Is the regular trip to the neighborhood video store or the downtown multiplex with your child starting to feel like an exercise in parental perplexity? If so, then there is no need to blame yourself. Combined with family-oriented classics, straight-to-video releases and children’s documentaries released by niche production companies, the sheer volume of movies aimed at young audiences is enough to make Mom and Dad long for the good old days of 1960s-era Walt Disney features about animals, princes and paupers, and fairy godmothers. Fortunately, quality children’s films are not limited to movies that star Mickey Mouse or Peter Pan. In fact, there are many children’s movies that not only entertain, but also impart the right values and paint an accurate picture of the world in which we live. The following guide can help you decide which movies are appropriate for your child.
Check the rating or classification. The ratings system used by the Motion Picture Association of America classifies movies based on the amount of violence, sex, nudity, strong language, and drug use your children will see or hear. Ratings offer advance information about movies so that parents can decide what films they want their children to see. However, do not rely on ratings alone to determine whether or not a movie is suitable for your child. Movie reviews in family-friendly publications can be a reliable source of information about film content. When in doubt, watch the movie yourself before taking your child to see it.
Movies must be age-appropriate. Children of different age groups and developmental stages do not respond similarly to visual content. A PG-rated movie may affect a seven-year-old differently than it would a 13-year-old. Make sure that the movie deals with a subject matter that your child is old enough to comprehend. For instance, a movie that discourages violence does not have to be gory or very frightening. Good children’s movies tackle sensitive issues and themes from a child’s point of view, while enhancing the child’s understanding and experience.
Choose movies that present truth and diversity. Movies should expand your child’s horizons and increase their awareness of how people live, relate, and solve problems. Movies with accurate representations of diverse groups of people can provide truthful insights on the different ways that people go about their daily lives. Is the stepmother depicted as a devious, scheming grouch? Does the movie make fun of people with disabilities? Avoid films that reinforce negative stereotypes or make a mockery of diversity.
Examine the kind of values that the movie teaches. Based on film reviews and your own experience of watching the movie, can you identify what values the movie seeks to impart to its young audiences? Good family movies should teach children the importance of honesty, respect, charity, tolerance, and hard work. Does the movie condemn violence as a means to resolve conflicts, or does it glorify crime as an acceptable route to fame and fortune? Quality children’s movies must truthfully show the consequences of the characters’ actions and decisions.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Monday, December 12, 2005
Video Game Careers
As you begin embarking on your pursuits for higher education, what majors have you considered? Business? Accounting? Computers? Or how about more complex fields such as law or medicine which require additional years of schooling?
Well, if you have a passion for these things then you should go where your heart leads you. But if you're taking these types of majors simply because it seems like the right thing to do, perhaps you should consider a different course of action: majoring in something you TRULY enjoy... something you could do hours on end without feeling like you are working at all. And if you are like many people, this 'something' would be playing video games.
That's right! You can actually get a job creating and/or playing video games. Below is a list of some of the careers available for those with a video game degree.
1) Video Game Tester
This is a position in which you truly would get paid for playing video games. According to Doug Doine, a game tester for Electronic Arts, as a game tester you would "go over different components of a game and look for things that just don't make sense." You would also "break the game," meaning you would "do things a normal user would do and inadvertently see something go wrong."
Doug Doine further adds that video game testing is a good place to start for young people who want to "break into the industry." To get such a position in it is best to have a "passion for gaming" and some educational background. Doug himself has a degree.
2) Programmer
According to Gameinformer Magazine, video game programmers are the "heart and soul" of the industry. They are the ones responsible for creating the code necessary for getting video games to function. And contrary to popular belief, their jobs aren't always easy. Video game programming often involves creating complex functions and algorithms often times more challenging than programs created in Corporate America. Thus a talent for mathematics along with a more analytically-inclined brain are absolute essentials.
