In advance of the release of their family-friendly online multiplayer game Free Realms, Sony Online Entertainment has released a booklet explaining the benefits that games like Free Realms offer children.

“Let The Kids Game” is the title of the booklet, now available via SOE.com and WhatTheyPlay.com, which details all of the good that can come from playing video games such as Free Realms. It includes information from the likes of WhatTheyPlay.com’s John Davidson and Cheryl Olson, Sc.D., co-author of the book Grand Theft Childhood, explaining the oft-overlooked benefits of our hobby, including improvements in vision, social interaction and visuospatial cognition. The brochure also touts the positive effects of gaming on family interaction, as well as the leadership qualities often instilled by operating in an online game guild.

In short, it’s quite okay for your children to play Free Realms. The creators of Free Realms say so.

Friends of 9-year-old Damori Miles of Brooklyn, New York, claim the boy was imitating moves from WWE SmackDown vs Raw when he jumped off of his apartment rooftop to his death wearing a makeshift parachute.

The boy’s was found on the ground outside his apartment building at 7pm on Tuesday night, wrapped in the string and plastic he used to try and recreate a parachute in order to dive off of his thirteen story apartment building. He died an hour later at the Interfaith Medical Centre. It’s a tragic story, made even more upsetting by the amount of focus the video game angle is being given by the mainstream media. The source is one of Damori’s friends, 11-year-old Shakar Murrel.

“He tried to do a swan dive like Jeff Harding does in ‘SmackDown.’ That was his favourite game. He played it all the time,” Shakar said. “That was what he was trying to do. If I would have seen him up there, I would have told him not to do it.”

From this we get headlines like the New York Daily News‘ “9-year-old Damori Miles dies in jump off Brooklyn apartment, may have been imitating video game”, and “Boy fond of video game wrestler’s swan dives makes plastic parachute, takes NY roof death leap” from News Channel 3 in Norfolk, Virginia. Even the wrestling news sites are picking up the story, with the Wrestling World News reporting “9-Year-Old Boy Dies When Imitating A Move Off SmackDown vs. Raw 2009; WWE Responds”.

And what was the WWE’s response? Along with pointing out that no WWE or RAW characters jump off of roofs wearing parachutes, WWE spokesman Robert Zimmerman had the following to say:

“The death of Damori Miles is a tragedy and our condolences go out to his family,” he said. “We should allow the authorities to conduct a full investigation… including insecure roof access, before conclusions are made about this unfortunate incident.”

This is the most sense the WWE has made to me in decades. The roof should have been locked. Neighbours said that an alarm should have gone off, but it had not. The boy’s mother had left him alone to go to the store. A 9-year-old who had received special education instruction, left alone to his own devices.

So many other factors, yet the one aspect most of the mainstream press are picking up on is the fact that he played a wrestling video game. A video game based on a sport regularly aired on television, where the same moves are shown on a regular basis.

What I find the most telling is the fact that the New York Daily News’ original story had no mention of the video game connection, simply titled “9-year-old Brooklyn boy jumps from building using makeshift parachute and dies“, written by different staff writers. The same story from two different angles.

I guess the video game angle just makes for more exciting news.

9-year-old Damori Miles dies in jump off Brooklyn apartment, may have been imitating video game [NY Daily News - Thanks Jeremy]

Just because President Barack Obama is a verified gamer doesn’t mean he supports irresponsible gaming. During last night’s Congressional address, the President re-iterated his firm stance on parenting over gaming.

Obama’s comments during last night’s address closely echo comments he made during his presidential campaign, in which he urged parents to actually be parents, rather then letting outside elements such as video games and television raise their children.

In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a president, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children’s education must begin at home.

Once again, the President’s words do not condemn gaming or television, but rather parents that use the activities to keep their children occupied, rather than spending time with them. Not sure what this whole reading thing is about though. Are parents supposed to bring a laptop with them when they tuck their children in?

In First Major Address to Congress, Obama Once Again Links Video Games to Academic Underachievement [Game Politics]

UK site Game People takes a slightly different approach to video game awards, breaking games down into life stages instead of the more traditional console or genre distinctions.

The Family Gaming Awards consist of six different categories – Infants, Juniors, Students, Workers, Parents, and Seniors – along with an award given to the overall best game based on sheer number of votes. This leads to the inclusion of games you won’t see represented in the more traditional awards, such as Family Ski Wii, winner of the Infants category, or Mario and Sonic at the Olympics, which was tops among Juniors. Stupid, stupid Juniors.

