by Roisi Proven

Created on: November 07, 2007   Last Updated: November 09, 2011

There is a common misconception amongst many in society that video games are created for children and young teenagers. This may have been the case in the 70s when coin-operated gaming was popular in greasy spoons and teen hangouts around the globe, but the industry has grown with its audience and this must be taken into account.

Shop owners and marketing managers of games companies now have an obligation to make sure the public know whether the game they are buying has mature content or not. A 12 year old boy may ask his mother if he can have Grand Theft Auto for his Christmas, and it is up to the people that sell it to her to make sure she knows what she is buying. I have so often seen parents go to buy games for their children that are clearly inappropriate, but because its "just a game" they have a tendency to ignore the "M" rating the game has been given.

As for what is and isn't appropriate, every individual case is different. I'm sure there are many younger teenagers who could understand the deeper meaning to a game like "Bioshock" and enjoy it for the story as well as the gameplay, but there are equally as many who will just go "YEAH I JUST ELECTROCUTED THAT GUY ALRIGHT!". When that is the attitude of a youngster towards the game they are playing, it probably isn't appropriate. Peoples ideas of right and wrong develop at different times, and it should be carefully considered whether they will take what they are playing with a pinch of salt. For instance I first played a Grand Theft Auto game when I was about 15, and it had no adverse effect on me, but as I have grown older I have met parents who say they would never let their 15-16 year old son play it, and I support that decision.

As for specific games, the list would be far too long to include here, so instead here is a list of guidelines to follow when buying a game for a child, based on what you may not want to see in a game, and also a few examples:

VIOLENCE
If you do not want your child to play a video game with a lot of violence, avoid games that call themselves "first person shooters". In these games, you are looking through the eyes of another person. They are generally quite gory and the first-person nature of them make things seem more personal. There is also the obvious fighting games such as Mortal Kombat, which could be deemed inappropriate

SEX
To be honest, there aren't really many computer games out there that include anything overtly sexual. But games such as Saint's Row, Grand Theft Auto

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