To hear parents tell it, the perfect video game is educational, provides small life lessons, strengthens hand eye coordination, and keeps the kids entertained for roughly 30 minutes at a time. Listening to kids, however, it appears that educational qualities rank far below the needs for speed, action, rad moves, and great weapons. It is hard to believe that there are games which fulfill the requirements hoped for by both parents and kids.Parents should always make the time to play the games alongside their kids; the only problem with using this approach to picking video games is the fact that the game is already in the house and the money spent. Opened games are rarely returnable and once they are in the house and their hot little hands, kids will not let go of games without a lot of arguing, complaining, and upset. Thus, making an informed decision prior to bringing the games home is a must!So how does a parent go about picking out a video game for the children to play? Reading the back of the cover is unlikely to present a lot of information whereas the buzz on the Internet can be so forbiddingly filled with insider lingo that it is hard to discern if the game is appropriate, too violent, or perhaps even contains content that is objectionable.At the same time, simply because a game is very popular and the evening news shows long lines of consumers waiting outside the stores for them to go on sale, does not mean that it offers the kind of game play the parent wants to invite into the home. Fortunately, there are five simple steps to picking video games both parents and their kids will love. These steps are not complicated, require a minimum of effort, and are rather reliable.1. Check the ESRB RatingThe Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) developed a rating system that ranks game content according to age appropriateness. The ratings are “EC,” “E,” “E 10+,” “T,” “M,” “AO,” and “RP.”Games designated with an “EC” are educational and fun for preschoolers and young grade-schoolers. An “E” notes that the games are appropriate for all players, and while preschoolers might have more of a learning curve to get the game-play right, there is no objectionable content. Look out for games rated with an “E 10+” since these games are reserved for kids older than 10. Some mild language is usually incorporated into the game.A game rated “T” is reserved for teens, and parents should know that violence, sexual innuendo, partial nudity, and also curse words are par for the course. “M” for mature indicates games for those over the age of 17 and the blood, guts, gore, and sex are legendary in these games. Upping the ante are games marked “AO” or adults only, as they are “M” squared. An “RP” rating simply means that a rating is pending, and parents should hold off on buying the game until the rating has been apportioned.2. Read the ESRB Content DescriptorsSince preschoolers and grade-schoolers cannot simply be pigeonholed into age brackets, but should be much further differentiated by their maturity levels, parents will be wise to read the ESRB content descriptions on the backs of the video game packets. They list potentially objectionable content.For example, “animated blood” refers to purple, green, or other kinds of unrealistic blood that may be shown during game play, while a listing of “blood” is an indicator that realistically depicted blood is part of the game play. Children highly sensitive to blood may not enjoy playing these games, even if they are rated for their age brackets.3. Understand the Classifications When Shopping For Older KidsParents who have braved the age appropriate ratings, and also made it through reading the descriptions may now be stumped by a further classification: the kind of game-play their kids may expect.Older kids may like “FPS” (First Person Shooter) games that put them into the action from a first person perspective, rather than seeing the character they are controlling doing the actions — which is the case in “TPS” (Third Person Shooter) games. In addition, some games are classified by the kinds of content that provides the storyline, such as vehicle simulation games, strategy games, or sports and puzzle games.Shooter games are the most violent while strategy games are perhaps the most educational. Puzzle games require strategic thinking but do not offer a lot of action moves that appeal to teens.4. Visit the Game Platform Manufacturer WebsiteParents may visit the website for the gadget that will ultimately allow the kids to play the video games. This may be the website for PlayStation, GameCube, Nintendo, Xbox, and a host of sub-platforms. The companies list the video games made for them, their ratings, and more often than not also post trailers, screen shots, and brief outlines of the actual game itself.Although such a website does not offer an in depth and unbiased analysis of the game, it is a rather useful tool for getting a good feel about game play and content without having to rely solely on a rating, the back of a package, or the marketing efforts.5. Check with Organizations That Offer Independent Game EvaluationsThere are various organizations that are not tied in with the video game industry and still offer advice to parents. Some groups focus on the educational aspects while others are faith based and review the games from this angle. Find a group that meets your personal criteria and peruse the reviews on various games you are considering for your kids.One of the most well known groups is the Entertainment Consumers Association that offers insight into the industry as well as the games. Parents who want more detailed information about the games they are considering will do well to visit the forums and websites of such groups and learn from other parents whose kids might already be playing these games.Since these are interactive forums, parents have the unique ability to actually ask questions of other parents, and if there is a particular concern about a game, this is the venue where to get more information.If All Else FailsOf course, if all else fails, there is the old fallback on the classic games and characters. Crash Bandicoot, Mario, Spyro, and Pokémon are game characters which have been around for a while and in a host of incarnations. Even as the educational value of some of these games is debatable, they do offer rip-roaring fun, rad moves, and most certainly the entertainment value the kids appreciate most. At the same time, they eschew foul language, nudity, and explicit violence parents object to.Parents in a time crunch or those who simply cannot find a game that meets their standards will usually find a winner in these genres. Moreover, since they are part and parcel of a popular series, parents and kids can make the buying decisions together. For example, the popular Mario games offer offshoots like “Luigi’s Mansion” that offers the exploration of a haunted house, while other offshoots are cart racing games.Completely different game play — yet the same reassuring characters and the same level of appropriateness — make this a premier opportunity for parents and children to agree on the game play the kids would like to try out, while staying away from potentially objectionable games that offer similar game play.

