Here at AskAboutGames we present the latest UK game sales chart in a way that makes it easy for you to find the most popular titles suitable for the age of the gamers in your family. That’s because games’ potential to be a positive force in families’ lives comes about when people enjoy age-appropriate content.

Each Monday we pour through the official charts to compile the lists below. Each groups together the best selling games from the charts by their PEGI age rating category, and lists them by the order they appeared in the full charts. In the UK PEGI certificates are given to games by a board of experts at The VSC Rating Board;  we use their ratings to guide our groupings. So if you have, for example, an eight-year-old and a 10-year-old in your family, and you want a popular game for them to play, you could glance at the three-years-plus and seven-years-plus lists below.

Many games below link to their profile over on The VSC Rating Board website, so you can see details of why they were granted the rating they received. You can learn more about those VSC ‘ACI’ profiles here.

It’s worth noting that the ratings below denote content that is appropriate in theme and tone. They don’t always indicate the ability or age required to necessarily get the most from the game. A three-years-plus rated football management game, for example, won’t contain content that would be disturbing for a four-year old, but it may be too complex for a youngster of that age.

FIFA 18 (PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
Rocket League: Collectors Edition (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
Burnout Paradise Remastered (PS4, Xbox One)

Sega Mega Drive Classics (PS4, Xbox One)*
Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One)*
Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition  (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

Dark Souls Remastered (PS4, Xbox One)
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Xbox One)
Star Wars: Battlefront II (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

Detroit: Become Human (PS4)
Far Cry 5 (Xbox One)
God of War (PS4)

–

* New release

Data is taken from the Ukie Games Charts ‘Top 40 Full-Price Entertainment SOFTWARE’ compiled by GfK Chart Track

Over the past few weeks here at AskAboutGames we’ve been looking at the process of rating a game, using the controversial new narrative thriller Detroit: Become Human as a case study.

We chose to use an adult, emotive game so we would explore how the ratings process handles mature content, and what role controversy has – or doesn’t have – in the ratings process.

We’ve already looked at the controversy itself, and how the ratings process works. We also explored the basics of the ‘Additional Consumer Information’ profile each age-rated game in the UK is given by The VSC Rating Board. This time we return to Additional Consumer Information sheets – or ‘ACIs’, as they are more commonly known – and Detroit: Become Human’s profile specifically.

You can quickly see that as well as carrying all the standard information found in any ACI, here in Detroit: Become Human’s profile, it is made extremely clear why the game has been found suitable only for those aged 18-and-over. As detailed in the ‘Advice for consumers’ section: ‘This rating has been given due to depictions of violence to vulnerable/defenceless human-like characters, depictions of strong violence to human-like characters, and use of sexual expletives.’

The ACI also touches on the controversial scenes that made the game infamous long before its release. While controversy itself doesn’t influence the ratings process or rating applied, here we can see how an ACI can provide clarity and assurance to consumers around a given controversy by detailing any content at the heart of a controversy – rather than the controversy itself – without bias or prejudice. This can also give the likes of parents and guardians an opportunity to see beyond the controversy to the facts of the content itself. Often controversies around games become so dominated by opinions about a title, the details of the content itself can get left out of the discussion; something that can be particularly confusing when trying to make an informed purchasing decision.

Also in the same section, however, we can see that an ACI is not only about addressing controversy. It is about informing consumers, so we also see examples of Detroit: Become Human scenes that are typical of the game, or particularly strong examples of content that can be found throughout the gameplay experience..

You will also see that ACI’s themselves, in detailing disturbing content, necessarily can detail adult themes, including violence, sexuality and bad language. As such, it’s worth reading any ACI carefully before sharing it with younger family members – perhaps in a situation where you would be explaining why a child cannot play a particular game.

ACI’s are there to help, whether a game is family-friendly and free from controversy, or extreme in its themes or interactions. So if you need to know more about a game, its ratings and its content, visit The VSC Rating Board website and search on the homepage for a game’s ACI.

Looking for the most popular video games that are age-appropriate for your family?

Then you’ve found the right place. Here you can find our specially curated guide to the best selling games of the past week, grouped by their PEGI age-rating.

PEGI ratings are given to games in the UK by a group of experts at The VSC Rating Board. They pour through games before applying an age rating based on the content they find. And physical copies of games cannot be sold in the UK without a PEGI rating. Each week the AskAboutGames team pull apart the latest all formats game charts – which list the best selling games in the UK – before selecting the three highest ranking games from each age category, and gathering them in the categories below.

Many games below link to their profile over on The VSC Rating Board website, so you can see details of why they were granted the rating they received. You can learn more about those VSC ‘ACI’ profiles here.

It’s worth noting that the ratings below denote content that is appropriate in theme and tone. They don’t always indicate the ability or age required to necessarily get the most from the game. A three-years-plus rated football management game, for example, won’t contain content that would be disturbing for a four-year old, but it may be too complex for a youngster of that age.

FIFA 18 (PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
Gran Turismo: Sport (PS4)

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
Burnout Paradise Remastered (PS4, Xbox One)

Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition  (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Sega Mega Drive Classics (PS4, Xbox One)
Sea of Thieves (PC, Xbox One)

PlayStation VR Worlds (PS4)
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Xbox One)
Dark Souls Remastered (PS4, Xbox One)

Vampyr (PC, PS4, Xbox One)*
God of War (PS4)
Detroit: Become Human (PS4)

–

* New release

Data is taken from the Ukie Games Charts ‘Top 40 Full-Price Entertainment SOFTWARE’ compiled by GfK Chart Track

Every year since 1995, a huge conference known as E3 has stood as the world’s most significant video games event. It is a place where the biggestest release announcements and gaming news are made public, and every year it seems to grow both in size and prominence.

