Sigh.  Why did I think that eliminating TV would make a difference?  The kids have now switched their attention to other sources of entertainment, interaction, and fun.  Actually not such a bad thing.  YouTube has entered both of thier lives in a major way.  Did you know that there is an enormous amount of content on StarWars video games – cheats, hints, spoofs etc? Just ask Sammy.  They haven’t yet figured out the interactive nature of all of this – commenting, trading info.  Maybe next week.

Social Networking and gaming are new to me.  As a result of my earlier blog post, Gamervision has come to my attention, and it’s quite awesome – even to the Mom of the afore mentioned 11 year old male.   Launched early 2007, it offers a unique blend of satire, news, reviews and fan sites for all aspects of gaming and comic book culture.  The site has enjoyed substantial growth within this extremely competitive media sector thanks to a rich user experience centered around networking and self-publishing features that avoids cluttered advertising. The site currently hosts about half a million unique members, all registered since its launch in January 2007.  The staff also creates a plethora of original content ranging from niche-interest blogs to several full-run video series slated for release in late 2008. I think if Sam does well on all of this homework this week, I’l turn him on to it.

As I watch my son explore YouTube and now gaming sites, I’m quite amazed at how strategy and problem solving comes into play, not to mention the level of sophistication some of these game sites have reached.  And what an incredible art form it is! 

I’m hoping to attend Comic-Con next year.  Having watched what an incredible franchise the Marvel comics have become in all forms of media, and growing up with Anime, I need to know more!

A diversion into the personal for this post.  With the start of the school year, my husband and I decided to get rid of cable, and all TV actually, just to see how our 2 middle-school kids adjusted to the new year.  Our 11 year old son is (was?) completely addicted to CartoonNetwork, Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.  So we went cold turkey.

We heard a lot of complaining and groaning for the first few days.  But they seem to have adjusted.  Both kids have discovered YouTube.  Granted my son is spending more time on his computer with some pretty sophisticated games.  But not to the degree that he was staring at the TV.   That zombie like glaze is gone.

But there are so many other astounding aspects.  The house is quieter – except for the chatter of the kids.  My son has turned into a chatterbox and is full, no overflowing with talk.  Its as if the flood gates have opened.  We are spending more time just talking as a family.  I thought we did a pretty good job on this front before, but there is much more interaction and just hanging out with each other. 

Here is an interesting take on killing the TV.  And another.

I miss PBS.  And the cooking shows.  And, dare I say it, What Not to Wear (OK we all need some piffle in our lives).  But not that much.  We get most of our news online and from the blogs.  It’s a tiny price to pay for a changed family dynamic.  Simply amazing.