"I swear all my friends already have it!" You've probably heard that dozens of times. When a child or teen nags you to get the latest trendy video game, the problem is, they’re 11 and the box shows 12. So what should you do? Who should you ask for advice? When you don’t know anything, you’re always a bit lost. We’re going to try to answer your questions in a few articles. And on Blacknut Le Mag we will not fail to give you good age guidelines each time we talk about a video game.
First: before bypassing the warnings on game boxes, you need to understand how they’re assigned. We’re far from the warnings you’d see from the CSA for television.
In France, it’s the PEGI system that authorities rely on (Pan European Game Information). It’s meant to help you choose age-appropriate games for your children by assigning an age rating and classifying their content. This system has the backing of the major console manufacturers. And it applies in 38 countries around the world.
But there is a caveat: unlike cinema releases or TV programs, there is no independent body for video games. In practice: publishers fill out an evaluation form, and based on what they themselves declare, a recommended age is automatically assigned. Then one of the two independent bodies (the Dutch Nicam for games rated 3 to 7 years, the British VSC for those rated 12, 16 and 18) evaluates the game and approves or amends the chosen age.
It’s the big question: which game for which age?
The recommended age means that the game’s content, in terms of graphics or storyline, is unlikely to shock the audience. But beware, just because a game is labeled "3" doesn’t mean your 4, 5 or even 7-year-olds will be able to play it. If the content isn’t shocking, you often need advanced motor skills to control the game, which a child of that age hasn’t yet developed, and that’s normal. Idem, never put a game labeled "18" in the hands of a child. But depending on cultures, families, and educational level, the question may arise for a 15-year-old teen. And frankly, some adult games will have little chance of traumatizing them, and could even help academically! Yes indeed!
Here are the PEGI age bands, you’ll find them on all console games:
The smallest age class is PEGI 3, which is absurd because (and I’ve had this confirmed by several child psychiatrists) no 3-year-old, regardless of IQ, is able to master a game as such. Not to mention the controller that requires dexterity rarely developed before age 6.
In reality, PEGI 3 is the assurance of a game suitable for all age groups. If there is violence, it will be presented in a "comical" way, like the violence seen in cartoons, such as Bugs Bunny or Wile E. Coyote.
But the vast majority of these games are truly unplayable before the age of 7.
Notably sports or racing games, FIFA19 or Mario Kart for example.
Or games with a lot of text that require perfect reading to understand puzzles like Pokémon or Animal Crossing.
We then move on to PEGI 7. There you also don’t take big risks in terms of violence or sexuality. In these games, only certain scenes might scare a very young player. No coarse language, no explicit violence.
We find in this category most of the iconic adventure and platform games.
Spyro the Dragon, Sonic, Angelo, Yono, Crash Bandicoot, Rayman and Mario (except the brilliant Super Mario Odyssey).
Next is PEGI 12. Violence is already more present, even if it remains in a graphical form or with imaginary characters. Some nudity may appear and some coarse language.
In practice, it’s not easy to understand.
Super Mario Odyssey for example was rated PEGI 12, a first in the plumber’s history. Why?
In fact, the exact reasons aren’t known; some argue it concerns moderate violence in the game related to the humanization of Mario where you might see nipples which would be a sexual allusion; others believe it could be tied to the story where Princess Peach is kidnapped by Bowser for a forced marriage. The equivalent would be to ban all Disney cartoons for children under 12.
Another perplexing PEGI 12 rating is Fortnite. Yet the aim of the game is to "kill" all rivals with weapons, including firearms. In that case it would seem that the game’s cartoon online universe doesn’t make it realistic enough to cause confusion. Doubt it?
There’s also nothing about the "push to talk" feature which allows you to speak to other players in a multiplayer game and thus hear them, which is basically online chat.
Among the must-play PEGI 12 games: Zelda - Super Smash Bros - Super Mario Odyssey
Little difference between the two.
PEGI 16: depiction of violence (or a sexual encounter) similar to what you’d find in real life (a kiss on the lips between two characters). Foul language gets more extreme, sometimes tobacco and drugs, and depiction of criminal activities.
PEGI 18: depiction of graphic violence, that is, violence that provokes a sense of disgust in the viewer.
All of this is, once again, totally subjective.
As an example, among PEGI 16 you’ll find “point and click” investigations you can play with your family and that won’t disturb you more than a good Agatha Christie, and far less than an episode of CSI.
Examples: Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter or The Knights of Baphomet.
Likewise among PEGI 18, there’s for instance the latest Call of Duty: WWII. You play a soldier during World War II. Not easy to carve a path among the corpses, bullets flying, and mortar explosions on Omaha Beach. The realism is truly breathtaking. But honestly, would you forbid Spielberg’s "Saving Private Ryan" to a 16-year-old whose history course covers it?
Same for Assassin’s Creed. The games in the series are rated "18" because of the bloody assassinations you must commit as the story unfolds. But isn’t that a fantastic way to discover Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, the Florence of the Medici, or Paris under the Revolution? In the latest installment, you’ll meet many famous figures: Pericles, Socrates, Phidias, Herodotus, Hippocrates, Leonidas... And the game even draws on well-known depictions and traits of these political or philosophical figures. Fantastic for ages 14 and up.
As for GTA, the best-known game in the "18" category, it truly earns its rating. The player is dropped into a vast open world where anything goes. There’s violence everywhere, crude language, sex, and discrimination.
Games rated PEGI 18 are the most violent or the most immoral on the market, or both. So there’s no need to hand them to children under 14, and always after you’ve checked their content yourself. The best rating for your child is the one you set yourself with care. And remember that about 50% of video games are PEGI 3. There’s plenty to do without violence and without risk.