Video games vigilance – parents warned this Christmas

Parents urged to check age rating of their children’s favourite video games

Parents are being warned to act with caution when buying video games for their kids this Christmas as research from digital identity specialists, ID Crypt Global, reveals that more than half of the UK’s most popular games are meant for over-16s only.

Video games will be at the top of lots of children’s Christmas lists this year which means parents are dashing to the shops to buy games, many of which they’re not particularly familiar with. That’s why parents are now being advised to look closely at the age certificate on any games they buy for younger children because a surprising amount of the most popular titles are not intended for young eyes or minds.

Of the 20 best-selling games in the UK last year, 11 came with an age certificate rating of 16+ or 18+. That means 55% of the most popular games should not be played by under-16s.

Among the titles that carried an 18+ age rating were the immensely popular games Call Of Duty: Vanguard, Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, Far Cry 6, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

Popular games intended for over-16s included Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Battlefield 2042, and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

It is estimated that almost 5.2m copies of these age restricted games were sold in the UK in 2021, numbers which will most likely be repeated by the end of 2022.

The list of best-selling games that are suitable for younger players is mostly made up of sport and Nintendo games, the latter being a developer which mainly designs games based on cartoonish creativity rather than hyper-realistic gore or violence.

FIFA 22, with a 3+ age rating, was, by far and away, the best-selling videogame in 2021, shifting more than 2m copies, and with World Cup fever gripping the nation FIFA 23 is expected to follow suit as a bestseller this Christmas.

In terms of the most popular new game releases in the run up to this Christmas, the list includes many age restricted titles for parents to keep an eye on, namely; God of War Ragnarok (18), Call of Duty: Warzone (18), The Callisto Protocol (18), Horizon: Forbidden West (16), and longstanding bestseller Grand Theft Auto V (18).

CEO and Founder of ID Crypt Global, Lauren Wilson-Smith, commented:

“It’s important that parents are aware of the age rating of the video games they’re buying for their children this Christmas. Graphic violence, adult language, and gore are commonplace in 18+ titles and things are only slightly more tame for 16+ games. If you don’t want your kids exposed to this sort of thing, it’s safer to opt for more child-friendly offerings.

“There is, however, no legal obligation to stop your kids playing adult games. It is illegal for underaged children to actually buy the titles, but they’re allowed to play them if parents or guardians say it’s ok. This means there is an element of parental discretion required, just like there is with films and TV shows. Nevertheless, it is something to be mindful of over the coming festive period.”