Capitol Hill Gets Game Smart

Posted by Fred Humphries
Managing Director, U.S. Government Affairs  

Last night, an important audience experienced Microsoft’s commitment to ensuring that children use digital media and video games in safer, healthier, and more balanced ways. The audience was the U.S. Congress.

In cooperation with Reps. Mike Rogers (R-MI), Bobby Scott (D-VA), John Shimkus (R-IL), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Microsoft and the Get Game Smart program hosted Capitol Hill Family Game Night. More than 150 members of Congress, staff and their family members were joined at this educational event by parents and children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.

“There is no greater mission than protecting our kids,” said Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz. “By working together with groups like Get Game Smart, we can ensure that our children experience these new technologies in a way that is safe, healthy and most of all fun.”

Microsoft and our Get Game Smart partners shared with policymakers the same easy-to-use tools and resources for smarter digital media use that the Get Game Smart program has taken to thousands of families in communities all across the country. Get Game Smart connects parents and kids with helpful information on how to prevent cyberbullying and “sexting” to how to set the Xbox 360 console to limit the content that children can play or view on it.

While playing family-friendly titles like “The Beatles: Rock Band,” attendees learned how to use the Xbox 360 Family Timer, parental controls tools and Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings. These resources, including the PACT – a parent-child agreement on digital media use – can be found at GetGameSmart.com.

We hope those who attended will use what they learned about Get Game Smart in their own homes and share Get Game Smart information and resources with parents in their school districts and communities. We also hope they had fun in the process.

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