This week saw E3 2018 take place, and if you go to the biggest headlines from the show, you’ll find a lot of news around mature games with 16-plus and 18-plus PEGI age ratings. Those games tend to have the biggest marketing budgets, so have a knack for building the most hype. You didn’t have to look much further, however, to find a bounty of news about new family friendly and family focused games. So we rounded up some of the most interesting below, with links to their trailers.

It’s worth noting that mayor these games have not yet been given age ratings; some may emerge with higher ratings than expected.

Kingdom Hearts III – An authentic Japanese RPG with a family friendly twist, and a cast that sees Disney characters and RPG icons rub shoulders.

Tetris Effect – An early icon of universally appealing gaming returns to PS4 and VR, reimagined by abstract music gaming maestro Tetsuya Mizuguchi. Do remember that most VR headsets are not suitable for younger children, regardless of a game’s content.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps – A sequel to the gorgeous, artful platformer Ori and the Blind Forest.

Forza Horizon 4 – While this open-world racing game is likely made with older players in mind, there series has always carried a low age rating, and is likely to be great for parents to play with – or against – older children in their family.

Sea of Thieves: Cursed Sails and Forsaken Shores – Rare’s popular 12-plus rated cartoon piracy game is set to be expanded with new challenges, and we can’t wait.

Super Mario Party – Nintendo’s iconic plumber comes back to Switch with a compendium of playful party games designed for social play.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Donkey Kong Adventure DLC – An expansion brings the infamous ape to the game that couple Ubisoft’s eccentric rabbits and Nintendo’s beloved cast together for accessible tactical role-play.

Just Dance 2019 – More of the same perhaps, but when the same is ‘dancing together as a family’ it’s hard to complain.

Pokeball Plus – A physical Pokéball that can be used with the new ‘Let’s Go’ Pokémon releases (video from IGN).

That’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of family friendly games detailed at E3, of course. So keep checking back in to AskAboutGames for more in the latest and greatest games for your family.

If you watched, read or listened to the news today, you’ve likely come across stories about ‘gaming disorder’.

The World Health Organisation – or ‘WHO’ – has today for the first time listed ‘gaming disorder’ in the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases. It should be noted that the publication and listing of ‘gaming disorder’ is only in preparation for consideration by the WHO, with a final decision set to be made in 2019. But what is ‘gaming disorder’, is it a reality, and what can you do if you’re worried about gaming time in your family?

Perceived as a clinical condition by the WHO, their definition of ‘gaming disorder’ can be understood as – in layperson’s terms – something an addiction problem. The WHO cites three tenants of which gaming disorder is made up: gaming taking priority over the rest of life, impaired control of the addiction, and significant distress caused to social life, education, family and personal relationships, as well as negative impact on diet, sleep and physical activity.

As for how much gaming is needed to be diagnosed with the proposed disorder, as is often the case with addiction-related conditions, it is not only about the amount of hours devoted; it is really about how much the urge to play games impacts and directs your life. The press have uncovered stories of those who play over 10 hours of video games a day, but the WHO focuses instead on “impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”

However, not everybody agrees with the WHO. There are many experts, for example, who feel the diagnosis is not without problems. Some criticise its credibility altogether, while others have expressed concerns about misdiagnosing other forms of behaviour.

This morning a group of gaming organisations across the world, including UK gaming industry trade body Ukie (which supports AskAboutGames) have issued a joint statement pointing out just how many players have a healthy, safe and beneficial relation ship with playing games, and questioning the validity of the diagnosis.

“Video games across all kinds of genres, devices and platforms are enjoyed safely and sensibly by more than 2 billion people worldwide, with the educational, therapeutic, and recreational value of games being well-founded and widely recognised,” the joint statement reads. “We are therefore concerned to see ‘gaming disorder’ still contained in the latest version of the WHO’s ICD-11 despite significant opposition from the medical and scientific community. The evidence for its inclusion remains highly contested and inconclusive. We hope that the WHO will reconsider the mounting evidence put before them before proposing inclusion of ‘gaming disorder’ in the final version of ICD-11 to be endorsed next year. We understand that our industry and supporters around the world will continue raising their voices in opposition to this move and urge the WHO to avoid taking steps that would have unjustified implications for national health systems across the world.”

Speaking to CNN, Anthony Bean, a licensed psychologist and executive director at mental health clinic The Telos Project stated that he felt the diagnosis was ‘premature’, noting that even gamers who are themselves concerned that they are becoming addicted are actually using gaming “more as a coping mechanism for either anxiety or depression.” There, a focus on the depression or anxiety may be more helpful than a focus purely on addiction.

Meanwhile, as quoted by the BBC, Dr Richard Graham, lead technology addiction specialist at London’s Nightingale Hospital, pointed out that while the WHO’s move may help bring attention to the problem of gaming addiction, there is need for relative calm, and noted that the WHO classification “could lead to confused parents whose children are just enthusiastic gamers.”

Of course, anyone can play too many games; just as with other mediums, online time, and even work, too much of something at the expense of other factors of life and health can be problematic. Most would agree that 10-hours a day everyday is too much. That does not mean, though, that all gaming time is bad – indeed, as covered by Engadget there are many benefits. Equally there is no suggestion that all gamers will have problems associated with the past time.

Far from it, in fact.

Because even the WHO has listed its diagnosed disorder as only effecting a small number of users. And their advice to any one who cares for somebody who plays games?

