Microsoft's Xbox 360 offers game playing and movie watching. It also offers Xbox Live, an optional, subscription based service offering online multiplayer gaming, voice, text and video chat, and multimedia downloads such as games, movies, and TV shows.
Xbox 360 offers parental controls called Family Settings to help control the types of games and movies that your children can play or view based on their industry content ratings. They also provide settings to control Xbox live. The following highlights the Family Settings for the Xbox.
Game Ratings
The default for video settings on the Xbox 360 is "Allow All Games" which allows users to play Early Childhood (EC), Everyone (E), Everyone 10+ (E10+), Teen (T) and Mature (M) games. Xbox does not support Adult (AO) games. You can change the Game Ratings setting to the ESRB rating you determine is appropriate for your children.
Video Ratings
The Video Rating option in the Family Settings has four categories: "Movie Ratings," "TV Ratings," "Explicit Video," and "Unrated Video." The movie and TV settings are based on industry ratings and are defaulted to allow all rated movies and shows which gives users access to R-rated movies and mature TV programs; however you can change this setting to reflect what is age-appropriate for your children. Explicit and unrated videos are also set by default to allow these types of videos, but you have the ability to block access to them.
Xbox Live
The default setting for Xbox Live is to allow access. If you decide to block access, there is no ability to connect to Xbox Live to interact or download content. If you decide to allow access, there are additional settings that you need to be aware of and set including access to online games, text and voice chat, as well as video chat.
Xbox 360 Family Timer
The timer gives you the ability to control the amount of time your children can use the Xbox 360. If you decide to take advantage of the timer, there are two options: "Daily," which can set time in 15-minute increments, or "Weekly" which can set time in 1-hour increments.
Xbox Family Settings provide tools for you to establish an age-appropriate gaming playing and entertainment experience for your children, but remember the settings offered are all defaulted off. You must set them up to reap the benefits.
To learn more about Xbox 360 Family Settings including detailed instructions on how to set up Family Settings, visit: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/familysettings/.
Useful Links
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)
The TV Parental Guidelines
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
iris vergara 11-15-2008 @ 12:34AM
jarxis@aol.com
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Archana 11-17-2008 @ 2:31AM
Nice article Holly Hawkins. I like the most in this article is that parents can control these video games and provide the timing how long they have to play.Parents can filter the downloads and other games which is inappropriate to children. Parents can select games regarding their children age and allow them to play.The ratings which we can provide and block those Movies or TV shows which is R-rated and mature programs.
In our website www.8falcons.com we have mentioned about the games like we should not allow them to download things. But every time parents cannot monitor children so this was an informative and nice article.
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