Nintendo Almost Used Microsoft Style Parental Controls?

[CantGetAWii]

During Takashi Aoyama's presentation at GDC, he told an interesting anecdote about developing the Wii. Specifically, current Nintendo president Satoru Iwata demanded that, for the Wii not to "to be seen as an enemy in the household," it should have a parental control timer that would automatically shut the console off after a period of time (sound familiar?).

Aoyama explained that a "debate raged for several weeks" until the team came up with what they felt to be a better direction, the play history list.

Aoyama explained, ""instead of instituting some play limit...this allowed parents to monitor and discuss how much their children were playing...this is why you can't erase the play history on the console."

It's interesting to see how two companies making similar products tackled a problem (limiting play time to please parents) in such a different manner. Nintendo hoped that the list would provide constant check-up on children, initiating a parent to child dialogue. Microsoft, on the other hand, went with the more straightforward, lest child-trusting approach (the even Iwata initially supported).

Which is better? I love the philosophy behind Nintendo's parental controls, but I'm betting that for most American families, Microsoft's are flat-out more effective. Thoughts?

Source

 

[Dorkfish]

Bah, i think Microsofts P.C.s are better, but there really aren't that many mature rated games out on the Wii to be looking for anyway.

Parents are so lazy nowadays lol, having to rely on built in parental controls to do the work for them. Have they ever heard of turning off the T.V., setting their children down, and hitting them?

 

[PwnMastr]

my parents dont really know about the play history, Nintendo is always trying to be the good guys and protect all the kids from learning bad words or playing to much video games

 

[vashivihan]

my parents dont really know about the play history, Nintendo is always trying to be the good guys and protect all the kids from learning bad words or playing to much video games

he he same here. :lol: :yikes:

 

[Wii_BrEnDo2007]

Intresting!

 

[daley]

Parents are so lazy nowadays lol, having to rely on built in parental controls to do the work for them. Have they ever heard of turning off the T.V., setting their children down, and hitting them?

Yeah, beating the kids is a better solution than parental controls. :lol:

Seriously, the play history rocks. Parents who want to limit their kids' game time can use it to find out whether the kids are following the rules. Parents who don't know about it, well, probably they aren't the ones who'd figure out how to set up the parental control on an xbox either.

 

[M4573RM1ND]

Neither do mine. They'd freak if they ever found out about the web browser (conveniently hidden on page 4 )

 

[vashivihan]

Neither do mine. They'd freak if they ever found out about the web browser (conveniently hidden on page 4 )

whoa, swear to god , i have the internet channel on the last page!!!!!!!!!!:yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes:

 

[daley]

Heh. My mom doesn't care what I have on my Wii, although she occasionally tells me that I let my kids play it too much.

 

[Dal]

Oh thank god! My Guitar Hero experience would've been ruined!!!