If you like music, play Rock Band 2 with your children.

Music has always been difficult between parents and children. The Generation Gap has a tendency to show itself here. But with Rock Band 2, you get a chance to play music with your children which spans from the 60's to current day.

I have compiled a play list, where you can preview all the songs that comes with the game. 100's of more songs are downloadable for a small fee.

Enjoy!



The complete set list can be found here: http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/07/15/e308-rock-band-2-set-list-song-transfer-under-5/

Parents - Never trust a news story about "scary" games.

Again it has come to my attention that a news team has reported on absurdities regarding kids and gaming.

This time, it was a story saying that children supposedly earned game points for nude pictures of themselves. After digging deeper, this turned out to be as stupid and silly as all the other "news" stories that tries to scare parents. No pedophiles here.

http://kotaku.com/5030079/tv-station-check-with-detective-for-facts-on-pedophile-story

Parents - Beware of stories about sex & child exploitation in news stories. They are 99.99% sure to be false. Like the story about nudity in the role playing game (RPG) named "Mass Effect" for the PC and Xbox 360.

Remember - All games carries a rating, just as movies do. If the game has a big "M", for mature, on it, don't let your 12 year old play it. At least not alone.

I'll write another post about this topic during the week.

Kotaku Loves Me!

And now for something completely different....

I sent Kotaku (www.kotaku.com) a tip about a strange answer from Sony's PS3 boss of a strange question. It is still one of the most read posts at Kotaku. And if you didn't know, my gamertag is Mordochai. You can read my Xbox's own blog by clicking on the links to the right.

Here is the article they wrote, including the translation I sent them.

http://kotaku.com/5028976/xbox-360-exclusive-or-bullet-to-the-head-kaz-picks-bullet-to-the-head

Have a great gaming day!

What a parent should know about games and Xbox Live

Dear Parent,

I'm not a parent. Yet. Oooops. Please don't stop reading. Why? Because I have two god-children who plays. And I play. So I know something about what to think about when it comes to children and on-line gaming.

In this post I'll focus on Microsoft's on-line service, called Xbox Live.

To a gamer, this is an excellent service. It has features that you as a parent should know about. Maybe you now ask "How do I know if my child uses this service?". If you have an Xbox, or Xbox 360 console in your house, your child has access to this service. The service comes in two flavors, named Silver and Gold.

The Silver service is limited and doesn't allow the user to play any games with anyone else. They can have a conversation, using a head-set, though. But their exposure to other players is limited.

The Gold service costs money. Depending on in which country you live, it costs about US$ 50 per year and it DOESN'T require a credit card. It's possible to buy a code at a game store, enter it and get access to a variety of functions. If you don't know if your Xbox Live account is a Silver or Gold account, you need to involve yourself more. And ask your child, whether you have a Silver or Gold membership to the Xbox Live service.

First, let's look at what your child can do if you have a Gold Xbox Live membership.

1. They can play any game (most games have an on-line features) with anyone.
2. They can talk to anyone.
3. They can have a Video-Chat with anyone (Xbox Live Vision camera required)

It has more features, but these are the ones you as a parent needs to focus on. No matter which game they play on-line, they will hear strong language.

Do you, as a parent understand why you need to be involved now? If you aren't involved, you should get involved now!

Follow this link: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/familysettings/?WT.svl=nav

It will take you to Microsoft's information page about what you as a parent can do to control and monitor which games your child can play, and what they can do on Xbox Live.

If you have cared enough to find this blog post and read it, you are ready play. You may enjoy it more than you think.

Please post questions in the comments, or just comment if you like.

Game on!

Your input.

I'd like your help.

I've posted a poll on the right hand. Please let me know what would interest you the most for me to focus on. I'll still write posts on a variety of gaming related topics, but I'll write more of posts related to your choice.

Back to Games!

F.Y.I my favorite game types are FPS's & RPG's. I play Fighting games as well, and I do some Driving now and then, but I selldom play Sports games. Thus, my favorite games are (in no particular order):

• Halo series
• Half-Life series
• Call of Duty 4
• Some of the Rainbow Six & Ghost Recon games
• Knights of the Old Republic
• Fable

I'll hold there for now. I'll discuss each game at a later time.

My next post will be on On-line gaming. I'll discuss the difference between the PC, Xbox Live, & Playstation Network. I'll also let you know what you need to think about if you have under-age children in your family who plays on-line.

Now, go frag someone!

Welcome!

So you "still" like gaming, and have reached the 40 yr mark.

Welcome to my world!

Me and my wife, play 10hrs or more per week. We will try to help you with what games to pick to get the most of your limited time. And how you can involve your kids and spend quality time with them, even though they start to think you're a booring adult who doesn't understand s**t.

Let the ride begin!