Kids Step Up To Help Parents, Both of Which Have Cancer (Video)
Monday, 14th January 2013Posted in Offbeat
Tags: help, inspiring, kids, money, parents, raise
Written by: Paul Nyhart
“It’s almost too much for words. The whole thing…it’s surreal.”
That’s how Bill Heyman of Eden Prairie, Minnesota describes his condition – both he and his wife, Jodi have cancer. Over the past six years, Bill and Jodi have had three kinds of cancer between the two of them.
Jodi was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago and has now been diagnosed with Leukemia, the result of her chemotherapy treatment for her previous condition. Bill is battling Stage 4 Melanoma (a treatable but still very deadly form of cancer). Continue reading “Kids Step Up To Help Parents, Both of Which Have Cancer (Video)” »
Teen Girls Drug Parents’ Milkshakes — So They Can Use the Internet Past Curfew
Monday, 7th January 2013Posted in Offbeat
Tags: curfew, internet, milkshakes, parents, police, Rocklin, sleeping pills
Written by: Jeff Nau
Follow @jeffnau
Two Northern California teen girls have been arrested after one of the minors drugged her parents’ milkshakes.
According to Rocklin, CA police, the two were later found to have crushed up sleeping pills and slipped them into the milkshakes one had bought for her parents at a fast food restaurant, just so they could access the Internet past their 10 P.M. curfew. Continue reading “Teen Girls Drug Parents’ Milkshakes — So They Can Use the Internet Past Curfew” »
New Bill Would Allow Children To Have More Than Two Parents
Monday, 2nd July 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: debate, family, parenting, parents, politics
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Follow @paulnyhart
It’s safe to say times have changed since the days of campy sitcoms and TV dinners, where nuclear families sat together at the dinner table or living room and everything was hunky-dory.
Today things are much different, society has evolved and re-defined what it means to “be a family” in 2012, some reflecting cultural transitions into gay marriage, being a single parent, having an adopted father, etc. Look no further than the new “comedy” from NBC “The New Normal” which features two gay men trying to raise a surrogate child (we’re a long way from Leave It To Beaver…pun not intended).
So perhaps it’s not so shocking that Continue reading “New Bill Would Allow Children To Have More Than Two Parents” »
Father Chains Son To Pole…For Online Gaming
Friday, 30th March 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming
Tags: controversy, father, online gaming, parents, son
Written by: Paul Nyhart
It never ceases to amaze me when I hear stories like this…
A man in Cambodia is being accused of chaining his son to a tree — alledgedly because his boy was playing too many games online. The 13 year old was locked to a tree for over two hours, before neighbors called the authorities and a locksmith arrived.
The 40 year old father was reportedly so upset that his son skipped school to go to an internet cafe, he took it out on the boy by locking him up. Continue reading “Father Chains Son To Pole…For Online Gaming” »
Parents Give Their Son a Portal-Themed Bedroom
Monday, 28th November 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming, Offbeat
Tags: Aperture, bedroom, gladys, parents, portal, Vector
Written by: Jeff Nau
Little Vector’s parents loved the Portal games so much, they decided to design every foot of his bedroom after Valve’s best-selling sci-fi game. That means Portal plush power balls, Portal panels, a (somewhat comfortable-looking) cot, and a familiar friend watching from a wall and to make sure little Vec does his homework.
Even the kid’s toilet has an Aperture insignia on it. It’s not really known for certain that the kid loves Portal as much as his parents do; between the serial killer-like scribblings on the wall and a hand-crafted (and pretty convincing) GladOs always watching you, does anyone get vague vibes of Big Brother watching you Continue reading “Parents Give Their Son a Portal-Themed Bedroom” »
Cookie Monster Gets Confused in Video Game PSA
Monday, 24th October 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Online Video
Tags: answers, censorship, conversation, downloadable, game, monster, parents, video
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Written By Paul Nyhart
You hear a lot about video game censorship, and most of the time, the conversation revolves around parents making sure they’re aware what their kids are playing. The Cookie Monster, known for devouring cookies at a rate that would put most professional bowlers to shame, isn’t just the star of the recently released Kinect for Xbox 360 game “Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster,” but also participated in a PSA to help teach parents about the importance of setting parental controls.