Indeed, game programming may not be the appropriate course for everyone seeking a video game career, but if you were deciding to go into the computer field anyway, which job would be more enjoyable... coding the next Halo, or working on a boring, hum-drum piece of no-name software?
3) Animator
Animators are responsible for coordinating the movement of video game characters. Accomplishing requires more than drawing something on a piece of paper, which according to Alex Drouin, an established game animator, occurs after a lot of "brainstorming, chilling, playing, planning and testing" with the programmer. But when the busy work is done, the video game animator will finally get a chance to do what he or she does best... animate. Alex Drouin says the thing he liked best about his job was "being able to come there late in the morning, sit behind his computer, put on a great CD, and then create crazy animation that will end up in a game that will be seen all around the world by gamers." Now, wouldn't it be nice if you could get a job like that? With a video game degree it is certainly possible!
4) Sound Designer
Sound designers are responsible for creating the music and sound effects of video games. Video game music is created either from digital sources or real-life orchestration. As video game consoles become more advanced, many sound designers favor the latter when deciding on what type of music they want in the games they are working on. Creating appropriate sound effects, on the other hand, sometimes requires more creative experimentation.
To be successful at video game sound designing it is best to: 1) have an interest in both music and sound, 2) possess knowledge of recording technology and 3) be familiar with the types of music and sound used in today's most popular video games. A video game degree will help develop these talents and skills.
5) According to Gameinformer Magazine, a producer "functions as the glue that holds a development team together, seeing to a variety of organizational tasks ranging from budgeting and planning to input on the direction of the game itself."
A good producer must possess superior management and accounting skills. This is because not only does a producer have to work with people on a regular basis trying to get them to meet deadlines, but they are also responsible for the budget of the video game project. Not knowing how to best spend money, (a skill acquired through accounting and economics), could result in financial failure.
Indeed, producers have a lot on their shoulders, but it is still a suitable option for non-technical persons who desire to get into the game industry.
6) Game Designer
Video game designers are responsible for creating the 'experience' of a particular game. Evan Wells, a video game designer, sums it up by saying "the main tasks of the designer is to make sure the game is fun."
Wells further adds that game designers are responsible for macro and micro level design. Macro level design involves "figuring out the core mechanics of the game; the variety of level looks, power-ups, etc." Micro-design involves creating the "actual levels and the moment-to-moment gameplay within those levels... the enemies, the objects, and the particular way you encounter those enemies and objects."
Good game designers should obviously have an interest in video games along with some drawing and programming skills.
7) PR Manager
If you would like to explore the marketing side of the video game industry, then consider becoming a PR manager. PR managers are responsible for promoting video games. And according to Natalie Salmon, a PR manager for Midway, part of this process involves "learning about the game that is going to be announced." So this boils down at some point having to play the video game. Isn't that what you wanted to do anyway?
8) Fields not relating to video games
Each of the career paths discussed above are fields that are not limited to the video game industry. If you decide that you don't want to use your video game degree to find a job related to video games, you can always use it to market yourself for other types of jobs. Of course, you may want to take a class or two to get a certification to help further establish yourself in the latest technology, but this is recommended for anyone pursuing an IT career. Bottom line, a video game degree, (just like any other computer-related degree), WILL lay the foundation you need to teach you the basics for programming, testing, animation, software development and other skills that are pertinent to the business world.
Well, if you have a passion for these things then you should go where your heart leads you. But if you're taking these types of majors simply because it seems like the right thing to do, perhaps you should consider a different course of action: majoring in something you TRULY enjoy... something you could do hours on end without feeling like you are working at all. And if you are like many people, this 'something' would be playing video games.
That's right! You can actually get a job creating and/or playing video games. Below is a list of some of the careers available for those with a video game degree.
1) Video Game Tester
This is a position in which you truly would get paid for playing video games. According to Doug Doine, a game tester for Electronic Arts, as a game tester you would "go over different components of a game and look for things that just don't make sense." You would also "break the game," meaning you would "do things a normal user would do and inadvertently see something go wrong."
