According to research from the Entertainment Software Association, 70% of families have at least one child who plays video games. Mobile is becoming a critical segment of the game industry. NPD Group reports that 59% of U.S. gamers age 2+ play across devices, on dedicated gaming consoles, desktops, laptops or mobile devices. And 34% of gamers who play exclusively one system do so on a mobile device.

While online gaming can provide quality social interaction, there’s also a darker side. From cyber bullying to online predators to hidden costs, there are many concerns when it comes to playing video games online, especially for children. The most important thing a parent can do is to establish a dialogue about safe online usage at a young age and build upon that as your children get older. When they understand the risks and the importance of security, children are more likely to come to you with red flags, alarms or smaller things that worry them.

Here’s a list of the top seven dangers and simple tips to keep your kids safe online.

Cyber bullying

For many kids, the ability to escape into an online world offers relief from real life—no one knows who they are, what school they attend or what they look like. This anonymity cuts both ways, however. This may start out as the gamer version of poor sportsmanship. As noted by Get Safe Online, some players take advantage of their anonymity to “grief” other players by deliberately making the game less enjoyable. This could include “kill stealing,” which is when griefers conquer or capture needed quest targets before other players can get to them; or “chaining” groups of high-level challenges to block the progress of low-level players, causing them to die.

In some cases, griefing escalates to cyber bullying. Although cyber bullying sadly has countless forms, some forms are particular to gaming platforms. In “whispering” cyber bullies target players directly with hurtful and harmful messages, or by spamming global chat channels with derogatory comments about their victims. According to Stay Safe Online, it’s critical for kids and parents to understand their options. Most games allow players to “block” chat and messages from other users, and in some cases, the bully’s words or actions may be a violation of the game’s terms of service. It’s always a good idea to write down or take a screenshot of any offensive conversation and report it to game administrators.

Privacy Problems

Stay Safe Online also recommends that kids never create usernames that are derivatives of their real names, or that might reveal any other personally identifiable information (PII), such as their location or age. According to US-CERT, the social nature of online gaming allows cyber criminals to manipulate conversations. They may single out your child in a general chat channel and then start sending personal messages that ask for detailed personal information. By piecing together data from games and other sources, hackers may be able to access other existing accounts such as social media or establish new accounts—even entire digital identities—in your child’s name. As in any online forum, never give away any personal information and be sure to vary usernames and passwords are across different games, platforms and accounts.

Personal Information on Consoles, Computers and Devices

Another online gaming danger comes from consoles or PCs themselves. When they’ve outlived their usefulness, many families take these devices to the local electronics recycling center or sell them on swap sites. Users often forget how much personal information is in the files saved to these devices and fail to delete their profiles and information, putting their financial and private data at risk. Before getting rid of any computer, game console, tablet or smartphone, you should wipe all personal data from and then perform a factory reset.

The specific tools or procedures needed might vary depending on the type of device, so it’s important to research this for each device. Also, remember that some devices might include storage areas that aren’t affected by the device’s erase functions. If a device uses computer-compatible storage drives, like SD cards, connect them to your computer and securely erase the data. For computers, don’t rely on the “Delete” function or even reformatting. These features are designed to permanently erase all user data from disk drives. Instead, you should use a program that completely removes data by overwriting the data multiple times.

By following these simple tips and strategies, you can start winning more often at online gaming. So what are you waiting for? Start putting these tips into practice today and see how they can help you take your game to the next level!

Do you love playing online games? If so, you’re definitely not alone. In fact, online gaming has become one of the most popular pastimes on the internet. But what if you want to take your game to the next level? How can you improve your skills and start winning more often? In this blog post, we will share some tips and strategies that have helped us win at online gaming time and time again!

First and foremost, if you want to win at online gaming, you need to have a positive attitude. Believe in yourself and your ability to succeed. When you approach the game with confidence, it will show in your performance. Additionally, don’t be afraid to take risks. Sometimes, the best way to win is to go for it!

Another important tip is to stay focused and concentrated on the task at hand. It can be easy to get distracted when playing online games, but if you want to win, you need to maintain your focus. Pay attention to what’s happening in the game and make sure you’re making the right moves.

Finally, always remember that practice makes perfect! The more you play, the better you’ll become at the game. If you’re serious about winning, make sure to set aside some time each day to play. The more you play, the better your chances will be of coming out on top!

By following these simple tips and strategies, you can start winning more often at online gaming. So what are you waiting for? Start putting these tips into practice today and see how they can help you take your game to the next level!

