Video games have been around for a very long time, but only recently have the restrictions on them become apparent. So what is the rationale for these age-restrictions? Is it just because some games are violent? Or is there more to it than meets the eye?
Why are video games age restricted?
When a game is deemed inappropriate for children, there are several reasons why.
- The game is violent: Some games incorporate excessively bloody or graphic violence that make them unsuitable for children.
- The game is complex: Some games require dexterity and hand-eye coordination that makes it difficult for some people to play them.
- The game isn’t appropriate for children: There may be content in the game that parents think their kids shouldn’t see or hear until they’re older.
Most of these games have an ESRB rating of “Mature” and are therefore labelled as age-restricted content
An ESRB rating is a content descriptor system used in North America and other regions to indicate the suitability of video games and apps for children.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a non-profit trade association that oversees the video game industry’s self-regulation, to rate video games and apps according to their content.
While most major retailers will not sell age-restricted titles to those under 17, some stores have been known to ignore or misinterpret these guidelines.
Violence in games
The main reason for the age restriction is the violence in these games.
The games are often set in a world with magic and monsters, so there’s naturally going to be some fighting. But sometimes it gets pretty brutal.
The violence might come in the form of blood splattering everywhere when you stab an enemy or shoot them with arrows, or it could just be implied by how you’re playing the game: shooting someone with an arrow would be much different if there was no blood splatter on screen than if there was blood everywhere after you shot an enemy multiple times before they are dead—and that’s just one example!
Some degree of literacy and logical thinking skills
Another reason for these restrictions is because role-playing games require some degree of literacy and logical thinking skills. Literacy and logical thinking skills are not necessarily age-dependent; they can be developed at any age, but this very often takes place in the school system. It is true that many games require a certain amount of reading ability to fully understand the story and gameplay, but again this is not something that cannot be done outside of school. Similarly, some games require enough mental acuity to solve puzzles or puzzles which involve basic math (such as counting numbers), however this kind of puzzle solving does not necessarily need to take place during formal education either!
