Family Game Night

* This article originally appeared in my weekly tech column, Of Mice and Men, and was published on July 16, 2008

More and more Canadian parents say that video gaming is increasingly becoming a family activity in their households, according to a new study by Ipsos-Reid commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada.

Released Monday, the survey revealed that Canadian parents, who themselves would have been raised around video games, are finding ways of continuing their hobby with their children. And they're doing this because of the increased availability of family friendly titles such as Wii Fit, Guitar Hero III and LEGO Indiana Jones.

"We're showing that 69 per cent of parents are saying that they now see a lot of choice for family game night," says Nicole Helsberg, spokesperson for the ESAC. "And that is great on the part of the developers who are creating family friendly games that are geared for multiplayer play."

While the biggest sellers in the video game world are often mature titles such as Grand Theft Auto, Halo and Metal Gear Solid, the industry is propped up by the 59 per cent of titles rated E for Everyone. And so about 57 per cent of parents say they play video games with their kids, while a growing number -- 41 per cent -- would prefer their kids play video games than watch TV.

"It's far more interesting to experience something with your child or children than sit passively and watch television," says Helsberg. "And we're very pleased to hear that parents are playing with their children."

While Helsberg won't say it, the study seems to suggest that those who grew up around video games will likely be around them all their lives, making the medium much more mainstream.

"It's not just a kid's medium anymore," she says. "We're seeing an upward trend in age, as the average age of a gamer is now 40.3 years old. That accounts for a lot of parents playing with their kids."

Canadian families purchased $1.67 billion worth of entertainment software and hardware in 2007. Four of 10 Canadian households have at least one gaming machine.

Piracy hits Bollywood

It's not just Hollywood being hit hard by Internet and street piracy, India's massive film industry, lovingly dubbed "Bollywood," posted a loss for the first six months of 2008.

Out of the 116 films released during that period, there were only two hits and two "average grossers" according to the Economic Times of India.

Analysts say the problem has not only to do with the availability of pirated copies online and on the street, but with cinema ticket prices no longer being affordable for the average Indian.

"People are not interested in shelling out money for films," an analyst, Amod Mehra, told the Economic Times. Bollywood produces more films than any other industry in the world, and has sold 3.6 billion cinema tickets in its lifetime.

A Town Without Garbagemen

You think we have it tough in Calgary with no curbside recycling, try living in the Japanese town of Kamikatsu.

In an effort to reduce the ecological footprints of its citizens, the town council decided to eradicate all trash collection, the BBC reports. Townsfolk are expected to put all organic waste into composters and carry the rest to recycling centres, where they are sorted into 34 different categories.

Many of the 2,042 residents of the southeast Japanese town claim the new scheme has prompted them to cut down on waste generally, and food waste in particular.

The move is also saving the town money in incineration fees, while residents are receiving incentives such as lottery tickets for bringing in their own trash.

Nick