Like many adults my age, I grew up reading the Garfield comics in the newspaper or watching Garfield cartoons on TV. But these days Garfield...

Like many adults my age, I grew up reading the Garfield comics in the newspaper or watching Garfield cartoons on TV. But these days Garfield can also be found online. And he's talking about Cyber Safety! But why?

But research done by the Center for Cyber Safety and Education™ (the Center) shows that there is a huge gap between what children KNOW they should be doing online and what they are ACTUALLY doing. Despite having received internet safety information, they are still taking risks.

To expand parents’ and educators’ toolkit for teaching children to protect themselves online, the Center started Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures, and posts online Garfield cyber safety lessons.

The second online comic Pause Before You Post!, show Garfield’s pal, Nermal, navigating the risks of sharing too much personal information online. There's an interactive cartoon and comic book end with a quiz, which allows kids to test and apply what they’ve learned.

To learn more about how Garfield is tackling the issue of Cyber Safety (instead of snack), I interviewed Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield.

How did the partnership with Center for Cyber Safety happen? What appeal lead this character to the cause?

Jim Davis: Garfield has an educational website (www.professorgarfield.org). When the folks at (ISC)2 and the Center discovered this, they thought we might make good partners to help deliver their message, that kids need to be aware of the right and wrong way to do things online. It felt like the right thing for Garfield to do.

Garfield was “born” in 1978, before the internet, so we had to find our way through the maze of the internet, too, and we learned some important lessons about things we needed to do on our own website, www.garfield.com, to keep kids safe there, too.

What changes were made to the Garfield comic to fit a cyber message?

Jim Davis: We didn’t have to change Garfield’s personality. He stays true to character, but Garfield is a smart cat, and he knows when something doesn’t quite smell right.

Garfield helps focus the message and simplifies the material for both kids and adults. It’s a serious subject, but Garfield presents it in a form that is understandable.

Why Garfield is relatable to kids growing up in the digital age

Jim Davis: Garfield did start out as an analog cat, but he quickly embraced the digital world. I think Garfield is relatable because he’s funny, and that works in just about any medium.

Any new characters being developed for the safety message

Jim Davis: Yes, we’ve introduced a number of new characters. Dr. Cybrina is the cybersecurity authority, and she has all the solutions. Some of the other characters, like CheeseCat12, were brought in to show kids what NOT to do!

Thanks to Jim Davis for answering my questions!

Garfield Joins Center for Cyber Safety and Education Team Video

The Garfield materials aim to put cyber safety messages in a context kids in 1st through 6th grade can relate to, understand and retain. The third lesson, due out in April, will address online etiquette.

Subsequent lessons will address cyberbullying, downloading movies and music, and more.

In collaboration with Paws, Inc., the Center has been developing a series of cartoons, comic books, posters, trading cards, stickers, and other materials to help educators and parents teach children how to become responsible digital citizens.

The Garfield partnership is part of the Center’s latest enhancement to its Safe and Secure Online program. Safe and Secure Online offers tips and resources to children, parents, educators and seniors that draw from the expertise of (ISC)2 (www.isc2.org) members, the pre-eminent cybersecurity experts in the world.

To learn more, visit - www.SafeAndSecureOnline.org

New LEGO games are coming! During a gaming preview hosted by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE), we got the first game play scoop...

New LEGO games are coming! During a gaming preview hosted by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE), we got the first game play scoop on them, along with news about upcoming game pack release for other LEGO games.

Note: I was invited as media to this event. However, any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

So first stop was to LEGO Worlds.

My 8 yr son received the full explanation about the game and how to pay. He quickly learned the gamescape and got into building his own story. Complete with dinosaurs. Because of course. After playing a few rounds he gave the game a full two thumbs up. Matter of fact it ended up being his favorite game from the games we played during the event.


From where I was sitting (cause I wasn't allowed to play), I liked that LEGO Worlds allowed for full open creativity. You could build whatever you can imagine. Easily. It's a great game for young minds which can get bored playing the same genre of games over and over.