The big winner this year is EA’s Mirror’s Edge, which topped off the Workers category while garnering the most votes overall. Check out the full award listing below, where it is revealed that old people enjoy paying for their game demos.

Family Gaming Awards Results 2008

http://www.gamepeople.co.uk/paulgovan_ageawards.htm

Mirror’s Edge wins the overall award in Game People’s 2008 Age Awards. Having been nominated in their Workers category it managed to accrue many more reader votes than other short listed games.

These Video Game Age Awards are a little different as they look to highlight games that are best suited to specific groups of gamers by their age and stage of life.

The full run down of the winners (voted on from games nominated in 2008 – http://www.gamepeople.co.uk/paulgovan_ageawards_2008nominations.htm) is as follows:
Infants: Family Ski Wii
Juniors: Mario and Sonic at the Olympics Wii
Students: Super Smash Brothers Brawl Wii
Workers: Mirror’s Edge PS3
Parents: Sing Star PS3
Seniors: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue PS3

PlaySavvy.com will provide features such as Gaming 101, a comprehensive guide to ratings, parental controls, and online gaming, as well as reviews, pertinent gaming news, and information on how to access the tools essential to being a game-savvy parent.

“Playing video games is one of the top pastimes for children these days, almost more than watching TV. We created AOL PlaySavvy to help parents navigate through all the gaming information out there in order to decide what’s appropriate for their children,” said Libe Goad, Editor-in-Chief, AOL PlaySavvy. “In addition, PlaySavvy provides advertisers the opportunity to reach this targeted user base by creating appealing campaigns around the content.”

See? The advertising emphasis wasn’t ours. Hit the jump for the full press release, or just visit PlaySavvy.com to see for yourself how AOL plans to learn them parents.

AOL Launches PlaySavvy.com

New Site Serves as Gaming Resource for Parents

NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)—AOL announced the launch of AOL PlaySavvy.com, http://www.playsavvy.com, a new site that targets parents of children ages 5-17 and helps them decipher the world of games, both PC and console. PlaySavvy also helps parents stay aware of their kids’ entertainment choices including assisting them in making informed decisions about buying games for their children. The PlaySavvy.com launch is a continuation of AOL’s overall programming goal to offer consumers interactive and engaging experiences with relevant sites that target people’s passion points. This year, AOL launched several targeted sites including ParentDish.com, http://www.parentdish.com, Lemondrop.com, http://www.lemondrop.com, WalletPop.com, http://www.walletpop.com, and Holidash.com, http://www.holidash.com.

“Playing video games is one of the top pastimes for children these days, almost more than watching TV. We created AOL PlaySavvy to help parents navigate through all the gaming information out there in order to decide what’s appropriate for their children,” said Libe Goad, Editor-in-Chief, AOL PlaySavvy. “In addition, PlaySavvy provides advertisers the opportunity to reach this targeted user base by creating appealing campaigns around the content.”

PlaySavvy will provide the following features:

Gaming 101 – PlaySavvy editors help parents understand game ratings and where to find them on a game box, how to use parental controls on the game systems, offer tips on what online games and web sites are safer for children, and provide advice for first time buyers on the differences between video game systems and which one is most appropriate for their family.

Parent Q&A – Consumers can ask questions about games and get real-time answers from a panel of real-life parents.

Reviews – Video game experts provide reviews ranging from how appropriate to how fun a game is for kids.

Relevant How-To Articles – PlaySavvy staff helps guide parents through the video game wasteland including common issues on hot-button topics such as content and safety.

AOL has long been a leader in the Parental Controls space, pioneering the idea of online safety for children when it began offering a robust set of tools designed to help parents keep their children safe online. In September, AOL launched SafetyClicks.com, http://www.safetyclicks.com, a new online safety education Web site, and introduced an improved version of its free, downloadable parental controls software, http://parentalcontrols.aol.com, that is designed to give parents the tools they need to help protect their children from inappropriate or dangerous online material.

AOL Games experienced 41% unique visitors growth, 62% page view growth and 54% engagement growth year-over-year, according to October 2008 comScore Media Metrix. AOL Games also runs GameDaily.com, http://www.gamedaily.com, and BigDownload.com, http://www.bigdownload.com.

Basically it is a list of video games split into two categories: “Great Games for Kids” and “Games to Avoid.” They’ve enhanced the guide this year by adding descriptive paragraphs after each title, along with further splitting the recommended games up by ratings.