“Be alert to the amount of time they spend on gaming activities, particularly when it is to the exclusion of other daily activities, as well as to any changes in their physical or psychological health and social functioning that could be attributed to their pattern of gaming behaviour.”

Sensible, practical advice there. But from an organisation that many feel has been a little too knee jerk, hasty and imprecise with its diagnosis.

With the World Cup upon us, it’s probably no surprise that FIFA is the most popular 3-years-plus rated game in the UK today.

But what about the rest of the best selling games of the past week? Which might be suitable for your family? To help you answer those questions, below we’ve taken the latest UK all-formats video game sales charts and picked the three best selling games within each PEGI age rating category, grouped them together, and listed them in the order they appeared in the overall chart. The PEGI age ratings are given to a game after careful consideration by a group of experts at The Video Standards Council Ratings Board; you can learn about the process of examining a game here.

Many games below link to their profile over on The VSC Rating Board website, so you can see details of why they were granted the rating they received, which provides extra detail on a given title’s content. You can learn more about those VSC ‘ACI’ profiles here.

It’s worth noting that the ratings below denote content that is appropriate in theme and tone. They don’t always indicate the ability or age required to necessarily get the most from the game. A three-years-plus rated football management game, for example, won’t contain content that would be disturbing for a four-year old, but it may be too complex for a youngster of that age.

FIFA 18 (PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
Gran Turismo: Sport (PS4)

Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
Crash Bandicoot: N Sane Trilogy (PS4)
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)

Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition  (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Sega Mega Drive Classics (PS4, Xbox One)
Sea of Thieves (PC, Xbox One)

PlayStation VR Worlds (PS4)
Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition (PS4) (Link to standard edition’s ACI)
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Xbox One)

God of War (PS4)
Fallout 4 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Detroit: Become Human (PS4)

–

Data is taken from the Ukie Games Charts ‘Top 40 Full-Price Entertainment SOFTWARE’ compiled by GfK Chart Track

With the sun beating down on most of the UK today, we admit we’re keen to get outside away from screens. But, as ever, that isn’t mutually exclusive to enjoying some gaming time. So when the weather gets a bit much and the cool even draws in, we’ll be catching up with some of the latest video game releases. And looking at the latest UK video games sales charts, it appears that we aren’t the only ones.

But what are the most popular video games of the past week? And which might be most suitable for your family? You’re in just the right place to answer those questions. As is a weekly tradition at AskAboutGames, we’ve poured through the latest UK all-formats video game sales charts, before selected the three best selling games within each PEGI age rating category. Then we’ve grouped those titles together by age rating, and listed them below in the order they appeared in the overall chart. The PEGI age ratings are given to a game after careful consideration by a group of experts at The Video Standards Council Ratings Board; you can learn about the process of examining a game here.

This week it’s interesting to see that – after many weeks with 18-years-plus ratings dominating the top of the carts – this time around three of the top-four slots go to three-years-plus rated games, including first place with Mario Tennis Aces.

Many games below link to their profile over on The VSC Rating Board website, so you can see details of why they were granted the rating they received, which provides extra detail on a given title’s content. You can learn more about those VSC ‘ACI’ profiles here.

It’s worth noting that the ratings below denote content that is appropriate in theme and tone. They don’t always indicate the ability or age required to necessarily get the most from the game. A three-years-plus rated football management game, for example, won’t contain content that would be disturbing for a four-year old, but it may be too complex for a youngster of that age.

Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)*
FIFA 18 (PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)

Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
Splatoon 2 (Switch)
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch, Wii U)
Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition  (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Sega Mega Drive Classics (PS4, Xbox One)

PlayStation VR Worlds (PS4)
Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition (PS4) (Link to standard edition’s ACI)
WWE 2K18 (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)

God of War (PS4)
Fallout 4 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Detroit: Become Human (PS4)

–

* New release

Data is taken from the Ukie Games Charts ‘Top 40 Full-Price Entertainment SOFTWARE’ compiled by GfK Chart Track

Remember when Minecraft was the talking point in playgrounds across the UK? Before Fortnite captivated the attention of gamers, parents and guardians, and the press, the world building game was defining of what a video game success could be. And it’s back in the charts, after the Switch version saw a mighty jump in sales. Equally, thanks to a move from PlayStation exclusive to a multi-format release, chart stalwart Crash Bandicoot: N Sane Trilogy – which compiles the classic platform series – has hit the number one spot. There sure are a lot of popular games to choose from at the moment, both new and old. But which suit your family?

Fortunately, you’ve found the right place to check out the most popular games of the past week, grouped by their PEGI age-rating so that you can see which is appropriate for your family.

PEGI ratings are granted to games in the UK by a group of specialists at The VSC Rating Board. They might deem a very family-friendly game as suitable for players aged three years old and above… or they might see that a very adult game will only suit an adult audience, meaning it gets and 18-years-plus rating. And physical copies of games cannot be sold in the UK without a PEGI rating. Each week the AskAboutGames team pour through the latest all formats game charts in full – which list the best selling games in the UK – selecting the three highest ranking games from each age category, and gathering them in the categories below.

Most games below link to their profile over on The VSC Rating Board website, so you can see details of why they were granted the rating they received.

It’s worth noting that the ratings below denote content that is appropriate in theme and tone. They don’t always indicate the ability or age required to necessarily get the most from the game. A three-years-plus rated football management game, for example, won’t contain content that would be disturbing for a four-year old, but it may be too complex for a youngster of that age.

