I think games like this having an increased rating is a step in the right direction.
20 or more years ago, when my step son was 12/13 he wanted to play GTA San Andreas, and Halo. At the time, they were both had an ESRB Rating of Mature 17+. My gut didn’t want to let him play either game. I bought them both. I spent about 3 hours playing GTA and decided it wasn’t something I was going to let my kid play. I played the entire Halo campaign because it was actually really fun, and the entire plot was space marines shooting aliens. I let my kid play Halo, because aside from alien guts and shooting, there wasn’t much there that really warranted a mature rating. GTA on the other hand let me pick up prostitutes, had themes involving gangs, organized crime, and sex. It was also a really fun game, but not something a 12 or 13 year old should be playing.
Ultimately, it’s up to parent’s to police what their kids are doing and being exposed to. The ESRB rating system here gave me pause about letting my kid play a game, forcing me to review them on a case by case basis.
Any game with loot boxes giving a random item or content should have a rating that reflects age restrictions for real life gambling.
I think games like this having an increased rating is a step in the right direction.
20 or more years ago, when my step son was 12/13 he wanted to play GTA San Andreas, and Halo. At the time, they were both had an ESRB Rating of Mature 17+. My gut didn’t want to let him play either game. I bought them both. I spent about 3 hours playing GTA and decided it wasn’t something I was going to let my kid play. I played the entire Halo campaign because it was actually really fun, and the entire plot was space marines shooting aliens. I let my kid play Halo, because aside from alien guts and shooting, there wasn’t much there that really warranted a mature rating. GTA on the other hand let me pick up prostitutes, had themes involving gangs, organized crime, and sex. It was also a really fun game, but not something a 12 or 13 year old should be playing.
Ultimately, it’s up to parent’s to police what their kids are doing and being exposed to. The ESRB rating system here gave me pause about letting my kid play a game, forcing me to review them on a case by case basis.
Any game with loot boxes giving a random item or content should have a rating that reflects age restrictions for real life gambling.