techTalk: What are your kids playing?

Your little ones may like to play video games.

If so they probably like to play them a lot.

Just like Saturday morning cartoons, video games are completely safe for children. They are devoid of material that children just shouldn’t see. Besides, video games are just toys.

Do you agree? If so, then please allow me to give you a much-needed wake up call!

I can’t fully agree there was a time where all video games were appropriate for children, but a vast majority were in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

The little gray console that could, the Nintendo, brought commercial gaming into homes everywhere. There was a large library of games meant to appeal to different audiences, but somehow video games became synonymous with children’s toys.

Today, parents have grown comfortable with the idea that video games are simply another pastime their kids enjoy. Spending hours in front of the television pressing buttons on a game pad is nothing out of the ordinary.

What isn’t ordinary, however, is knowing some parents neglect to protect youngsters from things they shouldn’t see or experience.

Much like the evolution of movies and music, video games have become amazingly diverse in both genre and age appeal. There are radio stations you would not listen to in front of your children. The same can be said for movies and television.

There are video games that are meant to appeal to children. A good portion is meant to appeal to adults. Statistics show adult gamers make up the majority of the gaming community. It is an industry quickly rising to rival the movie industry in choice of entertainment and revenue.

Can you tell me honestly you feel comfortable with the content playing through your kids’ game console? Do you know what the games they play are about?

Don’t worry if you answer negatively to both of these questions. There is an easy and informative way to quickly learn if a video game is appropriate for your child.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was founded in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). The ESRB has been reviewing and painstakingly rating every video game released on the commercial market for over a decade. It provides valuable information about a game’s content: language, graphic violence, humor, etc.

The system it has implemented is very similar to the movie industry’s own, which is enforced by the MPAA. The ESRB’s ratings can be found on the front and the back of every video game package and even on the actual game disk or cartridge. On the back of the package, you will be able to see why the game was given its particular rating.

The ESRB has seven available ratings spanning every age group (taken from the ESRB’s Web site):
• EC (Early Childhood): Content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate.
• E (Everyone): Content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.
• E10+ (Everyone 10 and older): Content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.
• T (Teen): Content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language.
• M (Mature): Content that may be suitable for people ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.
• AO (Adults Only): Content that should only be played by people 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.
• RP (Rating Pending): Has been submitted to the ESRB and is awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a game’s release.)

Use these ratings as a guide when beginning to understand what your children should be playing. This is exactly how they are intended to be used.

Parents usually will want to see a possibly controversial movie before allowing their kids to watch it. The same should be done with video games. Rental stores are a great way to get your hands on a game you are thinking about purchasing for your family or children.

Going online and searching for the video game’s title often will return reviews explaining the game in every detail. Gametrailers.com is also a great way to see virtually any video game up close and personal.

Parents must be a part of a child’s life and help guide that child in a healthy way. You don’t need to look far for an advocate shouting to ban video games from the mass market when parents aren’t censoring children’s playing habits.

Parents should have the knowledge and the final word on what is allowed in their child’s hands, not a government organization.

For more information on the ESRB visit www.esrb.org.

For more information on the ESA and surveys about video games and gamers visit www.theesa.com.