Family Tech Blog

Tag: video games

  • What the Heck Was Up With That Fortnite Rocket Launch?

    What the Heck Was Up With That Fortnite Rocket Launch?

    One of the great things about video games is the fact that you can decide to play on your own schedule. Your kids can play when you say it’s ok and you can manage their screen time easier that way. The days of live TV are all but completely behind us as well since we can stream shows we love and record live TV for playback later. Fortnite, in another attempt at mega-hype, has put a bit of a wrench in the convenience of gaming as entertainment. The live rocket launch last weekend gave Fortnite players all a reason to be in-game, and likely forsake everything else.

    The rocket launch was actually quite a feat of development for Epic Games as the launch was done live, simultaneously in every game that was running at the scheduled time. The rocket blasted off from a designated area and shuttled into the sky, blowing it’s first fuel tanks in an awe-inspiring explosion. Then the ship busted through the atmosphere, basically breaking the sky into pieces and causing quite the firework show. Finally, there were several more blasts as the shuttle rocketed in and out of the atmosphere and crashed on the game map, where it still sits for future games.

    You can find videos of the occasion all over YouTube and see for yourself. The coolest part was that in most games players refrained from battling each other, exchanging emotes (dance moves and funny pantomime) until after the launch was successful. There is debate among players as to what the launch means for the game as some believe it’s a way for Epic Games to add new content and keep it a part of the minimal storyline and lore of the game. What isn’t in question, in my opinion, is the fact that many kids forsake anything they could have been doing that night to log on and see the launch for themselves.

    Ok, Fine. Here’s What I Think About Fortnite

    What Parents Should Know

    Moms and dad that I have spoken with already have trouble understanding the time it takes to play a round of Fortnite. Mostly because it depends largely on how well you play. Obviously, if you die early your game ends early but you can just jump in and join a new one. If you make it a long time the round can take anywhere between thirty and forty minutes, again depending on the skills of the players. This causes parents to have trouble setting time limits and bedtimes for their younger kids. If they are supposed to turn it off at 10 pm but start a round at 9:45 there is no way they are going to give up half way through to go to bed. There is also the added issue of “squad mode” in which you play with your friends and try to win together as a team. If you’re not going to give up on a solo round the idea of bailing on your friends during a squad battle is absurd. As if this wasn’t enough for parents to have to wrap their minds around, Fortnite has now added live events to the game.

    To my knowledge, there haven’t been any announcements on future live event dates but this one was so successful and created such a buzz that they are sure to do it again. As Fortnite players become familiar with the game they learn that it follows seasons that change over to include new updates (like some of the possibilities that this rocket launch could mean) and features. They are sure to want to get in on the action as soon as the July 12 season rollover hits, especially now that there is a supposed “dimensional rift” in the sky. When these live events come around, your kids are going to want to be a part of them. They may even consider it worth arguing with you about if you try and tell them they can’t play during the event.

    My advice is to take it easy on them and remember how important it was to you to be able to wake up and see the next episode of your favorite cartoon on Saturday morning. Or how frustrated you may get if you have to miss the baseball game or soccer match next weekend because of some family obligation. Your kids see the events in their games in the same way. Yes, they can watch it later but they’ll argue that that is not the same. Obviously if something is going on that can’t be missed (i.e. a wedding, funeral, family reunion) you have an opportunity to teach them a lesson about priorities but if you’re just concerned about their screen time, encourage them to spend less time earlier in the week so they can be sure to have a reserve for logging on during the event. Or have them do extra chores or earn the extra time in another way.

    My point is that you should give your son or daughter the freedom to decide that something like a rocket launch in their favorite video game is worth making a priority while continuing to guide them to smart and healthy decisions about their screen time. Was the launch cool? Absolutely. Was it a major feat in game development and hosting? Totally! Will your kid be scarred for life if they missed it? Probably not, but if they have the opportunity to be a part of it, why not let them take that chance?

  • Fortnite is Available to Play Now on Nintendo Switch

    Fortnite is Available to Play Now on Nintendo Switch

    At E3, today, Nintendo announced that the extremely popular battle royale game, Fortnite, is available to play on their latest console, the Switch. Fortnite is an online multiplayer battle royale game that rushed onto the scene several months ago and broke all kinds of records. The game is free to play on PS4, XBox, Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and now on Nintendo Switch as well. There are some limitations, however, as PS4 won’t allow you to play online with players who use other consoles or computers to play. Also, Nintendo says they will be using a pay model for their online gaming platform beginning in September, whether or not Fortnite will fall into the pay to play category at that time remains to be seen.

