[AccessD] Child computer Game timer

Hi John:

You could just get something like the KidLogger.

http://kidlogger.net/download.html

Jim


-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of jwcolby
Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2011 11:23 AM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: [AccessD] Child computer Game timer

I have designed a game timer for my son which I am making available to list
members if they want it.

This timer is designed for children who are old enough to play
"unsupervised" and I want them to 
have a set time that they can play per session.  I want to record when they
start and stop and have 
a display of how long they have been playing.  I used to have Robbie "write
it down" and set a timer 
on the stove.  Both of which he "forgot" more often than not.

This is not a "dishonest teenager" control mechanism, I am not getting into
trying to outsmart a 
teenager here.  It is merely meant to allow me to see how much time my son
is playing.  I removed 
all of the shortcuts from the desktop etc so that the way he opens his games
is through this 
database.  I actually copied one of the shortcuts into the startup directory
for one game that 
required a shortcut.

I then informed him that there are consequences if he is playing without
going through the timer.

The timer is an Access form which has a game combo and a child id combo.  In
my case only my son 
uses it at the moment, though I will probably have my daughter use it as
well.  It is FE/BE.

The form consists of:

1) A game combo
2) A child combo
3) A start time
4) A stop time
5) The minutes they are allowed to play, fixed ATM though it could be
included in the child record.

Status controls are:

1) Last Play elapsed time
2) Last play time stopped

At the very bottom of the form is an elapsed time.

So the child selects the game they will play.  The game has the stuff
required to actually open the 
game, usually the filespec for the game (path and file name) but it can also
use a shortcut file if 
the game requires starting directory etc.

Selecting the game starts a timer which shows up on the "Elapsed time" at
the bottom, and records 
the start time.  There is a button which enters the stopped time and moves
to a new record.  Once a 
record is "stopped" it can no longer be edited.  No records can be deleted
(through the form).

When the time is up, my son often does the "I need to do this one small
thing before I quit" 
routine.  In order to allow that but still encourage him to get off, i built
in an annoyance timer. 
  The database does not (yet) shut down the game automatically (though I
might go there) but it does 
beep a series of beeps when time is up, and then starts beeping at him every
N seconds.  N decreases 
over time until it is beeping every second.  This is truly annoying (to
anyone in the room) and 
encourages him to finish up and get off.  It also alerts any adult near by
that "time is up".  In 
fact it is so annoying that he was turning down the speaker when it beeped.
I had to inform him 
that there would be consequences for that.  ;)

The system is working fine so far.  I am finally getting his times logged
regularly and getting him 
off when his time is up.  We shall have to see how it works long term.
Adolescents can be sneaky. 
Total loss of gaming privileges for breaking the rules is the consequence of
being sneaky.

Possible enhancements:

1) Times of day allowed to play
2) Total time allowed to play
3) Play time allowed per child
etc.

-- 
John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com
-- 
AccessD mailing list
AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com