Nintendo Video Game Rating System

Nintendo Wii Video Game Rating System

Since Nintendo makes video games for people of all ages, not all of them are appropriate across the board. Parents need to be careful about what video games they expose their children to. Some people won't let their young child play a certain game but they allow them to watch others playing it. That isn't a concept that makes too much sense.

For many parents who don't play the games too often though they may not realize what is on them. While many of them are fun they can contain graphic materials that you may not want your children exposed to. Some parents are afraid that playing certain games can lead to criminal behaviors and aggression. This is a fear that the media has put into parents though due to playing video games being used as a defense when children do commit various types of crimes in our society.

In order to make sure parents know exactly what their children are playing, they have accepted the universal game rating system. This is on the box for every game as well as on the instructions and even on the label to the game itself. Should your children be trying to get you to buy them a certain game you can even look online to see what rating it has before you commit to doing so.

The Nintendo Wii rating that people are the most familiar with is the E for everyone. This means that regardless of your age or maturity level you will enjoy playing that particular game. Generally though it does mean that the game is able to be played by children at least six years of age.

For the younger consumers there are ratings of EC. This means Early Childhood so realistically children three years of age and older can play them. It is very likely that those about six years of age will find them to be boring and too simple. Still, if you have small children who want to be part of the Nintendo Wii buzz in your home it is nice to offer some games that they can play on their own.

You won't find too many games out there for the Wii that are rated A for adults only. The rating of M for mature is very common though. According to this rating system that generally means for those over 17 years of age. Parents have the room to make this decision though. They may feel that their child who is only 14 is mature enough to play certain games. That is a decision for the parents to evaluate on a game by game basis though.

There is a T rating which is for Teens from about 13 to 17 though. You will find Nintendo markets many games in this age group due to the demographics of their consumers. You can be comfortable letting your children play these games as they aren't full of violence but have plenty of action and graphics to keep them happy.

Occasionally you may see a rating of RP which means Rating Pending. Generally though Nintendo is very good about getting a rating on their games before releasing them. The company as a whole is very family oriented so they don't want to be involved in any controversial issues. However, parents need to carefully evaluate video games that are RP before they decide if their children can play them or not.

With the Nintendo Wii games you can put a lock on your gaming console. This means to be able to play certain games a code has to be given. So even if you have games in your home that you have told your kids not to play they can't do so even if they are tempted. It is important to realize though that if you are using backwards compatible games from the Nintendo DS or the GameCube that these codes won't keep them out.