The monster does his best Jace Hall impression, and while he’s no toaster, the video does offer a solid laugh for those of you that are used to the drab quality of most video game related PSA’s. Continue reading “Cookie Monster Gets Confused in Video Game PSA” »
5 Reasons Why Parents Don’t Understand Video Games (How You Can Change Their Minds)
Wednesday, 13th April 2011Posted in Greatest Hits
Tags: best, doing, game, games, it's, motivation, parents, support, video, way
Written by: Paul Nyhart
No matter what anyone tells you, or what you might think, our parents ALWAYS want what’s best for us. Even when it comes to video games…
Most parents are simply not familiar with video games–in a way, they’re afraid of them. Even to this day, the fact that I write about video games is something of an oddity to my parents. It’s something that wasn’t part of their childhood, and thus, they don’t know how to react to something they don’t have any personal experience with. They think it doesn’t have a great deal of importance, maybe compared to the grand scheme of things, video games don’t. But that isn’t to say that they’re worthless or they don’t have tremendous value. Continue reading “5 Reasons Why Parents Don’t Understand Video Games (How You Can Change Their Minds)” »
How To Educate Your Parents About World of Warcraft
Wednesday, 6th October 2010Posted in Blog Archive
Tags: Ask Jace, education, Fan Mail, I play WOW, Jace Hall Show, parents, world of warcraft
Written by: Jace Hall
Name Joshua Portelance Subject Hey Jace Message Hey my names is Josh, I’m 15 and I play W.o.W pretty much every day. Lately I have been mass agroing my parents and they are telling me to go out side and hang out with my friends. They don’t even listen to me when I tell them that sense I play W.o.W I have better leadership and multitasking skills as well as improved hand-eye coordination, well I hang out with my friends digitally. I’m starting to get quite annoyed with them sense they are insisting on putting a 3 hour limit per day on the computer when one raid lasts 4-5 hours, and when all my friends are on all after noon. They just don’t understand that I would rather be inside playing video games with my friends then outside. P.S: I have the same tank gear as you in my bank. Don’t worry I wont tell anyone what server your on.
Dear Joshua,
I understand your dilemma and I know how much it sucks to be in a situation where you are surrounded by people who do not understand what you are doing or why you are doing it. It can become very frustrating trying to explain yourself over and over, only to have them not listen or understand what you are saying. I would get all AGGRO too.
NO WORLD OF WARCRAFT FOR YOU!!
However, you have to keep in mind that these people who do not understand you are YOUR PARENTS. It is their job and responsibility to make sure that you are safe and healthy – and all they want to do is protect you from things THEY THINK may harm you.
Normally, when people don’t understand something they tend to be afraid of it in some way. Since they don’t know what it is, the natural instinct is to be better safe than sorry. That is what is happening with your parents. All they see is you sitting in front of a computer with a headset on, doing something that looks completely unproductive. On top of that, they likely don’t have any similar experience in their own childhood to reference against so that they can at least tell themselves that what you are doing is similar to what THEY did so they can know you will be ok in the end…
So, without that information they just perceive you being kind of anti-social and worry that you are not learning important communication skills or developing your mind enough socially. They fear for your future because if you don’t know how to work/play/speak with people well, life can be way more difficult! Their job is to equip you to WIN!
They just don’t want your life to suck – but in certain areas like WoW they are TOTAL NOOBS so they simply conclude that you sitting and staring at a screen being “unproductive” might lead to mass suckage for you later on. So they tell you to get off the computer and “go outside and play with your friends!” You would do the exact same thing if you were them. Trust me.
It is totally understandable. So please don’t get mad at them. They are just trying to do a good job – and since they appear to live in a house on NOOB MOUNTAIN, they ARE doing a good job…at least for being NOOBS. Know what I mean?
Anyway, the goal here is to help educate them about what you are doing. You have to show them that sitting in front of your computer grinding on WoW is actually giving you MAD SKILLZ in life by teaching you: Goal Setting, Leadership, Extreme Multitasking, Communication, Management, Strategy, Cause and Effect with Consequence, Technical Skill, Familiarity With Complex User Interface Design, etc.
They need to see that you speak with more people in one day during a WoW session, than they EVER did at your age while they were out playing with “friends.”
The truth is that what you are doing is impressive, you just have to help them understand it.
Try this -
1.) Wait until your parents are home.
2.) Figure out a way to Re-Route your headphones (all incoming chat audio) to external speakers. Make sure they are capable of being loud. The idea here is to allow everyone in your household to hear all the chatter coming through your headset.
3.) Then go on an HUGE quest that requires a ton of people.
4.) Turn your speakers up LOUD. Get your parents to want to come in your room to see what kind of party you must be throwing.
5.) All they will find is you by yourself, playing WoW. However, the sensation they will feel from all the chatter and the audio will be that you are with a TON of people, being social.
6.) Ask your parents to sit down and watch you play for 15 minutes. During this time, GO INTO OVERDRIVE WHEN YOU DO THINGS. Just play the game abnormally fast. Make your parents see and understand that there is NO WAY they could be doing what you are doing. It’s just too fast and too complex and there are too many people, etc. OVERWHELM them by handling it all with ease.
