@LBsutke

I would like to point out that it is Thursday... yet i have not seen your blog witht he purty pictures. Please shape the fuck up.

Lots of work stress lately. And by lately I mean today: my neck and back hurts: I hate taking stress home with me. Other than that: my Mom is coming up for a vistin otmorrow. That will either go really well or Mommy will need a drink or five.

I have received a few PMs about writing for the site: Basically my message: don't be shy! Send me your ideas and your rough work and lets make some great content! We are thinking of having "point/Counterpoint" articles. So sort of like a debate, persona A takes one side, person B takes the toher and there is a rebuttal at the end. (ha! rebuttal at the END!) Anyone got any ideas about this sort of thing? Af ew we though of was "is casual gaming hte death knell of hardcore gaming" gaming abuse and violence in games. I have to think of a good question for each of those.

But on a sad note: a Barrie, Ontario youth, Brandon Crisp was found dead. The poor kid got in an argument with his folks over his Xbox usage and he took off.  Please note that foul play is not suspected.  Brandon's high school principal is accelerating programs on safe technology usage: "Students are so tech literate, and they're ahead of us, as adults, but I think also with it comes another factor that they may not always be aware of — dangers," he said.

Now, many of us who love gaming so much will scoff at this idea, but I believe that it warrants an extra look.  Do people abuse video games? Of course they do.  Who among us, at one point in time, came down with "Gears of War itis" ? Or spent WAY too much time on a Saturday playing "just one more level.".  How many people just get way too engaged with gaming, so much so that they really do lose relationships? Most of us can handle the lure of gaming, but others cannot. Since we know this, why not teach kids moderation? Or the signs of gaming abuse? Games are for after your school work and after chores etc. Games should never take precidence over family and friends.  I believe that in Brandon's case: he identified so much with his gamer identity, perhaps felt such a loyalty to his on line friends, that once the xbox was taken away from him: he had nothing left. Is this the xbox's fault? no. of course not. But let's give people the tools to see the warning signs before it ever gets to that stage. 

I am sure that there will be more to the "dangers of technology" program, and there should be. Kids need to learn how to protect themselves on line: just as we street proof our kids.  I was amazed reading the gamerchix forums how many young girls will put up with abuse because they don't want people to hate them. Or accept FR from strangers for the same reason.  And the amount of personal information that they post is unreal. Are they putting themselves in danger? Fuck ya.  Let's teach our kids to use technology as a tool: not as an entity that controls us.