You & Yours

If you've not come across it already Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is a videogame that launched last year. In it players explore a fantasy cartoon world to earn points and unlock new levels. It's unusual because it uses toy action figures to access characters in the game.

The game is designed for children 7yrs and older. It comes with a set of three toy figures that are placed on a Portal peripheral (a small grey box connected to the videogame console) to access the related character in the game. Progress made in the game is then automatically recorded on the toy with no wires or pressing of buttons.

Children can take the toy figure to a friend's house and play the game on their console to access the progress they made with their character. This works across different types of videogame console and greatly simplifies switching characters in the game and saving progress.

However, some parents have been critical of the videos that play in the game to advertise the other toy figures in the range. Skylanders supports 30 of these characters that are purchased separately for £6.99 or in packs of three for £19.99.

It is this method of restricting access to characters in the game that is both revolutionary and controversial. Videogames have traditionally granted new characters and levels as a reward for good play and in-game achievements. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is different because it only grants access to new characters once a player has purchased the related toy. To access everything in the game would require you to purchase every character at a cost of hundreds of pounds.

Frustrations have been exasperated by the popularity of the toy figures that has made them hard to find in stores or online. This has also led to the most desirable figures being sold second hand for many times their recommended retail value.
This week in New York, publisher Activision announced the next game in the series: Skylanders Giants. This adds larger toy figures to the range as well characters that light up when placed on the Portal peripheral.

Skylanders Giants will be available at the end of the year and will support all the toy figures (and portal) from the first game while introducing various new characters and special edition models. This leads to further questions about how the new game will be priced and packaged, and for fans of the series whether availability issues will be resolved.

For parents the key to this problem is in understanding what you do and don't need to purchase to play the game. While there is an inescapable desire from children to collect the toy figures they can actually play through to the end of the game using just the three figures that come with the starter pack (£49.99).

This offers an adventure that will take most players a good 20 hours. The experience is extended with a range of battle modes and challenges where players can pit their starter pack characters against each other.

In terms of value for money, younger players are best placed to benefit. They can find value in both the videogame and the toys themselves. The Skylanders starter pack is priced a little higher than other games, but does include three starter figures and the Portal peripheral. The action figures' £6.99 price is on a par with other toy characters of a similar style and quality.

While we are used to seeing adverts and product placement in other entertainment aimed at children, such a hard sell in a videogame can be a little surprising. Parents should play the game with their children to gain a full picture of how commercial (and enjoyable) the experience is.

Andy Robertson is a Family Gaming expert and presents the Family Gamer TV show.

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The financial outlook isn't currently rosy for Nintendo. They have just reported a net loss of 48.4bn Yen (£400 million) in the nine months up to the end of December - the first time in 30 years they have reported a loss instead of a profit.

Beyond the difficulties Nintendo have from the Yen, which has seen 53bn Yen lost from its balance sheet, sales of both the Wii and DS have declined while the 3DS hasn't yet performed as well as hoped. While the 3DS's sluggish start was improved by a substantial price cut and the addition of more first party games (starting Nintendo's popular Mario character), it is now under pressure with the release of Sony's more powerful PS Vita portable.

The transition to the next generation of Wii and DS consoles was always going to be a difficult period. The rise of Smartphones means that very cheap and accessible games are now available to a much wider audience -- just the sort of people Nintendo had been winning over to the Wii and DS.

The 3DS addressed this issue with its own app store (the eShop) where you can download new games as well as re-releases of classic Nintendo titles. Recent announcements for the Wii U have promised an expanded delivery of downloadable games.

The Wii U aims to be the next generation of console for those who have enjoyed the Wii. It offers a tablet-like controller that incorporates a large screen. This creates new ways to play games together as a family and will offer fresh opportunities for game developers to innovate. The Wii U controller can be used as a standalone portable gaming device around the home, or in conjunction with a TV for multi-player multi-screen experiences.
The Wii U, which comprises both a new console and controller, is due to be launched later in 2012. The challenge it faces is winning over consumers who already have similar technology in their Smartphone and Tablet computers. In particular some of its novel features announced last June have been encroached on by the iPad and PS Vita, both of which enable you to play games across multiple screens as well as away from the main TV.

Additionally, there is growing competition from XBox 360 Kinect (that enables you to play games by moving your body in front of a camera) and PlayStation 3's motion control Move system (that offers a HD Wii-like experience). This is a much more crowded space than when the Wii first came to market.

