Teaching Your Children How to Choose Safe Video Games
Monday November 5, 2007
I'm a stickler about only allowing my kids to play video games that are rated "E" for everyone. In fact, my youngest doesn't even play at all. She just watches and hangs out in the room near her brother and his friends while they play.
Last week my son wanted to buy a used game with some money my mom had sent him, and he selected a game called "Backyard Basketball." In the game, players get to play against the best NBA players when they were kids.
Just as we were driving away from the store, my son yelled "Oh no!" Guess what? The store clerk accidentally inserted "Backyard Wrestling" into the game case, and it's rated "M" (mature) for kids 17 and older.
First of all, I was glad to know that my 8-year-old "gets it" that there's no way I'm going to let him play an "M" game, no matter how similar it might be (if only in its format) to another game I had approved. But the other thing that I noticed was how the store clerks responded when we went back to exchange it. Each of them expressed relief that my son had caught the error before playing the game. Now what does that tell you about the content of some of the games rated "Teen" and "Mature?"
If you haven't yet begun to teach your kids about how to choose safe video games, there's no better time than now to begin the conversation. Even if you don't allow "Teen" or "Mature" games in your home, you'll want them to know what to do when they come across these types of video games while visiting with friends or relatives.
In addition, with the holidays quickly approaching, it's a good time to talk with your parents, siblings, and anyone else who may be purchasing a Christmas gift for your child, about your expectations when it comes to video games. For more on this issue, read the article Safe Video Games for Kids: How to Teach Your Children What to Look for in Video Games.
Last week my son wanted to buy a used game with some money my mom had sent him, and he selected a game called "Backyard Basketball." In the game, players get to play against the best NBA players when they were kids.
Just as we were driving away from the store, my son yelled "Oh no!" Guess what? The store clerk accidentally inserted "Backyard Wrestling" into the game case, and it's rated "M" (mature) for kids 17 and older.
First of all, I was glad to know that my 8-year-old "gets it" that there's no way I'm going to let him play an "M" game, no matter how similar it might be (if only in its format) to another game I had approved. But the other thing that I noticed was how the store clerks responded when we went back to exchange it. Each of them expressed relief that my son had caught the error before playing the game. Now what does that tell you about the content of some of the games rated "Teen" and "Mature?"
If you haven't yet begun to teach your kids about how to choose safe video games, there's no better time than now to begin the conversation. Even if you don't allow "Teen" or "Mature" games in your home, you'll want them to know what to do when they come across these types of video games while visiting with friends or relatives.
In addition, with the holidays quickly approaching, it's a good time to talk with your parents, siblings, and anyone else who may be purchasing a Christmas gift for your child, about your expectations when it comes to video games. For more on this issue, read the article Safe Video Games for Kids: How to Teach Your Children What to Look for in Video Games.
Comments
Thanks for your suggestion, my little angel is stuck on a vedio game, I am worried about her very much. I will have a try like you teach us how to let them choose a good game for kids. Thx again
I am very glad to see that someone out there is serious about protecting the innocent, our children from all this nonsense. It seems to me all the ‘IN’ games are about killing, stabing, stealing or cheating…Please continue to take a stand !
Thanks!!!