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  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 13.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Game site with too much blood and guts.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–16

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    A few games -- such as word puzzles -- involve using your brain.

  • Messages:

    Like all game sites, it's easy for kids to get sucked into to playing around.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Some games are very violent and feature fighting, blood, and bruising. The "shooting games" aren't promoted, though, and kids have to scroll to the bottom of the page to see them.

  • Sex:

    The games are fairly tame; group IMing on the site is not -- users openly discuss cybersex and more.

  • Language:

    No apparent filters. One game congratulates the winner by saying "You kicked his ass!"

  • Consumerism:

    The site has many banner ads and links to other game sites including a U.K.-based site with a large dating banner ad featuring a woman who's nearly naked.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    One of the sites linked to features a game called "Sittin' at the Bar" that advises users to "Drink until you drop!"
 

What Parents Need to Know

About GameGecko

Parents need to know that some games on this site are violent and feature fighting, blood, and bruising, although the "shooting games" aren't heavily promoted and are on the bottom of the page. The site's IM feature lets users chat with other users in a public IM window or on a one-to-one basis without any restrictions -- and the talk does get pretty racy. The site sometimes sticks moderators in the chats, but in most cases they rely on other users' complaints. Users can -- and do -- say inappropriate things like "Wanna have cybersex with me?" and swearing isn't filtered out. Users can block others from IMing them directly or complain about them by clicking on a "warn" button; although someone has to be warned by multiple visitors before being banned, and it's unclear how many warnings it takes for that to happen.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about why it's dangerous for users to be able to contact you without being screened first. Why is it bad to answer a random IM, even if you're logged in under a username? Also, what's OK to share with someone online and what's better left unsaid?
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Parent Reviewer
    piepie62
    Lives in Ohio
    I rate this title on for age 8 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • User content is age appropriate

    Flag as inappropriate

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