Meozer Maze

It�s 10 O� Clock; Do You Know What Your Children are Playing? : Children�s Exposure to Inappropriate Video Games

Prostitution, drugs, gangs, violence, theft and murder. Would any rational parent let their child watch a television show or movie that contained these things? Then why do they let them play it? Every day children all over the nation play games with these adult themes. They are given to them by parents and relatives that buy them either without knowing the content it contains or not caring. These games were not made for children, and the industry that made them never intended for them to be played by children. Nevertheless due to the negligence of the nation�s parents and the common misconception that all video games are for children, the youth of this nation are ending up with them anyway. Due to the increase in the adult market for video games which subsequently caused an increase of violent and mature themed games, parents need to take a more active role in monitoring what their children play, and more needs to be done to inform parents of the content of video games.

Since the video game�s humble beginnings in the seventies, the industry has turned into a multibillion dollar market. �In 1999 7.4 billion dollars was made in the gaming industry which was a twenty percent increase from the year before� (Tuscano 1). That massive revenue has made video games an important part of our society. To get an idea of just how many people this industry affects, take into mind that sixty percent of Americans six and older play video games (Tuscano 1). This market crosses age barriers affecting both young and old.

Just as the market has grown so has the consumer. Video gamers have grown up. The market is no longer dominated by small six year old children with freckles and sneakers. According to the Interactive Digital Software Association or IDSA, the average age of a video game player is now twenty-eight (Breznican 1). These older gamers not only dominate the playing field, they hold all the purchasing power. The IDSA also found that ninety percent of games are purchased by someone over the age of eighteen (Brenzican 1). The age of these consumers plays a huge role in impacting the image of video games.

With the increase of adult sales comes the increase of games with adult content. It is not a huge epidemic. �Only about seven percent of all video games have a mature rating� (Abel 1). With only a small percentage targeted exclusively at adults, there is no reason to start a panic, but it is the content of this small minority which is the threat. According to the Electronic Software Rating Board, or ESRB, a mature rated game is intended for people seventeen and older and can contain mature sexual themes, intense violence, or language (ESRB 1). Although this might seem entertaining to an adult audience, it is definitely not appropriate for a young child.

This genre may be small, but it is certainly popular. These types of games are incredibly popular. For example the mature rated game Grand Theft Auto III sold eight million copies (Breznican 2). This game contains language, drugs, and intense adult themes and violence. This is not an isolated event either. Its sequel that came out a year later boasted the same content as its predecessors and also attracted the same attention. NPD Funworld, a company that tracks consumer sales in the gaming market found that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was the top selling game for the fourth quarter of 2002 (�Forth Quarter� 1). With titles like these at the top of the charts adult games are defiantly here to stay.

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