Parenting Gamers

Parenting Gamers Review – Ryse: Son of Rome

Here is my next video review. In this video, I give you a quick overview of Ryse: Son of Rome, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

If you enjoyed this video, please sign-up for my email list to receive notifications when I release new ones.

Transcript:

Hello, my name is Eric Rogers from parentinggamers.com and this is Parenting Gamers Review of Ryse: Son of Rome. In this video, I am going to give you a quick overview of the game, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

So the first question is, what is Ryse: Son of Rome?

Ryse: Son of Rome is a third-person action game. A third-person game is a game where the character the player controls is visible on the screen. This view is popular is story driven games because it helps the player connect more with the main character of the story. You can see what I mean in this clip here.

Ryse also feature sections where the player controls more than just the main character. The main character is a Roman soldier. In some sections, the player is tasked with moving a group of soldiers through a given area, as you can see in this clip here.

There are two other things I want to mention about Ryse’s gameplay.

First, Ryse is a heavily story-driven game. There are a lot of cut scenes that take control away from the player to move the story forward. The gameplay is very linear and has very little freedom for the player to leave the given path.

The second thing I want to mention is the execution system. Whenever an enemy reaches a certain threshold of health, a skull icon appears above his head. The player then has the opportunity to perform an execution, which finishes the enemy off in a very brutal fashion. Performing an execution will give the player different bonuses, such as filling the health bar up or awarding more experience. So the player is encouraged to perform these executions whenever possible.

The next question is, what about the content?

A quick warning, I am about to show you some clips explaining the rating Ryse received. These clips are graphic and contain some sexual content.

Ryse: Son of War received an M rating, which is the equivalent of an R rating in the movies. The rating includes these 5 descriptors:

“Intense Violence” and “Blood and Gore”

“Strong Language”

and “Partial Nudity” and “Sexual Content”

The other thing to keep in mind is Ryse contains a multiplayer component that allows players to team up to kill enemies. You need to be aware of this because you will have no control over who your gamer might play with in a public game.

So what’s the verdict? Is Ryse: Son of Rome a game you should allow your gamer to play?

I have to say I cannot recommend this game to parents. The executions are pretty brutal and happen very frequently throughout the game. That in and of itself is enough to make me say hold off.

But then the nudity takes Ryse into the definite no category. The ESRB gave it the “Partial Nudity” descriptor saying, “female characters are sometimes depicted topless (e.g., pasties over breasts; covered in body paint)”. However, the clip I showed you was much more graphic than “Partial Nudity” implies, in my opinion. Yes, the nipples of the female characters are covered but that makes the scene only slightly better than what you would see in the strip club in Grand Theft Auto 5.

With the violence and sexual content in this game, I have to say give it a pass.

If you enjoyed this video, please visit me at parentinggamers.com and sign-up for my email list. Signing up with get you notifications when I release new videos and give you a free copy of my e-book, Connecting with Your Teenager Through Video Games. Thanks for watching.

Parenting Gamers Review – Borderlands: The Handsome Collection

Here is my next video review. In this video, I give you a quick overview of Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

If you enjoyed this video, please sign-up for my email list to receive notifications when I release new ones.

Transcript:

Hello, my name is Eric Rogers from parentinggamers.com and this is Parenting Gamers Review of Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. In this video, I am going to give you a quick overview of the game, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

So the first question is, what is Borderlands: The Handsome Collection?

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is a collection of two games, Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. In this review, I will be showing you clips from Borderlands 2. The content of the pre-sequel is comparable.

Borderlands 2 is a loot-based, first-person shooter with role-playing game elements. Let’s break these terms down.

First off, a first-person shooter (or FPS) is a game where the player experiences the action from the first person perspective, as if she was actually in the game. You can see what I mean in this clip here.

Next is the term role-playing game, or RPG. An RPG is a game where the player selects a character that performs a specific role. In Borderlands 2, there are 6 different classes the player can select when starting a new character. The one she selects will determine the way she plays the game. For example, Maya, the siren, has a special ability that allows her to control enemies, which makes her play much differently than Salvador, the gunzerker, who’s special ability is to it duel wield weapons and do major damage.

Once the player selects a character, she makes it stronger by defeating enemies and completing quests to gain experience. That experience then translates into a higher level and points she can spend on abilities to tweak her character even more.

Here you see Salvador’s skill trees. The skills I select will affect the way my character plays, allowing me to customize my character to be more in my style of play.