With a positive attitude, focus, and practice, anyone can improve their skills and start winning more often at online gaming. Stay confident in yourself and don’t be afraid to take risks—sometimes the best way to win is by going for it. And finally, remember that practice makes perfect. The more you play, the better your chances will be of coming out on top. So what are you waiting for? Start putting these tips into practice today and see how they can help you take your game to the next level!

Don’t forget to have fun too! Online gaming should be enjoyable so make sure to find a balance between playing to win and playing for fun. With a little bit of effort, you can start seeing some serious improvements in your game play. Good luck!

Do you have any other tips or strategies that have helped you win at online gaming? Share them with us in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you! And if you found this blog post

In the pre-Nintendo 1980s and 1990s era, gaming was home-PC centric with keyboards as the main controlling mechanism. Once Nintendo, Sega, and SONY created their own gaming consoles, keyboards took a backseat to small controllers. Now, though, keyboards are back with a vengeance as the main controlling mechanism for the gaming world. And they’re cool looking, too! Never before has a QWERTY keyboard been so neat to look at, with most gaming keyboards sporting flashy lights and state-of-the-art ergonomic designs. However, with all flashy looks, there is a sinister, grosser side to gaming keyboards, which is that keyboards are home to some of the nastiest bacteria around. How dirty is a computer keyboard? Well, the answer to that begins with understanding how dirty is a toilet.

Alarming amounts of fecal bacteria

Yes, that’s right. Numerous scientific studies have been conducted that confirm the presence of alarming amounts of fecal matter on keyboards. Why? Well, because most people don’t wash their hands enough (or at all) after using the WC. Sad but true. In fact, it has been concluded that the seat of a typical toilet is cleaner than the keys of a typical QWERTY keyboard. Think about that next time you’re typing an email.

This gross information shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us, though, should it? I mean, how many of us browse on our smartphones while using the loo? The answer is probably close to 100%. Because smartphones aren’t regularly disinfected, fecal matter (though microscopic) continues to live on the surface of our phones, which we touch throughout the day, and therefore transfer fecal matter bacteria to other surfaces, including keyboards . . . which also don’t get cleaned very often (if at all).

How to clean a gaming keyboard

Now, if you’ve reached this point of the blog post and you’re freaking out about the nasty poop germs that reside on your keyboard, that’s a good thing. However, a better thing is to do something about it. Might I suggest using an eco-friendly, tech-friendly disinfectant like Melaleuca Sol-U-Guard to get rid of the WC grossness? Stay away from harmful cleaners that use bleach, because you are going to have your bare skin (fingertips) touching the keyboard.

Conclusion

Even though gaming requires very little movement, it’s amazing how much crap (literally) the gaming experience exposes you to, not to mention the other health risks associated with sitting for so long. However, with just a bit of prevention (hand-washing) and a little disinfecting, you can ensure a safe, clean environment for your gaming life.

If you lived through the 1980s, then you lived through the advent of Nintendo and the introduction of the Mario brothers into the budding world for gamers. But who are these brothers, anyway? And why are they plumbers? Why not some other career? Who are the Super Mario Brothers?

To answer the question, Who are the Super Mario Brothers, let’s do so line by line.

(1) Their names are Mario and Luigi

Mario and Luigi are Italian plumbers and are fraternal twins, which means they’re twins, but look different from each other. Luigi is tall and slender. Mario is short and pudgy.

(2) They are plumbers

According to the video game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, the plumbing profession was chosen for Mario and Luigi to give the characters a construction trade, similar in thinking as to why Donkey Kong was designed to take place on a construction site. Initially, Mario and Luigi were going to be carpenters, but then designers settled on making them plumbers, because much of the game occurs underground.

(3) They live in New York City

According to the Miyamoto, Mario and Luigi are New York City plumbers of Italian decent.

(4) Luigi is the younger brother

(5) Mario and Luigi’s last name is . . . Mario

Yup, it’s Mario Mario and Luigio Mario, at least according to Miyamoto.

(6) Mario’s first occupation was carpenter

Mario’s first appearance in the video game world was on Donkey Kong, where he is depicted as a carpenter.

(7) Mario and Luigi have had several girlfriends

Mario’s first girlfriend was the damsel in distress, Pauline, from Donkey Kong. He later went after Princess Peach from Super Mario Bros. He also had a fling with Princess Daisy in Super Mario Land, but Princess Daisy is more committed to Luigi.

Conclusion

Although Mario and Luigi began as simple characters in a video game, they have evolved into worldwide pop culture icons.

