Everyone born in the early 90s or before has a distinct memory of walking through a video rental store. Imagine yourself at maybe age 6-10 years old. The shelves, the lighting, the rows of boxes that represented so many storylines.. Romance, thriller, drama, horror.
How did you choose?
Your parents likely gave you parameters in your search - maybe a company name such as Disney or Dreamworks. Maybe they told you about a movie they saw on a poster or a family friend or schoolteacher recommended such as The Lion King, Balto, The Land Before Time. More often than not, even you, the child, was asked to turn the box over and look at the rating: G, PG, PG-13, etc and your parents double checked what the movie was about and its rating before you took it home to watch.
How does this relate to kids video games? Did you know that video games have similar categories and can be differentiated in similar ways?
There are “big” video game names like Nintendo, Microsoft, Epic Games
There are “popular” games like Minecraft, Overwatch, Skyrim, GTA, Resident Evil
And... drum roll... there are ratings for video games that you can look up! The Entertainment Software Rating Board or ESRB is an organization who’s whole job is to look at games and rate them. These ratings are part of a system that looks at the game on a variety of factors but at the center places child development and appropriateness across an age-based rating which allows parents to clearly understand what would be a good fit for their child/teen.*
ESRB has a whole guide on how to set your family/home up for gaming success, helping you keep gaming fun, safe, and developmentally appropriate in your home.
When looking at the guide, the themes of ratings, appropriateness and other factors we’ve touched on here play a role, but an even bigger role you play is about establishing rules, boundaries, privacy and figuring out a multi-age household.
If you already have the management down but want to ensure the content your child is exposed to is appropriate check out their straight-forward rating guide. This guide lists everything you need to know about each rating category, like movie ratings do, and it even has a search feature for you to search the video game your child may be interested in. You can find out the rating and reasoning for that rating on a specific game in order to determine if a game may or may not be appropriate for your child. This is also a helpful tool to clearly show your child which games you will allow and which ones you will not at this time.
The tricky part is that there are often games or categories of games that are popular, but may not be age appropriate for your child. Case in point: Minecraft is rated E10+, meaning that it is best for children who are ten or above. The main content for this game is Fantasy and Violence. There is a paragraph-long description on esrb.org that describes the specific violence your child will see, so you can make a decision with careful consideration. It is also important to keep in mind that in this game, for example, users can also interact with each other which may not be appropriate for a younger child. This also puts children at risk for cyberbullying.
It is a misconception that all gaming is detrimental to youth or puts them at risk for various things. There are so many great games out there that are rated E for everyone and teach important skills like cooperative learning, teamwork, communication, following directions, perseverance, and more! Many categories of kids video games also include fantastic storylines that are engaging and adventurous, boosting a child's creativity, interests, and imagination. Some games are dialogue-heavy and require problem solving and decision making, supporting reading comprehension, literacy, and problem-solving skills. Video games can also be played in a variety of ways: individually, as a team, or online with friends which allows your child to learn how to negotiate, cooperate and share while completing tasks.
Here are some of our favorite E rated video games, great for the whole family:
Nintendo:
Mario Kart 8- https://www.esrb.org/ratings/34765/mario-kart-8-deluxe/
From Microsoft:
World of Goo- https://www.esrb.org/ratings/28122/world-of-goo/
Seed of Life- https://www.esrb.org/ratings/39715/seed-of-life/
There are also many many more to explore! Happy Gaming!
If your child has ever experienced cyberbullying, reach out for support today. Our team of child life specialists are available to help your child through challenging circumstances like bullying, divorce, grief, and more. Schedule a free call with us today to learn more.
References:
*Entertainment Software Rating Board: https://www.esrb.org/
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