Yeah, for the most part parents do not know how to use a console, much less read the play log and understand what it means. For the majority of parents it is probably more effective to have some kind of time-limiting function.

Both are good ideas but who is really going to check it everyday and even if you did the damage (so to speak) is already done. They have already played the game you dont want them to play and they played it for as long as they wanted to.

On the 360 you can set it so they cant play a certain rating, or you can limit overall play time.

As a parent I like being proactive instead of reactive. The 360's controls allow me to ensure my rules will be follows. The Wii's just set a child up for failure because we all know kids being kids they will play what they want...sometimes just to spite you.

My thoughts on it is that the Nintendo way gives parents and kids more freedom to, A) play, and B) analyze play time. What if your kid did extra good on a test and wanted to give them an extra hour of play time? Take 15 minutes to change the timer for that day?

Nintendo grants freedom and an active part for parents to actually know what their kids are up to. Microsoft's method screams more along the liness of "don't pay attention to your kids during game time".

I kind of like Nintendo's idea better. That way we can sneak in play when they aren't around if they don't know how to check playtime... But then again, most gamers are old enough to be the people actually owning the consoles and are mature enough to set their own times. Heck, if parents actually check playtimes, do you think we would have grown into the current industry with the 15 mins then break then study then play that the manuals/ doctors recommend?

Well considering very few kids in America actually listen to their parents anymore and have such a sense of entitlement, I gotta love MS's approach. Let's face it, if my mom had told me to stop playing, I would have given her a controller, said I couldn't play, and whip out the spare. Better yet, give her an old console and then whip out the new one again.

Not that I've ever done this...

You're right, Microsoft's are more flat out and effective. But why not just give both options? Non deletable history and auto shut off?

If I was a parent I would prefer the Microsoft model of parental controls. It's pretty straightforward. If the child wants to play longer than they will have to convince the parent that they deserve to play longer (finish the homework, chores, etc...). While the Nintendo model is more forgiving and trusting that the child will do what is right it's also one that gives the parent a loophole to give in to the child. Sometimes a prent needs to be tough and not cave in and the MS model gives that.

If I had a child and his or her responsibilities were being neglected over videogames, I'd prefer the timer approach. However, if the little noob was doing fine in school and in the household, I wouldn't even put a limit on playtime. I would cross my fingers and hope that he or she became the new lil poison.

I think both should have been incorported, but being able to look months back and see what's been played and how much is nice not only from a parenting perspective, but as a gamer wondering just how long I've spent playing tecmo bowl.

I think both methods of parental control will not be used, so which one is the best does not matter.

When a kid whose console shut down in the middle of the final boss fight goes on a rampage and breaks his mom's china, you'll have your answer (:

All kidding aside, I love the idea behind the parent-child dialogue scenario, and if the kid keeps using the console to play when he shouldn't, then the parents have a more basic solution: take the console away and lock it up until the kid learns what "enough" and "responsabilities" mean.

If you just get the console to lock down after some designated time has passed, then the kid's not really learning about self-control, is he?

Ah, the play list. It shames me constantly.

Why di I always check mu play history before turning off the console? I know what I did :S

@qasimodo: "responsibilities"

ResponsAbilities don't mean crap, apparently ):

The play log is a good way for parents who actually play games to make fun of their kids when the kid still can't beat Mario Galaxy 200 hrs later.

Nintendo's method is more mature imo. Is locking out kids really the answer? I doubt it is effective (as in encouraging studying and homework etc.)

My play history on the Wii.

February 26...
27...
28...I think he's playing COD4. Just wait till Brawl comes out, you graphicaly amazing and online addictive bastard....

The nintendo idea is better. Because move the accounting to the parent, not a machine. You can't replace parents by a clock Microsoft, *me nods*.

Nintendo's idea is like Communism. Fantastic in theory. Not so much in practice.

Long live MS's dictatorship approach.

@Shanesan: I disagree. You must not be a parent.

