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Picking Safe Video Games for Kids

 One of the challenges parents have is choosing age appropriate and safe video games for their children. With many new and older video games on the market being filled with mature themes and graphic violence the process will take some doing. Here are some things you can do to ensure that the video game you choose meets your requirements.

 Check the Entertainment Safety Ratings Board (ESRB) rating. The ESRB is the body that rates all video games that hit the shelves and their rating scheme is done by age. The ratings symbols used by the ESRB are:

E for "everyone" i.e. for children six years old and older.
E-10 for those over ten years.
T for teenagers.
M for mature, i.e. seventeen years and older.

The ESRB rating symbol can be found on the back of the game. Keep in mind that some games that have the '‘E'’ rating may still have some degree of violence.

You can also go to the ESRB website and look up the game and get detailed information about the game and why it has rating it has. It is important to note that a number of games will have different ratings depending on the gaming system.

Get a hold of the annual MediaWise Report that lists what they consider the best and worst video games around. This report will provide you with information as to those games that are good for kids.

Asking other parents can be very helpful. Many parents will have lots of information about the better and the bad video games for kids. Get their advice on video games it could save you a lot of time.

One of things you can also do is to play the video game yourself and see what it contains and find out whether it is appropriate for your kids.

Finally you should look for games that require strategy, are challenging, exciting and if possible have an educational component to them.
By: Vladimir C. Murray
Published: 12/21/07


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