Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce - Kotaku Comments

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Benathen Kay — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 18:55:46 MST

It's wierd for me, because all the people around me have divorced parents, and I don't.

Benathen Kay

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Protector one — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 04:40:55 MST

But what choice should the moose have made!? Left or right?? Was there any hint towards the right (NPI) answer? I don't get this puzzle! What happens if you make the wrong decision?? CAN you make a wrong decision? I don't get it!

Protector one

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

omanimbalev — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 03:44:57 MST

I downloaded the free demo and it was suprisingly more challenging than I thought, It's a typical "quest" game. Finding and using objects on other objects.. dialogues... etc... The only problem is that once you figure out what to do, all the other episodes (including the map) are blocked in the demo version.

omanimbalev

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

LeeShadow — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 00:49:01 MST

Seriously i'm 24 and I'M CONFUSED. I feel sorry for the kid that gets this video game.

LeeShadow

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Serena — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 00:04:29 MST

I think this game would be a better way to show PARENTS how they shouldn't act towards children after a divorce.

Serena

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Alice — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 22:24:33 MST

I can actually see this working. I think it's kinda cute.

Douches.

Alice

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

stummies1121 — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 21:40:19 MST

Wow. If I had played this when my parents got divorced, I think it would have really f*cked me up.

The part where the father moose answered the phone, and the mother moose yelled at him for never being there for his child... oh my god, so terrible.

Dealing with divorce sucks, and there's no way that a cheesy game is going to help. The only way to make it through is to just suck it up and move on.

stummies1121

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Donner, party of 4... er...3? — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 19:18:00 MST

Sorry, but when my parents split up, Street Fighter II was a much better therapist than this "write down your feelings in a journal after the game annoys you" doohickey.

Donner, party of 4... er...3?

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

snowferret — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 17:49:28 MST

videogame therapy? hehehe awesome.

snowferret

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

omanimbalev — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 17:34:25 MST

You guys crack me up!

According to their site:

"The forest episode of the game symbolizes the loyalty conflicts children of divorce usually face. The forest scene consists of 4 witty dialogues where the mother tries to convince the main character, Moose, to go LEFT while the father tries to convince him to go RIGHT. After each dialogue, the child playing needs to choose which direction he wants to go next. The child is then encouraged to turn to the Quest Journal in order to express his feelings or frustrations, as well as get words of encouragement and tips on how to proceed with the game. Parents and Helping Professions can download the Parent's Guide for a complete list of tips on opening up the lines of communication with their child during this episode and increase it's effectiveness, including questions they should ask the child, information parents may want to elicit and messages recommended to convey to the child during this scene."

My guess is that the child is supposed to relate to these kind of "annoying" situations, but is offered a chance to let out some of those frustrations. I can see how this can be used as an innovative form of play therapy. And it's probably more interesting to the child then other available methods today.

omanimbalev

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Konchu — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 17:16:42 MST

You know maybe this game is more for the parents to see how rediculous they can be but it could be ment as not a litteral pulling of sides but a percieved pulling of sides by the kid. I can see where there going though trying to make the kid see how rediculous both sides can be and try to make them not choose a side. Though its selfish for any parent to put there kids in a situation on having to choose a side. A kid should never be asked to choose who they want to live with who they love more.

Konchu

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

yashichi8bit — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:39:21 MST

stranger says:
"Funny, I just watched the Super Columbine Massacre RPG trailer before watching this. This was FAR more disturbing."

Ahaha, agreed.

On a personal note my parents divorced when I was 2 and when I was 8 there was a custody battle. It got ugly like this where my parents would be bashing each other in the nicest way possible...ah memories, in the corner of my mind. Thanks Kotaku, now I have to work on blocking that out again. Ahahaha!

yashichi8bit

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

K-OSS — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:32:02 MST

"Funny, I just watched the Super Columbine Massacre RPG trailer before watching this. This was FAR more disturbing. "

Ditto.

Granted playing mindfsck with a kid who's already emotionally troubled via Meese is one thing. But this game needs to die on principle of those horrific puns and wordplay alone. Just get Barney to do another "Very Special Episode" and get the hell out of gaming.