If you were you would understand that sometimes you need to trust your kids but at the same time make sure the rules are enforced. You would also understand that sometimes you need some alone time, or maybe you are sick and cant watch...or cooking dinner, or they come home from school when you are at work.

Nintendo's method would let them play their hearts out and take advantage, while Microsofts would not. Children are smart, they would know damn well that you wont check everyday and they will use that to their advantage.

Im a very active parent but I dont feel the need nor do I want to watch what my child is doing every second of the day. I see parents doing that and it drives me crazy.

@qasimodo: I agree, Nintendo and Microsoft shouldn't be stressing out coming up with new ways of parental control on consoles simply because that sort of "time limiting or monitoring what kids play" thing is more the personal responsibility of the parents to enforce.

@TheHun: I'm not sure how it's a more mature idea - in fact I'm not really sure how an idea can be mature.

Rather they are different views, Microsoft is looking to prevent children from playing too much or playing games their parents don't want them too, Nintendo is looking simply to monitor it.

I personally prefer Microsoft's method - prevention is greater than cure.

@parad0x360: To back up their point, an example:

My brother bombed his report card. So he's grounded from playing the 360 on weekdays, since CoD4 led to his bombing.
We have a split family. So when he gets home from school, he goes to my father's house as opposed to my mother's where the XBox is locked up. Upon getting home, with myself and all the other adults at home, he goes downstairs to my room and plays PS3 CoD4.

I've since removed saving my password. Mostly because the little shit changed my premade classes. But this goes to show you, kids sneak. I did it. You did it. We all did it.

If the power button isn't enough parental control then you suck as a parent. Period. End of story.

@Sandbox_Emperor: As someone who has worked with children I believe parents will welcome any help they can get. Microsoft isn't replacing parental control with a clock, it's merely offering said clock as an aid.

Being a nintendo fan for a much longer time than enjoying microsoft on the gameing front i would whole heartedly agree with nintendo's methods.

being the eastern philosophical ideals that nintendo trries to expose everyone too, they are a company of new ideas and even crazy ones that sometimes go too far, (waluigi, serisouly why)

this company has always sought in the ways of creating an over all gameing world.

in the end i kind of think that nintendo makes games because they love games and microsoft makes games because they love money.

@NeoAkira: "Yeah, for the most part parents do not know how to use a console, much less read the play log and understand what it means. For the majority of parents it is probably more effective to have some kind of time-limiting function."

If parents are aware of the parental controls on Xbox360 and are able to use the time limiter, it shouldn't be any harder to check the Wii play list. At least they see if the kid borrowed Manhunt from his friends. : P But I guess both are useless in majority of the cases as you stated parents rarely read the manuals for kids toys that deeply.

I doubt that parents are even going to know where to look for the play history. Even if they did most parents are too lazy to figure out just how long their kids were playing.

I personally like the PS3's parental controls best.

i like nintendo's style because it puts the oweness on the parents to be involved.

my parents were always aware of how much time i logged in front of the tv and on video games and if i exceeded their predetermined limits, it was taken away.

my kids, if and when i have them, will have the same rules. i hate the idea of there not being enough trust between parent and child (and the idea of the game just switching off when they're in the middle of something).

as always though, if kid doesn't listen, xbox goes away or you can always use that fall back threat that my dad popularized.

"if you don't stop playing games right now i'm going to throw the whole damn thing out the window."

it never came to that but it was way scarier than taking away dessert or sending me to my room;).

While not a parent I do babysit my younger nieces and nephews who like to play with their Wii and/or 360. While not their parent they will try to convince me to let them play longer than the proscribed time their parents will usually set for them. Children are not dumb and like someone else said earlier they will find a way to convince parents to let them play longer to the point saying what they know the parent wants to hear.

Too many things now make it seem like its a bad thing for a parent to enforce the rules. Instead making everything become a sit-down and talk. Those are great ways to teach a child responsibility but also enforcing the rules shouldn't be seen as a bad thing.

Maybe Nintendo should have at least followed MS style of voice communication for Mario Kart!

I think both are effective but truely the most powerful tool is effective parenting.

