“Is Your Family Set?” Campaign Rolls In to Southern California

LOS ANGELES — Jan. 27, 2007 — Microsoft Corp.’s Family Gaming bus arrived in Southern California today, visiting a local Boys & Girls Club and two Best Buy stores. The bus tour is part of a national campaign called “Safety is no game. Is your family set?” whose goal is to help parents and caregivers make the appropriate gaming and entertainment choices for their family when using the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, as well as the new Windows Vista™ operating system. The bus will make stops at the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica and the Best Buy store in West Los Angeles on Saturday. The tour will then head south and make a stop at the Mission Valley Best Buy store in San Diego.

“With success comes responsibility,” said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, creator of the popular Xbox® and Xbox 360 video game consoles. “We are unwavering in our commitment to address the genuine concerns of families about how to make interactive entertainment safe and more fun for our children.”

Microsoft launched the “Safety is no game. Is your family set?” campaign in October 2006 with its partners, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Best Buy Co. Inc. Los Angeles and San Diego are the seventh and eighth stops in the campaign’s 20-city nationwide tour. The campaign showcases ways that parents can limit children’s exposure to inappropriate video games and movie content using tools such as Xbox 360 Family Settings and Windows Vista Parental Controls. The campaign also highlights the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) ratings.

“We are proud to host Microsoft’s bus tour as part of its nationwide effort to educate parents about an issue that is important to the families who are part our Boys & Girls Club,” said Allan Young, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica. “Giving parents the information and tools they need is the best way to ensure that kids are only enjoying the entertainment that’s right for them.”

Microsoft, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Best Buy launched the campaign based on feedback from parents and caregivers. According to a recent independent survey* of parents who have a video game console in their home, almost four out of five parents and caregivers (78 percent) are concerned about the content in the video games their children play and the movies they watch on their video game consoles or systems. A majority of parents said they want to be the ones who decide what is right for their family. To help them make those decisions, most parents said they would be interested in having a parental control setting on video game consoles or systems that would easily allow them to limit their children’s access to mature content, with over one half (52 percent) saying they would be “very interested” in such a feature.

“We joined Microsoft and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to continue educating families about the options available for a safer and more secure entertainment experience, a long-standing commitment for us as a company, in stores and online,” said Jill Hamburger, vice president of Gaming at Best Buy. “We’re proud to be part of this campaign. The bus tour will be a fun way to connect with families, share a lot of useful information and play some great games.”

Additional information related to the campaign is available at the expanded Family Settings Web site at http://www.xbox.com/isyourfamilyset.

About Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is the most powerful video game and entertainment system, delivering the best games, the next generation of the premier Xbox Live® online gaming service, and unique interactive entertainment experiences that revolve around gamers. The system was first launched in North America, Europe and Japan in 2005, and then in Australia, Colombia, Hong Kong, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan in 2006. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) comprises a national network of more than 3,900 neighborhood-based facilities annually serving some 4.6 million young people, primarily from disadvantaged circumstances. Known as “The Positive Place for Kids,” the Clubs provide guidance-oriented character development programs on a daily basis for children 6 to18 years old, conducted by a full-time professional staff. Key Boys & Girls Club programs emphasize character and leadership development, education and career development, health and life skills, the arts, sports, fitness and recreation. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.

About Best Buy Co., Inc.

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is an innovative Fortune 100 growth company that continually strives to create superior customer experiences. Through more than 1,100 retail stores across the United States, Canada and in China, our employees connect customers with technology and entertainment products and services that make life easier and more fun. We sell consumer electronics, home-office products, entertainment software, appliances and related services. A Minneapolis-based company, our operations include: Best Buy (BestBuy.com and BestyBGuy.ca) Future Shop (FutureShop.ca), Geek Squad (GeekSquad.com and GeekSquad.ca), Pacifica Sales Kitchen and Bath Centers (PacificSales.com), Magnolia Audio Video (Magnoliaav.com) and Jiangsu Five Star Appliance Co. (Five-Star.cn). We support our communities through employee volunteerism and grants from The Best Buy Children’s Foundation.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft® Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

Related Posts