Game Console Timer Billed as a Parental Helper, But...
Game Console Timer Billed as a Parental Helper, But...
June 29, 2009
A device that allows parents to limit their children's console gaming time has gotten a lot of attention around the Net over the past few days.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune kicked off the coverage with a Saturday article which decribed the GameDr (pronounced: "Game Doctor") and its 79-year-old inventor, John Morrissey. For the newspaper, the angle seemed primarily local, since Morrissey lives in Edina, Minnesota.
Such devices are not new, however. GamePolitics has reported on a few over the years.
Aside from being easily defeated by simply using a spare power cord, we have to wonder: If a parent can't say no to their child about their gaming time in the first place, how do they plan to say no when the kid protests the use of this device?
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Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:05am
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:03am
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:56am
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:45am
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:37am
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:36am
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:32am
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:30am
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:44am
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:40am
JDKJ: We can sit here all day and debate the relative merits. However, I think the events of recent days suggest that an FN Five-Seven ain't exactly the same as that Daisy BB gun you got for Christmas when you were a kid.
JDKJ: We can sit here all day and debate the relative merits. However, I think the events of recent days suggest that an FN Five-Seven ain't exactly the same as that Daisy BB gun you got for Christmas when you were a kid.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:38am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: tumbling can be quite dangerous. However, the rounds that commonly tumbled were variants of the SS90. Civilian ammo tends to tumble far less commonly.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: tumbling can be quite dangerous. However, the rounds that commonly tumbled were variants of the SS90. Civilian ammo tends to tumble far less commonly.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:33am
JDKJ: I understand that while they don't have much expansion effect, they tend to "yaw" on impact. Yaw can be almost just as damaging as mushrooming.
JDKJ: I understand that while they don't have much expansion effect, they tend to "yaw" on impact. Yaw can be almost just as damaging as mushrooming.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:30am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: Except when one considers the lack of expansion for the 5.7, it basically ends up leaving a far smaller hole.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: Except when one considers the lack of expansion for the 5.7, it basically ends up leaving a far smaller hole.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:29am
JDKJ: But if the latter's travelling at close to twice the speed of the former, there's a compensatory effect on the weight difference.
JDKJ: But if the latter's travelling at close to twice the speed of the former, there's a compensatory effect on the weight difference.
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Comments
What if you're in the middle of an MGS4 install?
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Believe in something! Even if it's wrong, believe in it! -Glenn Beck
You are screwed.
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
or a DMC4 Install?
Let's not forget how long a PS3 download takes.
What if it cuts mid save?
Couldn't you just simply take it off. Lol
It didn't say anything about how it is locked on. Just simply take it off and that solves the issue. Its a piece of garbage.
REAL EFFECTIVE OLD MAN lol
PEACE!!!
Old Guy: You see my plan is to put a timer device between the outlet and the power cable and it will turn the device off when the time is up ....
Consumer: and how sir would a child not just circumvent this device ?
Old Guy: Because kids are stupid darn nabit
Consumer: and also sir as consoles have become more powerful they have started to reacqurie the same care as a PC meaning that yanking the power suddenly out of the device can cause damage to the File System let alone the information currently being accessed by the game such as save game information etc ... how does your device handle this?
Old Guy: God Darn Nabit you people can't raise your kids buy my crap and shut your pie hole.
Consumer: I see thank you sir.
As another side not how much you wanna bet a lawsuit happens against this company the first time it turns power off when a console is updating corrupting their hard drive and forcing them to rebuy anything they downloaded (I know Sony is evil about movie's that have been downloaded).
Any lawsuit wouldn't have merit, due to the fact that it is not a device approved for use by any gaming company, and it isn't advertised as such.
Freedom of speech means the freedom to say ANYTHING, so long as it is the truth. This does not exclude anything that might hurt someone's feelings.
Hee hee, I like that point, they would need to include some kind of disclaimer: "We do not accept responsibility for our device causing RRoD or any other kind of bricking to your sophisticated console system."
Also, this product to me seems like it supports parental laziness. From the same minds who brought you "pay no attention to what media your kid buys/consumes, let the state and the law handle this!", now comes "Don't even bother to check when they are playing, just use this stupid peice of equipment while you watch tv all evening!"
If you tell your kid(s), xbox goes off at 9pm, then it's your responsibility to go up to their room or wherever the console is and make sure that's what happens. If someone is so lazy that they can't get off their fat ass to do that much, then their kids are going to have worse problems than playing too much games, they are going to have the most shiftless wasters as primary role models! Confiscating the controllers does exactly the same thing and costs nothing except having some brains and a little bit of responsibility. Unfortunately that seems a little too pricey for some...
Yeah I think it'll only take one 'Save Data corrupted, Continue anyway?" before the kid annihilates this thing with a sledgehammer. *insert generic 'parents should do their f***ing job' text here*
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Capitalism: Beating common sense since whenever it became popular.
