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Rise of the Video Game

(Rated TV-14, Educational, Where to watch: Discovery Channel)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 12, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 14.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Docu covers games' evolution; some strong images.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 14 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Some minimal discussion of how video games have impacted children (including discussion of adverse affects).
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Several of the featured games include shooting, explosions, murder, and/or some kind of battle. The images are shown for illustrative purposes.

  • Sex:

    Some video game images show women in tight/suggestive clothing.

  • Language:

    "Damn" is audible. Words like "ass" and "s--t" are bleeped.

  • Consumerism:

    Features now-defunct game brands like Atari and Magnavox as well as contemporary names like PlayStation; lots of games are mentioned by name, starting with Pong and Pac-Man and moving all the way up to World of Warcraft.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Alcohol very occasionally visible.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Rise of the Video Game

Parents need to know that this documentary series about the history and evolution of video games includes clips from many of the games it discusses, some of which feature violent and disturbing images. The images are shown to illustrate the industry's major technology and content advancements, but they may be inappropriate or even frightening for younger viewers (though plenty of kids may not even be interested in the series). There's also a bit of strong language, though anything stronger than "damn" and "hell" is bleeped.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the role that video games have played in popular culture throughout the last 50 years. Can parents (or even grandparents) remember when they played their first video game? Can you? How have games changed over the years? Is it for the better? Why or why not? Families can also talk about violent media content. Why is violent behavior included in TV shows and video games? Is this content harmful? What other potential effects can playing video games have? Are there benefits to playing them?
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