that particular issue, whether I liked it or not.
'Course, that little incident occurred a quarter-century ago, well before the modern internet gave you access to all sorts of weird, obscene, profane, and downright depraved content.
http://www.youtube.com/em...ph0?start=223&end=239How do you shield a youngster from such things? Well, that's for the CollectorCast hosts to consider.
- This topic idea came to mind with the arrival of Bil and Duke's new additions to their respective families. That's four kids between the three hosts, ranging in age from infancy to, I'm guessing, early teens? Do I have that right? I know Crabs and Duke have the older children, which gives them the advantage of experience in parental control and guidance. Which is why, if this topic is to be discussed, I really want Crabs to be in on it. Which isn't to say Bil can't have a say in the matter; quite the contrary, I think he'd have quite a few thoughts, perceptions, and inquiries about parental control that Duke and Crabs can field and build on, giving both Bil and the new parents in the audience some ideas on how to control their own children's access to gaming and online content as they mature.
ANYway, that's my topic suggestion. I know it seems a bit too general, but I'm confident it can be boiled down into a nearly-exclusively-gaming context with a little effort.
Another topic suggestion came to mind some time ago, but I can't recall it at present. I'll get back to you on that one, but until then...
- 'Late
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