Won't Somebody Think About the Children?

Microsoft is pushing a new initiative to "educate parents and other caregivers about how to protect children in this digital age." link

The campaign, called Safety is no game. Is your family set? will spread the word by nationwide bus tour as well as via the web at www.xbox.com/isyourfamilyset. From the official press release:

The "Safety is no game. Is your family set?" campaign will showcase ways parents and caregivers can limit children’s exposure to inappropriate video games and movie content. They will also learn how to block unwanted online contacts by using tools such as Xbox 360 Family Settings. The Xbox 360 Family Settings are built around a password-protected feature that lets parents and caregivers decide who their children can interact with online and what video games can be played, based on the game’s ESRB rating. Parents and caregivers can use Family Settings to set permissions that allow all members of the household to enjoy Xbox 360 appropriately, including what DVD movies to allow, as well as controlling the ability to establish Xbox Live memberships and managing access to Xbox Live and Xbox Live Vision camera.

While I do not have any children, I applaud any efforts to make the 360 as family friendly as possible. With that being said, when are they going to save us, the game playing adults, from the children?

Children of the Corn

In my experience, the worst players - the rudest, racial-epiphet flinging, obnoxious ruiners of gaming fun - have, by far, been the adolescents. Free at last from the fear of a physical retaliatory beating, these kids embrace the mic and open up the vault of stored vulgarity that they've been saving up through childhood. What I wouldn't give for a reverse family filter to shelter us unsuspecting adults from the horde of sailer-mouthed teens and pre-teens.

Now that MS is making the world safe for these kids, how about making me safe from them? I just want to play in peace.