violence and swearing in games

In some respects I'd say; have a go of them yourself!

Even though gaming is probably something you're not heavily into, there's no reason to stop you picking up the controller and playing through some of the demos yourself. That way you can decide (in the same way as you would for a film) whether or not you think it's excessive or whether he'll be fine to play it. Or if you're really not wanting to play them, there's always a ton of user-videos on youtube after release so you can see how the game works. In many ways, it'll also help you avoid any tension that can spring up with gaming and parents - both of you will understand where the other one is coming from a little more and it might help to reduce some of the fights that can happen (Maybe he doesn't cause arguments, but I know a lot of kids do when it comes to gaming...Especially when it comes to leaving their game when they reach a boss :P).

Other than that, I'd generally say that most game certificates are higher than they should be; for example, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is an 18; but you can join the army in real life and get killed when you're just 16.

I guess all I'm saying is; you know him better than anybody else and it's really up to you to work out whether you feel it's suitable or not - even if it was rated a 12, it might not be something you wanted him to play.

In terms of Mass Effect 2, there's very little gore or intense violence; and with that, each action has it's consequences, so killing an innocent person, can change the game to reflect it. As for sex, you can select the options to have sex; so long as you've built a relationship with the person, but there is no visual sex scenes - just the implication that you are going to do it. Generally, the game is more of a role-playing-game than a shooting game; the focus is really about character development and interaction, not just killing stuff.

PS: I think it's great that you're actually looking up the games to see what they're like - it's much better than most parents do!

Mass Effect 2 contains:

• Some swearing. There are some instances of the "F" and "S" word, but they're not over-used.
• Mature themes. The game discusses things that a 12-year old probably wouldn't be interested in, except sex.
• Sex. Characters have sex in the game, but there's no nudity, and no acts are shown; you just know that it happened. Characters talk about relationships where sex is involved, but it's all implied...nothing graphic.
• Violence. You shoot enemies with guns, but that's really it. Even though ME2 is a M-rated game, it's not gory at all. It's all the other stuff that gives it its rating.

I'm trying to think back to when I was 12, and I'm wondering if I would like a game like ME2. Maybe being 12 today is different from being 12 in the past (I was 12 back in the 90's). I might be totally wrong in what I'm about to say here, but there's a lot of dialogue in the game that might make the game seem boring to your son. Kids (boys in this case) want action, and ME2 has that. But you have to read through dialogue before you get to the action. The swearing is the only thing you'll probably have to worry about. As for the sex...he probably knows more than you think.

EDIT: The PC version of Mass Effect 2 does not have any sort of language filter. It may be different for the 360 version. And LOL at your Pokemon comment. Apparently, the Pokeballs are like paradise inside.

The only game where I know you can bleep out the swearing is Brutal Legend as it gives you an option to do so.

Why do they need sex in these games especially if they know kids will be playing them? It would be good if these games had parental control so that all that stuff could be turned off. He was playing a game with his mates where it said how many times they had sex. I just think its wrong. God i feel like an old granny! It makes me feel bad. Hes got a wii which i thought would be better for his age but he doesn't seem interested in that one. I think 360 and play station 3 is more of an adult console xvicja

It's the times. I've learned that there are only a few things that will always be absolute in this world.

The truth is, your kid shouldn't be playing a game like ME2 because it wasn't made for people like him. It just so happens that he finds the content appealing, which is why he asked you to buy it for him.

ME2 is all about shooting people. which is far worse than the odd ****, **** or **** imo.

Bring back the days when Mario, sonic and street fighter were enuff to keep us entertained for hours. My boy would get bored with them. Hes got Mario Kart but rarely plays it. Says its too easy. They need to try and come up with a 12 game that is more challenging but age appropriate. Looks like its a trip to Blockbuster to see what its like and make a decision from there. Appreciate all your comments. Feel abit like a nana 4 asking but needs must xvicja

He should try a Mega Man game if he's looking for a challenge. Mega Man 10 is out for the Wii. The only problem that he might have with it is the graphics. The graphics are fine for me because that's what I grew up with, but it might be a different story for your son. Yeah...being 12 these days is definitely different.