A new era, a new family, a new purpose, and a whole lot of new things to kill

Kratos is no longer the permanently furious, yelling war machine he once was. He’s a dad now. Okay, so he might still have a voice that makes it sound like he eats rocks for breakfast, and you certainly can’t deny that the swing of his axe is as deadly as his dual blades, but Kratos has changed. Now he’s in a mysterious Norse land, he’s calmer and struggling with fatherhood. By his side is Atreus, his young son who’s handy with a bow. Despite his age you can use this young and definitely very squishy son in double team attacks and use him to translate runes and magic inscriptions, as Kratos hasn’t really mastered that. He is Greek, after all. But there’s far, far more to God of War than a father/son relationship. We’ve got details on collector’s editions, release dates, combat, and everything else you could possibly need.

Let me preface this review by saying that I am coming from the point of view of a player who initially played the three adventures as a PC rather than as a GM who ran the game.

This means that I come from the perspective of how it ended up not how it was supposed to end up. Nonetheless, I feel that the GM that ran the adventures stayed very true to what was presented with an exception or two which I will note.

Since it’s nice to be confident that a game is going to be good ahead of time and then to have your assumptions justified once you finally play it, but that never manages to capture the same sense of elation as a game coming out of nowhere and blowing you away can. That’s how I feel about Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock from Black Lab Games. I heard about it many moons ago, thought little of it and then was mildly surprised to get review code come through a few days before launch. I was even more surprised when I played it.

The dark, gritty and eventually hugely confusing reboot of the delightfully campy Battlestar Galactica remains one of my favorite TV shows of all time despite its somewhat lackluster ending, and even back when it was being shown weekly I can remember thinking that an RTS set in the same universe would be pretty cool.  It may have taken ten fracking years but Slitherine must have agreed, although they’ve taken the real-time bit away in favor of turn-based strategy in space set during the first war with the Cylons.

Agents of Mayhem has been spawned directly from the Saints Row series, and despite not bearing its name in the title it takes place within the same universe, although this time developer Volition have chosen to take a real city (Seoul) and then chuck some sci-fi paint all over it. The game we’ve gotten out of this looks and feels a lot like the newer, crazier Saints Row games, but with a twist.

The game begins so promisingly with a 90s cartoon vibe complete with a vibrant color palette and a guitar riff that sounds so much like my Saturday morning viewing as a kid that my nostalgia gland (totally a real thing) briefly went into overdrive and nearly killed me. You’re going to be working for Mayhem, an over-the-top task force led by femme fatale Persephone who is going up against Legion, helmed by the nefarious Doctor Babylon along with his cast of barmy lieutenants, including the obnoxious popstar August Gaunt who deserves to be eaten by piranhas. Initially, quite lovely cartoon-esque cutscenes set the stage for something that could be a whole lot of fun, but a lot like the rest of the game these sequences seem to go downhill over time.

Every day we come face to face with one of the world’s leading causes of death: our car. Nearly 3,287 people die each day due to car accidents. Even in non-fatal accidents, consequences can include sever injuries, extended medical treatment or surgical needs, long-term care, dealing with the insurance and medical bills, impact on employment, and – of course- the cost of repairing or replacing the car.

With this in mind, it is no wonder that scientists today are studying ways to improve driving skills. Recent studies have shown that driver’s education may not be the only way to help drivers improve their road skills. There is evidence that the virtual world helps us develop skills for the real world, like those used for safe and successful driving.

Thinking Quick on Your Feet

Video games help players to make the right decisions faster. One study showed that those who play fast paced video games answered questions and made accurate decisions 25% faster than those playing slower paced games. This is significant because gamers evolve to decrease their reaction times but don’t decrease in accuracy. This feat is extremely advantageous as drivers not only have to react quickly but also maintain accuracy to avoid getting in car accidents.

Helping Drivers Watch Out!

Various observational skills may be acquired through video games. Another study found that after hours of gaming, novice drivers developed visual search techniques that helped them to scan for hazards while driving. Playing video games leads to marked improvement between visual information and motor control. In other words, as the player sees hazards in a game, they are able to react quickly and appropriately to visual cues. For example, as a projectile rockets towards them, players are required to react quickly to avoid the hazard. This skill is easily translated to driving as motorists avoid objects in the street, pedestrians, and potential oncoming vehicles on a daily basis.

What about Non-Driving Games?

Interestingly, studies found that both driving related and action games invoked development of the aforementioned skills. Action games were linked specifically to the player’s ability to avoid distractions and make quick decisions. Driving games were linked to lane precision and motor control. However, each game serves a different purpose depending on the audience. Novice drivers learn better from driving games because they are able to develop skills related to maintaining control of a vehicle. Experienced drivers, however, improved in their ability to predict “input error signals” through FPS games.

So whether you are a pro or a noob, video games may hold the key to making you a better driver and the roads safer. Play a game, save a life.