The list reads as you’d expect. High School the Musical is good, Nancy Drew, Hasbro Game Night, and some sports games. They’ve included LittleBigPlanet, which they’ve obviously never played with me on the headset. The “Games To Avoid” section is totally off though. Gears 2? Resistance 2? Those are great titles! I agree that everyone should avoid Legendary and Blitz the League II, but otherwise completely inaccurate. Hit the jump for the full list, but beware – major spoiler in the Silent Hill: Homecoming listing.

GREAT GAMES FOR KIDS

Recommended E-rated Games

All Star Cheer Squad sends players through a year in the life of a cheerleader. Players learn cheers, create routines and attend practices with the ultimate goal of being the captain of cheer camp’s champion squad. When used with the Wii console, players can use the Balance Board to incorporate movement and exercise into their game play. Available on Nintendo DS and Wii.

Animal Crossing: City Folk begins with players setting out to live life in a colorful virtual town filled with something different to do and new people to meet at every turn. Time passes in 24-hour increments and can be set up to mimic real life down to the minute. Available on Wii.

FIFA Soccer 09 has received praise for giving gamers near-perfect control over movement and feel. For example, bigger players are more likely to use their strength, while smaller players rely on quickness. Gamers can also create a custom player and develop their skills over a four-season period. Available on Nintendo DS, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Hasbro Family Game Night lets parents and children come together to play classic Hasbro board games with new age video game technology. Players can create their own game room filled with familiar Hasbro originals with a new twist. Games include: CONNECT FOUR Power Chips, BOGGLE Portal Cubes, Reverse YAHTZEE and BATTLESHIP Barrage, among others. Available on PlayStation 2 and Wii.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year DANCE! lets fans experience the energy, fun and music of the High School Musical movies. Gamers can choose to be their favourite character from the movie or create their own player. Either way, High School Musical fans will enjoy dancing to 29 songs from the movies alongside their favourite characters. Compete with friends in dance-offs or play together in dance duo. Available on Nintendo DS, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and Wii.

LittleBigPlanet is a revolutionary game that requires both brains and teamwork to explore, collect and solve puzzles. The most anticipated feature is the ability to build entire levels, which can be shared throughout the world via the PlayStation Network. NOTE: Although the game’s included content comes with an E-rating and is suitable for children, not all player-generated content is appropriate. Parents should monitor and be aware of the levels their children are accessing on the PlayStation Network. Available on PlayStation 3.

Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy finds Nancy travelling to Ireland to be the maid of honour at her best friend’s wedding. The groom goes missing and Nancy has to track him down by interviewing characters, solving puzzles and collecting tokens to pay for clues from the fortune teller. This game has complex characters and plot lines without unnecessary violence. Available on PC.

NBA LIVE 09 is the fourth edition to the NBA Live line of games. The game lets players work toward their dream of becoming NBA superstars. One of the most exciting aspects is the Live Dynamic DNA. This feature allows the player to update the game to match the NBA player’s real life performance. Available on PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

NCAA Basketball 09 is a new title for the popular NCAA March Madness franchise. The game offers a new feature, which challenges gamers to replicate a school’s style of play by rewarding players for accurately playing with the same method and tempo as the real-life teams. NCAA Basketball 09 will also feature Division I coaches providing real-time, in-game instruction and feedback to help players mimic their team’s style of gameplay. Available on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Samba de Amigo gives a new twist to the music game genre. Players shake maracas to the tune of catchy Latin beats with the goal of matching the designated height and patterns in rhythm with the music. Available on Wii.

Recommended T-rated games

Guitar Hero World Tour is expanding with drums and a microphone for its latest edition of the game allowing for a complete four-piece band (previous versions included guitar and bass instruments). The new guitar has a touch pad located on the neck that allows a player to alter notes by sliding up and down the strip. It is rated T for lyrics and mildly suggestive themes. Available on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Rock Band 2 brings back everything that was popular in the original Rock Band adding 84 new songs from AC/DC, Metallica, The Talking Heads, Journey, Modest Mouse and others. Players can still enjoy their original Rock Band favourites by transferring their previously downloaded songs to the new game. Rock Band 2 also introduces a new online mode. The game is rated T for lyrics and suggestive themes. Available on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Rock Revolution is the latest addition to the rock n’ roll game genre. Similar to Guitar Hero and Rock Band, players channel their inner rock stars by playing drums, guitar or bass. One add-on to this game is the Jam Mode that allows players to create their own music. This game is rated T for lyrics and tobacco reference. Available on Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Shaun White Snowboarding* allows players to test their boarding skills on four massive mountains. As you get better you can purchase new boards that will give you better speed and more air. The game is rated T for lyrics, mildly suggestive themes and mild violence. Available on Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows allows players to explore in a free-roaming, open-ended environment. Gamers can choose to play as the red, heroic, web-slinging Spiderman or the precarious and destructive black anti-hero Spiderman. Web of Shadows is rated T for animated blood, drug references, mild language, mildly suggestive themes and violence. Available on Nintendo DS, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Games to Avoid