The last term I used is the hook of the Borderlands series. Borderlands 2 is a loot-based game. When an enemy is defeated, it has the chance to drop randomized loot based on that enemies level and strength. This loot includes health, money, guns, and shields.

The hook comes from the random nature of the guns that are dropped. The gun could have a random enchantment, like a fire ability that burns the target for a while after it is hit. So the hook is getting stronger to kill more powerful enemies to get better guns to then kill even more powerful enemies to get even better guns, etc.

The next question is, what about the content?

Borderlands 2 is rated M, which is the equivalent of an R rating in the movies. The rating includes these 5 descriptors:

“Blood and Gore” and “Intense Violence”

“Language”

“Sexual Themes”

and “Use of Alcohol”

One other thing to keep in mind is that Borderlands 2 was designed to be a co-op games. Players can join a game with up to 3 other people to play through the story. The more players in the game, the stronger the enemies and the better loot they drop, which encourages players to play together. You need to be aware of this because you will have no control over who your gamer might play with in a public game.

So what’s the verdict? Is Borderlands 2 something you should allow your gamer to play?

As I gamer, I really enjoy Borderlands 2. It melds two of my favorite genres (first-person shooters and loot-based role-playing games) better than any other game that has tried. And it’s definitely fun to play with friends.

However, as a parent, my recommendation, as it is with most M rated games, is to hold off until your gamer is older. The M rating carries with it a “17 and up” qualifier. Most stores won’t even sell an M rated game to anyone under the age of 17. So I would say, use that as your gage. If you wouldn’t allow your gamer to watch an R rated action movie, you probably shouldn’t allow them to play Borderlands 2.

If you enjoyed this video, please visit me at parentinggamers.com and sign-up for my email list. Signing up with get you notifications when I release new videos and give you a free copy of my e-book, Connecting with Your Teenager Through Video Games. Thanks for watching.

Parenting Gamers Review – Mortal Kombat X

If you are reading this in an email, please click this link to view the video on my site.

Here is my next video review. In this video, I give you a quick overview of Mortal Kombat X, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

If you enjoyed this video, please sign-up for my email list to receive notifications when I release new ones.

Transcript:

Hello, my name is Eric Rogers from parentinggamers.com and this is Parenting Gamers Review of Mortal Kombat X. In this video, I am going to give you a quick overview of the game, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

So the first question is, what is Mortal Kombat X?

Mortal Kombat X is a fighting game. The player selects a character from large list. Each character has their own set of moves which the player uses to try to damage the other character. You can get an idea of what I mean through this clip.

The appeal of fighting games like Mortal Kombat comes from learning the intricacies of a character and then fighting against other people. There is a story mode but the game is mainly about the fights.

So what about the content?

A quick warning. I am about to show you some clips explaining the rating Mortal Kombat X received. These clips are extremely graphic. If you are at all squeamish, you probably do not want to watch.

Mortal Kombat X is rated M, which is the equivalent of an R rating in the movies. The rating includes the descriptors “Strong Language”, “Intense Violence”, and “Blood and Gore”.

Mortal Kombat has made a name for itself among fighting games by being extremely brutal. During the fight, the player is able to perform x-ray moves which are powerful moves that show an x-ray of the opponent with bones breaking and organs being crushed.

Once one player is defeated, the announcer says “Finish Him!” which gives the winning player the opportunity to execute a special move for their character. The player can execute either a “Fatality” or “Brutality”, both of which result in the losing player being killed in the most brutal fashion.

One other thing to keep in mind is that Mortal Kombat X includes a multi-player feature. This allows the player to fight against other people instead of just computer controlled opponents. The issue is that you have no control over who your gamer plays. For the most part, this won’t be an problem but it is something to be aware of.

So, what’s the verdict? Is Mortal Kombat X a game you should allow your gamer to play?

If I am being completely honest, the Mortal Kombat series holds a special place in my heart. The original came out when I was 14 in 1992. I remember hearing about this game at the arcade that allowed you to rip out someone’s heart or pull their head and spine off and being completely intrigued. It was one of the first games to take violence to the next level and the teenage me thought that was really cool.

However, with the advances in technology, the graphics in these games are so much more realistic. Mortal Kombat X takes things to a level that makes it hard for me to play anymore. With that in mind, I cannot recommend this game to you as a parent.

If you enjoyed this video, please visit me at parentinggamers.com and sign-up for my email list. Signing up with get you notifications when I release new videos and give you a free copy of my e-book, Connecting with Your Teenager Through Video Games. Thanks for watching.

