ON BOYS Podcast

Photo by Isengardt via Flickr

Why do boys spend so many hours playing videogames?  And how worried should we be about the hours they spend gaming?

To get some answers, we turned to a true expert: Greg Wondra, a former boy & current parent who also happens to be video game designer who worked on the MLB 2K series, Wizard 101, Lost Planet 3, and Monkeyquest,

Greg Wondra, video game designer & dad

In this episode, Jen, Janet & Greg discuss:

Why boys are so attracted to video games

How to help boys balance video games and other activities

Red flags that might signal a problem with gaming

What you need to know about social games and online gaming (such as Fortnite)

How video games help boys develop 21st century job skills

How games are designed to "suck you in" -- & how you can counter their call

Links we mentioned (and more!) in Episode 108:

How the War on Video Games is Hurting Your Son, by Jennifer L.W. Fink

Are Video Games Bad for Boys? (YouTube video featuring Greg Wondra)

Gamasutra.com -- gaming industry website

What’s your experience with boys & video games?  Share in the comments below…

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Photo by Isengardt via Flickr

Why do boys spend so many hours playing videogames?  And how worried should we be about the hours they spend gaming?

To get some answers, we turned to a true expert: Greg Wondra, a former boy & current parent who also happens to be video game designer who worked on the MLB 2K series, Wizard 101, Lost Planet 3, and Monkeyquest,

Greg Wondra, video game designer & dad

In this episode, Jen, Janet & Greg discuss:

* Why boys are so attracted to video games

* How to help boys balance video games and other activities

* Red flags that might signal a problem with gaming

* What you need to know about social games and online gaming (such as Fortnite)

* How video games help boys develop 21st century job skills

* How games are designed to "suck you in" -- & how you can counter their call

Links we mentioned (and more!) in Episode 108:

How the War on Video Games is Hurting Your Son, by Jennifer L.W. Fink

Are Video Games Bad for Boys? (YouTube video featuring Greg Wondra)

Gamasutra.com -- gaming industry website

What’s your experience with boys & video games?  Share in the comments below…

Photo by Ryan Quick via Flickr

Can your video game-loving boy turn his passion into a career? Perhaps, says our special guest, Greg Wondra. Greg is a veteran game designer who worked on the MLB 2K series, Wizard 101, Lost Planet 3, and Monkeyquest, and currently teaches video game design to high school students at Kern County Regional Occupational Center in California.

 

Greg directing a motion capture session with Derek Jeter for the MLB 2K baseball game.

 

 

Jen & Greg. Notice some resemblance? (They're brother & sister!)

In this episode, Jen, Janet & Greg discuss:

Why video games aren't a waste of time

How a "grand curiosity" can lead to a lucrative career

Viable career opportunities for gamers

The educational background necessary to work in the gaming industry

Low-cost ways to nurture boys' interest in game design

Links we mentioned (and more!) in Episode 107:

USC Games Program

Entertainment Arts & Engineering at the University of Utah

Intro to Game Design -- Greg's Udemy course

Unreal Engine 4: Create an Arcade Classic -- another Udemy course by Greg

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Photo by Ryan Quick via Flickr

Can your video game-loving boy turn his passion into a career? Perhaps, says our special guest, Greg Wondra. Greg is a veteran game designer who worked on the MLB 2K series, Wizard 101, Lost Planet 3, and Monkeyquest, and currently teaches video game design to high school students at Kern County Regional Occupational Center in California.

 

Greg directing a motion capture session with Derek Jeter for the MLB 2K baseball game.

 

 

Jen & Greg. Notice some resemblance? (They're brother & sister!)

In this episode, Jen, Janet & Greg discuss:

* Why video games aren't a waste of time

* How a "grand curiosity" can lead to a lucrative career

* Viable career opportunities for gamers

* The educational background necessary to work in the gaming industry

* Low-cost ways to nurture boys' interest in game design

Links we mentioned (and more!) in Episode 107:

USC Games Program

Entertainment Arts & Engineering at the University of Utah

Intro to Game Design -- Greg's Udemy course

Unreal Engine 4: Create an Arcade Classic -- another Udemy course by Greg

Photo by Paul Inkles via Flickr

How many hours per week do your boys spend in front of a screen?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children ages 6-10 now spend 6 hours per day using screens as entertainment. That figure doesn't count time spent learning via screens at school, or videochatting with grandma and grandpa.

In this episode, Jen & Janet discuss:

Expert recommendations for screen time vs. reality

Whether or not screen addiction is a "thing"

Signs that your son might be spending too much time with screens

How to help boys establish a balance between screentime and other activities

The upside of screens

Links we mentioned (or should have!) in Episode 106:

Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking Our Kids - And How to Break the Trance  -- book by Nicholas Kardaras, PhD

Family Media Use Plan – interactive tool from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (& Survive) In Their Digital World – book by Devorah Heitner

Is Screen Time Really All That Bad? – blog post by Jennifer L.W. Fink

The Link Between Freedom & Video Games – blog post by Jennifer L.W. Fink

Moral Combat: Why the War of Violent Video Games is Wrong -- book by Patrick Markey and Christopher Ferguson

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Photo by Paul Inkles via Flickr

How many hours per week do your boys spend in front of a screen?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children ages 6-10 now spend 6 hours per day using screens as entertainment. That figure doesn't count time spent learning via screens at school, or videochatting with grandma and grandpa.