Why do they need sex in these games especially if they know kids will be playing them? It would be good if these games had parental control so that all that stuff could be turned off. He was playing a game with his mates where it said how many times they had sex. I just think its wrong. God i feel like an old granny! It makes me feel bad. Hes got a wii which i thought would be better for his age but he doesn't seem interested in that one. I think 360 and play station 3 is more of an adult console xvicja

Mass Effect does have blood. You can usually see blood splattered rooms and burnt bodies. It does have swearing with the occasional f-word, it's got clothed exotic dancers, mature story (some of the characters were raped, talk about the people they slept with etc), has uncomfortable sexual situations in which you can make advances, it has cleavage, one of the starting missions involves you having to go to a planet called Omega which has a club (clothed dancers - but you can see them gyrating on poles) and is overall a game not meant for minors. It's a great game but definitely not for kids.

Instead you should get your son a good T rated game.

For the 360 and PS3 :

1) Final Fantasy XIII (RPG : Role Playing Game)

2) DiRT 2 (Racing)

3) Fifa Soccer 2010 (Sports)

4) Burnout Paradise (Racing)

5) Prince of Persia 2008 (Action Adventure)

6) Battlefield: Bad Company (First Person Shooter)

For 360 only:

1) Ace Combat 6 (Plane sim)

2) Banjo- Kazooie : Nuts & Bolts (Platformer)

3) Forza Motorsport 3 (Racing game)

For the PS3 only:

1) Uncharted : Drake's Fortune (Action Adventure)

2) Uncharted 2 : Among Thieves (Action Adventure)

3) inFamous (Open World Action Adventure)

4) Ratchet and Clank Future:Tools of Destruction(Platforming)

5) Ratchet and Clank Future : A Crack In Time (Platforming)

Oh and the Uncharted games have crude humor and some kissing scenes (if that's a problem) in it. I wouldn't recommend Batman Arkham Asylum (a T rated game) because 2 of the game's characters (Posion Ivy and Harley Quinn) show both cleavage and wear thongs, covered by mini skirts. It's a 16+ title.

And one more thing : you shouldn't be too protective about your child. Blood isn't that big an issue. The above games have little to no blood in them. Hope this helps.

Why do they need sex in these games especially if they know kids will be playing them? It would be good if these games had parental control so that all that stuff could be turned off. He was playing a game with his mates where it said how many times they had sex. I just think its wrong. God i feel like an old granny! It makes me feel bad. Hes got a wii which i thought would be better for his age but he doesn't seem interested in that one. I think 360 and play station 3 is more of an adult console xvicja

There is sex in the game because it's targeted specifically at adults. Mass Effect is not a game for children. Would you bother showing a child The Godfather or Schindler's List? Of course not. Why? Because they're movies made with adults in mind. I own Mass Effect 2 and neither my 14 year old nor my 10 year old are allowed to play it.

The thing you have to get your mind around is that there is a subset of games made with older kids and adults in mind now, just like with any other media, and be firm in what you allow your son to play. There's plenty of good stuff out there that is age appropriate.

Why do they need sex in these games especially if they know kids will be playing them? It would be good if these games had parental control so that all that stuff could be turned off. He was playing a game with his mates where it said how many times they had sex. I just think its wrong. God i feel like an old granny! It makes me feel bad. Hes got a wii which i thought would be better for his age but he doesn't seem interested in that one. I think 360 and play station 3 is more of an adult console xvicja

Why do games need gore and swearing?

The same reason a Martin Scorsese film contains gore and swearing.

You have mistaken this medium to be juvenile when in reality the average gamer is roughly 25-35 years of age. Just because something is a videogame doesn't mean it was designed for children and the only way a child can get their hands on an M rated game is for their parent to buy it for them. Almost all retailers have a system in place that impedes a minor from purchasing M games so it is unreasonable to assume developers make games knowing young children will play them.

As to the notion of some sort of censoring functionality built into a game, some titles do have such settings but not all developers feel obligated to include them and frankly, I don't blame them.Those who make games, like film directors and authors, have a vision of what they wish to convey and some of them will not compromise the integrity of their work for the sakeof children who shouldn't be playing these games to begin with.

Personally, I applaud your proactive efforts as a parent but please understand videogames have evolved far past the point of being fodder for children; it's a viable and artistic medium and many of the games on the market reflect those contemporary sensibilities.

First of all, it's seriously cool that you study the games for your son, I applaud you for that. I've actually seen parents suggesting GTA for their kid. The kid said no, so I felt right confused after that experience.