While playing, explain to them what you are doing. Show them the multitasking, the communication, the leadership, EVERYTHING.
They will begin to understand I promise! They may be even a little bit proud of you. It is impressive to watch. Trust me. What seems simple to you, looks like magic to them.
Hopefully this will help.
If it doesn’t and they STILL tell you to go outside. Just go outside. They are your parents, just trying to do a good job. Yes, as I said before they are NOOBS, but they are YOUR NOOBS. Take care of them and make them feel good. They are people with feelings just like you. It is your duty and responsibility as their son to honor their wishes, even if you think they are being unfair. Be a champion, have understanding and patience, especially when it is hard to have patience – by doing so you will build up your HONOR POINTS in the REAL WORLD.
This is how the JACE HALL LEGION MUST ROLL. Join or be cast out as a NOOB.
Jace
E-mail of the Week: The Wild West
Saturday, 2nd October 2010Posted in Ask Jace, Blog Archive
Tags: Ask Jace, blood elf paladin, I play WOW, Jace Hall Show, noobs, parents, world of warcraft
Written by: Jace Hall
| Name | |
| West Chalfant | |
| Subject | |
| Hi Jace | |
| Message | |
| Hi I’m West a 12 year old kid who play wow because I have no friends and I saw you I PLAY WOW music video and was wondering do you really have a blood elf palidin? And if so what realm? After I saw the video I showed it to my mom and dad because they think WoW is a waste of time but the video shows every, and I mean EVERY reason, that I play WoW. | |
Dear Mr. Chalfant,
You can no longer say that you have no friends, because I am now your friend which automatically makes you cooler than everyone you know. I’m the only friend you will ever need. If anyone ever tells you that you have no friends, just show them my picture and say, “YOU JUST GOT PWNED, NOOB!” – Then laugh to yourself, because you can know deep in your heart that you are so much more awesome than that person that they cant even understand it.
In regard to my W.O.W. characters, the realm that my Blood Elf Paladin lives on must remain a secret! This is so that I can continue to rule the lands I inhabit with impunity and merciless power. Anyone you see in the game with the name JACEPWNS is likely a fake. Pay them no respect!
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!
As for your mom and dad, clearly they are TOTAL NOOBS and can’t understand how amazing and awesome you are while in the World of Warcraft.
As NOOBS they can not grasp that you are training your mind to be more and more proficient at multitasking, while simultaneously improving your hand-eye coordination far beyond your future fellow competition.
The pure NOOBNESS that your parents bask in, totally keeps them unaware of your ever increasing comfort and skill with using a computer with complex software – nor can they appreciate the purity of watching someone pursue a passion with all their heart.
Alas Mr. Chalfant, your parents are trapped in their own NOOBOSITY, and they dont know it.
They can never know the joy of W.O.W. they way you do. They will never have the fond memories of killing their first Murloc or battling the Lich King… Don’t hate them for this, just give them hugs and kisses. That might make them feel better.
In the meanwhile, despite the fact that they live in a house built on NOOB mountain, THEY STILL ARE YOUR PARENTS!!
They pay for everything and take care of you and keep you safe and worry about you and make sacrifices and do the best they can – so it is only fair and right that you give them respect and honor and do as they ask of you!
Your parents have earned the right to be in charge, and it is your DUTY to follow their lead!
Remember, they have lived a lot longer than you and know a lot of things that you don’t! Listen to them and learn from them!
So if they ask you to stop playing W.O.W. for whatever reason, YOU STOP PLAYING OK?? If you want to stay as my friend, then you listen to your parents. I don’t want friends that can’t live up to their duties and responsibilities! W.O.W will always be there for you later.
Stay strong Mr. Chalfant!
Your friend,
Jace
Recent Posts
- How Video Games Helped Me Overcome Trauma — Part 2: Speaking Without A Voice
- How SAINTS ROW IV Will Bring “A Level of Freedom of Movement Never Before Seen In an Open World Game”
- What EA Getting Rid of Online Passes Tells Us About The Games Industry (And Gamers)
- This Week in Gaming (Snarky Style): EA Dumps Online Pass, Writer Dumps Joe Biden, Google Breaks Out
- It’s Time For a New Hero: Action Puzzle-Platformer KR-17 Has a Character “To Fall in Love With” [Exclusive Images]
- You’re Focused Intently on Your Video Game, When Your Naked Girlfriend Comes In and This Happens…
- Three Gaming Blogs Run By Ladies to Keep An Eye Out For!
- Co-op Fantasy Hack n’ Slash HAMMERWATCH Gets The Greenlight On Steam
- Joe Biden’s “Violent Video Game Tax” Smells A Lot Like Old Urine
- There Can Never Be A Citizen Kane Of Video Games (Don’t Worry, That’s A Good Thing!)