Microsoft partners with Best Buy for charity initiative

A new program being pushed by Microsoft and retailer Best Buy in the USA will see Xbox 360 branded wristbands being sold to raise money for charity - and to raise parental awareness of age ratings on videogames.

A variety of Xbox 360 wristbands - of the ubiquitous rubber style seen on the wrists of teenagers and some people old enough to know better - will be sold for $1 each, featuring slogans such as "Life Is Your Game" and "Challenge Me".

The proceeds from the sale will go to funding the Club Tech programme at the Boys & Girls Club of America, a specific programme which Microsoft founded to help to educate children about using technology safely (which presumably involves protecting themselves from unpleasant types online and so forth, as opposed to simply telling them not to stick their fingers in plug sockets).

However, an extra dimension is added to the campaign by the addition of a pamphlet with each wristband sold, which is aimed at parents and will explain the ESRB rating system and how to set up the parental lockout features on game consoles - a feature which is included on most modern systems but which few parents actually use to control their children's access to adult content.