You might have heard about video game testers and testings, and might be wondering why game companies need game testers and what these people actually need to perform. This article carries required information and incentives on video game testing and testers.As game designing companies make huge expenses on their game design and development processes, they just can’t afford any sort of errors related to features or functions of the game. Therefore, these companies look for people who can test their designed versions and debug out all such errors from them.A game tester must be familiar with gaming zone and some of the related design aspects of the game. Following are some tips for the beginners to make their attempt in game testing industries.- You need to Empower and market your writing skills. Your entire worth as a video game tester lies in your effectiveness to detail out the bugs and errors you discover in the game to the manufacturer. Your description should be well understood by the programmers to rectify all the faults of the game. So, you need to emphasize on your writing skills to market yourself as an efficient game tester.- Advertise yourself as an experienced and dedicated player. You need to focus more and more on the game so that you can bug out more number of errors in a less time. Get yourself actively involved with changing trends and customer’s demands. Also you are required to be aware of major competitors of your company.- Work out on your daily schedule: As testing games does not always require you to work on office only. Video game companies provide the privilege to work from home. So time management is one of very important subject of concern. As companies will always expect you to timely submit your reports so, you need to work out on your daily routine to make yourself available for testing games.If you already are employed then also you can start your career in video game testing. Initially you won’t be looking forward to quit your present source of income. But with time, you may possibly choose video game testing as your only source of income.

Did you know that every day gaming companies pay big bucks to people like you and me just to know what we are thinking? They are desperate to understand how we think and shop and why we buy certain games or products because this helps their companies improve these products and they, in turn, pay good money for our opinion. Businesses which sell products to consumers do “field research” and the video gaming industry is no exception. If they release a game to the general public and there are bugs in it, they lose profits.Why Are Video Games Testers’ In Demand?Research testing of video games is a crucial part of the industry’s success as a whole, they need our feedback so they’ll know beforehand if the game they’ve developed is a winner or a loser. Firstly, if they don’t test they risk losing money on returns and reissues; Secondly, they lose money because some gamers won’t purchase from them again and; Thirdly, they lose referrals which would have spread from one satisfied gamer to another. In order to make sure that this doesn’t happen, they rely on video gamers to find glitches and problems within their video games. What level did the game slow down or freeze? Are the graphics appealing? Does it seems real to gamers? You could be filling in surveys and giving your opinions on how the game could be improved. Testing is conducted for some of the biggest names in the industry.Video games are such a major form of entertainment these days. Now, you may be an avid games’ player but have you ever really thought about making money from your hobby? You could make money by playing video games and testing them from home, setting your own hours. How would you like to sit in the comfort of your own home, test games and get a nice big fat paycheck at the end of the month!! You can be in control of the amount of hours you work and, therefore, the amount of money you earn.Make Money Playing Video GamesSince the world economy started to slow down and doesn’t show any signs of improvement in the near future, the price of practically everything is rising. Nearly everybody knows someone who has either lost their job (and/or their home) is looking for work now, or doesn’t know whether they will have a job at the end of the week. If one is looking for work maybe it’s time to look at sectors other than the traditional ones…You can get paid to play or review new games – you can keep them or sell them on later
You can get paid to take online surveys
You can get paid to participate in focus groups
You can get paid to try gaming consoles, controllers or other products and keep the freebies
You can get paid to preview a new movie or game trailers
You can get paid to review new memory cards, controllers, etc.
Get special walkthroughs, cheat codes and secretsHow Much Could You Make Working As A Video Games’ Tester?Well, usually, it’s between $30 and $80 an hour, depending on the company for whom you are working. So, how much does that work out to over a month…Lets be conservative, take the middle range and say that you work 5 hours a day @ $45.00 an hour = $225.00Let’s say you work 4 days = $900.00 a weekOver say, 10 months, because you’ll want to take vacations, be busy doing other things, or whatever. Over 40 weeks you could be earning around $36,000. Or more if you want to ramp it up!!
Did You Know…That the video gaming industry is one of the world’s most profitable, pulling in more than 18 billion dollars in revenue each year with, on average, over 260 million games being sold across all platforms, such as the PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Wii. On average, according to The Entertainment Software Association, an astonishing 9 games are sold every second, every day of the year. Wow is that mind-blowing or what!!!
So, Why Not…The sluggish economy does not seem to have affected the entertainment sector. If you are looking for a new job or say, a student needing to make some extra cash, then making money with gaming could be your answer.Most of these companies offer a 60-day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. So, why not leave your comfort zone and give it a try. Make money playing video games as a video games’ tester and join some of the best on the net. Learn their secrets and get paid accordingly. Make video game testing your job.