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Buying Video Games For Children: 5 Things Non-gamer Parents Must Know

A guide to buying child-friendly video games.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed--and it is still not even December yet. So this is the perfect time to create a small guide to buying video games.  I'm the child of non-gamer parents who were completely lost on what to get their child. So this guide will be from the point of view of the child.

This will be a general guide to what parents should buy for their child.

I'll say what I always say to parents asking for my opinion about what games to buy their child:

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YOU are the final adjudicator to what is appropriate for your child.

Now with all of that out of the way, here's the guide:

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1) Look at the Cover: A parent will buy a game and then a day later demands a refund because the game was inappropriate.  What the parent didn't notice was what was on the cover: a half-naked woman with a blade covered in blood.   If you look at the cover and see something that you wouldn't want to show your child or you turn red just looking at it, don't pick it up.

2) Study up on the ESRB: Alright so what if the cover is just a simple symbol (like Skyrim)?  There is an age rating system called the Entertainment Software Ratings Board rating, which is there to help parents determine if a game is suitable for their children.  Think of the ESRB rating like a movie or TV maturity rating, you wouldn't want to let your child watch an R-rated movie now do you?  The ESRB rating is ALWAYS on the front of the box.  You can always look up a game's ESRB rating online or via app.

As a rule of thumb: Keep away from games rated "M" (Mature 17+) or "AO" (Adults Only) rating.  Most times these games are not meant to be played with by young children (below the age of 13).

3) Read the Content Descriptors:  If the ESRB rating is CliffsNotes, then the content descriptor is the novel’s back cover summery of what is in the game.  Content descriptors describe what content is in the game that gave the game that rating, you can find it on the back of the box.  The content descriptors sometimes tiers the same content based on how appropriate it is.  For example cartoon violence (like in Looney Tunes) is typically deemed less violent than just violence.  Read up on the content descriptors or ask a salesperson what the descriptors mean.  Idealistically, they should know.

4) Listen to your child: This seems a bit counter-intuitive but listening to what your child wants can help you determine what kind of game they want.  If your child wants an “M” rated game (like Skyrim) and you deem it inappropriate, they might be content with another fantasy RPG (like Dragon Quest IX).  Although your child may not like it at first glance, if they’re interested in the same genre they’ll like the replacement.

Not every game/genre can be perfectly interchangeable (i.e. Modern Warfare 3/first person shooters).  The best you can do is find something that can fit parts of the requested game (in this example, I’d suggest Portal 2, a first person puzzle shooter).  The worst is to be completely off and pick up an entirely different game with no connection with what the child wanted (like Gran Turismo 5, a racing game).

5) Use common sense/Remember YOU are the parent: Both of these are on the same level because they’re both equally important.  If you don’t let your kid watch a violent action movie, then don’t buy a violent action game.  No matter how much your kid wants that game, if you don’t think it’s appropriate, don’t get it.

Overall a non-gaming parent should do what any good parent does: be active.  Be active in learning what is in that game your child wants.  Be active in participating with your child when they’re playing a game.  A game can stimulate a child, but the parent has to be there to help the stimulation.

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