FIFA 18 (PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)

Crash Bandicoot: N Sane Trilogy (PS4)
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
Minecraft (Switch)

The Crew 2 (PS4, Xbox One)*
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch, Wii U)
The Sims 4 (PS4, Xbox One)

Star Wars: Battlefront II (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Destiny 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Xbox One)

God of War (PS4)
Grand Theft Auto V (PC, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Fallout 4 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

–

* New release

Data is taken from the Ukie Games Charts ‘Top 40 Full-Price Entertainment SOFTWARE’ compiled by GfK Chart Track

TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains brief references to a sexual abuse case, in exploring safety in online game Roblox after a recently reported incident. If that may make difficult reading for you, but you’re keen to learn more about the game, do go straight to our Parents’ Guide to Roblox.

—

Over the last week a story emerged on major news sites detailing the enactment of a sexual assault in the game Roblox; a title described by its makers as ‘family-freindly’. It was carried out by human-controlled player characters on another non-consenting human-controlled player character.

As reported by the BBC and many others, the victim was a seven-year-old girl in America, whose mother Amber Petersen saw the incident as it happened on screen, describing it as a “gang rape” in a later Facebook post warning other parents about Roblox.

After Petersen captured screenshots of what happened – some reportedly containing representations of male genitalia – and shared more details on social media, the company behind Roblox banned the player responsible for the in-game attack. There is some discrepancy in reporting, in that there were apparently up to three players involved as perpetrators, but references to those banned are in the singular person; AskAboutGames is endeavouring to confirm the number of banned players. The Roblox Corporation was quoted on the BBC as saying it had “zero tolerance for this behaviour”. Universally, everyone agrees this kind of behaviour is unacceptable and profoundly upsetting.

The case brings up two important points. Firstly, attacks, theft, abuse and other crimes in virtual worlds may lack a physical element, but they can still be profoundly disturbing, damaging or leave a lasting impact for victims and their families. Secondly, games that allow users to create and share their own content can as such include content not covered by the age rating given to the base game.

On the first point, consider the crime of theft. In a hypothetical virtual world-based game, imagine a player has spent real money and time investing in building a unique spaceship of their own design. If another player were to hack the account of the spaceship builder – either in the game or on a website where players trade virtual items – they could claim the spaceship as their own, and block out the original owner. The perpetrator will have taken something with real value and without permission, committing a theft. While the impact of different crimes is as distinct in each case as the incidents themselves, just as a theft in an online game can have a powerful, lasting impact the victim, so can virtual sexual abuse. Essentially, a crime with a victim has an impact, and should be taken seriously even if it is ‘only’ virtual in nature.

On the latter point, it is worth describing Roblox a little. The game lets players create their own avatars, worlds and games, allowing them to interact with other users in myriad different ways, sharing what they have made. Put another way, it is a a very simple game creation tool. The base game is rated at a PEGI 7 in the UK, meaning it is deemed suitable for players aged seven years old and above. However, the base game is only what is provided to players by the Roblox Corporation; things like the tool itself, and sample games made by the company. According the The VSC Rating Board that gives games their PEGI age rating in the UK, “user generated content has not and cannot be rated by PEGI“. That’s because new content is uploaded constantly in Roblox, by a reported 64 million regular players. Apparently 15 million games have been made in Roblox so far.

Titles like Roblox certainly offer many benefits. They can let players be creative, offer escapism and teach the likes of design and computer skills. So what can a parent do to make sure their child is protected in such online worlds, while still enjoying those benefits?

We have a bounty of detailed advice in our Parent’s Guide to the game, including insights on parental controls in Roblox.

The general advice, however, is much the same as in any case when a child is playing games in the family. Parents and guardians should do their research before buying a game, using resources like askaboutgames.com and The VSC Rating Board’s ‘Additional Consumer Information’ guides to games and their ratings. If a child in the family has found a way to play a game already, you can still do your research to find out how suitable the game might be. Engaging with your children and showing interest in the games they play can also help you build an honest, open, respectful and impactful dialogue with your younger family members about games and the ways they play them. While the onus on making safe game worlds is on the game studios that create such titles, parents can help keep online worlds safer by reporting problems they find do find in games; that can lead directly to the banning of a player doing seriously unpleasant things in an online space enjoyed by many users. Finally, of course, it is always worth respecting PEGI age ratings.

It would be a shame to let the horrific actions of a tiny minority ruin the enjoyment of the many players who gain a great deal from their gaming. With information, research, open communication and proactivity, we can collectively make sure gaming worlds are safe for their users, and perpetrators of virtual unpleasantness – and more –  are held accountable.

You can read Roblox Corporation’s official guide for parents – including means to contact the team with concerns – at this link.

While you wait for football to come home – or not come home – or if you just want to ignore it, some family gaming time might be a perfect alternative use for your screen. Of course, you’ll also want to get out in this beautiful weather; but sometimes a refuge from the sun is much needed.

To help you pick what games, each week we present the latest UK game sales chart in a way that makes it easy for you to find the most popular titles suitable for the age of the gamers in your family. We pour through the official charts, before creating the lists below. Each groups together the best selling games from the charts by their PEGI age rating category, and lists them by the order they appeared in the full charts. In the UK PEGI certificates are given to games by a board of experts at The VSC Rating Board;  we use their ratings to guide our groupings. So if you have, for example, a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old in your family, and you want a popular game for them to play, you could glance at the three-years-plus and seven-years-plus lists below, and ignore the older-age groupings.

Most games below link to their profile over on The VSC Rating Board website, so you can see details of why they were granted the rating they received.

