In a speech delivered in the event celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the NAACP, President Barack Obama calls upon parents to "put away the Xbox," so the kids can hit the sack at a reasonable hour. This won't certainly be the first time that Obama throws a metaphorical sidewinder against gaming, but this time, his comment gets a formal reply.

Here's what Obama said:

To parents, we can’t tell our kids to do well in school and fail to support them when they get home. For our kids to excel, we must accept our own responsibilities. That means putting away the Xbox and putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour. It means attending those parent-teacher conferences, reading to our kids, and helping them with their homework...

Here's what Microsoft said:

We agree with President Obama that it’s a time for families to work together so that kids use media in ways that are safe, healthy and balanced. Xbox 360 is the only console gaming system that has a timer feature allowing parents to set time limits for their kids, as well as parent controls to enable parents to set limits on what their kids are playing and watching.

Nothing like turning a comment into an advertising opportunity, and I have to give them points for not sounding like Dan Greenwalt when talking about Forza Motorsport 3. As for US president, at least he switches consoles to name drop with every speech.

---

Obama and video games:

• Obama: Less video games and more playing outside for kids
• Obama to US voters: Stop playing Game Boy
• Obama: Put down your Wiimotes, help make history