    What Parents Should Know

    I wrote an extensive article about my thoughts on Fortnite. If your kids enjoy playing the game and have a Nintendo switch then they will likely ask to download it for their console very soon. Nintendo announced that it’s available now so be sure to keep an eye on what your kids are playing and installing and who they are playing with. Fortnite keeps pretty well with Nintendo’s seemingly family-friendly nature since the game is rating T for Teen and not M for Mature. While some Mature games are available on the Switch, most of the games produced for the console are rated T or below. Just keep in mind that multiplayer gaming is officially unrated and that Fortnite is famous because of the ability to play online with other players.

  • Parents Guide: Assassin’s Creed Origins

    Parents Guide: Assassin’s Creed Origins

    Assassin’s Creed Origins S.A.F.E. Rating

    Violence: 2 out of 5
    Language: 3 out of 5
    Sexual Content: 2 out of 5
    Positive Message: 2 out of 5

    Total: 9 out of 20 = Recommended for Adults Only!

    The Game

    Assassin’s Creed Origins is the 11th game in the Assassin’s creed series. The game is set in ancient Egypt around the time of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. Like other Assassin’s Creed games, Origins is set in a historical alternate timeline in which your character is changing the course of history by completing your missions. The story is complicated because it is also set in modern/near future timeline. In this timeline, you are a researcher who is using the DNA of a historical figure to move into the past and become an assassin. The multiple timelines and characters make for an interesting, while at times confusing, story. In Origin’s you’re working to take out a secret society who is behind the dark times your country is experiencing. Eventually, you make your way to Rome and take part in one of the largest Assassinations in history. If you’re a fan of history, Assassin’s Creed games are interesting even though they’re obviously based in fiction. The setting and politics of the story are well crafted and keep your attention well. Origins is an open world game which means you have multiple missions all over the game world that you can complete outside of the main story. This lends itself to replayability beyond “beating” the game.

    Assassin’s Creed isn’t the best game I’ve seen, the controls seem heavy and the combat is a bit “clunky” but it is interesting and seems to be what Assassin’s Creed fans want out of a game in the series.

     

    Violence/Gore (2)

    You take the role of an assassin in this game so obviously, violence is a major part of the gameplay. You kill people in multiple ways including bows, swords, axes, blunt force weapons, and even ships. There is a stealth element to the game that is meant to reward the player by giving them multiple ways to kill their foe quietly. There is a lot of blood involved in every assassination and some beheadings and slit throats as well during cinematics. Your violence is celebrated and is, in fact, considered the goal of every mission of the game. Killing is, after all, the job of an assassin.

    Language (3)

    The language is interesting in this game. Words that would be considered “adult” are used in some of the dialog but they are often (not always) spoken in Egyptian or Latin. The translation is shown in the subtitles, however. In the modern day/near future timeline there is adult language throughout including F—, Sh–, D—, and H—.

    Sexual Content (2)

    While the main characters’ sexual encounters are treated as PG or PG-13 there are multiple instances of nudity and even sexual situations. Many of the village women are topless and bare breasts are shown while you’re just riding your horse around the game map. One mission takes you to a brothel in which you see many topless women and even a couple in a sexual situation. They are in the background and not the focus of the mission but what they are doing is very obvious. Cleopatra has women dancing for her, some are topless, and she speaks to men about spending the night with her and being killed the next day telling them that it would be “well worth it.”

    Positive Message (2)

    Assassination is literally the name of the game here. The goal is to kill and do it creatively and effectively. Murdering person after person in a video game has a way of getting satisfying. I believe this is a cause for concern. Especially for younger audiences.

    The only reason this doesn’t receive a 1 out of 5 for the positive message is that there isn’t much question that those you’re killing are the worst of the worst and those who work for them. Also, there is a focus on a couple of female characters in this game that I am glad to see. They are portrayed as powerful and passionate and even their costumes are tasteful and make sense. They aren’t just in the game to be eye candy. They play major roles in the story and they are fun to play as.

    Final Thoughts

    I recommend that this game is reserved for those over the age of 17, just like the rating says. Blood and gore, drugs/alcohol, violence, nudity, language, and sexual content all make the highlights list and for good reason. The playthrough I watched exhibited multiple examples of each of these themes and they are presented in ways that are very much geared towards an adult audience. When your 13-year-old asks for an Assassin’s Creed game for Christmas, this is what he is wanting. Maybe redirect him to something a bit more age appropriate.

