For new parents, navigating the video game landscape may be confusing and overwhelming. A sure revelation of how our own parents felt attempting to understand and name 150 different Pokemon. Grand View Research estimated the global video game market size to be around USD $217 billion in 2022. As a comparison, they also estimated the global movie and entertainment industry market size to be around USD $91 billion in 2022. From these figures, we can safely assume that video games are here to stay and that children will continue to desire games of their own.

Steam, a computer program that serves as the main platform and online storefront for PC games, sits with a catalog of more than 50,000 playable titles. How does a parent, with little knowledge in games and even less time to spend researching, manage to provide an enjoyable and safe (or even inexpensive) gaming experience for their children? Here are some tips for parents in making positive video game choices instead of cutting off access to kids entirely. Some say video games are a better use for a growing child’s brain than movies and television, requiring active thought, morals, awareness and puzzle solving.

As a general rule, it is suggested that one does their own research when in doubt. This will still provide information, each article focusing on a different topic, to assist in making informed decisions. Included with each article will be suggested options and an explanation on why they were selected. The following information will serve as a basic guide until more topics are covered.

ESRB: The Entertainment Software Rating Board is an organization that assigns age and content rating to consumer video games in the United States and Canada. These ratings work the same way as movie ratings. An R-rated movie would be known as an M-rated (Mature) video game. The basic scale is this: E for Everyone, E10+ for Everyone 10+, T for Teen and M for Mature. Unreleased and/or unrated games will be given a RP Rating Pending tag. Tags will also be included to describe any content that pushed the rating higher, such as “blood” or “comic mischief.” In my experience, the ESRB ratings are more relaxed than movie ratings, that means more mature content will appear in safer ratings. Note: Many online games, especially those found on Steam, aren’t rated by the ESRB. Steam accepts games from any developer (with exceptions) and most aren’t submitted to and monitored by the ESRB.

When in doubt, go with Nintendo: While Nintendo isn’t without its occasional mistakes, the brand goes to incredible lengths to keep their image family friendly. Any first party game (game developed in house at and by Nintendo) will be family friendly. Though some games venture into T for Teen ratings and while safe aren’t suitable for younger audiences. Example: Violence, fighting and darker themes of life and death in all Zelda titles.

YouTube can help you understand the contents: Many content creators on the YouTube platform record themselves playing games and offering commentary. Because of the ease of access to post on YouTube, a simple search will almost always give you video of any game you might want a better look at. “Game Title gameplay” is a quick way to get the best possible research on any video game.

Watch for more articles on this topic in upcoming issues.