Yesterday, Kotaku ran a post about a mom in Orange County, California who doesn't want video games in her home. She doesn't think games would enrich her kids' lives.

I asked parents to weigh in in our comments section. If you have kids, what do you want, think or hope they get out of games?

Here are some of the responses.

This comment was from a parent of a child who is learning from games ranging from Lego Star Wars to the M-rated Modern Warfare:

I have a 4yo, he's been playing xbox since 3 and wii since 3 1/2. first we were amazed at his ability to use the controller, it taught him some colors and the associated letters. then we were surprized at his ability to associate controls to the display to solve puzzles in lego starwars/batman/jones. Now he is intently learning to read to play games with stories, also he has learned to lengthen his attention span knowing he cant skip the mission briefings, he's also learned teamwork and humility when playing with a 6yo, who is not so willing to work together and share. He stays at his grandpas on sundays where he has been playing MW2 [Modern Warfare 2], he killed 6 guys in a round last sunday. Now he started playing the H3 [Halo 3] campaign and is moving right along. if he asks for help we make it a puzzle or a math problem or a spelling bee for him to move on to the next mission. oh and hes also learning how to use various maps. He wants to be an astronaut like the master chief. Hell Ya!

This one (quoted only partially here) was from another parent of a four-year old, whose gaming has apparently taught him some ideas about physics and morals:

We discussed the nature of bravery and cowardice while witnessing the interaction between Amaterasu and Susano in Okami.

We have discussed the nature of good, evil, power and greed while explaining how Anakin Skywalker is both a good guy and a bad guy in Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga.

I watched him discover that not all in the world is as it seems (and I emphasized the fact through conversation) after he discovered his first invisible block in Super Mario Bros.

This comment (quoted only partially here) has a parent extolling the virtues of reading via video games:

My youngest boy has been struggling with dyslexia his entire educational life. Playing games where (like the above father mentioned) there are complex menus and a requirement for understanding of context (as in Mass Effect's conversation trees) has improved his reading ability significantly. Now, he isn't the top of his class, but he no longer needs the "special help" he once did in order to get A's and B's in school.

I'm not sure if this comment was from a parent, but this reader provided some counter-argument:

Lets be honest most "Popular Games" don't require analytical thinking or planning or creativity. Sure you might find the one game out of 30 that require you to use the grey matter, but for the most part, they will not. MW2, probably the most popular game in recent history was just basically a rail shooter. Even the competitive component favors twitch reflexes over actual planning and tactics. WoW, the most successful game to date does not require analytical thinking or analysis.

...

My parents never bought me video games and I was allowed to watch TV only 2 hours a day during the school week. But I was allowed to play outside as much as I wanted provided I did all my school work. Did I hate it? Yes. It sucked never having any of the good games and only getting to play them when my friends got bored with theirs and would lend it to me. It sucked only watching cartoons for 2 hours a day. My parents motto was they would not waste money on useless things, so if I wanted them I would have to buy them myself. So I started working as soon as I could so I could have enough money to buy my own toys/games. The only game I had through all of High school was Starcraft, cause I couldn't afford a computer faster than 133 megahertz. So I played it almost religiously for 4 years.

And here's one more counter-argument, suggesting that, hey, maybe games aren't that enriching:

I'm extremely conflicted here because I love video games and always have. However, I do think that these arguments hold some weight. Many of you claim that video games have done good in your life because you are interested in history or science after having played a related game. But how many of you have truly become great or given back to the world in a major way that you could attribute to your video game playing? If you look at all the highly successful people of the world (the great scientists, novelists, entrepreneurs, artists, etc.), how many of them are hardcore gamers? Probably not many.

Sure, you may have a college degree and a decent salary, but really, I don't think that's very difficult. I went to Georgia Tech, #5 engineering school in the country, and now have my Mechanical Engineering degree. I've got an apartment on the beach and a decent job. But I honestly don't think I've reached my full potential partially because after a long day of work, I just love dominating people in MW2 too much. I'd rather do that than come home from work only to continue working towards my other ambitions.

Finally, I got this e-mail from parent Jamey Tisdale, who gave me permission to reprint it here:

I've got a 9 year old and two 7 year olds. All boys. They are allowed to play Xbox about once a week, sometimes more and DS on occasion. What do they get out of it?

Well they get to think creatively, whether building their own levels and environments (working with each other to build a level in Lego Indiana Jones for a few hours, or a track in Trials HD) that they then get to test. They have to learn/work on communication skills in dealing with each other and negotiating not only what they are going to play next but what they are going to do in a particular game. They've beaten Castle Crashers a few times and absolutely dig all the Lego games.