It’s worth noting that the ratings below denote content that is appropriate in theme and tone. They don’t always indicate the ability or age required to necessarily get the most from the game. A three-years-plus rated football management game, for example, won’t contain content that would be disturbing for a four-year old, but it may be too complex for a youngster of that age.

FIFA 18 (PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)

Crash Bandicoot: N Sane Trilogy (PS4)
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
Splatoon 2 (Switch)

The Crew 2 (PS4, Xbox One)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch, Wii U)
The Sims 4 (PS4, Xbox One)

Jurassic World: Evolution (PC, PS4, Xbox One)*
Star Wars: Battlefront II (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Red Faction: Guerrilla Remastered (PS4, Xbox One)*

God of War (PS4)
Far Cry 5 (PS4, Xbox One)
Fallout 4 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

–

* New release

Data is taken from the Ukie Games Charts ‘Top 40 Full-Price Entertainment SOFTWARE’ compiled by GfK Chart Track

New research by Childcare.co.uk has found that over half of parents surveyed in the UK let their children play 18-rated games.

As reported by UK video gaming site Eurogamer, that set of guardians do so without providing supervision, and sometimes without knowledge of the content of the game. The survey of 2,171 parents saw that while some 23 per cent ignore film age ratings in general, 86 per cent of the same group largely ignore video game age ratings.

By contrast to the majority of parents happy to let children play 18-rated games, the research found that a considerably smaller 18 per cent of those surveyed confirmed they would let 10-to-14-year-olds watch an 18-plus-rated movie.

Despite the findings, it is not appropriate, fair or helpful to point the finger of blame at parents and guardians. The solution is to educate; not stigmatise. Relative to the likes of films, video games are a fairly new medium. Many parents and guardians are faced with policing video game consumption in their own homes despite having little or no experience of playing games themselves. Many more did not grow up with games in their own family home. You will also on occasion come across a sense that games’ status as playthings means they are associated with toys, and thus not deemed as potentially harmful as adult films. And, inevitably, children will sometimes make powerful pleas to parents that they ‘need’ to play the latest popular game; regardless of age rating.

Educating families, of course, is the very reason AskAboutGames exists.

Looking at the survey, it appears there is a sense that games containing adult content are less likely to have a negative impact than films. This is something of a misconception.

There are certainly many benefits to playing age-appropriate video games, including social, educational, health and therapeutic-related gains.

But adult games are rated 18-plus for a reason. A helpful way to think about it is that if an 18-rated film with scenes of a violent, sexual or otherwise mature content can disturb or otherwise impact your children negatively, so can an 18-rated game. Games are not so different from films. Both present the moving image and audio. Games at a fundamental level simply add interactivity; a fact that some feel makes them even more powerful and impactful. And just like and adult film, an 18-rated game can also contain violence, scenes of a sexual nature, and depictions of difficult and upsetting incidents.

To an adult audience member, that type of content can be powerfully thought-provoking. To a child, those scenes could be profoundly upsetting or disturbing.

Games are absolutely not always digital toys or virtual playthings. They are ‘just’ interactive stories and experiences made from pixels and sound. That basic foundation presents a spectrum that lets games be many things. Some are adult while some are family-friendly. Games can be mainstream, experimental, complex, simple, silly or serious. Just as with films, just because many games are family-friendly, many are not.

So what can you do, especially as a parent? The simplest thing is to talk to your children about games; and not only when you are trying to stop them playing. Take an interest, be enthusiastic, ask questions, and even join in when they are playing an age-appropriate game. That lets you develop an honest, open dialog that makes the difficult conversations with your children around games more productive.

The other thing that can have a huge impact is to take a little time to research the games your children are playing, or are keen to play. Read reviews on gaming sites, watch trailers online, and, of course, keep visiting AskAboutGames. As well as spotlighting popular games with our parents’ guides and highlighting the most popular releases by age rating, we also provide details on how the ratings work, and explain many things such as the extra information available to detail why games are given a particular rating.

Every week at AskAboutGames we provide a specially prepared list of top selling games, based on the latest UK game sales charts. We do so to allow you to see the most popular titles suitable for the age of the gamers in your family.

Essentially, the lists below detail the three best selling games of each age rating category. How do we get to those lists? We go through the official charts, picking the top sellers of each PEGI age category, and then list them in the order they appeared in the full charts. The PEGI age ratings are the main rating system used in the UK. The UK PEGI certificates are given to games by a board of experts at The VSC Rating Board; we use their ratings to guide our groupings. So if you have, for example, a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old in your family, and you want a popular game for them to play, you could glance at the three-years-plus and seven-years-plus lists below, and ignore the older-age groupings.

Most games below link to their profile over on The VSC Rating Board website, so you can see details of why they were granted the rating they received.

It’s worth noting that the ratings below denote content that is appropriate in theme and tone. They don’t always indicate the ability or age required to necessarily get the most from the game. A three-years-plus rated football management game, for example, won’t contain content that would be disturbing for a four-year old, but it may be too complex for a youngster of that age.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (3DS, Switch, Wii U)*
FIFA 18 (PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)

Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy (PS4)
LEGO The Incredibles (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)*
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

Octopath Traveller (Switch)*
The Crew 2 (PS4, Xbox One)
Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

Jurassic World: Evolution (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Xbox One)
Destiny 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

God of War (PS4)
Far Cry 5 (PS4, Xbox One)
Fallout 4 (PS4, Xbox One)

–

* = New Release

Data is taken from the Ukie Games Charts ‘Top 40 Full-Price Entertainment SOFTWARE’ compiled by GfK Chart Track

Video games have never quite shaken an association with violence. While here at AskAboutGames we’re driven to share the benefits of family-friendly gaming, it’s hardly surprising that the medium can struggle to distance itself for the issue.