Parenting Gamers Review – Wolfenstein: The New Order

Here is my next video review. In this video, I give you a quick overview of Wolfenstein: The New Order, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

If you enjoyed this video, please sign-up for my email list to receive notifications when I release new ones.

Transcript:

Hello, my name is Eric Rogers from parentinggamers.com and this is Parenting Gamers Review of Wolfenstein: The New Order. In this video, I am going to give you a quick overview of the game, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

So the first question is, what is Wolfenstein: The New Order?

Wolfenstein: The New Order is a first-person shooter. This means the player experiences the game from the first-person perspective, as if she was actually in the game. You can get an idea of what I mean from this clip here.

The story line of Wolfenstein is that the player plays as B.J. Blazkowicz, a U.S. solder fighting the Nazis in World War 2. It then follows an alternate time line where B.J. fights the Nazis in 1960 after they won the war.

Looking at this clip, you may start to make the comparison to Call of Duty. While it is similar, Wolfenstein uses the alternate time line as a license to add some fantastical elements, like dueling welding machine guns or laser weapons.

So what about the content?

A quick warning. I am about to show you some clips explaining the rating Wolfenstein: The New Order received. These clips are graphic and contain strong language and sexual content.

Wolfenstein: The New Order is rated M, which is the equivalent of an R rating in the movies. The rating includes these 5 descriptors:

“Blood and Gore” and “Intense Violence”

“Strong Language”

“Strong Sexual Content”

and “Use of Drugs”

The last thing I want to mention with the content is that Wolfenstein is single player only so you do not have to worry about a multiplayer component.

So, what’s the verdict? Is Wolfenstein: The New Order a game you should allow your gamer to play?

When I first started playing Wolfenstein, I expected to be able to give it a similar recommendation as I did for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. I expected to be able to say that you should treat it like you would any rated R war movie. If you are ok with your gamer watching something like Saving Private Ryan, this game would be ok for you. However, the sexual content in the game makes me take a step back.

In my review of Grand Theft Auto 5, I talked about how allowing your gamer to play that game is the same as bring pornography into your home. While the content in Wolfenstein in tame by comparison, I feel the analogy holds.

I have to admit, I am frustrated. Here is what the ESRB says about the sexual content in this game:

“During the course of the game, characters sometimes engage in sexual activity (e.g., a man thrusting against a woman on a table; a woman gyrating on top of a man in bed—camera angles largely obscure the sex act and no nudity is depicted.).”

The last part of that (that the “camera angles largely obscure the sex act and no nudity is depicted”) made me think this game would be ok. However, when I got to the scene I showed you, it was a lot more graphic than I expected. More over, there is no way to avoid it or skip it.

It is with this in mind that I cannot recommend Wolfenstein: The New Order.

If you enjoyed this video, please visit me at parentinggamers.com and sign-up for my email list. Signing up with get you notifications when I release new videos and give you a free copy of my e-book, Connecting with Your Teenager Through Video Games. Thanks for watching.

Parenting Gamers Review – Dying Light

If you are reading this in an email, please click this link to view the video on my site.

Here is my next video review. In this video, I give you a quick overview of Dying Light, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

If you enjoyed this video, please sign-up for my email list to receive notifications when I release new ones.

Transcript:

Hello, my name is Eric Rogers from parentinggamers.com and this is Parenting Gamers Review of Dying Light. In this video, I am going to give you a quick overview of the game, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

So the first question is, what is Dying Light?

Dying Light is an open-world, first-person, survival horror game with parkour elements. Let’s unpack these terms.

First off, a first-person shooter (or FPS) is a game where the player experiences the action in the first-person perspective, as if he was actually in the game, as you can see in this clip here. This clip also shows you the parkour elements, which includes jumping, grabbing ledges, and running across buildings to navigate the world.

Next, is the term “open-world”. An open-world game is a game that allows the player a measure of freedom to determine where to go and what to do. There is normally a main story-line but the player is free to ignore it and just explore the world if they choose.

For example, in this clip, my next mission location is marked by the orange dot on the map in the top right and my objective is given in the wording underneath. However, I can choose to ignore those for now and run off an explore the world.

The survival horror aspects of the game come from the setting. The game takes place in a city that has been overrun by a virus which turns most of the population into zombies. This is a pretty popular theme right now. What sets Dying Light apart is it’s day/night cycle.