They've all been introduced a bit more to music through Rock Band, danced silly to DDR and love to sing (quite on pitch) to Lips. They also get that there are games they can't play just as there are movies they can't watch yet. (Comparing things to the negative reaction they had on Splash Mountain at Disneyland puts things into context about when you're old enough for some things).

I'm not a parent. I'm married. No kids. I'm not sure what I'd expect my kids to get from games. Amusement alone wouldn't be such a bad thing. But are there more positive things to get from them? And negatives too? Thanks to all who had their say.

As gamers get older and have more children this is a top that will only become increasingly more relevant. What do we who play pass on to the next generation, for better or worse?

I'd say "adorable" is a better fit.

When I first started talking about it with [producer Atsushi] Inaba, the only starting point we had for Okami was a game that depicted a lot of nature," he told Famitsu. "I couldn't say 'I don't know if this'll be fun or not' because than nobody on the dev team would be enthusiastic about it, so instead I was like 'This is gonna be great! I know it will!' So eventually the discussion shifted to a wolf running around, and we made this minute-long video depicting a wolf running through a field and trees sprouting up behind him and I told the team 'See, isn't that neat?'"

There was no story at the time and no gameplay system. There was an original concept — depicting the splendor of nature.

"Our first test run was incredibly boring to play," he continued. "I was grinding my teeth at night, I was so worried. At one point, we were so far off-track that it had turned into a simulation game — you had hexes and trees sprouted on them. It was total garbage. A couple of devs said to me afterwards 'Something was definitely wrong with you around that time, Kamiya!'"

Read more in the link below.

Platinum Games' Kamiya Reflects on Bayonetta, Okami [1Up]

Groups of gamers were escorted into the area by booth companions and seated at small tables holding copies of the DS game. As a group made their way to a table, cherry blossoms fell from the ceiling onto and around a faux cherry blossom tree in a back corner. In another corner, over-sized, stuffed versions of the wolf-like Chibiterasu and the child Kuninushi, central characters in the game, overlooked the play sessions.

The demo session opened with a short introduction that explained the gameplay and controls and then moved Chibiterasu, with the child on his back, into an area made up of a chain of grass covered plateaus.

The top DS screen showed gameplay, while the bottom showed a map. I used the DS' direction pad to move around and the face buttons to interact with object and jump.

The biggest selling point of the game is the ability to use the DS stylus as the "celestial brush" found in both the Playstation 2 original and Wii port of Okami. In the DS game, players hold the left or right buttons on the portable to turn the bottom touchscreen into a canvas of sorts depicting where you are. You can then interact with some objects using the brush.

For instance, I was able to draw the missing pieces of a bridge using the stylus, slash rocks in half and, later, open a portal by restoring a portrait.

The game's use of the stylus and touchscreen make the DS a perfect platform for the game's drawing-heavy sequel. The graphics didn't pop as much as I would have liked, but the hand-drawn look makes up for some of the lack of texture.

I would have loved to spend more time with the game, though it appears it's headed down the right path so far.

I was initially sceptical of the game being on DS, but you know, that looks good.

Look at him! My heart melts just thinking about looking at him. Or her. Probably, her, actually, but until we get a good "rolling on its back" shot, the jury's still out.

The above cuteness is courtesy of a new set of screenshots and artwork from the latest issue of Famitsu, which you can snuggle up to below.

As predicted by 7-Eleven, your source for Japanese game news leaks, the new issue of Famitsu does feature an article on a new Okami game called Okamiden. That's a snapshot of the article, right there.

Earlier this month, a mysterious (well, now less mysterious) Capcom trademark for "Okamiden" surfaced.

Okami was developed by Capcom subsidiary Clover Studios, which has since been dissolved. The lead designer and producer founded Platinum Games and are now putting the finishing touches on Bayonetta.

The one player adventure game is scheduled for 2010.

Thanks Amy for the tip!

Those who order the game via Capcom's online store will get this adorable, ceramic cell phone strap. First come, first served.

Okamiden is thought to be a sequel to PS2 game Okami.

As game site Siliconera points out, 7-Eleven previously pointed out that Hideo Kojima's cloud teaser site was connected to Meta Gear Solid before the revealing issue of Famitsu went on sale.

The circled text is 大神伝　or "Okamiden".

In Japan, 7-Eleven may not have Slurpees, but it does have game news leaks! Boy, would I ever like a Slurpee.

セブンアンドワイ - 雑誌 - 週刊ファミ通　2009年9月17日号 [7-Eleven via Siliconera] [Pic]

The game's title, Okami, is a Japanese pun: Written as 大神 in Japanese kanji, okami means "god", but "okami" written as 狼 means "wolf". The main character of the game is a manifestation of the god Amaterasu in wolf form.