  • Parent Guide: Call of Duty World War 2

    Parent Guide: Call of Duty World War 2

     

    
Call of Duty World War 2 S.A.F.E. Rating

Violence: 1 out of 5
Language: 2 out of 5
Sexual Content: 4 out of 5
Positive Message: 5 out of 5

    The Game

    Call of Duty has been the “Belle” of the FPS (first person shooter) ball since day Halo. COD games are created with extremely high budgets and make intense amounts of money for the developers. These games are released on nearly every gaming platforms and each version seems to outsell the previous. Needless to say, many parents are being asked by their young teen or even pre-teen kids if they can go out and get the game for Christmas. Be sure to read this post before you decide to stuff their stocking with this Rated-M game. Here’s my breakdown.

    Violence/Gore (1)

    Call of Duty is a war game. You’d expect a fair amount of pew pew pew gun action and bloody gore and that’s exactly what you will get. In the first few minutes you see someones face blown off, arms and legs missing, and a explosions blowing people and pieces of people into the air. When you have a chance to fire back you see the brute force of your weapon as people’s faces and bodies become covered in blood when you shoot them. The level of gore is dependent on the weapon you are using but it never truly lets up. There is continuous shooting, explosions, stabbing (bayonets and knives), and hand to hand combat. Some of the violence isn’t just to soldiers, there’s discussion about how prisoners are handled, as well as civilians being killed.

    Zombies

    The gore does pick up, however, when you play the Zombie portions of the game. So does the language. Imagine half decomposed, limbless bodies coming after you over and over again in increasing numbers. Then imagine you have nothing but a shovel to defend yourself. The gore STARTS there and just gets more brutal as the game continues. In the Zombie levels you have to get past puzzle like obstacles while fighting off these waves of the undead. You get stronger weapons and unlock traps and boosts to kill the onslaught in more affective, yet, gruesome ways. The Zombie section isn’t a separate purchase or something you can lock or unlock, it’s a part of the game.

    Language (2)

    The language is rated R from the very beginning. You’ll hear F—, Sh–, D—, H—, G–D—, and D— throughout the game. It’s your basic FPS, war game vocabulary. While I can’t guarantee I’d be saying gosh and golly gee during hardcore WWII combat, that doesn’t change the fact that we have to look out for our younger kids and young teens and decide if the language in games like Call of Duty World War 2 is something we want them to take in.

    Sexual Content (4)

    No sexual content besides a bit of “locker room” talk between a few of the soldiers. There is discussion of girlfriends and fiancé as well as some chatter about meeting women when they get to Paris. Any sexual content or conversation pretty much ends at jokes and innuendo.

    Positive Message (5)

    This was the most surprising part of Call of Duty World War 2 for me. I wasn’t expecting such positive vibes from the game. The focus on the heroism, the discussion on PTSD, commitment, sacrifice, and what you must withstand to face combat. It was all very very interesting and quite emotional at times. If you play the story mode you will get a sense of belonging to the unit you fight with during the game. You play as a soldier named Red Daniels, and live a bit of his history, future, and present day life in combat. This story takes you from D-Day until you secure the bridge across the Reign, the river that you must cross to get into Germany and eventually Berlin. The epilogue takes you a bit beyond that even. (Don’t want to spoil it.)

    The generation of men and women who fought in WW2 are looked upon with honor in this game. There are speeches given by some characters in the game that really emphasize the sacrifice the young (and old) people of that day had to face as they fought the evil that was the Nazi regime. I was impressed by the attention given to the human sacrifice during the time of WWII and feel like, if a teenager or adult is old enough to handle the content, the message will be a good one for many of us to hear.

    MULTIPLAYER

    I didn’t test multiplayer in this game but I will say simply that there are no ratings listed for multiplayer on any video game. The reason for that is that the conversations had while you play online with other people can and will turn ADULT very and very quickly. My recommendation is that online, multiplayer, gaming be something is only approved for your older teenage kids that you trust can handle the onslaught of adult language and innuendo.

    Final Thoughts

    This game is rated M for Mature. That means it was CREATED for people aged 17 and older. No doubt, your younger teen will be asking permission to play this game. Hopefully you will take all the information in this article into account before blindly allowing them to play a game with content that’s intended for users up to five years older than they are. There’s a big difference in the mental maturity of at 12 year old and an 18 year old.

