[DeAnnaC]

We've had 5 Xbox/Game console parties at church in the last 2 1/2 yrs.

The kids bring mostly Xboxes/Xbox 360's, so we network those together. We put the router/switches in the middle of the room and move the rest of the furniture out of the sanctuary and bring in folding tables. The sanctuary is perfect because we can show a movie or someone playing by connecting into the video projector and the lights dim in there, making it perfect for game playing.

The most popular game is Halo/Halo2, and it's the only M rated game allowed. All kids must turn in a permission slip about this game before they are allowed to attend. We've never had a problem with the permission slip approach and I think the wording of it (done by our pastor) shows that we care about the kids and realize they are going to play the game either with a group (that they could make friends in) or home alone anyway.

We usually have a group of Playstation/Game cube users and we usually set a spot aside for the ones who want to play DDR. We use another room for younger kids who want to play their own types of games (Pac-Man, Super Smash Bros, etc.) and we use the bean bag chairs in there.

The parties usually run about 5 hours on a Saturday night. We had 45 kids at our last one in November.

We do not charge for the parties - we ask the kids to pitch in $3 each for pizza and we order as many pizza's as we have cash for. The congregation volunteers to setup/take down/clean up and bring in soda/snacks for the kids.

To me, this is another outreach event like the Easter Egg Hunt, but it's super easy to do and doesn't cost much. The kids know how everything is supposed to be connected and where the best placement of the furniture goes, so us parents are just supervising.

We have alot of pics posted on our church website if anyone is interested, just PM me.


DeAnna