A Capcom trademark has popped up online for "Okamiden" (大神伝) or "The Legend of Okami". With Capcom have Western developer Ready at Dawn porting Okami over to the Wii back in 2008 and given the company's penchant for sequels, this could very well be another Okami — one that won't likely be designed by Okami creator Hideaki Kamiya, who has since left Capcom and now heads up Platinum Games.

Then again, it could be something else entirely.

Siliconera » Is Okamiden A New Okami Game?

The Wii version? $20. The PS2 version? $20. At that price, if you haven't played it, you probably should, because $20 is in the "oh, I'll at least give it a try" range.

Yes, it's a lot like Zelda, and yes, it does like to prattle on (and on and on and on...), but hey, its gorgeous. And unique. And $20.

We'd probably recommend the PS2 version, which although lacking in widescreen, is a bit easier to control (that and if you've got a backwards compatible PS3 it looks scrumptious).

Okami for the Wii and PS2 now $20 at Capcom Store [Capcom]

Instead, as Capcom's Keiji Inafune explains, they looked outside of the games industry altogether:

I'd have to say, in a symbolic way, [our inspiration was] the movie industry. In the movie industry, investment decision-making is extremely severe. It involves production committees and numerous investors. But with the game industry, that hadn't been the case. I noticed these differences like these, observing what was happening with movies and anime. The same is true of other industries too. The more people I talk to, the more I find things that ought to be "givens", that we in the game industry didn't even see.

Sounds like somebody learned a lesson from a bunch of former employees burning through millions of dollars on a creatively-driven product that didn't make good business sense.

Keiji Inafune [Capcom]

Chatting with Develop, Inaba says:

To be honest, I think that western developers are superior to those in Japan overall.

So we the Japanese developers should realise that we have to work hard to reach the western level.

And how can they do that? As you'd expect from the man behind Okami, Viewtiful Joe and the upcoming MadWorld, Inaba reckons that a good place for Japanese developers to start would be taking the plunge, and coming up with new, original IP.

Our vision has always been to create new IPs. The best way for a developer to make a mark in the industry and secure its future is by creating new and successful IPs. It's a very hard process but if you succeed, the rewards are massive.

In other words, less games that end in IX or XIII, thanks.

'Western developers are superior to the Japanese,' says Inaba [Develop]

Inspired by the look of graphic novel, MadWorld has garnered considerable interest from gamers. Because when gamers express interest and interest expresses money, we get sequels.

According to the game's producer Atsushi Inaba of Platinum Games, "Platinum Games has several rights so we'll be developing something new after this, but if there is a lot of interest in MadWorld then maybe we will make another one."

And another one and another one and another one.

Interview / MadWorld developers Astsushi Inaba and Shigenori Nishikawa [That VideoGame Blog via GoNintendo via Sega Nerds]

OBAMA by *spacecoyote [DA, via Capcom]

Okami (Greatest Hits) [Play-Asia, via Siliconera]

My daughter tried playing Okami, and she got sick of it pretty quickly-and I got pretty sick of it, too. And I'm not out to make this an Okami bashing session or anything — I'm just saying that it didn't feel like it had much of a spirit. It's unique, but it's not a powerful fighter plane... So I heard Kamiya said something about the action genre not moving forward in eight years. Can you tell me more about that?

Apparently, Kamiya said the action genre hasn't moved forward since the release of the first Devil May Cry. To which Itagaki replied:

Was he asleep for eight years? ...There are two types of people out there who like to make controversial, splashy comments. There are those who are truly outspoken, and there are those who are just trying to cover up for there weaknesses. We have a saying here in Japan — "the weaker dog barks more" — and I sincerely also like to remind him to make sure to stay awake for the next years.

Knives out! Oh, and as a special bonus, Itagaki also offered sound-bytes on why he makes Xbox 360 games:

First of al, I think that the PS3 was an attempt by [former Sony chairman and CEO Ken] Kutaragi to create a uniquely Japanese computer to take on the intel standard; in that sense, I have a lot of respect for him. But to me, having a fighter that's powerful and easy to pilot makes it easy to win. That's my main goal, and thats why I choose to pilot 360.

...and on what he's been up to lately:

I've been taking pictures, working on my model trains, drinking, of course, and gambling. And that's what things have been lately. But you know me — I'm not just going to sit back. No, I'm definitely going to make something very soon. The great, wide expanse of the skies awaits.

Wow, Itagaki is into model trains. Did not know that. I guess you really do learn something new everyday.

Thanks dmitsuki for the tip!