Video Games Need Ratings Today

Back when I was a kid video games were pretty tame and didn't need any type of video game ratings. You see the images were not great and the games were not very hard. A video game rating system would have been unnecessary. After all, there was nothing extremely violent or graphic to rate!

Today, things have changed quite a bit.  Video game reviews and ratings are big business. You see, the video game industry has grown terrifically in the last 20 years. It used to be something for goofy teenage and pre-teen boys, but today everyone from elementary school kids to professionals play video games. Video game magazines are very popular these days and game stores sell massive amounts of games every year.

With all this came a brand new video game ratings industry. The ratings for video games are similar to those for movies. They are pretty self explanatory. By and large on the box it tells you whether it is right for teens, all audiences, or only adult viewers. For the younger viewers it's important that it will tell you if the videogame has appropriate content. This usually means violent or adult content is involved.

Of course, video game reviews are as important to a potential buyer as ratings are nowadays. There are hundreds of video games that come out every year, but most of them are not very good. The first person shooter has become such a successful platform that it has spawned a whole industry of basically equivalent games. Don't get me wrong – there are plenty of very good first person shooters, but there are also plenty that are derivative and unnecessary. Take the time and make sure this is the best one for you you before you spend your hard earned cash. Otherwise, you'll be dissatisfied and have to go out and buy another one.

The good thing about video game ratings and reviews is that they cover everything in so much detail. The majority of them deal with issues of playability, graphics, storyline, addictiveness, and other areas as well. That way, you can learn everything about a game before you start using it. It's very important that you look at the video game ratings before you plunk down your hard earned cash. That way you'll get you money's worth out of the deal. Don't purchase something just because it has good screen shots. You will never know if it is a fantastic game until you to take it for a spin or read about it.