When it comes to video games, most parents have no idea what’s cool, so they rely on their kids to tell them which games they want. The problem is, the target audience for video games is no longer kids; it’s men in their late teens and early 2os. The market has changed, so most of those games out there that get buzz contain copious amounts of violence, sexual content, inappropriate themes or a combination of all of the above.
Common Sense Media, a website designed to help parents find family friendly entertainment, has released their list of the 10 Cool Games that are Uncool for Kids, cluing parents in on which games to be wary of, and why. If your kid is already begging you for the coolest game they just have to have, you might want to check it against this list to see what you are really buying them.
Here are some of the top offenders:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: My boyfriend plays this game, and I can’t even watch. The graphics are amazing, I’ll give it that, but violence and blood is over the top and the game even has an option to go undercover as an enemy terrorist.
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony The newest addition to the GTA games is just as bad as the rest: relentless and brutal violence, gratuitous sexual encounters, and drugs. You can even get drunk in the game, and play with blurred vision and delayed motor skills. The whole point is to basically steal cars, drive around town breaking the law, wreaking havoc- this one is definitely not for kids.
Left 4 Dead 2: This is a shooter-zombie game who can owe its buzz primarily to i’s impressive, yet gory graphics. The zombies themselves are also some of the most frightening I have ever seen.
You can read the full list of not safe for kids games here, and even find some alternatives that have the same game feel, but with more age appropriate content.
All video games are given a rating, just like movies, to help keep mature games out of the hands of immature audiences. To learn more about video games and their ratings, visit Entertainment Ratings Software Board.
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