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 games rated M for mature (ages 17 and up), according to recent studies. And parents, relatives and friends don’t always understand which games could be harmful. Fortunately, the report takes some of the guess work out of the video game buying experience.
Which games does MediaWise warn you to avoid this holiday season?
Assassin’s Creed M
Call to Duty 4 M
Conan M
The Darkness M
Jericho M
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men M
Manhunt 2 M
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles M
Stranglehold M
Time Shift M
And which games are recommended for children?
FIFA Soccer 08 E
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock T
Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour E
Madden NFL 08 E
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games E
Need for Speed Pro Street E+10
The Sims 2: Castaway T
Super Mario Bros. 3 E
Super Mario Galaxy E
Viva Pinta E
Along with ratings and recommendations, the report talks about trends, such a disturbing one in which churches and libraries hold tournaments for children that feature M-rated video games. While these tournaments may bring in more interest and traffic to the churches and libraries, it under minds parents who are trying to protect their children from violent and inappropriate video games, the report says.
Will you be purchasing any video games for children this season?
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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