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My kids got lots of video games for Christmas and i thought it might be worth highlighting the PEGI game rating systems (those funny little symbols on the back the game case....)
I found the following on their website ( http://www.pegi.info/en/index/ )
PEGI operates in 29 countries and the British games industry was a moving force in establishing the system several years ago. The PEGI ratings give an indication of the type of content found in a game and its suitability....... Descriptors appear as a set of icons that cover such themes as fear, bad language, violence and drugs.
They give the following gaming tips on their site which made good DadTalk sense to me :
Play Safe Gaming Tips
• Engage. Find out what your children are playing and take an interest. Better still, join in the fun and play alongside them yourself!
• Lighten up. Games should be played in well-lit rooms. Darkened rooms, where games are played on old CRT (cathode ray tube) tv sets, have been known to trigger epilepsy issues amongst some children.
• Take breaks. Some games can be especially intense, so regular breaks are vital for healthy gameplay. Encourage your children to take regular breaks – at least five minutes every 45-60 minutes as a rule of thumb.
Happy gaming, Buzz
With the thread regarding Call Of Duty going strong, I thought i would draw everyone's attention to this thread regarding ratings for games.
I'm glad to see this thread, you'd be suprised at how often the ratings on the covers of games get ignored.
But, even with the BBFC ones, I'd treat them as a reccomendation, you know your kids better than someone sat monitoring the games or films so can make a better choice of whats suitable for your child. Yes this means you have to get involved, but thats all part of parenting and maybe if more parents actually played the games, the stigma of "ban this sick filth" wouldn't be so bad in papers such as The Sun and Daily Mail.
I let my 12 year old play a 16 the other day. It was the star wars one where he is a trainee sith. I was in the room most of the time on my laptop, but it was amazing to see how the game sort of 'possessed' him over time. I guess playing the 'baddie' and killing characters you know are 'goodies', combined with the interactive nature of the Wii sort of seemed to affect him. Strange to watch really, i just kept getting him to take breaks every so often (think he only played it for 45 minutes), but it was only having read these threads at christmas it go me thinking / noticing it.
Ron
PS Come on England!!!
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