As you can see in this clip, these zombies do not give me much trouble. That is because it is day time and they are much more subdued. At night, however, the zombies become much more aggressive and harder to deal with.

The next question is, what about the content?

A quick warning. I am about to show you some quick clips explaining the rating Dying Light received. These clips are graphic and contain strong language.

Dying Light is rated M, which is the equivalent of an R rating in the movies. The rating includes these 3 descriptors:

“Blood and Gore” and “Intense Violence”

and “Strong Language”

The other thing to keep in mind is that Dying Light includes a multi-player co-op feature. This allows the player to join a mission with up to 3 other people. These could be 3 of his friends or 3 random people. The issue is that you have no control over who joins his game. For the most part, this won’t be an problem but it is something to keep in mind.

So, what’s the verdict? Is Dying Light a game you should allow your gamer to play?

My recommendation is holding off on this game until your gamer is older. The M rating carries with it a “17 and up” qualifier. Most stores won’t even sell an M rated game to anyone under the age of 17.  So I would say, use that as your gage. If you wouldn’t allow your gamer to watch an R rated movie, specifically horror movies, you probably don’t want to allow them to play Dying Light.

If you enjoyed this video, please visit me at parentinggamers.com and sign-up for my email list. Signing up with get you notifications when I release new videos and give you a free copy of my e-book, Connecting with Your Teenager Through Video Games. Thanks for watching.

Parenting Gamers Review – Disney Infinity

If you are reading this in an email, please click this link to view the video on my site.

Here is my next video review. In this video, I give you a quick overview of Disney Infinity, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

If you enjoyed this video, please sign-up for my email list to receive notifications when I release new ones.

Transcript:

Hello, my name is Eric Rogers from parentinggamers.com and this is Parenting Gamers Review of Disney Infinity. In this video, I am going to give you a quick overview of the game, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

So the first question is, what is Disney Infinity?

Disney Infinity is an action game with some role-playing elements. I’ll talk about that a little more in a bit but first I want to talk about the figures.

The cool thing about Disney Infinity is that it comes with actual physical figures. So for example, if you buy the Marvel set, you’ll get Thor, Iron Man, and Black Widow. You also get a “portal”, which you plug into your console. Placing the figure on the portal will cause that character to show up in the game. There are a few cool things about this.

First of all, let’s say I’m playing as Thor and I get kind of bored of him and I want to do something else. To play as somebody else, all I have to do is take Thor off, put Iron Man on, and then I’m playing as Iron Man.

The second cool thing about that is the stats and experience that I gain are stored on the actual figure. So if I have been playing with Thor a lot and I’ve leveled him up and have a lot of experience with him I can take this figure over to my friends house and I don’t have to start all over. I can start from where I was.

The third cool thing is that these figures work no matter which version of Disney Infinity you have. So, for example, if your gamer has an Xbox One and has been playing a lot but his friend has a PS4 he’s still able to take his figure over there and play with him without any problems.

Now for the actual game play. As I mentioned, Disney Infinity is an action game with role-playing elements. The player is given different objectives, which normally involve fighting monsters of some kind. Defeating the monsters earns the player experience, which he then uses to level the character up and make it stronger.

In this clip, I am tasked with helping the bus to safety by fight off the frost giants.

There is also a Toy box mode the player can enter. This mode gives the player much more freedom to do different things. He can do things like build, similar to what you would see in Minecraft, and race cars. It is very open-ended, with the only limiting factor being the players imagination.

The next question is, what about the content?

Disney Infinity received a rating of E10+, which is the equivalent of a PG movie rating. The rating includes the descriptor “Cartoon Violence”.

There is one other thing to keep in mind about this game. Disney Infinity can get expensive. While the starter pack comes with 3 characters, there are bunch of other characters available, ranging from Mickey and Donald to Anna and Elsa to Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain America. They have also announced the 3.0 version of the game for later this year which will include Star Wars characters. These characters are regularly priced around $14 a piece. That an add up if your gamer wants more than the initial 3.

So what’s the verdict? Is Disney Infinity a game you should allow your gamer to play?

Disney Infinity is a game I can whole-heartedly recommend, even for younger gamers. The controls are simple enough to make it easy for young ones to pick up.

I have 3 kids ages 7, 4, and 2. When I bought the game, each child got to choose their own character, which meant I had to buy Tinker Bell for the youngest. The older 2 have a great time playing while the younger one enjoys watching me play as Tinker Bell. This game is one we will be definitely playing together for a long time.

