Video Games Bridge Generation Gap Between Fathers/Sons

June 24 (NAPSI)-Remember when father and son bonding meant playing catch, shooting hoops and fishing? In today’s digital world there’s a new addition to traditional father/son activities-playing video games. Dads who grew up playing classic videogames from the ‘80s are passing their love of gaming onto their offspring, resulting in shared fun and the opportunity for fathers to be positive role models.

Defined as fathers who regularly play videogames, Gamer Dads are a growing group who comprise approximately one-quarter of total dads. Data compiled from Porter Novelli’s 2007 Styles survey suggest that children of Gamer Dads enjoy many of the same activities as their dads, including playing video games, computer games and going out to or renting movies.

In contrast to the “couch potato” stereotype, Gamer Dads are role models for physical activity and technical knowledge. On days when they exercise or do physical activity, Gamer Dads spend more total minutes on these activities than Non-Gamer Dads (70.3 minutes per day for Gamer Dads vs. 46.6 minutes per day for Non-Gamer Dads) and 82 percent of kids of Gamer Dads say they “really enjoy” playing sports or other physical activities.

Gamer Dads are considered to be more knowledgeable about the latest technology products that their children are using. Over 30 percent of Gamer Dads said that people regularly ask for their advice on new technology products versus 16 percent of Non-Gamer Dads.

Playing video games is a year-round source of potential father/son bonding time, and Sony Computer Entertainment America has a variety of games and products that allow Gamer Dads and their sons to connect and carry on the family gaming tradition including:

• God of War PSP Entertainment Pack-A blockbuster franchise, this limited-edition bundle includes a “Deep Red” Kratos PSP; the acclaimed God of War: Chains of Olympus game; the hit movie from Columbia Pictures, “Superbad”; and a PlayStation Network voucher for Syphon Filter: Combat Ops.

• Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 (PSP)-Fathers and sons can tee off with this stellar portable golf experience featuring beautiful new courses and wacky characters.

• Secret Agent Clank (PSP) -With a cool secret agent theme and a slew of gameplay modes, Secret Agent Clank is the perfect pick up and play game for father/son road trips.

• Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (PS3)-Fathers and sons can race to the finish with this newest version of the popular driving game. The exceptional graphics and realistic design will put Gamer Dads and their kids on the fast track to fun.

Gaming consoles such as the PLAYSTATION 3 are bridging the gap between fathers and their sons.