Nintendo still have a number of cards to play though. Although much of the Wii U functionality exists on other systems, the promise of playing classic Nintendo franchises with better graphics and new controls will persuade many of the Wii's existing users to upgrade. Nintendo's is good at supporting its hardware with tailor made experiences from a wide stable of first party games. Wii-Sports and a series of related titles on the Wii ensured that that console offered good value.

The Wii U also makes use of the existing Wii controllers, which are used in conjunction with the new screen based version, to offer more ways to play together. It can also offer high definition graphics in a way that the original Wii was slightly lacking. This will court more avid gamers who were previously left a little cold by the Wii's less impressive visuals.

Providing these innovations can be delivered in an accessible way for consumers the Wii U will be an interesting proposition when it launches later in 2012.

Andy Robertson is a Family Gaming expert and presents the Family Gamer TV show.

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In excess of 63 million videogames will be bought this year but just how family friendly are they? Family gaming expert Andy Robertson puts together the Family Gamer TV online videos which teach parents more about videogames without hype or jargon. We asked him how families can make the most of the games they play.

Although they can seem much more complex and intimidating, videogames aren't hugely different from other activities we do in our homes. Watching a film, playing cards, baking a cake or sharing a meal are most enjoyable when we do them together. Similarly, videogames work best for a family when they are shared, particularly when younger children are involved.

With so many games on offer it can be hard to find the games that best suit your family's individual make up. A game that suits a 5 year old won't necessarily suit an 8 year old for instance, and some games are better at involving a range of different abilities than others. It can be a hurdle that results in parents washing their hands of these choices, meaning it's the children who take the lead. But it doesn't have to be like that.

Talking to other families with children of similar ages is a great way to find recommendations. If you don't have anyone like that at hand you can also consult age-related game recommendations online, like the Family Gamer Awards I run, that are a good way to discover games that will suit your particular family setup.

Of course not everyone finds videogames interesting, or wants to spend time playing them. For young families though it is important that, where games are being played, parents get involved in some way or other. This might be watching and advising rather than playing, but it is critical to ensure that videogames don't become annexed in bedrooms as children get older.

This isn't just about monitoring the sorts of experiences your family is having with videogames, but about getting the most out of them together. Games are much more fun when they are shared, and many parents find a valuable connection with their children during this sort of play time -- and a great way to engage with a whole range of interesting and unusual topics.

Once you have identified the sort of games that might work for your family, you need to make a choice about which console you will play them on. The popularity of the Wii's simple controls have been joined by Sony's more accurate Move motion controller and Microsoft's Xbox Kinect system, where you control the game by just moving around in front of a camera. Each of these options has different benefits and limitations and should be tried out before purchasing.

Handheld systems like the Nintendo DS and Playstation Portable offer the greatest challenge to playing games together as they can only be used by one player at a time. In spite of their popularity families are often rightly cautious about bringing these into the home as they need to be handled with care.

Newer handhelds like the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita (released in Feb 2012) do help here by offering different ways to play together. As well as the 3D screen the 3DS enables you to interact via its built-in cameras and motion sensors like the Wii which makes it a much more shareable experience. The PlayStation Vita, like the iPhone and iPad, can be used in conjunction with your TV screen to get more people involved in the action. Completing this picture is the WiiU, Nintendo's new console launching in 2012, which will combine a screen on the controller with your Television to invent new ways to play together.

This Christmas has also seen a new trend in using toys to interact with videogames. Skylanders Spyro's Adventure, for example, enables players to access characters in the game by using toy figures they purchase separately. Cars AppMates is an example on the iPad where players steer vehicles in the game by placing special toy cars on the screen and moving them around.

Making the most of these different options isn't about having the latest technology or understanding how all this works in great detail. Rather, it is about taking advantage of the one or two games that are the best fit for your family. A bit of research before making these purchases can make all the difference.

Many families will find that the best games for them are actually older titles, or something they have enjoyed when visiting friends and family. This can be a great way to also save money, particularly because videogames often come down in price more rapidly than other entertainment products.

Once you have made your purchases and have your videogame system back at home it is worth spending some time setting it up before letting the family loose on it. This gives you a chance to choose the best room of the house to play in -- ideally a shared family space. It also means you can take advantage of the parental settings. For example, on the Xbox these enable you to control which age ratings are accessible, how long you play for and limits how you interact with other players online.

Like most good things in life, a bit of effort up front can make videogames much more engaging and enjoyable. Whether you choose videogame that get you dancing, adventuring, racing, exploring or strategising, doing it as a family will make it much more fun.

Andy Robertson is a Family Gaming expert.

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