If you enjoyed this video, please visit me at parentinggamers.com and sign-up for my email list. Signing up with get you notifications when I release new videos and give you a free copy of my e-book, Connecting with Your Teenager Through Video Games. Thanks for watching.

Why I won’t be reviewing The Witcher 3 or any more games with nudity

This last Tuesday saw the release of one of the more anticipated games of the spring, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Normally I would get a copy of it and do a video review for you.

However, I am going to be skipping this game, and others with the same issue, all together.

You see, The Witcher 3 contains nudity.

The opening scene of the game involves a sex scene between the main character Geralt and his love interest Yennifer. The game’s senior designer Damien Monnier explained to the Guardian why they included this scene.

People might think we’re putting sex into the opening scene for no good reason. No, no, no. We are establishing that your character was intimate with this woman recently in order to plant in your mind that, at very least, he must enjoy her company…Through sex we have shown that this is a person who Geralt would be compelled to chase after if she went missing.

His argument is that they included the scene to help develop the relationship between these two characters, not just to have naked people in the game. My stance is this argument falls flat for a variety of reason but in the end, it is irrelevant.

Recently, I did a review video of Grand Theft Auto V. GTA V has nudity in it. And in that review, I stated, “if you bring GTA 5 into your home, you are bringing pornography in, allowing your gamer to literally play right next to it, and expecting them to have the strength of character to always avoid it.”

This is exactly why I will not be reviewing any more games that contain nudity. GTA V was the last. I cannot have it in my house, for my kids sake but also for my own. It is disappointing, but this is the way it has to be.

So, from now on, if you see an M rated game with the “Nudity” descriptor, you do not have to wonder what I would say. Avoid it. I am.

Parenting Gamers Review – World of Warcraft

If you are reading this in an email, please click this link to view the video on my site.

Here is my next video review. In this video, I give you a quick overview of World of Warcraft, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

You can find the parental controls I mentioned in the video here:https://us.battle.net/account/parental-controls/index.html

Also, you can find the starter version of World of Warcraft here:https://us.battle.net/…/a…/world-of-warcraft-starter-edition

If you enjoyed this video, please sign-up for my email list to receive notifications when I release new ones.

Transcript:

Hello, my name is Eric Rogers from parentinggamers.com and this is Parenting Gamers Review of World of Warcraft. In this video, I am going to give you a quick overview of the game, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

So the first question is, what is World of Warcraft?

World of Warcraft is an MMORPG. Let’s break that down.

MMO stands for “Massively Multiplayer Online”. This means a few things.

First, an MMO is a game that is played exclusively online. There is no single player component you can play without an Internet connection.

Secondly, it is played with a lot of other people. A single server in World of Warcraft can accommodate hundreds of players at the same time. This clip shows several characters controlled by humans instead of the computer.

RPG stands for “Role-Playing Game”. The player is able to choose and customize the type of character she wants to play. The character she chooses will determine how she experiences the game. Different characters are designed to fill different roles. For example, a warrior is designed to take damage, a priest to heal damage, and a mage to deal damage.

This brings us to the gameplay. The world in World of Warcraft is huge with a ton of stuff to do. However, there are three main gameplay components you should understand. Those are “Leveling”, “Dungeons” and “Loot”.

The character a player creates first enters the world at level 1. The player can then earn experience through killing monsters and completing quests. That experience is used to level the character up and become stronger. This is the goal until the character hits the level cap, which is currently 100. As you can image, it can take quite a bit of time to reach that cap.

The second major gameplay component is dungeons. Throughout the world, the player can enter a dungeon, which is called an “Instance”. While there are a ton of players in the general world, an instance is an area that is specific to the player’s group. These areas have stronger monsters, which give more experience and drop better loot but require a group to defeat. The group required ranges from 5 to 25 people.

The last major gameplay component is the loot. The way a player increases the strength of her max level character is through better gear. There are a variety of ways to get better gear but the best loot is left behind when the player kills the strongest monsters. So, if the player wants the strongest character, she has to join up with others and enter hardest dungeons.

Now the next question is, what about the content?

World of Warcraft is rated T, which is the equivalent of a PG-13 movie rating. The rating includes these 6 descriptors:

“Violence” and “Blood and Gore”

“Crude Humor” There are several quests that have the player looking through animal feces to find different items.

