Choosing Video Games for Kids

What are good video games for kids? If you ask kids, they’ll probably tell you that the funnest games are the best games for them. If you ask parents, they might want the least violent and most educational games for their children. If you ask the ESRB board, they might agree with the violent part. And if you ask hardcore gamers, they might not agree with the rating system, seeing it as too strict and arbitrary. In the same way that movie ratings can be controversial, video game ratings can be a polarizing issue as well, especially in the wake of the debate over the correlation between violent video gaming and criminal activity. The issue of video games for kids isn’t just about kids, it sucks the rest of the gaming (and non-gaming) population, prompting people of all ages to weigh in on what is kid friendly appropriate and what is crossing the line.

Again, perhaps the biggest topic of hot contention surrounding video games for kids is the violence factor. Do violent video games influence children to act out accordingly? Yes, several parents and political figures have been heard to say. Violent video games have been publicly and popularly linked to crimes such as the Columbine shootings. Many studies have suggested that violent video games and real-life violence are linked, but at the same time the methodology of many of these studies has been criticized and the results have not replicated. Some studies even suggest that the link is false, or that rather than violence in itself, “kid-friendly” competition can lead to more violent behavior.

It’s possible to see this issue from both points of view. On one hand, it looks like people just need a scapegoat to blame for the violence in our society. Rather than blaming economic crises, the education system or domestic problems, it’s easier to point the finger at video games: “If that guy weren’t playing Grand Theft Auto, he wouldn’t have robbed that store” is much easier to say than “If he had been able to get a job, gone to a good school or had two supportive parents at home, he wouldn’t have robbed that store.” On the other hand, gratuitously violent video games do exist on the market, and playing them to an excessive degree probably isn’t good for the psyche, especially at a young age. So when choosing video games for kids, it’s best for parents to be open-minded, as well as mindful about what their kids are playing. Violent video games don’t necessarily turn out violent kids, but it would be wise to practice caution when exposing our kids to violent media.