[Podcast] Gaming with the Moms #9: I’m the Mom That Hides Devices

Welcome to episode 9 of Gaming With the Moms. This is the podcast where we chat about all that’s new in gaming and tell great stories about families. Host and Pixelkin Managing Editor Nicole Tanner leads us through the news and we all answer the questions of communications guru Kate Curtis, a self-proclaimed mom who hides her kids’ gaming devices. Kate also helped our own Linda Breneman on her recent Ignite Seattle talk (below).

Download this episode here.

News & Idle Gossip

• Eco is a new Minecraft-style game that tasks players with surviving on a world while not depleting its resources. The game has received a hefty grant from the U.S. Department of Education with the hopes it can used a learning tool in the classroom.
• A new set of LEGOs featuring the Angry Birds brand will hit stores next year.
• Elsa and Anna have laid claim to a ride at Epcot Center in Disney World in Orlando. The ride was previously about the conquest of vikings, but it appears even they have fallen under the thick marketing ice that is Frozen.
• Pixelkin favorite LittleBigPlanet 3 is going to get some downloadable content that will extend the story of the game and provide more assets for the community to build with. Simone gets emotional about some of the fantastic things that have been built by the community.
• The Apple Design Awards have been announced with seven games making the cut. One of the games is Crossy Road, a game former podcast guest Todd Bishop said he likes to play with daughter. Does Not Commute, a game by Mediocre, was also had included in Apple’s announcement. We’re glad their game is awesome since their studio name is not.
• Hearthstone is getting a new game mode while Nicole is struggling with her new way of pronouncing the name. The new game mode, Tavern Brawl will be a live event. All of the details haven’t been unveiled but players will need to have a level 20 hero to participate. The new mode is slated to hit in mid-June.
• We field questions from Kate, including when and how much you should let your kids play, how the best games challenge you, and the difference between fantasy and realistic violent games.

What We Played

• Simone has been playing Splatoon and absolutely loves it. Too bad she’s at the whim of Courtney, who chooses when to bring the game into office.
• Nicole played a great point-and-click adventure game called Lost Echo, which had a good overarching story, even if some of the dialogue wasn’t the best.
• Linda was still playing Assassin’s Creed Unity and finally got help calibrating her controller. Besides that, she was also playing Crossy Road.
• Much to our surprise, Kate had actually been playing a game called Talking Tom Cat.

This podcast was recorded in the studios of the Jack Straw Cultural Center in Seattle. The music is by Pat Goodwin at Novelty Shop Creative. Nicole Tanner, Linda Breneman, Simone de Rochefort, and Kate Curtis participated in this podcast. Thanks for listening! If you liked this episode, you can find all the Gaming With the Moms podcasts HERE, or…