{"id":905,"date":"2008-04-21T11:07:44","date_gmt":"2008-04-21T17:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamingwithchildren.com\/?p=905"},"modified":"2008-04-21T11:07:44","modified_gmt":"2008-04-21T17:07:44","slug":"esrb-pta-with-gamerdad-launch-online-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2008\/04\/21\/esrb-pta-with-gamerdad-launch-online-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"The PTA, the ESRB & GamerDad: Working Together"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a> Here’s the good news in a nutshell: The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)<\/strong> and the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA)<\/strong> have teamed up and hired GAMERDAD to publish an online safety booklet –Available Online (PDF)<\/a>– But that’s not all! I’m jetting off to New York City tomorrow to participate in an Online Seminar\/Webinar, a helpful video for parents, and participate in an online Q&A. On Wednesday at 7pm EST<\/strong> you can see both the GamerDad<\/strong>, a representative of the PTA<\/strong>, and Patricia Vance, President of the ESRB,<\/strong> will be having a web based chat. Joining us for the first part will be National PTA President Jan Harp Domene<\/strong> and hosting the whole shebang is the WGN Radio’s Technology Tailor.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Needless to say I’m honored. I wrote a couple pages and edited a couple more in their booklet<\/a> (.PDF) and you’ll probably find it at your local library, Daycares, and such. Anyway, it was a real honor and I’m looking forward to helping parents with Ms. Patricia Vance of the ESRB and the PTA at Wednesday’s broadcast and text chat. Look here tomorrow for more information on how you can tune in!<\/p>\n

Here’s the press release now:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scroll Down to Read – or – Download the .PDF<\/a><\/p>\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <\/strong><\/p>\n

April 21, 2008<\/p>\n

ESRB AND PTA LAUNCH NEW NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO EDUCATE PARENTS
\nABOUT GAME RATINGS, PARENTAL CONTROLS AND
\nONLINE VIDEO GAME SAFETY<\/p>\n

Booklets Distributed to PTAs and Available Online;
\nFree Educational Webcast Scheduled for April 23<\/p>\n

NEW YORK \u2013 Furthering their shared commitment to informing parents, Entertainment
\nSoftware Rating Board (ESRB) and Parent Teacher Association (PTA) have launched a
\nnationwide education campaign through which a new booklet, \u201cA Parents Guide to Video
\nGames, Parental Controls and Online Safety,\u201d is being distributed to all 26,000 PTAs. The
\ncampaign enables and encourages PTAs to educate their community\u2019s parents about the
\nESRB rating system and parental control technology available on the various game
\nsystems, as well as the concerns that exist when games are played over an Internet
\nconnection and what parents can do to mitigate those concerns. The booklets, which offer
\na step-by-step guide to setting up parental controls as well as an article about online safety
\nfrom Andrew S. Bub of GamerDad.com, are available for free download in English and
\nSpanish through both the PTA and ESRB websites.
\nIn addition to the booklet, a free webcast featuring PTA national president Jan Harp
\nDomene, ESRB president Patricia Vance, and Andrew S. Bub will take place at 7:00 PM
\nEST on April 23, 2008. The webcast will explain the ESRB rating system, offer information
\non setting up parental controls for the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3 and
\nPSP, and Windows Vista, and include a discussion about online video game safety. It will
\nconclude with a live text Q&A session with the experts.<\/p>\n

\u201cVideo games continue to be a popular source of learning and entertainment for children,
\nbut today\u2019s games provide players with new abilities to interact with one another via online
\nplay. Just as with the Internet, that kind of interaction carries with it some risks,\u201d said
\nDomene. \u201cUsing the ESRB ratings and setting up parental controls are important, proactive
\nsteps that parents can take to make sure their kids are playing games they deem
\nappropriate. And being aware of the risks posed by online-enabled games and what can
\nbe done to keep their kids safe when playing online is crucial information for parents.
\nWe\u2019re very pleased to be offering them this guidance with the help of ESRB.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThree in four parents use the ESRB ratings regularly when selecting games for their
\nchildren1, and the parental control features available in all the newest game systems giveparents more control over the games their children play than ever before,\u201d said Vance.
\n\u201cBut it\u2019s important for parents to fully appreciate what the experience of playing games
\ntoday encompasses. Many online-enabled games allow players to interact in new ways,
\nincluding online competitions or chatting with one another via text, audio or video. Parents
\nshould understand what type of content their child might be exposed to when playing
\ngames online, and what steps they can take to shield their children from content they deem
\ninappropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnline-enabled games have opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Playing games
\nonline with others, whether they be friends or strangers, allows players to compete or
\ncooperate with one another in new and exciting ways, and that enriches their experience
\nwith those games,\u201d said Bub, also known as GamerDad. \u201cBut with that ability to interact
\ncomes the ability to introduce content into a game that might not be appropriate for all
\nplayers. Making sure parents are aware of the tools they can use to protect their kids is a
\ncentral part of the GamerDad mission, and I\u2019m delighted to have been able to take part in
\nthis initiative to arm parents with this information.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ESRB engages in several ratings education initiatives that involve print, television and
\nradio Public Service Announcements (PSAs) among other vehicles. Most recently, the
\nESRB launched a new ratings search \u201cwidget,\u201d which allows parents to search for ESRB
\nratings from a portable mini application that can be placed on their desktops, embedded in
\nsocial networking pages or other web sites, and even shared with friends via email. It is
\navailable for free download at www.esrb.org\/widget.<\/p>\n

While many of ESRB\u2019s initiatives focus primarily on raising awareness and use of the
\nratings, the partnership with PTA also provides parents with valuable guidance and
\nresources about computer and video games, parental controls and online safety, and is
\namong the most extensive to date in terms of ground level support for communities
\nnationwide.<\/p>\n

PTAs nationwide will begin receiving the booklets in the coming days, and are encouraged
\nto share them with PTA member parents through their PTA unit programs and events. The
\nbooklet is also be available online to all concerned parents through PTA.org.<\/p>\n

About Parent Teacher Association (PTA) <\/strong><\/p>\n

PTA comprises over 5 million parents and other concerned adults devoted to the educational<\/p>\n

success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools. PTA is a registered 501<\/p>\n

c)(3) nonprofit organization that prides itself on being a powerful voice for children, a relevant<\/p>\n

resource for parents, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to<\/p>\n

anyone who is concerned with the education, health, and welfare of children and youth.
\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

About Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a non-profit, self-regulatory body established in<\/p>\n

1994 by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). ESRB independently assigns ratings,<\/p>\n

enforces advertising guidelines, and helps ensure responsible online privacy practices for the<\/p>\n

interactive entertainment software industry.<\/p>\n

About Andrew S. Bub and GamerDad.com<\/strong><\/p>\n

You’re soaking in it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s the good news in a nutshell: The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) have teamed up and hired GAMERDAD to publish an online safety booklet –Available Online (PDF)– But that’s not all! I’m jetting off to New York City tomorrow to participate in an Online Seminar\/Webinar, a helpful […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gamerdad-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}