Days after a teen was convicted of shooting his parents for taking away his copy of Halo 3, Microsoft announced the start of a safety education campaign for families.

"Get Game Smart" is a joint effort between Microsoft and Best Buy with the goal of educating families about age appropriate media consumption and gaming.

We are waiting to hear back from Microsoft on whether this initiative is a direct response to the case of Daniel Petric, a 17 year-old Ohio resident who was convicted on Monday of killing his mother and wounding his father. They had taken away his copy of the blockbuster first-person-shooter Halo 3 after he reportedly became addicted to it.

Update: Microsoft spokeswoman Kathryn McEwan said in an e-mail that the campaign is "not a response at all" to the Petric case. "Although we are aware of his tragic case, Microsoft has been a leading proponent of balanced media use and age-appropriate gaming for some time," she wrote. "The Get Game Smart program is an extension of what we started more than two years ago with ’Is Your Family Set?’ and, since day one, we’ve built parental control features into every Xbox 360.

In a press release, Microsoft says the initiative is designed to help families create rules and guidelines for media consumption.

"Families are encouraged to participate in a variety of fun and engaging online and offline activities to help ensure they are using media in ways that are healthy, balanced and appropriate," the press release says.

To further spread the word, Microsoft will be picking parents and teens to serve as "Get Game Smart Ambassadors," described as "messengers who will help educate their peers on making smart video gaming and media choices."

A contest is attached to the Ambassador initiative, in which a parent and their teenager can team up to create a videos talking about responsible media use. Winners of the contest, narrowed down by judges and ultimately voted on by the public at the initiative’s Web site, can win an Xbox 360, games, digital media players, digital cameras or straight cash.

"I’m a dad, and I know how important it is for parents to get involved with their children’s video gaming and media experiences, not to mention feel equipped to make sure those experiences are as fun and safe as possible," Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment & Devices Division at Microsoft, said in the press release.