Controversial Gaming Site Asks Parents to Pay for Toddlers to Play PC Games
KneeBouncers.com comes under fire for charging subscription for toddler video games
How old is too young for video games? Parents are letting their toddlers get connected in today’s digital world at an earlier age than ever before. There’s a booming business of game devices aimed at kids as young as three years old today. Now a new site, KneeBouncers.com, is now charging parents to let their toddlers play online video games by tapping on the keyboard. The site has come under fire from critics for charging to play games, even though subscriptions are just $20 a year.
KneeBouncers upgraded their site this month to give babies and toddlers the opportunity to play on the Internet, without the use of a mouse. Loaded with 18 games, little kids can interact with titles while they sit in front of a screen. The site includes games like The Alphabet, Numbers, Shapes, Colors, Play Peek-a-Boo, Pop-A-Lot, Choo-Choo, Music Maker, See-Saw, Bouncy, The Big Top, Bed Jump, Holey Moley, Splish Splash, Up-Up and Away, Vroom and Flashing Lights.
Invented out of necessity by two Maryland dads, KneeBouncers is the first and only site designed for babies. Jam-packed with 18 games, little kids can hit the keyboard and see something visual and interesting on the monitor.
"When my older two children discovered the Internet, they had a ball playing games and visiting fun sites,” said creator Jim Robinson. “But their little sister was left out and out of luck. That was the inspiration for KneeBouncers. Now, we've given the younger kids their own online experience and parents get a break while their children enjoy endless entertainment."
"We're building on the fundamentals of early learning by offering games that give toddlers their first experience with letters, numbers, shapes and colors,” added co-Creator Kurt Dommermuth. “Not only do toddlers love them, but so do their parents and teachers."
KneeBouncers features a cast of characters aimed at kids like Sly Cat the Courteous Cat, Caesar the Silly Puppy, Freddy the Brave Little Bear, Horatio the Happy Happy Hippo, Foo Foo the Funny Honey Bunny, and Sammy the Busy Bouncy Monkey.
"Today, technology is a big part of our children's lives,” said Robinson. “KneeBouncers gives even babies the opportunity to get the feel for an online experience and yet parents don't have to worry about the content or the computer.”
While critics aren’t happy about letting kids play games this early, advocates say interacting with a screen offers more educational value than sitting in front of a television. Plus, it’s up to parents to decide whether they’re going to pay that $20 subscription in the first place.
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About the Author
John Gaudiosi
Editor-in-Chief
John Gaudiosi has been covering videogames for the past 20 years for outlets like The Washington Post, CNET, Wired Magazine and CBS.com. He has focused on the convergence of entertainment and videogames for outlets like Video Business, Home Media Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Gamerlive.TV and is also a freelance game columnist for Reuters and writes for outlets like Forbes.com, NVISION, Official PlayStation Magazine, EGM Now, Geek Monthly, PrimaGames.com, and Yahoo! Games. John also serves as the video game expert for NBC in Washington D.C. and has produced videogame documentaries for The History Channel and Starz Entertainment. John was named one of the Top 50 Game Journalists in the world by Next-Gen.biz in 2007. He is the co-author of Scholastic Books' How to Get into Videogames, Prima Publishing's Madden: Twenty Years of Videogame Football and Electronic Arts: The Official History.
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