LEGO® Worlds Game Features

• Explore a Galaxy of Diverse Worlds – A huge variety of characters and creatures interact with players and one another in fun and unexpected ways. Players can tunnel through terrains, discover underwater adventures or even journey through the clouds in vibrant Worlds filled with customizable characters, and a huge assortment of vehicles and creatures from motorbikes and hot air balloons to polar bears and scorpions. 
• Discover and Collect Rewards – Players uncover hidden treasures in diverse environments, collecting characters, creatures, vehicles, castles, props and weapons as they explore each new world. 
• Create with Powerful Building Tools – Alter any of the imaginative digital Worlds brick-by-brick or with just one click using terraforming tools and a wide variety of LEGO structures, giving players the tools to create whatever they can imagine. 
• Sandbox Filled with Adventure – Starter Worlds help gamers master the skills and tools they’ll need to unlock their true creative potential and explore a myriad of Worlds filled with fun vehicles and creatures such as colossal digging machines, helicopters, lions, giant trolls, jetpacks and more. 
• Play with a Friend – Online multiplayer allows two players to explore each other’s Worlds, play competitive challenges and show-off creations.

LEGO® Worlds is available for E10+ for Everyone on PlayStation®4, Xbox One®, Nintendo Switch™, STEAM



The second stop was into LEGO Dimensions


Both my son and I were excited about the new expansion packs including The LEGO Batman Movie, The Goonies, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Harry Potter (Hermione Granger) and more.


He got in some game play with the different mini figures, vehicles, and gadgets and it was very cool to see the character interact in different worlds. This was a great game for group play. My son and the other gaming kids enjoyed swapping out characters and playing against each other.


LEGO Dimensions Game Features


Build the mini figure heroes and fire-up the game to start the experience, then follow the in-game build instructions to assemble the loose bricks into the LEGO Gateway, and place the structure on the LEGO Toy Pad.

• An Extreme Cross-Over. For the first time in any LEGO videogame, characters from a mix of some of the best brands in the universe join forces and battle in worlds outside of their own. A Dark Knight, a Wizard, and a LEGO Master Builder traveling together down the Yellow Brick Road is just the beginning. 
• Keep Expanding. By purchasing additional expansion packs, players can grow their toy collection and add more gaming fun to the experience through a variety of their favorite brands to create even more crazy combinations. 
• Discover Adventure Worlds. Each of the brands in LEGO Dimensions has its own unique Adventure World where players can explore, go on quests, race, and collect studs and bricks. Each world can be unlocked with any LEGO Dimensions minifigure belonging to that brand.  With the Starter Pack, players can instantly access 3 -- DC Comics (with Batman), The Lord of the Rings (with Gandalf), and The LEGO Movie (with Wyldstyle).  And just like the levels in the LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack, any character can use any vehicle or gadget in any Adventure World. 
• Battle for the Win. For the first time in a LEGO videogame, players can take their favorite characters into battle and compete with up to 3 friends head-to-head. Unlock Battle Arenas with gold toy tag characters from expansion packs in waves 6 through 9 and challenge friends in 4 action-filled competitive split-screen games. 
• The LEGO Toy Pad Does More. It lights-up, flashes and even changes color to give players clues as to where to go, what to look for, or how to solve a puzzle. Gamers command the action – where and when the physical toys are moved on the LEGO Toy Pad will impact what happens in the game.

LEGO® Dimensions is available for E10+, Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor on Xbox One®, Xbox 360®, PlayStation® 4, PlayStation®3, Wii™U




Our final game play was with LEGO® CITY Undercover.


So I had a chance to play this game and generally it's a fun game. A more simple style for those that like straight forward game storyline.


LEGO® CITY Undercover Game Features


In one of the most expansive LEGO videogames to date, players become Chase McCain, a police officer who goes undercover to hunt down the notorious – and recently escaped – criminal, Rex Fury, to put an end to his city-wide crime wave.

This open-world LEGO adventure allows fans and newcomers to explore the sprawling metropolis that is LEGO® CITY with more than 20 unique districts to investigate, filled with car thieves to bust, vehicles to navigate, mischievous aliens to capture, hilarious movie references to discover, lost pigs to rescue and of course, hundreds of collectibles.

LEGO® CITY Undercover available for E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One®, Nintendo Switch™ and PC.