Sexuality Content in Video Games

Many young people enjoy spending time playing video games by themselves or with others. While this may be a perfectly acceptable use of free time and a good way to enjoy the company of friends, it is important for parents to know that many video games geared toward young people have content that may not be appropriate.

A recent survey conducted by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) found that video games marketed with a T (for teens) Rating had content that was not always accurately reflected on the game box description.

For example, nearly 50% of games marketed towards teens contained images of violence, sexual themes and nudity, profanity, substance use and images of gambling that were NOT noted on the outside of the game box.

Additionally, it’s important to remember that the American Psychological Association has serious concerns about the impact of violent video games on the mental health of young users. The APA has noted that violent video games tend to increase aggressiveness and aggressive thoughts in young people and demonstrate that there are no consequences for engaging in violent actions.

Because of the misrepresentation involved in video game marketing and the fact that such games may have a negative influence on children, every parent should take time to closely examine the video games that their kids play and make sure that the content is correctly represented and is not exposing youth to inappropriate messages.

The Parents Television Council (PTC) reviews many popular video games. You can access these reviews here.

MediaFamily’s MediaWise project also has some reviews and ratings of popular video and computer games.