I don’t play video games for the most part. I’ve never owned a Nintendo. The last game I was really good at was the original Sonic the Hedgehog, and that was on my friend’s system back in 7th grade. I never wanted my kids to get hooked on video games either. I’ve seen too many spook stories and “Dr’s recommendations” stating that too much tv and gaming destroys a child’s attention span and imagination. Then along came the Wii. When the man of my house set out to buy it, I rolled my eyes, sighed a deep sigh, and ran a mental list of all the other things we could use that money for. Obviously, games were not on the top of my priority list. How was I to know I would LOVE this system??? Well, I do. It’s fun. It’s interactive. It’s certainly NOT the sit-on-your-bum-and-go-braindead kind of game I see too much. I threw my shoulder out while Wii bowling. My 2 sons got so exhausted Wii boxing that they took a nap. The girls got all the games down in minutes flat! The controls are easy. The games are extremely responsive to your actual motions. And best of all, they REQUIRE motion! They encourage teamwork and taking turns! And they wear my kids out! YAY! So now, as I’m planning out my christmas gift list, somehow Wii video games have topped the priority list!

~WC~

In a not-so-surprising move, YouTube has begun allowing advertisements to their video streams, adding revenue to the site’s owners AND contributers! What does that mean for you? Well here’s a quote from the site’s blog that explains more:

“Today we’re offering select partners the ability to incorporate YouTube InVideo ads into their content. These are animated overlays that appear on the bottom 20 percent of a video. If you’re interested by what you see there, clicking on the overlay launches a deeper interactive video ad that we think is relevant and entertaining. (The video you were watching is temporarily paused.) If you choose not to click on the overlay, it will simply disappear, so that you’re in full control of your YouTube experience.”

My review of the matter… If the ads truly only affect the video-watching experience when you click on them, then that’s great. But if they become similar to how Fox butchers Formula 1 racing events by having half-screen ads display during the broadcast that block the racing action, then I believe YouTube should rethink their revenue strategy.