I'm often surprised, after all the fuss about making video games provide ratings for their games, how little attention is actually paid to those hard won ratings. The funny thing about it is, these ratings are so much more on target then movie ratings. If a video game says M (Mature Audiences only) then they mean M. That means don't get it for your 5 year old! Get it? GOOD!. I don't mean to sound so harsh, but I get a little steamed when I'm discussing a game with another parent and they moan and groan about the violence and gore...then I walk into the living room and see their 1st grader playing a game with an "M" clearly marked on the box.... or in the case of Nintendo 64, right on the cartridge!! The ratings are there for a reason, folks. Just because it's a Video "Game" does NOT mean it's intended for small children. I'm an adult. I love playing video games. I'm delighted that Game Manufacturers have finally recognized that adults also enjoy playing video games and have started targeting us as an audience. But that means parents have got to do their job, too, and check a game out, just as they would with a movie, before they buy or rent it for their kids.
As I said before, Video Game Mfg's have to have their games rated. That rating is clearly marked on the box, and in many cases, also on the Game Cartridge or CD. I'm not sure what year this started, but I noticed that some of the older games don't have ratings. In those cases just look at the pitcures on the back of the box or read the description. When in doubt, if the game is a gift for a small child, for instance, don't buy it until you can dig up a review about the game. Yes, Video Games can be very violent. And unlike a movie, it's NOT over in two hours. People can and do play video games for several hours at a time, day in and day out. They are controlling what's on that screen. Think about it. They are the ones causing the violence. Is the person you are buying this game for old enough to understand what's going on in the game? The ratings are there for a reason, and I will break them down, in a table below, for anyone who may be unfamiliar with the system:
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