by David Galvin

Created on: November 02, 2010   Last Updated: July 09, 2011

So, you’re a concerned parent, or parental figure, and your children, like so many others, enjoy gaming. You’re aware that not every game is suitable for them, but the big question remains: which ones? Which is why you’re here, reading an article to figure out what games to watch out for, and keep out of your kids' hands.

I could give you a list, but to make it as accurate as possible, it would be a long one. And with new games being released all the time, it would be downright impossible to keep up to date. So I won’t, and truth be told, I don’t need to give you list. The tools you need to judge what games your children should and should not play are closer than you think, and they’ll be more helpful than I could ever hope to be.

These days, all games released in the US and Canada are examined and rated by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), similarly to how movies are rated by the MPAA. These ratings are present in all advertising, on the discs themselves, and can be seen in the lower-left corner of the packaging, which is easily viewable while browsing in any shop.

 The ratings are as follows:

* EC: Early childhood. These are games suitable for children ages 3 and up, and should contain no questionable content. This is not particularly common, and is normally reserved for educational titles.

* E: Everyone. These are games suitable for all children ages 6 and up. This is the rough equivalent of a G-rated film, and usually contains minimal mild cartoon/fantasy violence akin to what you may find in an animated Disney or Pixar film.

* E10+: Everyone 10 and older. Suitable for ages 10 and up. Roughly equivalent to a PG rating, it’s slightly stronger in content than E, often containing a greater quantity of cartoon/fantasy violence, and more suggestive themes.

* T: Teen, suitable for ages 13 and up. Roughly equivalent to a PG-13 rating, they can contain scenes of violence (which may include some blood), infrequent use of strong language, suggestive (but not explicit) themes, and crude humor.

* M: Mature, suitable for ages 17 and up. Roughly equivalent to an R-rating, they can contain strong to intense violence involving realistic-looking characters (complete with blood and gore), frequent strong language, nudity, and sexual content. If a game is going to face controversy in the media, chances are it will have this rating.

* AO: Adults only, suitable for ages 18 and up. Roughly equivalent to an NC-17 or

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>