Most strikingly, many of the most prevalent or founding gaming genres allude to violence in their naming. There’s shoot ’em-ups, beat ’em-ups and first-person shooters; each central to the popularity and evolution of games as a mass market media.

In reality though, there are many thousands of games without a bit of violence in them. And games journalist James Batchelor has made it his task to document, share and celebrate non-violent games though his Non-Violent Game of the Day project; often known as ‘NVGOTD’.

It’s a fairly self explanatory initiative. Batchelor finds and shares a non-violent game every day he can, predominantly through the NVGOTD blog, and its Twitter feed. It’s worth noting now that a game without violence can still contain adult themes – and we’ll return to that issue below – but NVGOTD offers a tremendous resource for parents looking for non-violent games for their families to enjoy.

“After the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012, the media inevitably discovered the shooter had played violent video games, and pointed the finger of blame squarely at our industry,” says Batchelor, who in his day job serves as UK editor at renowned video game industry website GamesIndustry.biz. “In response a bunch of gamers organised a ceasefire; a day where they would not play violent video games to prove that there’s more to the hobby than just killing things. I wanted to take this one step further.”

As such, Batchelor quickly set up a blog and began recommending different non-violent games. His definition of violence is quite clean cut. There’s no shooters and fighting, of course. But he also counts Mario jumping on an enemy to dispatch it as a violence. Hunting animals in a field sports game? That’s enough violence to mean such titles wouldn’t qualify. There’s certainly games that test the definition of what can be considered violent – but in being strict NVGOTD offers a wide audience a reliable means to discover the best of the myriad games that don’t include such aggression.

“Ideally, I’d like this to reach parents and non-gamers so they can see just how broad the range of games available is,” he says.

Batchelor confesses that in the five years the blog has been running, he’s not quite hit a game ‘every day’; but he is building an incredible resource, with quite the master list behind the scenes.

“There are currently 2,598 titles for me to work through – and those are just the ones I’ve found over the past few years. If I finally manage to do update the blog on a daily basis, that’s enough games to last until August 2025, and more are being announced all the time.”

But what of that point on variety? Does turning attention away from guns and fists really leave such a diversity of game types, topics and styles?

“What’s most impressed me about the variety of non-violent games is not necessarily the range of genres, but the breadth of subject matter,” Batchelor offers. “Once you free players from the task of simply killing things to level-up to get better at killing things, video games can truly take on new meaning.

“There are games that explore pivotal aspects of the human experience such as love, loss and death, or topical issues like the plight of Syrian refugees or climate change. There are titles that take you to incredibly imaginative and unique worlds, landscapes you might not appreciate if you’re traversing them while under fire. There are games that test strategic skills and lateral thinking, rather than dexterity and reflexes – solving a mystery or completing a puzzle can be just as satisfying as beating a boss. There’s even a game where you play a slice of bread whose sole purpose in life is to become a piece of toast.”

Batchelor endeavours to keep things varied; it would be a little too easy, after all, to find a puzzle game or sports release for each post. But even in ‘conventionally non-violent genres’, he’s been impressed by what he’s uncovered.

“There are new takes of decades-old mechanics and gameplay styles, and a multitude of ways developers can tackle the same subject,” Batchelor enthuses. “Let’s take football, for example: there are the usual football games like FIFA and PES, but then there are simplified versions like Beyond The Kickmen or Tiny Striker, plus comprehensive simulators like Football Manager and even an XCOM-like turn-based strategy game in Football, Tactics and Glory.”

So if you are looking for diverse, distinct and even thought-provoking games for your family, you’d do well to check in with NVGOTD frequently. Of course, there is the aforementioned issue than non-violent games can still be mature. Over time, NVGOTD has featured a very small number of games that explore complex themes, like the iconic That Dragon, Cancer, about a family losing their child to the illness. Early on Batchelor also featured the odd game with scary moments; but soon moved away from those after readers found their inclusion too contentious. Occasionally a text-based game like courtroom simulator Phoenix Wright might include a reference to violence in text.

As such, it should be emphasised that a tiny minority of games in the NVGOTD list are not suitable for youngsters. But that point lets AskAboutGames revisit one of its key pieces for advice for parents and guardians with regard to appropriate gaming in the family. Research a game before sharing it with your children; that lets you be confident in the creation you are letting them enjoy. And a resource like NVGOTD is a perfect place to do that research. It doesn’t endeavour to provide a list for children; instead NVGOTD is a brilliant resource for those that love games, and a perfect starting point for parents looking to see their children to do more than virtually shoot and punch.

And it just happens that NVGOTD’s latest recommendation is one of AskAboutGames’ favourite treasures: Hidden Folks, which offers a cheerful, artful and charming spin on the Where’s Wally format.

This week we’re rather spoilt for top-selling family-friendly games.

In recent years the higher profile of 18-rated titles sees them just about dominate the gaming sales charts. Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, God of War, Far Cry, Fallout; these are the titles that often occupy the top slots. Following on from a slightly family-friendly bias in the charts last week, this time around we see only one 18-rated game in the top-ten sellers of boxed games in the UK. And there are no 16-plus rated games. It’s a good time to be a gaming family.

To help you choose the most popular family-friendly gamester your family, we’ve curated the lists below. they detail the three best selling games of each age rating category. To build these lists the AskAboutGames team go through the official charts, picking the top sellers of each PEGI age category, and then list them in the order they appeared in the full charts.

The PEGI age ratings are the main rating system used in the UK. The UK PEGI certificates are given to games by a board of experts at The VSC Rating Board; we use their ratings to guide our groupings. So if you have, for example, a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old in your family, and you want a popular game for them to play, you could glance at the three-years-plus and seven-years-plus lists below, and ignore the older-age groupings.

Most games below link to their profile over on The VSC Rating Board website, so you can see details of why they were granted the rating they received.

It’s worth noting that the ratings below denote content that is appropriate in theme and tone. They don’t always indicate the ability or age required to necessarily get the most from the game. A three-years-plus rated football management game, for example, won’t contain content that would be disturbing for a four-year old, but it may be too complex for a youngster of that age.

Sonic Mania Plus (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)*
Forza Horizon 3 (Xbox One)
FIFA 18 (PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy (PS4)
LEGO The Incredibles (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
Minecraft: Xbox Edition (Xbox 360, Xbox One)

Sea of Thieves (PC, Xbox One)
The Crew 2 (PS4, Xbox One)
Octopath Traveller (Switch)

Jurassic World: Evolution (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
PlayStation VR Worlds (PS4 (PSVR))
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Xbox One)

God of War (PS4)
Call of Duty: WWII (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Far Cry 5 (PS4, Xbox One)

–

* = New Release

Data is taken from the Ukie Games Charts ‘Top 40 Full-Price Entertainment SOFTWARE’ compiled by GfK Chart Track

With the summer holidays in full swing in the UK, the heatwave has come to an end for the most of us – for now, at least. That might mean a few more days spent inside, looking for something to do as the rain and wind picks up. The right video game might be just what’s needed.

And here at AskAboutGames we’re keen to make it easy for you to find the most popular titles suitable for the age of the gamers in your family.

So we kick off every new week by going through the official charts, and then pull together the lists below. Each groups together the three best selling games from the charts by their PEGI age rating category, and lists the selected games in the order they appeared in the full charts. In the UK PEGI certificates are given to games by a board of experts at The VSC Rating Board; we use their ratings to guide our groupings. So if you have, for example, an eight-year-old and a 10-year-old in your family, and you want a popular game for them to play, you could glance at the three-years-plus and seven-years-plus lists below.

Many games below link to their profile over on The VSC Rating Board website, so you can see details of why they were granted the rating they received. You can learn more about those VSC ‘ACI’ profiles here.

It’s worth noting that the ratings below denote content that is appropriate in theme and tone. They don’t always indicate the ability or age required to necessarily get the most from the game. A three-years-plus rated football management game, for example, won’t contain content that would be disturbing for a four-year old, but it may be too complex for a youngster of that age.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
Sonic Mania Plus (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)**
Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)

Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy (PS4)
LEGO The Incredibles (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
No Man’s Sky (PS4, Xbox One)

The Crew 2 (PS4, Xbox One)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch, Wii U)
Octopath Traveller (Switch)

Jurassic World: Evolution (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Xbox One)
WWE 2K18 (PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One)

God of War (PS4)
Call of Duty: WWII (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Grand Theft Auto V (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox One)

–

* = New Release
** = Link points to standard game edition

Data is taken from the Ukie Games Charts ‘Top 40 Full-Price Entertainment SOFTWARE’ compiled by GfK Chart Track

When a physical, boxed copy of a console, PC or handheld game is released the UK, it always carries a PEGI age rating. That’s nice and simple.

And as we learned in our recent in-depth look at the video game age rating process here in the UK, any retailer or individual selling a PEGI 12, 16 or 18-rated game a person younger than the rating stipulates can be prosecuted.

But in a world where many games are sold digitally – as a download direct onto a console with no need for a disc, for example – how do age ratings work? And what can parents and guardians do to manage the content their children consume.

The major console companies each have digital stores that you can access as websites, or directly on the respective consoles: PlayStation 4, Switch and Xbox One. Strictly speaking, none of those stores are legally obliged to carry PEGI ratings, but they all volunteer to do so.

Mobile app games sold on the Google Play store carry PEGI ratings as much as is possible, as detailed in our spotlight on rating mobile games. Apple, meanwhile, have their own rating system for apps released on their iPhone and iPad devices.

But what about Steam? If you’re not familiar with Steam, it is an online storefront for downloading and playing Windows PC and Mac games, as well as titles released for the less common Linux operating system. Linux is essentially an alternative to the Windows system. Steam also provides a community hub, consumer reviews, game creation tools, access to demos, and much else besides. You can think of it a a combination of online community and gaming store. The store is accessed through the website, or by downloading the Steam software onto a computer. It was created by – and continues to be run by – Valve Software, a video game developer famous for making influential titles like Half-Life, Team Fortress, Counter-Strike and Portal.

Steam is extremely popular. Earlier this year 18 million players were logged into the service at one time, setting a new record for the service, which courts the attention of over 150 million registered users. That’s not surprising considering it offers games as diverse and popular as Rocket League, Grand Theft Auto V and Minecraft.

According to Steam’s terms and conditions, you need to be at least 13-years-old to create an account. And you’ll need a credit or debit card to buy games. Of course, some youngsters are able to find a way around such things, signing up despite not meeting the minimum age, and entering parents’ card details themselves.

