Has anyone noticed that, if you go to any of the major video game review sites, their reviews of games for kids are few and far between, and even when they do show up, they're nearly worthless?

The latest Grand Theft Auto game will get tons of coverage and reviews, and previews and discussion of God of War 2 were happening before the game was announced. But Bob the Builder and Dora the Explorer's games show up on release schedules at best but never get any press.

Let's face it. The average age of a video gamer is mid to late twenties, and the majority of the visitors to IGN and other sites like it, as well as subscribers to their print magazine counterparts, are more concerned with adult games than anything else.

This is one of the reasons we're starting this podcast. Aside from GamerDad, and maybe one or two other sites out there, you just can't find reviews of family games unless they feature Mario or Sonic, and even when the rare review comes along, they tend to look at it as "How would a hardcore gamer rate this?" instead of, "How would a kid enjoy this?"

In all reality, kids see video games very differently than adults, especially twentysomethings who have no kids of their own, which comprises most of the staff of these sites. Kids don't care about the latest bump mapping technology. They just like it to look cool. I've never known a kid to complain about even the most repetitive game music (My daughter has been known to walk around all day singing one line from the "Go Diego Go" theme, repeating it until we stop her. Clearly, repetition doesn't concern younger children and even provides comfort for them. Unless the music is the latest Wiggles or Laurie Berkner soundtrack playing in the background, the youngest gamers will likely not even notice the music.

But the seemingly greatest complaint of reviewers is the lack of new ideas in video games. Since many of them are just one more side-scroller on the market with nothing we didn't see in Double Dragon, they tend to blow off these games, but remember what I said about comfort in repetition? If a game follows an established formula, kids can usually pick it up and play without slogging through a manual.

Don't get me wrong--I do not intend to discourage original gameplay. Mario himself has created several genres, from board and minigame games to kart racers, and we love them. Keep 'em coming! But just because a game offers an entertaining way to pass the time but nothing new doesn't make it a foolish buy. Barbie Horse Adventures has been universally panned by the press, and I none of the major sites have reviewed the GBA version, yet it's my daughter's favorite game to play on her Nintendo DS, even moreso than the games that take advantage of both screens.

It's time to get some input from real families with real kids. That, among other things, is why we're starting this podcast. We hope it's a benefit to you.