The Microsoft XBOX 360 has made its mark with edgy, mature, and violent games. Indeed, according to Gamerankings.com, the most popular XBOX 360 titles (as of July 6, 2008) include Unreal Tournament 3, Soulcalibur, Alone in the Dark, and of course Grand Theft Auto IV.
As Wired.com explains, "Microsoft has assembled a crack team of studios that churn out Mature-rated titles like there's no tomorrow. The Xbox 360 has no shortage of Gears of War or Halo. But the company has not been nearly as successful at creating family-friendly entertainment." (Wired.com, May 13, 2008)
Microsoft Rolls out Family-Friendly XBOX 360 Options
With the mature gaming crowd largely captured, Microsoft has turned toward families. Not content to let Nintendo fully dominate the family market with its hugely popular Wii system, Microsoft has made efforts recently to compete.
In 2007, Microsoft took one of two major steps to make the XBOX more family-friendly. The company introduced time controls into its settings, so parents could regulate the amount of time their kids play the XBOX 360.
Also last year, Microsoft rolled out the family-friendly XBOX 360 Arcade bundle, which featured five kid-friendly game titles: Pac-Man Championship Edition, Uno, Luxor 2, Boom Boom Rocket, and Feeding Frenzy.
More Family-Friendly XBOX 360 Games on the Horizon?
Microsoft has made it fairly clear that it wants to broaden its appeal beyond its young male demographic. This will require continued development of family-friendly titles. It isn't just Microsoft, of course, looking to expand its market share. As the UK-based TimesOnline reports: "Today the race is on to create the family and female-friendly gaming equivalents of Titanic, Sex and the City and Love, Actually."
Another dimension to this is the economy. When times are tough, people have less disposable income, and this will only intensify Microsoft's competition with Sony and Nintendo. And what about that competition? Microsoft is outperforming Sony, but lagging behind Nintendo's hugely popular Wii.
With these factors in mind, Microsoft is reportedly considering price cuts for its XBOX 360 20GB console as well as a Wii-type controller and upgrades to its XBOX Live dashboard.
The bottom line is that Microsoft intends to keep the XBOX 360 competitive, and that means (among other things) more family-friendly game titles.
Recommended Family-Friendly XBOX 360 Games
Of course, many parents want family-friendly game titles now. The family-friendly XBOX 360 games recommended by this author include:
- Lego Star Wars
- Lego Indiana Jones
- Viva Pinata
- Zuma Deluxe
- Kung Fu Panda
- Civilization: Revolution
- Thrillville: Off the Rails
- WALL-E
- Cars
For more video game recommendations from a family-friendly perspective, check out Guide 2 Games.
