Visit any top video game store and you will be overwhelmed by the hundreds of choices. Children and teenagers seem to know their way around video stores as if they were were there every day. For the adult, visiting a video store is like a maze of video games that all begin to look the same. Where should you start to make it all make sense to you?
You will find a lot of information online by using your web browser to do some research. You can do a search on the website for the game system your child plays. Use the guide below for assistance.
Wii = Nintendo Wii Console
EA Sports = Entertainment Arts System
PS3 = Playstation 3 System
Xbox 360 = Microsoft's gaming system
PC = Personal Computer
PS2 = Playstation 2 System
PSP = Playstation Portable System
DS = Nintendo Hand held
After locating the section for the appropriate games for your child's machine, be sure to check the ratings of each game. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) provides video game ratings in an attempt to help parents in selecting games that are what the parents deem appropriate for their kids to play. Here's a guide to what the ratings mean:
C = Appropriate for Early childhood
E = Appropriate for Everyone
E 10+ = Acceptable for Everyone over 10 years of age
T = Acceptable for Teens
M = Appropriate for Mature Adults
The illustrations on the both video and PC game cases do a good job of representing the game's content. If you see a picture of fighting on the cover you can assume there will be violence in the game. On the other hand if you see cartoon characters you recognize you can assume the game will be similar to what you know about those characters.
There are alternatives to buying a game you are not quite sure of, you could always try a video game rental service and test the game prior to buying the game to make sure it is what you would want your child to play.