21/01/2021 / 2 years ago / Author: Andy Robertson

Having our finger on the pulse of what children are playing, what family are enjoying playing, what parents are worrying about and what new games are being releases means we can keep you ahead in the world of video games. This is what you need to know to guide your child's gaming in healthy directions this month.

Competition

Congratulations to Laura Corrall and family who won the Nintendo Switch and Mario Kart Home Circuit. This month you can win a Nintendo Switch and the Brain Training game in our New Year Competition.

Taming Gaming Book

The book that inspired the database, Taming Gaming, is launched this week. It's available from Amazon and all good book sellers. It offers advice about keeping video games positive and healthy in the family and was recently features in The Times, BBC Breakfast, Sky News and Radio 4. You can buy the book for Kindle or hardback here.


 

Game Watch

Each month we see tens of thousands of parents search for games. This means we have a unique way to see what's exciting or worrying families. These new trending games are important to keep an eye on. Ask your children about these games and click the link to check age ratings and game details:

Rust is an older game that children have started watching videos of online. This has led to them wanting to play it themselves. The game is on PC but coming soon as a console version. The developer states that "this Game may contain content not appropriate for all ages, or may not be appropriate for viewing at work: Nudity or Sexual Content, Frequent Violence or Gore, General Mature Content" When this comes to consoles we expect this to be rated PEGI 18 and ESRB MATURE 17+.

The Forest is a violent survival game rated PEGI 18+ in Europe and MATURE 17+ in the US. "When fighting a mutant, dismemberment or decapitation does not occur, however, once the character falls to the ground they can be decapitated or dismembered."

Among Us is a popular game rated PEGI 7+ in Europe and EVERYONE 10+ in the US. It's about surviving on a space station. It's novel because at any point players can call a meeting to discuss who they think is the murderer.

Phasmophobia is a scary ghost hunt game. Although Phasmophobia on PC has not yet been rated for PEGI or ESRB, the Vive store states that it is only suitable for those 17+ and over. The game is flagged for Horror on the Steam store. It's likely that it will be rated ESRB MATURE 17+ and PEGI 16.

Safety Tip

Each month we highlight a great way to keep your children safe while playing video games. This month it's about PEGI ratings. Did you know that every game released on consoles or in stores will have a PEGI rating in Europe and ESRB rating in United States?

If you check the Parental Controls or Family Settings on your console, PC or smart device you can specify automatic limits so that games of an older rating can't be played without you entering a password. This not only ensures children can't play inappropriate games but creates an opportunity to look up games they want to play on the database and talk them over together.

Game Of The Month

Each month we pick a game that families have been enjoying playing together. This month it's a game about organising items called Wilmot's Warehouse. You work with another person to categorise little boxes with icons, so you can find them when customers arrive. It's simple fun that gets players talking and laughing together.