Microsoft showing parents how to make video, computer games safer

Microsoft today is launching a campaign and 20-city bus tour aimed at teaching parents how to make video and computer games safer for children as the holiday season approaches.

The campaign is being announced by Robbie Bach, president of the company's Entertainment and Devices Division. It will focus on educating parents about video game ratings and touting the family settings feature of the Xbox 360 video game console.

Bach said the idea for the initiative came out of four principles Microsoft established five years ago as the original Xbox console was being introduced. One idea was to make sure that parents have the tools to manage the games their children are playing. The other principles were to market games appropriately, defend the abilities and rights of video game creators and ensure that Microsoft employees aren't required to work with content they find objectionable.

It's no coincidence that the campaign is timed to the holiday sales season, where parents could be choosing between the Xbox 360 and soon-to-be-released consoles by rivals Sony and Nintendo. Bach said he hopes that Microsoft's business will benefit from the campaign as well.

But the campaign is scheduled to last beyond the holidays and into 2007, and the tour stops in Seattle sometime next May. All campaign events are being held at local Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which is a partner in the campaign along with Best Buy.

Kim Peterson: 206-464-2360