California now bans the sale or rental of “ultra-violent” games to minors. The new law was passed to keep adult-rated games such as Grand Theft Auto—where players witness a prostitute getting kicked to death—out of the hands of teens. The video game industry is challenging the law.

While media coverage often centers on older kids, advocates say young children also play games that are too violent—and play them too much. But the game industry and some media experts counter that video games can teach important skills.

Video games have come a long way since I played Atari as a child, bouncing a green square back and forth on the television. Now they are played on computers, televisions, and hand-held devices (such as Game Boy, Leap Pad, even cell phones). Games are categorized by player’s age (see Video game rating system) and by type: for example, educational, sports, combat.

Good or bad?

Advocates applaud the new law but say more is needed. “Violence is present in almost all games—(60% of) children over age eight rate (games for people over 17) as their favorites,” says Becca Arnold of the Child-Responsible Media Campaign.

Studies link video games to a host of problems:

• Exposure to violence: “Graphic and sexually charged media violence...can be as dangerous to our kids’ health as cigarettes,” says James Steyer of Common Sense Media. The American Academy of Pediatrics finds that playing violent video games increases youths’ violent behavior as much as smoking increases lung cancer.

• Obesity: Playing video games can help make children overweight because they don’t get enough physical activity, says the National Institute on Media and the Family (NIMF).

• Promoting stereotypes: In a 2000 survey of games, “African American characters showed no reaction to pain,” but Latino characters did, says Eileen Espejo of Children Now. In 2001, 73% of player-controlled characters were male—and 87% of heroes were white (Children Now, Kaiser Family Foundation).

Studies also point to video game benefits:

• Strengthening reading, logical thinking, observing, and problem solving (NIFM, KFF).

“I don’t think video games are bad,” says Tessa Jolls of the Center for Media Literacy, mother of a 15-year-old boy. “They are very compelling—my son wants to play them a lot! Parents need to teach children to set thoughtful boundaries.”

Tips for Parents

Shop smart: Carolyn Johnson, mother of a seven-year-old girl, Chase, says, “I play the whole game and (decide) whether I want Chase to play (it).” She looks at how women and people of color are represented. Parents can rent games or have the store demonstrate them. Parents should also check the game’s rating (see below: Video game rating system). 

Ask questions: Do characters in the game harm others? How often? Is it rewarded? Shown as funny? Are nonviolent parts less fun than violent ones? Is the “bad guy” always African American? Are there racial slurs? Are the women victims or sex symbols?

Set limits: In my house, we limit our seven-year-old son Nehemiah’s video game time: up to one hour a week for educational games, 30 minutes a week for other games. One game is a bit violent—we’ve stopped letting him play it. But recently, Nehemiah talked about playing a game at his aunt’s house, saying he “kill(ed) the bad guy with a gun. Since he was bad, it was OK.” This was a real eye-opener. We called his aunt—she agreed to limit video games when she’s babysitting: only Early Childhood-rated games and only an hour a day. Other parents recommend:

• Limiting game time: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children not use electronic media more than one to two hours a day. “I set strict limits for Chase,” says Johnson: 30 minutes on the Game Boy or the computer.

• Supervising games: Heidi McLaughlin doesn’t let her son play games without a parent around. Experts suggest children play video games in a main room, so parents can oversee.

• Allowing only age-appropriate games: Jolls doesn’t let her son play adult-rated games at home—and explains to him why. “Many movies are not appropriate for children,” adds Michael Romero, a video game developer with two children. “We carefully choose which ones our childrn watch.”

• Restricting games with violence: “(Our) rules are that video games cannot have any guns, no beating people up, and no karate,” says Jennifer Hughes, mother of a seven-year-old boy. Arnold says that although she did not allow violent games in her house, her son would play them at friends’ houses. “Parents need to work together to limit games, so no one is taking all the pressure,” she says.

Talk with your child: In my house, we discuss what’s happening in the games Nehemiah plays, to reinforce that some behaviors aren’t good in the “real world.” Johnson adds, “After Chase plays a game, I discuss it with her. (This) equips her to think about what she’s playing.”

Encourage other kinds of play: Children should play without the “screen”—whether it’s TV, computer, or Game Boy. Parents suggest physical and pretend play, sharing jobs, art and reading, and playing with friends. See A week without
TV? for ideas.

Advocate for safer games: Parents can talk with retailers about the video games they sell to children—and to restaurants and arcades where children can play games. Parents can also write to their legislators about the need for more “child-positive” games—and talk with their PTA, church, or parent group.

Video game rating system

• EC—Early Childhood (ages 3 and up): may have cartoon violence (“comic mischief”)
• E—Everyone (ages 6 and up): some cartoon or “mild” violence, and/or mild language
• E+10—Everyone +10 (ages 10 and up): more cartoon or “mild” violence, and/or suggestive themes
• T—Teen (ages 13 and up): violence, suggestive themes, minimal blood, and/or strong language
• M—Mature (ages 17 and up): intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language
• AO—Adults Only (ages 18 and up): prolonged, intense violence, and/or graphic sexual content.

For specific game ratings, visit www.esrb.org

Resources

• American Academy of Pediatrics, 847-434-4000, www.aap.org/family/ratingsgame.htm
• Child-Responsible Media Campaign, barnold@childresponsiblemedia.org, www.medialegislation.org
• Tolerance.org, 334-956-8200, www.tolerance.org
• Video game reviews: www.commonsensemedia.org, www.mediafamily.org

Extra resources from the Children’s Advocate bulletin

• A Teacher in the Living Room?, from the Kaiser Family Foundation, examines the educational claims of 29 video games and computer software products for children under age 5. Calls for more attention to the issue with more research, independent reviews, clearer marketing standards, and more high-quality content. Online at http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/7427.pdf

• Common Sense Media provides reviews of movies, TV shows, video games, music, websites, and books. Users can sort for what is appropriate for children of particular ages. Online at http://www.commonsensemedia.org

• Judge Halts Limits on Game Sales to Kids, an article in the LA Times, reports that a federal judge has blocked enforcement of California's law banning the sale of "ultra-violent" video games to minors. Online at http://www.latimes.com

To stay informed about new and upcoming Children’s Advocate articles, related resources, and advocacy opportunities, sign up for our Children’s Advocate bulletin