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
a more effective method than that useless piece of thing would be simply run to your local hardware store for a decent combination lock, and use it to lock your breaker panel when you've shut the breaker off to the room with the game console in it, much more effective totalitarianism :D
My b/f's dad came up with a way to keep him off the tv when everyone was in bed. he created a box containging a 'light' swtich and an electrical outlet that had a cord to plug into a wall outlet. there was a notch cut in the lip of the box to allow cords to go into the box without being crimped by the lid. and the lid had a latch that could be secured with a padlock. Flip the switch, it would cut power to what ever was plugged into the box outlet. Once locked shut, one couldn't just unplug it from the 'control box' and plug it back into the wall.
you know what, i don't think i would have thought about that, not like I should ever be in charge of the care of a child however :P
The only use I could imagine for such a device is if the kid was home alone and the parent (or babysitter) wasn't there to oversee their activities. Which wouldn't be ideal for any kid younger than 13 anyway.
Otherwise, yeah, save your money and just tell the kid to turn the damn thing off. If he repeatedly doesn't listen, take the machine away for a while. If they throw a tantrum, throw the machine out a second story window.
And yes, I would destroy a several hundred dollar device if a child backtalked me.
Because selling it just sends the wrong message. At the very least, throw the CHILD out the window and keep the console for yourself.
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
If you would destroy a several hundred dollar machine simply because of childish backtalk, you probably shouldn't be caring for children.
-Gray17
+1. Do yourself a favor, Arell.. Stay away from children.
I support your strong parenting, however instead of busting it take it to a children's hospital or similar organization, teaching your kid two lessons in one go, responsible playing habits and charity.
I like that idea if the console in question was only played by the kids. In my household, everyone plays on the console.
A plug-in timer................ HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Do people really think that this is going to work. This is a Fail with a capital FAIL! But you know what truely makes this peice of hardware worthless is not that the kid can simply unplug and replug the console. No....
Its the fact that BOTH Xbox360 and PS3 have BUILT IN parental timers that are infinitly harder to circumvent in comparison. For example the Xbox360 allows the user/parent to set up a 4 digit combination code for accessing various parental control functions, Including a timer with hourly/daily/weekly settings. For the combination code there are roughly 8 buttons that can be used, meaning over 1000 different possible codes. I am doubtful little billy would have the patience to go through every single last combination. Any account playing the console is given X number of hours to play before you are prompted to input the code Otherwise the console will shut off; and it doesnt even quit the game when the time is up meaning no lost progress or damaged console. The parental controls on modern consoles are incredibly versitle, the problem is that most people, like this guy, doesnt seem to realize this.
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Responsibility: Its time that the next generation takes up the reigns of power in our government, before the old fools who hold them steer this country of ours closer to capsizing. We must act before its to late to repair the damage.
Over 4000 different codes, actually, if there are 8 options. Most parents today would never want to make their little cupcake sad though...lest they have to actually deal with a child for once.
-If an apple a day keeps the doctor away....what happens when a doctor eats an apple?-
Back in my day, my parents would unplug the TV antenna and tell us that the TV was broken to force us outside. They limited my game time to 30 min a day during the school week. I'm grateful to them for that.
Too many parents these days are spineless (just like the rest of western society) and lazy.
My parents never cared how long I played on my NES and Playstation as long as my chores and grades were good. I guess they figured if I was being productive and such and had a hobby that didn't interfere with said productivity then why should they limit something that made me happy and allowed me a way kill time without doing stupid stuff.
Then again, my parents didn't view video games as some kind of evil soul crushing device so much as an interactive toy.
Don't the current gen consoles have built-in timers anyway? The 360 does at least...
More proof parents need to educate themselves on the features of game consoles.
The 360's timer is for inactivity. If you let it idle for 8 hour or however long you set it it will turn off.
http://www.eliteownage.com/nice
Actually, there is, or was, a "Family Timer". Not sure if it's still there because I had to sell my XBox 360 last month due to a trip I had to make.
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/familysettings/isyourfamilyset/familytimerfactsheet.htm
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
http://www.facebook.com/nightwing2000
Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl
Of course it's still there. Only thing that's changed from what you linked to is, that it's not a separate download anymore. It just comes along with the rest of the default UI and is a vastly superior solution.
For many, it's a useless tool. But there are a few it may be useful for.
A Parent who feels their child can't be responsible enough to pay attention to a timer probably won't use it.
A child who doesn't want to abide by a timer will work to get around it.
But a Parent who has found that their child is responsbile enough and will abide by a timer might find it useful. Yeah, the timer might catch them off guard. But, at the same time, it will create a good habit in that the child will eventually find that finishing up well in advance and not getting started on something that will take a long time. It can be one of several tools used to create responsibility and good habits. For some anyway. It just depends on the needs of the Parent and what they know of their child.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
http://www.facebook.com/nightwing2000
Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl
Does it lock on to the power cable in any way?
Also, why not just use the parental controls in the console?
If a Parent can program their VCR (wadda ya mean, "What's that?"? Shaddup!), they can probably program the Parental Controls.
If not, less technology is helpful. :)
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
http://www.facebook.com/nightwing2000
Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl