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Do age restrictions on games mean anything?

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Do age restrictions on games mean anything?

With the recent rise in popularity of Microsoft engineered game Fortnite, many parents are highlighting the risks and effects in which video games can have on young impressionable children

Fortnite is a game which has multiple aims, the main one being that the player is a commander of one of many bases, charged with going out of the storm shield to find resources, survivors, and other allies to help expand their storm shield and find a way to return Earth to its normal state.

Whilst the game has been labeled with an age restriction of twelve years old, access to the game from underage users is relatively easy. One mother, in particular, spoke to the presenters of ITV’s This Morning to speak about the change of her ten years old’s personality since playing the game. She continues to express her concern and says that the game should be banned.

However, with this not being a rare case in which a child is playing a game under the age of the legal age restriction, many have spoken on the issue, debating whether it’s a parenting fault or the game company’s fault.

We spoke to a student at London South Bank University who said, “There are online parenting agency’s and things like that which mean that parents can monitor their child’s gaming and internet history, so they are the people in control of the children’s choices.”

Another student also said, “I don’t think that it is fair that the mum is saying her child has played it and therefore it should be shut down. Erm, hello? Where were you as a parent to stop them playing it.”

It seems to be a common case that parents don’t take the legal age restrictions of games into consideration when purchasing them for their child. Whether this is down to parental choices or company restrictions is a huge ongoing debate.

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