Family playing video games
Research reveals more families will play games together this Christmas than attend carol services or nativity plays, but Christmas pester power may result in inappropriate games being purchased.
Christmas is upon us and UK high streets and online stores are swelling with Christmas shoppers snapping up the hottest toys, gadgets and games to keep the family occupied this festive season.
Once again, new research commissioned by Ukie (UK Interactive Entertainment), shows that games top the most wanted list for UK children this year, and many won’t be left disappointed as 53 per cent of parents said they are definitely or probably going to buy their child a game or console this Christmas.
We’d urge parents to use this really helpful tool to ensure that playing games has the biggest positive impact on their children and family as a whole this Christmas
The survey also found that 59 per cent of families are more likely to be playing video games together this Christmas, in comparison to the 43 per cent who will be attending a carol service or nativity play.
However, whilst there is a wide and varied selection of games suitable for all the family, there remains some confusion amongst parents as to which games are suitable for the family and how these can be identified.
Only two in five parents say they only buy games that are the correct age rating, and 43 per cent of parents admit to checking the age ratings of games but not always sticking to them.
Of the parents who said they never check age ratings, a quarter said they didn’t think there was anything they could put in a game which would be unsuitable.
Half of parents would let their child play a game that was bought for them by a friend or relative, but had an unsuitable age rating. Furthermore, 23 per cent said they would trust their friend/relative’s judgement if they had bought a game for their child, and only one in five parents will play a game themselves, before deciding whether it’s suitable for their child.
CEO of Ukie, Dr Jo Twist, said: “At Christmas there is a fantastic variety of games for parents to choose from, for their families to enjoy.
“PEGI ratings on all UK games give clear and simple guidance on the suitability of games for different age audiences and if parents need further guidance on what these ratings mean they can visit www.askaboutgames.com.
“We’d urge parents to use this really helpful tool to ensure that playing games has the biggest positive impact on their children and family as a whole this Christmas.”
In July of this year, PEGI became the single video games age ratings system, under which it is now illegal for a retailer to sell a game with a PEGI age rating of 12, 16 or 18 to someone below that age. Prior to this, the UK had two age ratings systems for games, BBFC and PEGI.
The change helps consumers, and especially parents, to make informed decisions about which games to choose for their families, by clearly giving the suggested minimum age that you must be to play a game due to the suitability of its content.
These changes were introduced by the Government as part of its commitment to better protect children from exposure to inappropriate video game content. Tanya Byron’s “Safer Children in a Digital World” and Reg Bailey’s “Letting Children be Children” reviews for Government have been instrumental in identifying ways in which industry, Government and retailers can work together to ensure children only access material that is suitable for their age.
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For more information about the PEGI ratings and the benefits of gaming, visit www.askaboutgames.com, www.pegi.info and http://www.videostandards.org.uk/GRA