If a parent has the ability to set the timer then they will be able to check up on the play list (which i'm assuming that the 360 doesn't have). If the parent has the technical ability to do neither then both controls are ineffective.

The real solution is to not let the child have a console in a place where it cannot be monitored. When i was young, my consoles were always in the living room and (i'm perhaps lucky in this respect) my mum was there in the house to monitor my activities after school. If i played too much she would stop me.

I think i prefer the play list as, the child knows they can play any time but chooses to agree not to. This places more responsibility on the child and as a result will make the child grow to respect decisions surrounding their life to some extent.

Having a blanket 'NO!' response by setting a timer (though in some cases it is definitely needed - even though i would say remove the console! instead) doesn't teach the child anything except that you stomped your foot down and didn't really explain it so well.... Plus, kids are smart. They might be able to circumvent your tiemr and the parent would never know if they didn't take the time to monitor them - which i presume they wouldn't be doing (perhaps through no fault of the parents) if they believed that the timer was set....

There's no right or wrong answer.

I'm curious whether any but an infinitesimally small portion of homes actually use parental controls, or if they're just a bullet point for box sides and political debates.

The Nintendo interface is cumbersome and difficult to use, even for me, someone who works with computers for a living. I think that any parent who would use it is involved enough that limiting play time isn't an issue. Parental controls are for when you have a child who regularly circumvents your will. Of course, I'm not a parent, so this is wild conjecture.

Minor grammar quibble, Mark: "lest child-trusting approach" should be "less hild trusting approach."

microsoft has both rememebr?

just go to ther achievement list and oyu can see which games theyve played.

I love the play history. Me and my brother actually clocked 18 hours accedentally. Which stemmed from me being awake all night and him always waking up early.

Nintendo's thing is better, because with theirs, the child can't screw with it. On the Xbox, I'm sure any child could figure out how to turn off the timer thing. On the Wii, I don't believe there is a way to delete the history.

So kids with an Xbox are just turning off the timer and then turning it back on before Mom and Dad come home, whereas Wii kids are screwed if they play longer than they're supposed to.

@PriorMarcus: I was referring to the maturity of the parents (no offense) as it is better in my opinion to communicate with the child rather then flipping an off button. I guess I am heavily biased though as I never had my websites blocked or have time constricted consoles. It just seems like the easy way out to me, without actually solving anything.

Then again i would have hated to have my parents look at my webhistory too lol. So I'm just on the side with the least control.

@P-Sheddy: Putting the price high enough that no child will ever own one?

I would think that parents nowadays who actually buy consoles for their younger children in the age range of 8-12 grew up playing video games themselves. So, people using the argument that parents wouldn't know where the timer was located or how to set the parental controls is a tad of a crock. Now for those like myself in their 30's then our parents probably wouldn't know how to set such controls.

I think parents of my age of even just slightly older know enough about gadgets they buy for their homes more than what people here give them credit for.

@hungry_for_worms: But you can't see how long they played the game. THat's the point of this article: the timer.

@hungry_for_worms: Ahh, someone seem to have figured that out. I was wondering if MS had something similar.

Whatever it takes for parents NOT to get involved in their children's interests and hobbies, rather having some program do their job of parenting for them.

@dowingba: If the issue is about how long the kid has played then the MS way makes it easy to know. They amount of time played is already regulated by how long the parent sets the timer for.

For the people who care enough to get involved with parental controls in the first place, I'd say the method done with the Wii is superior, if only because it allows the parents to be more conscious of what their children are doing and why it is that they limit playtime in the first place. Frankly, if you aren't willing to take an interest in what your child is doing, you probably aren't going to be setting child protection measures in the first place.

encouraging communication between family members about games being played? Preposterous! I mean some adults may ask what the point is if they see games as infantile and just for kids. And heck it's a lot easier to just set a timer and walk away. People do it for cooking and baking and the food usually turns out fine...

Ok seriously now, I think Nintendo came up with a good solution as long as parents really look at it and communicate with their kids about what they're playing.