K-OSS

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Laminton-Child — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:11:19 MST

I see what you did there.

They're trying to confuse the shit out of the kids so they end up running away and crying about it, thus making them forget about their original problem. Most kids have ADHD, so the new problem won't last for long and eventually they'll just be a normal kid bouncing off the walls and thoroughly annoying the mother, driving her even further towards suicide.

Laminton-Child

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

stranger — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:04:18 MST

Funny, I just watched the Super Columbine Massacre RPG trailer before watching this. This was FAR more disturbing.

stranger

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

scotty — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 15:52:15 MST

I would go UP one of the various trees in the forest.
Why?
So the stupid meese could have sometime to shut UP.

lol, meese.

scotty

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

iwanttobeasleep — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 15:34:08 MST

Oh, ow, that game just hurt to watch. I was afraid it was just going to be boring, but after three minutes of listening to the parents bicker, I want to murder them both.

iwanttobeasleep

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

ninjordan — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 15:18:44 MST

hehehe, i didnt get anything cool when my parents divorced

ninjordan

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Goldensly — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:54:55 MST

wow, that was so wrong but so amusing ;)

Goldensly

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

cYcO_pLuXxEl — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:54:25 MST

Oh, just go to the center, ahng out with your friends, start taking drugs, lifting shops, having unprotected sex, get bad marks, become a communist and finally kill your parents...

Cause that's what happens with sons of divorced parents, right?

At least that's what they told me in the church...

cYcO_pLuXxEl

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Klaymen — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:52:28 MST

"The game is developed by psychologists with a great deal of experience dealing with children's issues, and they hope to release more games based off of other common childhood problems."

Shame on them, I seriously don't see how this is going to help. Instead of getting a game that can actually help, it seems like all they get is a poorly rendered Dragon Quest: Divorce Edition. As many of the other commenters said, who on earth would want to take a kid who is dealing with this in real life, and put them in front a computer, forcing them to enter a virtual world where they are subjected to the same thing over and over.

Someone sick Jack Thompson on this, STAT.

Klaymen

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Shunma — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:50:12 MST

The first thing which came to mind was Phoenix Wright puns about Wright and Wrong...

Shunma

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Senbonzakura — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:42:46 MST

game of the year. sorry FFXII, Gears of War, zelda.

Senbonzakura

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Zho — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:17:47 MST

All I remember from having my parents divorced is never seeing my dad ever again and being in a classroom full of kids with two parents.

Zho

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

maxp — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:15:58 MST

Where's skippy?

maxp

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Cereal Killer — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:08:18 MST

That is seriously sadistic.
Between the stuck up asshole moose parents and the horrible puns this will only cause problems.
Just think of a kid playing this game with one parent watching. The kid is basically forced to choose that parent in the game or face some really akward times ahead.
I would hate to play this game if I were going through this kind of stuff.

Cereal Killer

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

radink — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:01:06 MST

This isn't going to do anything more than confuse the hell out of kids. This should not get released.

radink

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

omgjuicyjuice — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 13:57:52 MST

You read my mind Dash. While watching this video I couldn't help but think, what child would want to have to sit through their parents bickering and forcing their child to pick sides and then sit down to a "coping game" and have to deal with the same thing in moose form. Although, i'm no child psychologist so I suppose I could be wrong.

omgjuicyjuice

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Toneman — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 13:57:08 MST

Go for the chocolate cake, man!

Toneman

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

Phantum Zero — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 13:54:03 MST

So Who's on first?

Phantum Zero

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

DashTheHand — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 13:51:34 MST

Is it just me or were the parents generally being assholes to each other just like in real life? Do kids REALLY need to get a second set of parents bitching and cutting down each other on top of theirs?

Humor factor for the game is high with the mutated looking 'moosen.'

DashTheHand

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

neshcom — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 13:51:04 MST

SO MUCH WORDPLAY!!!

neshcom

Zipland Game Helps Kids Cope with Divorce

BlindsidesDork — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 13:50:18 MST

I don't think I have ever been more confused about a game or video in my life...right left left right i said right i thought you said left right i said left....

yes it is about as confusing as my non-punctuated sentence there!

BlindsidesDork