Blitz The League II is not your friendly football video game. Players can target which part of their opponent they wish to demolish. Steroid and drug use is encouraged, and wins are celebrated with hookers in a hotel room. The game is rated M for blood and gore, strong language, suggestive themes, use of drugs and violence. Available on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Dead Space is one of the latest titles in the survival horror genre of video games. The setting is hundreds of years in the future after mankind has used all of earth’s natural resources. During the mission players, stranded on a crippled vessel, must destroy nightmarish creatures while trying to rescue any survivors and escape the ship. If caught the creatures will not just kill you, but dismantle your limbs and decapitate you. Dead Space is rated M for blood and gore, intense violence and strong language. Available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Fallout 3 is set in a post-nuclear world. The survivors must navigate their way through a world with giant insects, raiders, slavers and super mutants. Player’s kill whatever is in their path with guns and explosives. This game is rated M for blood and gore, intense violence, sexual themes, strong language and drug use. Available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Far Cry 2 is set in an unnamed African country being torn apart by two warring groups. The gamer’s mission is to kill The Jackal, an arms dealer who is supplying to both sides of the conflict. Blowing peopl
es heads off is a regular occurrence in this game. The game is rated M for blood, drug references, intense violence, sexual themes and strong language. Available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Gears of War 2 finds Marcus Fenix and the Delta Squad battling the Locust Horde for the survival of humanity. The game’s main weapon is the Lancer Assault Rifle, which combines a rifle with a chain saw. The game is rated M for blood and gore, intense violence and strong language. Available on Xbox 360.

Left 4 Dead finds the player in a city where a new and highly powerful rabies virus is quickly spreading. Victims become grotesquely disfigured and launch vicious attacks on the uninfected. In this co-operative multiplayer action game the gamers fight for survival. The game is rated M for blood and gore, intense violence, and language. Available on PC and Xbox 360.

Legendary is the story of Charles Deckard, a thief who breaks into a New York museum and opens what turns out to be Pandora’s Box, unleashing all of the world’s evil and destroying all humans in its path. Deckard must defeat the newly unleashed beasts and reseal Pandora’s Box to make society safe once again. Legendary is rated M for blood and gore, and intense violence. Available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Resistance 2 finds Nathan Hale fighting the same Chimera alien race he did in the original Resistance game. This version is set in the United States instead of Europe. The Chimera obliterates cities and kills civilians by the thousands. The game is rated M for blood and gore, intense violence and strong language. Available on PlayStation 3.

Saints Row 2 is the second edition to the open-world, gang-affiliated, shoot ‘em up game series. This game has expanded with new locations to explore and new vehicles to steal including motorcycles, boats, helicopters and planes. In the game, the player can choose to beat up strippers, slit rival game members throats, shoot cops and more. Saints Row 2 is rated M for blood and gore, intense violence, sexual content, strong language and use of drugs. Available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Silent Hill: Homecoming is a “first-person shooter” game. The gamer plays Alex Shepherd, a recently discharged soldier who returns home to Shepherd’s Glen. He finds that people are disappearing, the streets are shattered and strange creatures are roaming the town. Near the end the player is faced with a choice to shoot his mother in the head or let the rack rip her in half. The game is rated M for blood and gore, intense violence, language and sexual themes. Available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

The 2008 MediaWise Video Game Buying Guide [MediaWise]

There are five titles on the list right now, and all of them are relatively safe choices. Kung-Fu Panda, Lego Indiana Jones, and We Ski certainly fit the bill nicely. Guitar Hero On Tour for the DS is a bit of an odd choice, seeing as the inclusion of Skid Row’s “Youth Gone Wild” could possibly make youth go wild, but I suppose as long as parents are willing to take the risk. Rounding out the list is NCAA Football 2009, because every list of family-friendly games needs a football title for some odd reason, perhaps in hopes that children will drop this video game nonsense and become multi-millionaire pro athletes.

I’d list my personal choices for games to be included in the list, but let’s face it – if you’re on Kotaku looking for shopping ideas for your child, someone has played a horrible prank on you.

The Best Kid-Friendly Video Games of 2008 Holiday V, Toys of the Season

—(BUSINESS WIRE)—By Mike Bruno, Parents.com Contributor

We played until our fingers ached, but it was all worth it — we found five of the best kid-friendly video games (no violence or mature themes here). Whatever your kid’s age or interest, you’ll find the perfect gift for this holiday season.

