A Message to All Parents

Halo reach gameplay

Lets be honest, the ESRB does a great job of informing you what games are appropriate for your children but they can only do so much. In some cases, you may not even know what the list on the back of a possible game for your kids means. Im going to clear things up a bit. Take the game Halo: Reach, it is Rated M for Blood and Violence. Now, this may be a big scare for some parents but when ever you buy a game think of the context. These subratings can be confusing and generic. In Halo's case: you're spilling the blood of alien baddies who want to destroy humanity. And the most violent things in the game are greanade blasts and assasinations which are quick and not very gory.

Battlefield 3 Screenshot

Next Example: Battlefield 3 is a whole new ballgame. Its rated M for Blood, Intense Violence and Strong language. The Intense Violence rating is different from a Violence rating in the sense that there is more immersive, more viseral game play. There is a larger sense of realism which makes a better game and the game more fun. The "Strong" in Strong language means its more heated and frequent, instead of using the A word or S word they might use the F bomb.

Skyrim Gameplay

My final example is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Its rated M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, sexual Themes and Use of Alcohol. the "Gore" means the game might include decapitaion, dismemberment or disembowelment depending on the game. Like I said these are generic so they could include different things in each game.  Now stop and listen, there is a big difference between Sexual Themes and Sexual Content. Sexual Themes means there might be a few skimpy dressed women or in extreme cases some form of strip club. Sexual Content, however, means sex scenes that conveniently do not show anything. Although, a few games do have pornagraphic elements. Although you need not worry as these would be rated A for Adults. Another thing to know is that Skyrim is what we call a Sandbox game. A sandbox game means that the player has the freedom to wander the game world and act as he or she chooses, which could include Sexual Content or Sexual themes, moral choices, and multiple subplots but only if the game allows such content. . 


       In Conclusion, the biggest thing you need to do as a parent is to know your child and know the game's content and context. Make sure your child knows its just a game and the things he or she does should not always be translated into the real world. Also, recognize the maturity of your child. When your child wants a specific game do not exclude it due to letter rating. Research it, read user reviews and watch Game play footage before making your decision.
      I played my first M-Rated game when I was ten and I still play them. I have lots of M-rated games but I'm still not allowed to play certain ones because of the context of the game. Never forget to read about the story of the game and talk to your child about what intrigues them about it. Thanks for reading and I hope this helps. Remember, YOU and only you can decide if a game is right for your child.