Parents' Guide to

Aion

By Carolyn Koh, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Fantasy MMO set in war between two races has bloody combat.

Game Windows 2009
Aion Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Aion Game: Screenshot #1
  • Aion Game: Screenshot #2
  • Aion Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 4 parent reviews

CommonDoodle01
CommonDoodle01 Adult
March 8, 2013
age 15+

Not recommended for young teens

The original review by CSM is based on the original game and a few things have changed. The game is now free to play, you don't have to buy it and there is no monthly subscription. They are making money with a la carte items. You register and then can buy "NCOIN" which are credits to purchase game items. The youngest age I recommend to play this game is 15. Yes I concede it is a fantasy game but the point of the game is to kill your opponent. That is what you do most of the time, and even though there is minimal blood the characters are very human in appearance and the battle and death animations are realistic. This review is based on version 3.5 and the upcoming version 4 will have a new weapon type: guns. Even though there is no sex in the game there is near-nudity and sexual attire-- a big part of the game is putting "armor" on your character. Changing armor involves taking off the old armor and at that point the character is in underwear and (on women) a bra. Female armor sets include mini skirts, S&M leather outfits, bikinis and other tight fitting, revealing outfits.. All that aside, to me it is the chat feature that warrants the high age rating. There's no parental control so a player will see all the chat. Yes you can filter bad words but you still see the bleep. Also it is very easy to come up with slightly misspelled vulgarity that bypases the filter. The foul, explicit and sometimes diversity-challenged and hateful language flows frequently and freely in games like these. And many parts of the game encourage multi player so its very difficult to get to high levels in the game without interacting with other real folks.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Ideas
Ideas Adult
December 30, 2010
age 13+

15 mmo mmorpg aion game

I am 18 years old and a very responsible man and my take on this game is Its really great considering if your kids are 15+ I would not let a 13 or 14 year old play this game, because of the inappropriate things that are spoken in ingame chats. the sexuality is some what high but that's just like one forth of the game especially if you play as a male. One serious draw back to any mmorpg is that if played to long it can cause serious social drawbacks to the user, so watch out for MMOs that your kids or teens play.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 4 parent reviews

What’s It About?

AION is a fantasy MMORPG which has the unique feature of letting you earn the ability to fly. Players choose to play as a member of one of two factions who are at war -- either the Elyos, who live where the sun always shines, or the Asmodians, who live in the part of the world in constant shadow. Long ago, this world was literally torn apart leaving an abyss-like region where a Dragon-like creature, the Baluar, lives. The Elyos and Asmodians engage in combat against each other in this abyss, while the computer artificial intelligence-controlled Baluar either assist or interfere. The Baluar is the balancing factor in these battles, assisting the weaker side. Players go through a quest known as the Ascension and gain their wings at an early stage, then strive towards improving their skills and armor to particpate in war. Flight is a strategic component in both combat and in questing; and it is limited in time and to specific areas of the world.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (2):

Aion is a feature-rich game and has all the hallmarks of a full-featured MMOG. The game offers beautiful scenery, fun quests, and a huge world to explore. The game builds up an incredible expectation of earning your wings for flight, and luckily, the cutscene where players attain their wings is breath-taking. Surrounded by constantly changing landscapes and the cities that showcase grandoise architecture, players can spend hours exploring and finding new items, including items to harvest, magical things, and items to create through craft. Players can trade, buy, and sell, as well as fight new enemies and learn new skills. In the latter part of the game, the challenge of Player-vs-Player combat can keep a teen attached to his or her computer for hours at a time. If managed well, the experience can be fun, rewarding, and educational in terms of teaching the value of playing as a team.

Online interaction: With a T rating, this game is really designed for older teens and adults. But the open chat and open forums -- albeit with moderation -- allow full online interaction which can be unpredictable. To offset this, Aion offers "friends" as well as "ignore" lists that players can use.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about online Social Behavior and boundaries. Do you think what you do in game reflects upon you as a person? Does a character's behavior impact the way you think about the person controlling that character? Why should you not give out personal information online?

  • Families can also discuss the warfare in this game. Games often have color stereotypes, do you think that this game does? Do you think that the darker race in the game is evil as compared to the lighter race?

  • Families can talk about playing against other players and sportsmanship. Would you like it if you lost in a contest and the winning team made fun of you?

  • Since this is a game that can take a lot of time, families might want to talk about strategies for setting time limits.

Game Details

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