New game consoles & kid safety

If they aren't already, parents will soon be bracing themselves for the kid-targeted marketing blitz that's coming. A three-page "FAQ" at CNET today is itself probably part of gamers' cyberspace-based speculations (aka "viral marketing") about what the consoles will look like and what they'll do - gamers are checking out CNET's little companion lideshow of "Nintendo insider" sketches and "Photoshop jockey" renderings. Buried on the FAQ's third page is a question a lot of parents will have: "What kind of online capabilities will it have?" CNET says that Sony's PS3 will only expand the Net-connected gaming opportunities PlayStation 2 provided. Nintendo executives "have vowed to steer clear of online games until they see a viable business model in it," CNET reports, adding, though, that they're bound to feel pressure to jump in. Xbox Live online gaming is central to Microsoft's strategy, and Bill Gates has talked about adding instant messaging to the service," CNET adds. The bottom line for parents is that the old days of merely filtering the family PC are over. Families need a multi-tech, multi-platform online-safety strategy that, ideally, involves thinking together on how to develop it (thinking together will actually make it a *lot* easier and a great opportunity to swap kid tech literacy and parent life literacy.