I can't say much about ME myself, but it seems it handles some mature issues, not in an overbearing or overused way, but in a rational way instead. It's certainly not over the top, but the jury is out on whether your son would like the game in question. I probably would have, but it depends mostly on what games he's already a fan of. There are also some other great games that have more kid-friendly components, like FFXIII, the Ratchet and Clank games, and some of the games on PSN. I especially recommend the last option there, since there is a treasure trove of content for all ages, like Megaman 9 (and the upcoming 10), Flower, Braid (kinda complex, though), Trash Panic and Pixeljunk Shooter, to name just a few.

I myself am a person that up to the age of 16 followed every PEGI guideline, and am not a fan of gratuitous violence, swearing and sexual content. If it's done in a meaningful way, however, I have nothing against it personally. What really bothers me is the lack of games on the other side of the spectrum. I was lucky enough to be a kid when gems likeCrash Bandicoot, Spyro, Banjo-Kazooie and Pokemon were all the rage, and when I became older, more mature games came along and I had access to them later on. Nowadays, I think the choices a parent has today when it comes to games for the youngest generation are incredibly slim. Some of the good old franchises have fallen to dust, and the devs have gon on to bigger things. The Wii has been strong in offering quality entertainment for all ages, but even that is just a small percentage of the wider market, and most of the things marketed towards children just fails to stand up toother games in terms of quality. It's a bit sad, to be honest.

Gaming as an industry has become grander and more sophisticated, but I feel some developers must remember that children should be part of their demographic. If I were a young kid today, I'd be quite upset.

Mass Effect 2 isn't gory or anything, but there are a few scenes that can give your son ideas, for instance there is a part where you can punch a woman in the face or use violence to get things right, but its not as bad as it sounds, trust me. The occasional F word can be heard here and there, but its never overused. I say let him have it, there really isn't anything nasty to the game, even the sex scenes are a waste of time anyways since nothing gets shown.koospetoors

this. Mass Effect 2 will be alright for him

I'm playing Mass Effect 2 on my PC right now, the usual swear words are there, but don't come up with every character, only one of them actually swears alot in the game.

As for the blood and gore, when you shoot someone, or snipe them, you don't really see blood, maybe some on walls in some areas.

There is sexual content in the game, but you can easilly screw that up since this is a make choices game.

So if you do decide to get it, ask some other people who have also played it so you can make a fair judgement. We're all gamers, but don't all have the same views of games.

You're doing a great job as a mother by the way. Just don't be too protective. One day that 12 year old will be a grown up.

Use this site for accurate ratings for a game. The Uncharted games have little blood. I'm pretty sure you'll see more blood on the news than in this game.

And I would start talking to your son. Since he is already 12, this is a great time to start talking about the changes he's gonna experience during puberty. If you can get him to understand during this time, he'll have no problem of opening upto you when he bigger problems. Talk to him very supportively and tell him why he shouldn't play games that are too mature. Tell him it's better to progress slowly. And I know this is hard - but try to make him understand that you'll never think less of him incase he makes mistakes and that you're trying to the best you can as a mother to protect him.

Oh and if you're son has a 360 - get Gears of War 2. It has parental controls to block out all the violence and swearing.

Personally, I come from a culture that has no problem with blood or foul language. But sex/nudity is something we always look in shame. If it's between spouses and if it is done in secret (like it should be!) there is no problem. I hate nudity/sex in my video games because of this. So even during the God Of War games, I switch off the TV during the parts which has nudity. This avoiding of sex/nudity has become a habit of mine as a result.

I pretty sure Mass Effect 2 isn't that bad for swearing, but I know the game has a lot of "implied" sex. Some of the female characters, while not nude, do appear in the game with their shirts off... so if you want your 12 year old seeing that, thats up to you...

I'd personally recommend the Halo games as the language in-game is not regarded by many as crude, the violence is pretty tame compared to some other games out as most of the time you shoot aliens instead of humans plus the game isn't crazy about turning everything you see into a blood fountain and the best thing is that the gameplay is pretty solid and extremely fun.

Also thanks for researching games before you buy them for your child, really good to actually hear there are parents that have common sense rather than just blindly buy a videogame only to find out it is unsuitable for their child because they didn't do research beforehand.