We Ski- Wii

Age: 5+

Finally, a second game that uses the Balance Board you bought to use on Wii. We Ski uses the device to navigate the game’s snow-covered mountain playground.

Why We Like It

“We Ski does an admirable job mimicking the arm movements (pull the numchuk and remote toward your body to tuck poles and increase speed) and balance techniques you actually use on the slopes,” says Bruno contributor, for Parents.com. “Plus, it supports up to four players with a split-screen multiplayer mode.”

Kung Fu Panda- Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2

Age: 6-12

Po, the imaginative young panda from the computer-animated movie, takes you along on his daydream journey in which he is a kung fu warrior wielding “mad skills.”

Why We Like It

A fighting game without violence, if you can believe it. Detailed graphics aptly reproduce the fanciful world that was so beautifully rendered in the film. And the Jack Black imitator is pretty spot on, too.

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures- Wii, Nintendo DS, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360

Age: 10+

Our favourite archaeologist — in LEGO form! — runs through adventures from the first three Indy movies. Why We Like It

Once you’ve racked your brain figuring out the decently challenging puzzles, you’re rewarded with humorous asides from the movies, like a cocky Dr. Jones reaching back for his fedora, nearly being crushed by a giant stone door in the process.

Guitar Hero on Tour- Nintendo DS

Age: 10+

The Guitar Hero franchise hits Nintendo’s portable DS console without sacrificing too much of the fun game play that made the original game.

What We Like About It

The appeal is definitely in part the novelty of a shrunken-down Guitar Hero you can pull out of your pocket. The hand-sized strap-on Guitar Grip controller slips right into the DS console, enabling you engage in the same challenging rock-alongs as the original.

NCAA Football 2009- Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PSP

Age: 7+

Just like fans of real-life football, there are gamers who insist EA Sports’ college pigskin game is superior to their pro-football Madden franchise.

What We Like About It

In addition to some very cool additions to game play, ‘09 has also made some nice tweaks to the Dynasty mode, including an ability to enter a dynasty online and compete with up to 12 other players for the same pool of prospective students for over 60 seasons.

For more helpful tips on picking the right video game for your kids this holiday season, visit Parents.com.

It is an advertising truism that Sex Sells, but so does fear. Whether it is fear of human odours fuelling deodorant marketing or fear of Terror selling a war, manipulating our darkest fears is a surefire way to get the public to sign on the dotted line.

Full marks then for Gamestop’s latest ad which is all about the terror, with just a hint of sex underneath some TV-friendly pixellation. The horror.. THE HORROR.

The take home message is that you should always tell your relatives what you want for Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa/Festivus although in this case ‘new parents’, ‘a padlock’ and ‘a quantum of dignity’ will doubtless edge out games consoles and gift tokens.

The study found that children who played violent video games were more aggressive than those that did not, even taking into account children who were aggressive in the first place. The odd thing is the results were determined not so much through observation, though comments from parents and teachers were taken into account, but rather by asking the children about their own aggression levels.

The three groups of students involved in the testing consisted of 181 Japanese students ages 12 to 15; 1,050 Japanese students aged 13 to 18; and 364 U.S. kids ages 9 to 12, with initial information gathered in three different ways. The U.S. students were asked their three favourite games and how often they played them. The younger Japanese group was polled on how often they played games from specific violent genres, which included adventure…probably one of the least violent genres out there. The final group of older Japanese children were gaged on how often they played versus the violence levels contained within their favourite genres.

See any massive holes in the study so far? How about relying on children for accurate, truthful answers, or the fact that they are assigning violence levels to game genres?

The only way I see we’ll ever get a truly accurate report on this subject is to find a child somewhere that they have no exposure to violence in television, the news, the internet, etc., expose that child to violent video games and then see what happens. Unfortunately that child is in the 1950’s, and by now is probably a scientist somewhere doing violence studies because the world is a darker, grittier place than he remembers growing up.

To CNN’s credit, they do offer an alternative viewpoint in the form of one Dr. Cheryl K. Olson, co-director of the Centre for Mental Health and the Media at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Cheryl argues that the label “violent video games” is too vague, and that researchers need a strict definition of said term as well as what constitutes aggressive behaviour before any study can truly have merit.

“I think there may well be problems with some kinds of violent games for some kinds of kids,” Olson said. “We may find things we should be worried about, but right now we don’t know enough.”

Violent video games linked to child aggression [CNN - Thanks David!]