Doug Doine further adds that video game testing is a good place to start for young people who want to "break into the industry." To get such a position in it is best to have a "passion for gaming" and some educational background. Doug himself has a degree.
2) Programmer
According to Gameinformer Magazine, video game programmers are the "heart and soul" of the industry. They are the ones responsible for creating the code necessary for getting video games to function. And contrary to popular belief, their jobs aren't always easy. Video game programming often involves creating complex functions and algorithms often times more challenging than programs created in Corporate America. Thus a talent for mathematics along with a more analytically-inclined brain are absolute essentials.
Indeed, game programming may not be the appropriate course for everyone seeking a video game career, but if you were deciding to go into the computer field anyway, which job would be more enjoyable... coding the next Halo, or working on a boring, hum-drum piece of no-name software?
3) Animator
Animators are responsible for coordinating the movement of video game characters. Accomplishing requires more than drawing something on a piece of paper, which according to Alex Drouin, an established game animator, occurs after a lot of "brainstorming, chilling, playing, planning and testing" with the programmer. But when the busy work is done, the video game animator will finally get a chance to do what he or she does best... animate. Alex Drouin says the thing he liked best about his job was "being able to come there late in the morning, sit behind his computer, put on a great CD, and then create crazy animation that will end up in a game that will be seen all around the world by gamers." Now, wouldn't it be nice if you could get a job like that? With a video game degree it is certainly possible!
4) Sound Designer
Sound designers are responsible for creating the music and sound effects of video games. Video game music is created either from digital sources or real-life orchestration. As video game consoles become more advanced, many sound designers favor the latter when deciding on what type of music they want in the games they are working on. Creating appropriate sound effects, on the other hand, sometimes requires more creative experimentation.
To be successful at video game sound designing it is best to: 1) have an interest in both music and sound, 2) possess knowledge of recording technology and 3) be familiar with the types of music and sound used in today's most popular video games. A video game degree will help develop these talents and skills.
5) According to Gameinformer Magazine, a producer "functions as the glue that holds a development team together, seeing to a variety of organizational tasks ranging from budgeting and planning to input on the direction of the game itself."
A good producer must possess superior management and accounting skills. This is because not only does a producer have to work with people on a regular basis trying to get them to meet deadlines, but they are also responsible for the budget of the video game project. Not knowing how to best spend money, (a skill acquired through accounting and economics), could result in financial failure.
Indeed, producers have a lot on their shoulders, but it is still a suitable option for non-technical persons who desire to get into the game industry.
6) Game Designer
Video game designers are responsible for creating the 'experience' of a particular game. Evan Wells, a video game designer, sums it up by saying "the main tasks of the designer is to make sure the game is fun."
Wells further adds that game designers are responsible for macro and micro level design. Macro level design involves "figuring out the core mechanics of the game; the variety of level looks, power-ups, etc." Micro-design involves creating the "actual levels and the moment-to-moment gameplay within those levels... the enemies, the objects, and the particular way you encounter those enemies and objects."
Good game designers should obviously have an interest in video games along with some drawing and programming skills.
7) PR Manager
If you would like to explore the marketing side of the video game industry, then consider becoming a PR manager. PR managers are responsible for promoting video games. And according to Natalie Salmon, a PR manager for Midway, part of this process involves "learning about the game that is going to be announced." So this boils down at some point having to play the video game. Isn't that what you wanted to do anyway?
8) Fields not relating to video games
Each of the career paths discussed above are fields that are not limited to the video game industry. If you decide that you don't want to use your video game degree to find a job related to video games, you can always use it to market yourself for other types of jobs. Of course, you may want to take a class or two to get a certification to help further establish yourself in the latest technology, but this is recommended for anyone pursuing an IT career. Bottom line, a video game degree, (just like any other computer-related degree), WILL lay the foundation you need to teach you the basics for programming, testing, animation, software development and other skills that are pertinent to the business world.
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