How to Pick Appropriate Video Games for Children

Back in the 1980's, a parent could put a Mario game on the TV screen and let a four year old have a try at playing that game. They did not have to worry about video game affects on children. Unfortunately, those days are now just a distant memory.

At the present time, parents need to pay careful attention to the type of video games that their children play. They need to learn about the video game rating system. They must also be aware of video game violence.

Are games listed as age specific?

The games which are produced nowadays usually have ratings on them which recommend the age category suitable for it. This is the only hope of the parents to protect their children from offensive material.

Is there a game rating system?

The ratings given to video games are set by the Digital Game Rating Association (DiGRA). The ratings categories were created in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Each video game falls into one of 6 categories.

An "A" rating designates a video game as an adult game. Such adult games are apt to have video game violence.

An "E" rating means "everybody," and it shows that the video game is suitable use all ages. An "EC" rating means "early childhood and it shows that the game is meant for children over three.

An "M" rating means that the video game is meant for mature gamers. A game with an "M" rating should not be given to someone under the age of 17.

A "T" rating is used for games that are considered acceptable for use by a teen, i.e. someone between the ages of 13 and 17.

Some games take time to rate. If a manufacturer sells a game before it has been rated, then that game must be marked "RP." This tells the buyer that the rating on the game remains pending.

Are there sites / sources where parents can research video games?

There are various sites on the net which provide good reviews on many of the games. Some of them are www.gamerankings.com, www.videogamereview.com, www.gamerevolution.com/review. Also http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/games/ provides reviews based specifically on Christian ideologies.

Specific Video Game Affects on Children

Society has became more concerned about video games and children after studies revealed that video games can affect children, Such concerns led to formation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board. That Board has a website, and that website provides parents with important information. That website helps parents to understand the significance of content descriptions on the cover of video games.

As parents become more familiar with those content descriptions, they can determine if a particular video game can be given to their ward or not.. In other words, the board helps parents to decide whether or not the game can offer valuable learning experience to their child.

A close inspection of the content descriptions on the video game packages can tell parents if the game displays violence and sex during the course of playing. The descriptions also indicate how much blood covers the screen during the game. When parents see those undesirable elements mentioned in a content description, then they know that the video game being described could never belong in the category reserved for Christian video games.

Inappropriate content in Games
- Excessive violence is one facet which has been on the rise since the past many years. Most of the games nowadays promote violence. This increases aggressiveness among the children according to recent surveys done by few gaming organizations.
- Foul language is also rampant. They are usually used in Role Playing Games (RPG). This promotes usage of foul language at an early age.
- Nudity and sexual content is a problem which has surfaced just a few years back. The content is not at all suitable for children.
- Some games do not show sex or violence, but do show scenes of "questionable value." For example, some games show the game characters using a harmful substance like cocaine. Information about such scenes might not be disclosed in the content descriptions. Some of the RPG games glorify stealing Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is one of such games.
- The new online game which is the latest buzzword has many of its own problems. The parents cannot keep a tab over what the children do online and neither can check whom they meet and talk to.
Are There Any Good Video Games?
The media contains so much information about games like Grand Theft Auto and Mortal Combat which makes the parents to wonder if there are any "good" video games. Are there some interesting games? Are there some fun games? Eventually many game producing companies have noticed this and are taking steps to introduce games with fun and less violence.
educational games
The positive aspect of gaming is that they can be used to promote education. There are many educational games available in the market for children of nearly all ages. They teach children all the basics necessary for their ages. Most important of all is the fact that children learn it happily.

The educational games are basically built for combining education and fun. This is the most important fact for the educational game developers. The children usually like it as they have been created specifically for their age group.
- Even though the games are interesting children usually get bored after some time. It is important that the game developers develop dynamic educational games which provide something new every time the children play it.
- Usually the schools do not incorporate any video games. They usually follow the conventional methods. But nowadays there are some schools which recognize the importance of combining education and fun. Only these schools provide children with such educational games.
- The educational games are widely available for any windows environment. Nowadays some of them are being created for other platforms as well.