Search Results for: blog video game ratings

What Parents Need to Know about Video Games

I have written about parents educating themselves about video games ad-nauseum, but still, I don’t think enough can be said. Read: Advantages and Disadvantages of Parenting a Video Game Enthusiast How Much Do You Know About Your Children’s Video Games? This is a very important subject that needs to be visited again and again. Doctor Radio recently reported on Kids and Video Games and what you should know before you buy. In this online video report, Dr. Lori Evans mentioned the Top Five Tips Parents Need to Know about having video games in the home. The tips included having the … Continue reading →

Deciphering Video Game Ratings

“Video game ratings are not a game.” They should be taken seriously, and Activision (an American video game developer) is working to make sure parents know what the ratings mean. The first thing, in my estimation that parents must realize about video game ratings is that they are suggestions. As parents, you are free to be more or less restrictive with the rating. While most parents are less restrictive, it might be wise to consider being more conservative. Here are the current video game ratings and what they really mean. Video games rated eC are for “early childhood”. Parents should … Continue reading →

How Much Do You Know About Your Children’s Video Games?

Many parents willingly hand over cash to their kids as allowance or for birthdays and other special occasions, but do you know what that money is being used to purchase? These days an increasing amount of kids are spending money–your money–on video games. Games that most parents have no clue how to play. Think about it; would you know the toggle from the touch pad if your child invited you to play his video game? Studies show that parents rarely, if ever, play video games with their kids. Rather, most moms and dads simply fork over the money to buy … Continue reading →

Setting Parental Controls on Your Video Game Systems

Do you test out every video game that your child plays before they play it? Do you rely on word from friends, websites or even your kids themselves to determine the appropriateness of each game? How do you keep children away from the more mature games that are already in the home played by older siblings, dad or mom? One of the ways to do this is by setting up the parental controls that are available in your video game system. Just like the famous v-chip or the parental controls that are available in some cable television systems, the parental … Continue reading →

2007 Video Game Report Card

MediaWise, a parent advocacy group for the National Institute on Media and the Family, released its report Tuesday on which video games are yeas and which are nays when it comes to family friendly content. This report comes at a great time, just when the holiday gift giving season is here. This year it is especially important to have a video game report you can trust, since many parents are looking to video games as replacement gifts for toys that could possibly contain unacceptable levels of lead paint. There are thousands of children out there, ages 8-14 who play with … Continue reading →

Trying to Keep Video Games in Perspective

These past couple weeks there have been all sorts of reports in the news about whether or not excessive computer and video game playing is considered an addiction. I have to admit that there have definitely been times when I’ve worried that one of my kids IS addicted–whether it is to a computer game, My Space, television, or a video game! I have gotten pretty darn crabby when someone seems to be too focused on any one thing and neglected every thing else. But, I’ve also found that with my kids, what they are “totally into” for a week or … Continue reading →

WarGames (1983)

“WarGames” stars Matthew Broderick as David, a seventeen-year-old high school student who’s obsessed with computers and computer games. He’s got a pretty sweet setup in his bedroom with computer, modem, printer, the works – and he enjoys hacking into the high school computer system to change his grades as needed. (And it’s needed plenty often.) One day he sees an ad for a new game being produced by a nearby toy company, and he decides to hack into that computer and see the schematics for the new game. Harmless, right? What he doesn’t realize is that he has hacked into … Continue reading →

Parents Can Control The Video Games Their Child Plays

Video game violence is a hot topic in today’s news and parent’s everywhere are tuning in with questions and concerns of their own. Recognizing the concern Microsoft has launched a new campaign titled “Safety Is No Game. Is Your Family Set?” The goal of the campaign is to educate parents about the video game ratings system and the Xbox 360 parental controls. At the Xbox website parents can learn about how to use the parental controls. With the parental controls parents can restrict their child from accessing Xbox Live, the Vision camera, and games beyond a certain rating. If the … Continue reading →

Disney Sing It: Family Hits

My husband and I are video game addicts. Console or computer, it doesn’t matter; we own a bunch of games and have played even more that we’ve borrowed from friends or swapped for others at GameSpot. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone here that my favorite game of all time is Kingdom Hearts. The super-popular Japanese franchise blends the action-RPG style of the Legend of Zelda games with an original and epic story line, one that includes character cameos from Final Fantasy (one of the most popular series of video games). But most importantly, the story revolves around … Continue reading →

Who decides what is appropriate for your teen?

Your teen asks for permission to buy a game that has been rated as appropriate for teens. You glance at the package and see that the rating indicates that is is OK for your kids. You then give permission for the game. You do the same thing for movies and and follow the same rules for TV shows. In some cases, you even let them go into the next age range. Video games rated “Teen” suggest content MAY BE suitable for ages 13 and up. They may include violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and strong language. … Continue reading →