dealing with game violence

Violence is everywhere in video and computer games. Here are suggestions to help you deal with it.

When I hear young kids playing and saying things like, "I'm going to waste you," I assume that they've either watched too many action movies, or played video games that they probably shouldn't have. Kids are so easy in influence, and it's up to all of us as parents to make sure that we understand what they watch, and what they play, and control it. It doesn't take someone like me, a professional writer who covers electronic entertainment, to tell you that violence rules in video games.

The titles with their muscular characters and weapons on the covers are everywhere. And the violence doesn't have to be a graphic explosion of blood and guts. In flight simulators, for example, players shoot down other planes, and blow up cities. In first-rate real-time strategy games, players command virtual armies that fight to the death. And a cute cartoon character, such as Sonic, in a kid-oriented arcade game, constantly knocks out other characters.

As concerned parents, we have to do our best to understand the games that our kids play, and make sure that the content and violence levels are within our comfort zone. I always tell parents who are concerned about violence in their kids' games to learn more about the games.

While there are ratings systems to guide you, I recommend, if you can, getting a first-person perspective by hanging out with your kids at the console demo station at your local store. There you can watch kids playing games, and decide whether a game is suitable for your family before you buy it. In general, I've found that the least violent games are those based on popular sports - soccer, basketball, and baseball - and most car and other racing games.

Parents have different standards concerning these matters - some find any level of violence objectionable for kids, while others do not. I admit to letting my ten-year-old son play games that were on the edge of my tolerance level, but we discussed the game's content, making sure he understood that this wasn't reality, and would be unacceptable behavior in real life.

When my son's friends come over and want to play video or computer games, as a courtesy I always call their parents to make sure that they're okay with a game. By the same token, you should feel free to call other parents and tell them what is and is not acceptable for your child.

In the same vein, don't forget to stay in touch with relatives and friends about gifts. Let them know what is and is not acceptable to you. As in everything, there's nothing like a little knowledge to help us all make intelligent decisions. As parents, we have to draw our own lines when it comes to violence and content in games - whether or not our kids, and their friends, like our decisions.