Good grief

Good grief

Gamestay is designed for grownup gamers but no doubt some of you are parents too - so the two Microsoft guides that are making the rounds should be helpful.

I can also reveal that my wife, GrrlGotGame, had a hand in creating both of them. No, she didn't write them (a talented scribe named Chris did), but they were her original ideas, she helped develop them and ultimately she pushed to get them done. They almost got spiked because nobody thought anyone would ever look at them, which is funny now considering how much attention they've gotten.

The first is the griefer's guide, which explains about online bullying. No parent wants to see their kid beat up on the playground, even if it's a virtual one.

The second is a guide to leetspeak, which is gamer slang. The idea is that if you sit with your kids when they're online, or take the stealth approach and poke through their e-mails and log their IM sessions or keyboard strokes, you might still not know what they're really talking about.

They're both good reads, especially if you've ever wondered what 1337 or rox0rs meant.

--Gamewatcher