“Mild Language”

“Suggestive Themes”

and “Use of Alcohol”

There are three other things you should understand about this game.

First, as I mentioned this is a multiplayer game. While it is possible to enjoy World of Warcraft completely on your own, it was designed for people to play together. Your gamer could potentially come across some unsavory people. You will need to take the same precautions with it as you would with any other social media.

Secondly, World of Warcraft is a HUGE game that can suck up a ton of time. It is very easy to get sucked in and lose sight of everything else.

Luckily, Blizzard has provide some great parental controls to help you deal with the time issue. These controls allow you to set specific limits on when and how much your gamer can play.

For example, if you want to allow your gamer to play from 7-9 every Tuesday and Thursday, you can set the schedule to be just that. Then, he will not be able to login before then and will be automatically logged out when his time is up.

I have included a link to the parental controls in the description of this video.

The last thing to understand is, World of Warcraft can be expensive. The game itself will run you $70. After that, there is a monthly subscription fee of $13 to $15 depending on the length of your subscription. There is a starter edition you can get for free but it only allows characters up to level 20 and has other limitations.

So what’s the verdict? Is World of Warcraft a game you should allow your gamer to play?

As a gamer, I love World of Warcraft. Some of the best video game memories I have over the last several years have been doing dungeons with my friends. It is a great feeling to bring down a monster that has been giving us trouble.

This is why, as a parent, I can definitely recommend World of Warcraft for middle school or older gamers. Doing dungeons with several friends is a great experience that has real life implications. Defeating the harder ones in the game requires teamwork, knowing your role and executing it, and analyzing failures and learning from them. These are all skills your gamer will need when she heads out into the world on her own.

Not only that, but World of Warcraft is a game you can play with your gamer. Blizzard has done a great job of easing the learning curve to help new players get into the game. You and your gamer could have a couple characters you play together while she has another character she plays with her friends. That way you do not have to be as intimidated. If you play with her, you will be allowing her the time she wants, getting some quality time with her, and monitoring what she is doing in game all at the same time. It is definitely a win-win.

If you enjoyed this video, please visit me at parentinggamers.com and sign-up for my email list. Signing up with get you notifications when I release new videos and give you a free copy of my e-book, Connecting with Your Teenager Through Video Games. Thanks for watching.

Parenting Gamers Review – Grand Theft Auto V

If you are reading this in an email, please click this link to view the video on my site.

Here is my next video review. In this video, I give you a quick overview of Grand Theft Auto V, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

If you enjoyed this video, please sign-up for my email list to receive notifications when I release new ones.

Transcript:

Hello, my name is Eric Rogers from parentinggamers.com and this is Parenting Gamers Review of Grand Theft Auto 5. In this video, I am going to give you a quick overview of the game, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

So the first question is, what is Grand Theft Auto 5?

Grand Theft Auto (or GTA) is a third-person, open-world action game. What do I mean by that?

First of all, a third-person game is a game where the character the player controls is visible on the screen. This view is popular is story driven games because it helps the player connect more with the main character of the story. You can see what I mean in this clip here.

Next, is the term “open-world”. An open-world game is a game that allows the player a measure of freedom to determine where to go and what to do. There is normally a main story-line but the player is free to ignore it and just explore the world if they choose.

This is a big part of the appeal of GTA 5. The world has a ton of things the player can do. There are side missions like working a tow truck and mini games like golf or tennis. The shear amount of content in the game allows the player to explore the world for hours just to see what there is to do.

Of course, that brings us to the next question, what about the content?

A quick warning. I am about to show you some clips explaining the rating GTA 5 received. These clips are graphic and contain a lot of strong language and sexual content.

GTA 5 is rated M, which is the equivalent of an R movie rating. The rating includes these 7 descriptors:

“Strong Language”, “Intense Violence” and “Blood and Gore”

“Mature Humor”

“Use of Drugs and Alcohol”

and “Nudity” and “Strong Sexual Content” As you can see here, there is a strip club the player can enter to watch girls dance. The player can then go up to one of the girls and ask for a private dance. The girl will give him a lap dance in which she is topless. I am not going to show you want the player sees because of the nature of it but you can probably imagine.

The player also has the ability to pick up a prostitute. If they do this and drive to a secluded spot, they will be able to pay the girl to perform a variety of sexual acts. While there is no nudity in this scene, it does include a lot of moaning and vibrates the controller.

So what’s the verdict? Is Grand Theft Auto 5 a game you should allow your gamer to play?