In this episode, Jen & Janet discuss:

* Expert recommendations for screen time vs. reality

* Whether or not screen addiction is a "thing"

* Signs that your son might be spending too much time with screens

* How to help boys establish a balance between screentime and other activities

* The upside of screens

Links we mentioned (or should have!) in Episode 106:

Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking Our Kids - And How to Break the Trance  -- book by Nicholas Kardaras, PhD

Family Media Use Plan – interactive tool from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (& Survive) In Their Digital World – book by Devorah Heitner

Is Screen Time Really All That Bad? – blog post by Jennifer L.W. Fink

The Link Between Freedom & Video Games – blog post by Jennifer L.W. Fink

Moral Combat: Why the War of Violent Video Games is Wrong -- book by Patrick Markey and Christopher Ferguson

Photo by Independentman via Flickr

What is masculinity?

It's a question that's not easy to answer. But it's an important one for parents and educators of boys to tackle because the primary question for all boys, is "What is it to be a man?"

In this episode, Jen & Janet discuss:

So-called "toxic masculinity" & the idea that boys are "broken"

Healthy masculinity

Changing expectations of boys and men

How to help boys wrestle with dueling definitions of masculinity

Links we mentioned (and more!) in Episode 105

Teenage Brothers on Sex, Social Media, and What Their Parents Don’t Understand, part of The Cut's series, How to Raise a Boy

Michael Kimmel and Lisa Wade Discuss Toxic Masculinity

The Boys Are Not All Right, by Michael Ian Black

#DownWithManUp & #YesAll, by Jennifer L.W. Fink

Joe Ehrmann on “Be a Man” (TEDx talk)

The Art of Manliness (podcast)

What does masculinity mean to you? How do you help boys wrestle with the concept of masculinity? Leave a comment below.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Photo by Independentman via Flickr

What is masculinity?

It's a question that's not easy to answer. But it's an important one for parents and educators of boys to tackle because the primary question for all boys, is "What is it to be a man?"

In this episode, Jen & Janet discuss:

* So-called "toxic masculinity" & the idea that boys are "broken"

* Healthy masculinity

* Changing expectations of boys and men

* How to help boys wrestle with dueling definitions of masculinity

Links we mentioned (and more!) in Episode 105

Teenage Brothers on Sex, Social Media, and What Their Parents Don’t Understand, part of The Cut's series, How to Raise a Boy

Michael Kimmel and Lisa Wade Discuss Toxic Masculinity

The Boys Are Not All Right, by Michael Ian Black

#DownWithManUp & #YesAll, by Jennifer L.W. Fink

Joe Ehrmann on “Be a Man” (TEDx talk)

The Art of Manliness (podcast)

What does masculinity mean to you? How do you help boys wrestle with the concept of masculinity? Leave a comment below.

Photo by Stewart Baird via Flickr

"By age 9, the default emotion for most boys is anger." -- Michael Gurian

It's easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless in the face of a boy's anger, whether you've got a toddler throwing a temper tantrum or a teenager on a rampage. But learning to respond to boys' anger with love and patience is one of the best gifts we can give to our guys.

In this episode, Jen & Janet discuss:

How the "boy code" subtly encourages anger

The biology of anger

Techniques parents & teachers can use to manage boys' angry outburts

The link between anger, aggression and violence (SPOILER ALERT: anger doesn't inevitably lead to violence)

Links we mentioned (and more!) in Episode 104:

Masterminds and Wingmen: Helping Our Boys Cope with Schoolyard Power, Locker Room Tests, Girlfriends, and the New Rules of Boy World, by Rosalind Wiseman

Boy Talk: How You Can Help Your Son Express His Emotions by Mary Polce-Lynch

Tips on Dealing with Anger -- From a 7-Year-Old Boy by Jennifer LW Fink

He Is So Angry! by Janet Allison

Teenage Angst, or Something More Serious? by Jennifer LW Fink

SPECIAL NOTE:

CLICK HERE for free access to Janet's 75-minute audio file - Learning Lab: Boys and Anger with a bonus pdf on "The Boy Code and Anger."

Because you asked...you can WATCH the uncut version of this podcast on YouTube.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Photo by Stewart Baird via Flickr

"By age 9, the default emotion for most boys is anger." -- Michael Gurian

It's easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless in the face of a boy's anger, whether you've got a toddler throwing a temper tantrum or a teenager on a rampage. But learning to respond to boys' anger with love and patience is one of the best gifts we can give to our guys.

In this episode, Jen & Janet discuss:

* How the "boy code" subtly encourages anger

* The biology of anger

* Techniques parents & teachers can use to manage boys' angry outburts

* The link between anger, aggression and violence (SPOILER ALERT: anger doesn't inevitably lead to violence)

Links we mentioned (and more!) in Episode 104:

Masterminds and Wingmen: Helping Our Boys Cope with Schoolyard Power, Locker Room Tests, Girlfriends, and the New Rules of Boy World, by Rosalind Wiseman

Boy Talk: How You Can Help Your Son Express His Emotions by Mary Polce-Lynch

Tips on Dealing with Anger -- From a 7-Year-Old Boy by Jennifer LW Fink

He Is So Angry! by Janet Allison

Teenage Angst, or Something More Serious? by Jennifer LW Fink

SPECIAL NOTE:

CLICK HERE for free access to Janet's 75-minute audio file - Learning Lab: Boys and Anger with a bonus pdf on "The Boy Code and Anger."

Because you asked...you can WATCH the uncut version of this podcast on YouTube.