Also from what I've seen, the sex scenes in Mass Effect 2 are implied (as in you do not see any reproductive organs). The violence is not exaggerated and just serves as a graphical detail, and that the game is not revolved around shooting but around character building and role-playing.

You are the parent so only your opinion matters as to what is appropriate for your kid.

My only advice to you would be to explain to your kid exactly why you don't want him playing certain games. When my tween nephew wanted to play GTAIV, I explained to him in detail why I thought it was not appropriate for him. I did that because I knew that they even though I would not let him play it, he would most likely end up playing it at a friend's house. That way I put my spin on what he was exposed to.

Sadly, kids have way too much access to objectionable material these days. Hell, I find many things on regular tv to be objectionable. I think it is safest to just assume that they will be exposed to it and try to prepare them for it. Note, I am not saying to just give in and let them play objectionable games. That is definitely not the answer.

I told my nephew that GTAIV was definitely out. A couple of weeks later he told me he had played it at a friend's house. We ended up discussing how the game contained the things that I had told him about and I could tell that my spin on things had affected the way he looked at the game. That is probably the best you can hope for when dealing with kids and objectionable things in games, tvs, and movies. I told him he still wasn't allowed to play GTAIV at my house and I reminded him that he shouldn't play it at friend's house either. I know he will probably still not listen to me (peer pressure) but I control what I can.

For the record, I do let him play Modern Warfare 2 type games. (His parents are OK with this). But I sit there and watch him (I usually make him mute everyone as the most objectionable part of those games is usually the people talking over the mike) and I make sure to remind him that there is a difference between killing computer people in video games and killing in real life while he is playing. He's a smart kid, so I know he gets it. But I am aware that not all kids are at the same maturity level. That is why it is up to each parent to decide what is best for their individual kids.

I want more violence and more swearing in my games. Well swearing must not be too forced but violence and sex, yes please.

Mass Effect 2 doesn't have too much gore and it doesn't have too much harsh language either. This is a plus imo.

What They Play is a great website for parents who, like you, are trying to understand what games are suited for their kids. Here's their Mass Effect 2 review.Black_Knight_00

I am sitting here watching him play Mass Effect 2 now and the graphics are phenominal!!!! Haven't so far seen much to be concerned with but will watch on. I like the approach of the above who says bout explaining why i think its inappropriate and hope that when he goes to a mates house, he'll see what i mean even if he doesn't admit to it. xvicja

You bought him Mass Effect 2? :S

What happened to your objection of violence, language and sexual content?

It's very responsible to approach gamers this way regarding games, but without meaning to sound too unsupportive it's almost impossible to stop a twelve year old from being exposed to swearing and violence nowadays. As many people have mentioned above Mass Effect 2 contains gun violence, sexual references and occasional swearing. If you feel your child will react well when being exposed to these types of references then I'm sure it won't be a problem. Now try not to be too horrified by this next sentance - I played games like Mortal Kombat and Grand Theft Auto as a child/teenager younger than I should have done and I can't say I turned out or even wanted to turn into a rebel who swears, steal cars and decapitates other people as a result of playing video games. I'm not a parent myself so my views will probably change when I I have children of my own asking to play mature games, but if you trust that your child will not be negatively influenced by these types of games you should be okay. Movies and television also influence young children and I know myself you want to watch what you shouldn't be watching, so it is a tough job to keep your children protected from bad influences.

It's an impossible situation......

Don't worry peeps, i haven't gone soft. My compromise was he could borrow it from his mate so i can see for myself what it has in it. The short space of time i saw it, i didn't see much to worry about. I didn't hear any swearing, not much blood but i did see the lap dancers who to me looked naked although supposedly alien. I think he'll have to borrow it again before i make my decision. It looks abit like Halo to me. I thought it has a good format. I like the fact that they can chose the story line. If only there was a tamer version that he would be satisfied with. Thanks for the link. Will look up future games that mite cause me conflict aswell as asking you very kind people for advice xvicja

Get your son Final Fantasy XIII. It's T rated, has some of the best graphics for a multiplatform game, really great production values.

When your son gets to the Aria character, watch out.

Me in other hand wants a lot of swearing , drinking and violence.A nice action FPS based around hardcore action , free play would rock.Just to last for 200+ hours , so i can blow living **** out of a commies for next 2 months.and a lots of statistics to know exactly how many shots and hits and kills with each weapon i have made.