In a word, no. My recommendation is that you avoid GTA 5 completely.

Now, this may be a hard stance for you to take. GTA 5 is one of the biggest games out there. It made over $1 billion within 3 days of its initial release. The PC version was released last week and all the video game sites were talking about it. Gamers love being part of the conversation and GTA 5 is a large part of that conversation.

The argument your gamer may make is that they just want to play it for the open-world aspect and will avoid all the junk. It is true that they could play the entire game and never go into the strip club or pick up a prostitute. But I recommend you stand firm against this argument for a couple reasons.

First, while it is true they can avoid the strip club and prostitutes, they cannot play through the game and avoid all the sexual content or any of the other content that led to GTA’s M rating. There are several sex scenes throughout the missions and the language is terrible throughout.

The second reason is more important than the first. The likelihood that your gamer will be exposed to pornography is extremely high. The rise of the Internet has done amazing this for society but it also brings problems. People have more access to porn than they have ever had before.

To be completely frank, if you bring GTA 5 into your home, you are bringing pornography in, allowing your gamer to literally play right next to it, and expecting them to have the strength of character to always avoid it. I don’t know about you but when I was in middle school or high school, that would have been a recipe for disaster. I probably would have started out well, avoiding the places I wasn’t supposed to go. But then after a while I would have rationalized it with, “I’ll just go in to the strip club but won’t get a lap dance.” And the eventually my defenses would have broken down completely to the point where I was watching something I should not.

As hard as it may be, this is an area where we as parents must take a firm stand. GTA 5 should be given no place in our homes.

If you enjoyed this video, please visit me at parentinggamers.com and sign-up for my email list. Signing up with get you notifications when I release new videos and give you a free copy of my e-book, Connecting with Your Teenager Through Video Games. Thanks for watching.

Parenting Gamers Review – Alien Isolation

If you are reading this in an email, please click this link to view the video on my site.

Here is my next video review. In this video, I give you a quick overview of Alien: Isolation, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

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Transcript:

Hello, my name is Eric Rogers from parentinggamers.com and this is Parenting Gamers Review of Alien: Isolation. In this video, I am going to give you a quick overview of the game, go over the rating and content, and let you know if I think it is good for your gamer.

So the first question is, what is Alien Isolation?

Alien Isolation is a stealth, horror, first-person shooter. Let’s break that down.

First off, a first-person shooter (or FPS) is a game where the player experiences the action in the first-person perspective, as if he was actually in the game, as you can see in this clip here.

There are a lot of first-person shooters on the market, such as Call of Duty or Halo. What sets Alien: Isolation apart is the stealth and horror aspects.

This game was designed to emulate the feel of the 1979 movie Alien. In that movie, an alien creature is loose on the spaceship. The alien spends most of the movie picking off the ships crew members, who are trying to figure out what and where it is and how to kill it. It is a very intense movie.

Alien: Isolation is set 15 years after the events of the movie. The player plays as Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, the main character in the movie. In trying to find out what happened to her mother, she get stuck on a space station with an alien.

This is where the stealth, horror part comes in. The players main defense in the game is stealth. If the alien spots the player, she’s dead. To avoid this, the player must sneak around and hide in lockers or under tables. It makes for some very intense moments.

You can see what I mean in this clip here.

So the next question is, what about the content?

As I mentioned, Alien: Isolation was developed to emulate the feel of the original Alien movie. So the content you find in the game is similar to the content you would find in that movie.

A quick warning. I am about to show you a few clips that explain the rating Alien: Isolation received. These clips are graphic and do contain strong language.

Alien: Isolation is rated M, which is the equivalent of an R movie rating. The rating includes these 3 descriptors:

“Blood”

“Violence”

and “Strong Language”

This is all the content you need to worry about. There is no multiplayer so that is not an issue.

So what is the verdict? Is Alien: Isolation a game you should allow your gamer to play?

My recommendation is to hold off on this game until your gamer is older. The M rating carries with it a “17 and up” qualifier. Most stores won’t even sell an M rated game to anyone under the age of 17. So I would say, use that as your gage. If you wouldn’t allow your gamer to watch the original Alien movie, which was rated R, you probably shouldn’t allow them to play Alien: Isolation.

If you enjoyed this video, please visit me at parentinggamers.com and sign-up for my email list. Signing up with get you notifications when I release new videos and give you a free copy of my e-book, Connecting with Your Teenager Through Video Games. Thanks for watching.