Windows 7 provides game rating systems
Most computer games that you buy are rated. The ratings let parents know what games are appropriate for their children and in some cases themselves. Game names aren’t always as descriptive as you may want. Microsoft Windows 7 gives you the tools to access ratings systems from around the world to help guide you to games you and your family can play without finding objectionable content.
There are tons of gaming sites on line and there are lots of places where you can buy games locally. Not all games are suitable for your five-year-old or your 15-year-old for that matter. Graphic violence, offensive language, and sexual situations have been used in computer games since people figured out how to create and market games for computers.
When you click on the start button, several categories pop up in the right hand menu. One of these categories is games. Depending on your computer manufacturer, you may have games not just from Microsoft but also supplied by Toshiba, or Dell, or HP. Some of the games are on your computer and some will lead you online.
Once you have opened the game category, you will see a variety of games suitable for just about anyone. But for those games that didn’t come on your computer or that your child has been nagging you to buy, there is a way to tell what the various different symbols, letters, and numbers associated with games mean.
In the menu bar at the top you will find a variety of drop down menus and “Parental Controls”. Click on Parental Controls and you will be taken to a screen that will allow you to set limits on where your children can go on the internet and what websites and games can be accessed.
In the blue section to the left of the main controls, you will find “Game Rating Systems”. Click on it and it will lead you to 10 different ratings systems from around the world. You can choose which rating system you want to use. By following links under the system names, you can read more about each system from their web pages.
Different ratings systems for various parts of Asia, Australia, the US, the Pan European Game information ratings with specific PEGI sites for the UK and Finland, and a ratings website specific to Germany. The ratings systems are different for each site and depending on the game you are buying/playing, having access to each ratings system will help you decipher what the various letters and symbols mean.
Whether or not you are into gaming, children in your family may be. Accessing these ratings guidelines will help you to get a better grasp on what your children are playing. From there you can decide if you want to limit your children’s access or simply talk with them about different aspects of the game that make you uncomfortable.
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