Strollerderby : computer games

Roald Dahl's Widow Recalls His Childlike Sensibility

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:30:00 GMT

Felicity Dahl, the widow of the beloved children’s book author Roald Dahl, rarely gives interviews. 18 years after Dahl’s death, she finds it difficult to speak about her husband without crying. But in an interview with the Sunday Guardian, she spoke candidly about her husband's writing and personal life in order to publicize the inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize, which will be awarded to a humorous children’s book author on Thursday.

Felicity (pictured), won now runs the Roald Dahl Foundation, attributes Dahl’s popularity among kids not just to his humor, but to the fact that he treated children as his “equals,” never talking down to them or forgetting his own childlike wonder. He would drink pink milk for breakfast and constantly look for ways to surprise strangers with “treats,” such as buying all the nurses on his hospital floor new clothes in the last months of his life.

Dahl’s life was punctuated by tragedy. His sister and father died of unrelated illnesses within a month of each other when he was young, and his own daughter contracted a fatal illness many years later. But Felicity said he kept positive in large part by keeping his child’s mind alive and well. “He was always looking to help people and just make their day a little more interesting,” Felicity said, “because most people's days were very dull.”

Felicity is certain that Dahl would have been sorely disheartened by the advent of Game Boys and Nintendo Wiis that occupy so much of young people's free time these days. “I think [computer] games are absolutely appalling,” she said. “A child is never left on their own with nothing, so that they have to create their world.”

On the upside, one million of Dahl’s books continue to be sold each year.

Photo: Antonio Olmes/The Guardian

Why Roald Dahl Matters

Your Girls Can Be "Bimbos" Online!

Kelly Mills — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:02:00 GMT

Sometimes you see stuff and think, "Is this fer real?" When I read about the Miss Bimbo game, I kept thinking, "Oh, in a minute they'll say the game is for adults." But no, in fact the majority of the 200,000 players are between the ages of 7 and 17. But let me back up: There's a virtual "fashion" game for girls where they get a "Bimbo" and have to navigate her through boob jobs and diets and so on to make her the coolest bimbo of all. Girls can dress their dolls in sexy outfits for clubbing, and are encouraged to keep them waif thin through diet pills and plastic surgery. Niiiice.

Most of the accounts I read focused on the weight and cosmetic horrors of the game, but I personally was more disturbed by the fact that the bimbos are supposed to find a rich boyfriend so they don't have to work. Like, it's one of the goals of the game. Now that is just creepy. For god's sake, we don't even read "Cinderella" without some irritable commentary about how Cinderella ought to stand up for herself instead of waiting to be rescued. So the idea of having girls finding a sugar daddy through the game is icky. It simultaneously asks them to identify with and look down on the bimbos, and frankly, it seems strangely angry to me.

Here's the best quote from the game's creator: "It is not a bad influence for young children. They learn to take care of their bimbos. The missions and goals are morally sound and teach children about the real world." Frigging excuse me? But it goes on: "The breast operations are just one part of the game and we are not encouraging young girls to have them, just reflecting real life." Well, that's a relief. For a minute there I was worried. Yeah, these are totally the lessons I want my kids to learn. Why does it smell so strongly of misogyny in here?

My New Geek Obsession Helps Teach My Kids Too

Karen Murphy — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:45:00 GMT

I'm probably one of the last to get on board with this sort of thing, but I've become a bit obsessed with the Travelpod Traveler IQ Challenge app on Facebook. You know the thing I'm talking about? It's the thing where you can ~~amaze~~ ~~astound~~ ~~challenge~~ bore your friends with your knowledge of geography and your skill with clicking (oh woe to you if you're working with the mouse of a Macbook, which under my sausage-like protrusions is less than accurate at times).

But even better, I've hooked my older son on this, and he routinely challenges me (sucker). And he seems to be learning stuff too.

We Americans are *cough* notoriously lacking in knowledge of geography outside our own country (what! castles in Ethiopia! not just mud huts?), and I'm finding this a perfect way to help my kids learn about their world. We already own an atlas, which is wonderful and gets a fair bit of use in between the Legos and the light sabers, and my kids have traveled outsdie the US several times, but there's something appealing about adding the competitive element that has hooked not only my son but likely soon his little sister as well (since she infiltrates everything he does anyway). And this is one computer game I am definitely on board with for either of them.

Oh. No, my kid doesn't have a Facebook profile, but I sent him to the app's parent site, Travelpod, where all the games are available.

Photo: www.caseresources.org

Computer Games Help You Bond With Your Kids

Karen Murphy — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 13:36:00 GMT

In a stunning new study commissioned by computer games developer Popcap Games, a whopping 92% of parents and grandparents who play computer games think the games are a good way to bond with kids.

Huh. How impartial.

And seriously, how many grandparents are that into Zuma*? (Bejeweled** I get, it's so hypnotic, and Bookworm***, better than Scrabble, but Zuma?)

And, well, "bond"? In front of a flickering screen? Or is that twin flickering screens, with everybody on their own laptops? I don't know, to me the concept of "bonding over computer games" is even less likely than "bonding in front of the TV". Unless of course, your idea of "bonding" is comparing egg-blasting techniques in Dynomite****.

But hey, I'm clearly in the minority here, as 70% of the parents said they see educational benefit for their children in playing computer games. Yep, according to the study, kids get benefits like learning, stress relief and hand-eye coordination from playing these games. And some guy who's a professor of gambling studies (!!) says, "Empirical research has consistently shown that, in the right context, computer and video games can have a positive educational, psychological and therapeutic benefit to a large range of different ages and sub-groups."

And what is that context, pray tell? Or are we speaking out of context, Professor Gambler?

Yes. Well. Do with the results of this study what you will, but don't speak to me about "bonding" with your kid over a computer.

*Never played it before

**Or this one

***Nope, not me

****Never heard of it. Why do you keep asking these questions?