    I absolutely wouldn’t recommend games like this for kids with any kind of attention problems or anxiety. The game is very stressful and barely lets up for cut scenes and story elements. Shortly after any kind of break in the action, though, you’re right back into it and the fighting is very intense. This action includes explosives going on all around you, being shot at, meeting objectives before you lose members of your squad. It’s all very high impact and the “fight or flight” response would be very very extreme during this game. The drama during some of the cut scenes could even be a bit much for some kids and teens because it deals with heavy and dark topics like PTSD, losing friends in combat, and the mistreatment of civilians and prisoners.

    Be wise with games that have an M rating. Know what your kids are getting into and don’t buy them the game just because they wear you down and you give in. Be smart enough to protect them from content they may not be ready to see. It will definitely be worth it.

  • Here’s Why Your Kids Watch Other People Play Video Games

    Here’s Why Your Kids Watch Other People Play Video Games

    Watching other people play video games may not be something that you, as a parent, understand. The truth, however, is that it isn’t weird. It’s called esports and its popularity has grown in leaps and bounds. In fact, the recently released Kleiner Perkins 2017 Internet Trends report states that the popularity of esports has grown 40% every year. Also, 40% of the demographic that your kids belong in (millennials) even state that they prefer esports to traditional sports.

    Esports is growing all over the world it allows those with video game skills to test their abilities against the best on our globe. Most esport competitions begin with online qualifying matches and then culminate in an actual tournament style playoff in front of a live, and online audience. You can find an esports league for pretty much any video game you play. There are sports gaming leagues, Role Playing Game leagues, first person shooter game leagues, and even leagues and competitions for the most casual of puzzle games.

    Not all video gaming entertainment is competition based. “Let’s Play” video games on YouTube and LiveStreams on Twitch have also seen a massive increase in popularity. These videos feature gamers playing their favorite games and narrating their experience while thousands of fans watch and comment on the videos. On Twitch, streamers react in real time to the comment section or “twitch chat” allowing them to engage with their viewers and even let those watching help them make in-game decisions and strategies. These Let’s Play gamers build large communities that are extremely faithful and supportive. Many have even been able to make gaming their full time job because of ad revenue and the generosity of their viewing community. 

    What Parents Should Know

    First of all I recommend you take the idea of esports being a fad out of your mind completely. The truth is that esports is simply the next phase of the same video game culture that started while or before you were even a child. When people start to do something that takes any level of skill, opportunities to measure your skill against opponents will soon follow. Then, of course comes the chance to play for money since these competitions will surely draw a crowd who will pay for the privilege to be entertained by your tournament. Just think about poker or chess or cheerleading. These are all things that many start out doing as a hobby but there is a real competitive culture for these activities and therefore, a real industry. Video Gaming is no different.

    As far as your kids’ safety, I recommend that you know what games and gamers they like to watch. Get into that world a little bit for yourself and learn who these people are that your kid is watching play. There are adults that play games you kids love on YouTube but they don’t use very kid friendly language while they play. There are also people on YouTube who play very adult oriented games. You should have a general idea who your kids are viewing and what kind of content they share. The best way to do this is to share their YouTube and Twitch account and keep an eye on who they follow or subscribe to and their viewing history. I know this just adds more pieces to the internet safety puzzle but it’s worth the effort.

  • Nintendo Switch Launches New Parental Controls App

    Nintendo Switch Launches New Parental Controls App

    Nintendo has always provided good gaming console solutions for families with younger kids. Many of their games are family friendly and they were some of the first to try to provide a more active method of gaming. Nintendo Switch is no exception. The popularity of Nintendo Switch is growing and its versatility is one of the features that is feeding that growth. While the number of games available on release was low, the system is still selling well, breaking records in its first weeks. With it’s newest parental control app release, I think Nintendo Switch remains a good game system for families. 

    The parental control app is free and available for iOS and Android. After installing the app you can sync it with the Nintendo account that is on your Switch and begin setting up age requirements, time limits, and sharing restrictions. This article has a good step by step on how to setup the parental controls on the app.  There are other features as well, such as a time played section and a monthly summary. If you have a Nintendo Switch then get this app as soon as you can. It’s another great way to protect your kids while they use technology.

    Don’t Stop the Conversation

    While this app is a great feature for parents it doesn’t eliminate the need for parents to remain actively involved in their child’s online and gaming experiences. Continue to have conversations with your kids about the games they play and how much time they spend on those games. Discuss healthy habits and time management. They need to learn how to make quality decisions in those areas and it’s up to you to teach them.