It’s the holiday season, and as it has been for decades, parents are trying to fulfill every wish on their child’s list while being a bit clueless about video games. I know my own parents have been having this issue for years, and cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to explain to them what they were actually buying for my brothers. When I was the assistant manager at EB Games, it was the same deal: parents cautiously stepping up to the counter, crumpled piece of paper in hand, asking, “Do you understand what this W-i-i thing is?” It’s really kind of cute.

What’s not cute, however, is the number of news pieces I’ve read over the past few weeks that have some politician or other trying to get his or her name in print by urging, that’s right, urging parents to check ratings on video games this holiday season. Urging! With all that is going on in the world, what’s really important these days is that parents check the ratings on video games? For real?



I’ve spoken out on the ESRB many times before and have come to the conclusion that while it’s not perfect, it is a necessary evil and can be a helpful tool for parents. I never hesitated to inform parents of what they were buying for their children when they purchased an M-rated game, and it’s true that a lot of them were unfamiliar with the ratings system. However, handing your kid a game that’s rated T instead of M for Christmas is not going to make everything right with the world.



Believe it or not, Mature titles are not the source of all violence in the world. In fact I’d say they’re the source of none of it. Careless parenting, on the other hand, probably would have a much more adverse effect on a child’s life. Instead of telling parents to ban games from their household, why not encourage parents to take a more active role in their child’s gaming activities? That way parents can form their own conclusions instead of just listening to some half-assed advice.

The people who encourage the laughable idea that video games cause violence really need to find another bandwagon to jump on, because this one’s getting pretty old. Maybe next year it will be determined that internet cats are really the source of all violence in the world. At least that would be a little more interesting. And way more adorable.