Steam games do not carry any consistent age ratings. Every game does carry ‘tags’ which anyone can add to a game’s product page; most significantly the creator of that game themselves. So you might see a game with tags like ‘Violent’ and ‘Sexual Content’ next to it. Those are helpful, and the size of the Steam community makes it powerful in self-policing. But tags arguably don’t offer a consistent or nuanced guide for parents and players. There are, for example, different shades of violence, from Mario jumping on an enemy’s head, to the aggressive gunplay of Grand Theft Auto V. As such a ‘Violent’ tag could mean many things. Tags are not a standard, and are not necessarily created by experts in game content and ratings.

Games on Steam are the responsibility of their publisher (or developer, in the case of self-publishing). As such, many do list the PEGI rating granted to the boxed version of their game on that title’s Steam store page; similar to how PEGI ratings are applied on the Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo console stores. Sometimes a game’s profile page on the Steam store is preceded by a content warning, offering a light barrier to access, but one based on trusting the user’s decision to respect it.

So what can you do to control how youngsters in your family access steam games, or to better understand what a game of interest to your child might contain if it carries no PEGI rating?

Steam offers a few options, such as the Family View parental controls. Family View lets a parent or guardian limit or block access to certain areas of Steam, protecting access with a custom pin number. As part of Family View, parents and guardians can control a ‘Family Games Library’. Let’s say as an adult has downloaded several games into their Steam library; some that are family-friendly, and some that are adults-only. The Family Library option lets you select which games in your library others will have access to when they access steam in Family View mode.

You can also adjust Steam’s settings so that games with violent and/or sexual content are not included in the store you see when browsing Steam. To do that you’ll need to select ‘Store Preferences’ if you are using the Steam software, or ‘Preferences’ if you are using the web browser version of Steam. Depending on which version you’re using, you’ll find the option to select in the drop-down menu that appears if you hover over your account name in the top-right corner of the screen. Once you’ve selected the relevant preferences, you should see the screen below. You can also list up to three tags you wish there, meaning games with those tags will not be shown in your account’s Steam store page.

We’d also offer one of our most common pieces of advice here. Before you buy a game for a youngster in your family, do your research. That’s a sensible approach even when buying a PEGI-rated boxed game; but it’s especially important when a game is without age-rating or consistent content signifiers. These days there are an abundance of videos, reviews and even demos online, and you should check as many as you can before buying a game without a rating.

Really, though, the best option is to stick with games on Steam that do carry a PEGI-rating. You can see one of the PEGI age-rating systems very clearly a little way down on the right hand side of a given game’s store page on Steam.

You can also choose to pick boxed games and those digital releases on the PlayStation 4, Switch and Xbox One stores, where PEGI ratings are always present. In doing that you know a game you are buying has been thoroughly tested by experts in content and the influence of content on youngsters.

Now the summer holidays are well underway, and many are already returning from vacations and trips. Plenty have enjoyed the most appealing activities to entertain the kids, but there may still be a good deal of time to spend occupying the youngsters in your family. As long as it’s balanced with plenty of other activities away from the joypad, some video game time might be just what’s needed. But what games to get that are appropriate for the ages of your family members?

To help you answer that question, here at AskAboutGames we’ve gone through the latest all formats video game charts, and pulled out the three best-selling games under each  PEGI age-rating category. PEGI ratings are given to games in the UK after careful analysis by a group of specialists at The VSC Rating Board. The team there apply a rating between three-years-plus at the lowest end, and 18-years-plus at the other side of the spectrum, having explored a given game’s content in detail. You can use the lists below to see which popular games best suit your family’s respective ages.

Many games below link to their profile over on The VSC Rating Board website, so you can see details of why they were granted the rating they received.

It’s worth noting that the ratings below denote content that is appropriate in theme and tone. They don’t always indicate the ability or age required to necessarily get the most from the game. A three-years-plus rated football management game, for example, won’t contain content that would be disturbing for a four-year old, but it may be too complex for a youngster of that age.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)
Sonic Mania Plus (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)**

Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy (PS4)
LEGO The Incredibles (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

The Crew 2 (PS4, Xbox One)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch, Wii U)
The Sims 4 (PS4, Xbox One)

Jurassic World: Evolution (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Xbox One)
WWE 2K18 (PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One)

Grand Theft Auto V (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox One)
Call of Duty: WWII (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
God of War (PS4)

–

[No new releases in our charts breakdown this week] ** = Link points to standard game edition

Data is taken from the Ukie Games Charts ‘Top 40 Full-Price Entertainment SOFTWARE’ compiled by GfK Chart Track

Earlier this week UK games industry trade body Ukie tweeted a picture of a rather curious bus stop advertisement from mobile phone outfit 02.

Ukie, of course, is part of the team behind AskAboutGames, along with the VSC Ratings Board, which grants UK games their age-ratings. As a trade body Ukie looks to support, grow and promote the games industry in the UK.

But why was that advert so striking? All it did was ask a simple question. ‘Is it alright that your kids only aspire to be an eGamer?’ The question pointed to 02’s ’02 Family’ initiative; something that appears to have aims not unlike AskAboutGames’. Through 02 Family, the communications giant hopes to inform and support parents and guardians bringing up youngsters in the digital, connected age; their focus is rather more about mobile phones, of course.

The question posited by the billboard didn’t answer the question. Arguably, then, it was just trying to encourage debate, and inspire thought. That’s very amicable. Except that the question felt rather loaded, in including the word ‘only’. To say that a child ‘only’ aspired to a certain career suggests they aren’t being ambitious enough. Consider these two hypothetical sentences, where we’ve deliberately moved the focus away from games:

‘My child wants to work in music.’

‘My child only wants to work in music.’

The second is certainly a little more dismissive of the child’s ambition, compared to the first.

And, yes, the 02 ad also included the term ‘eGamer’; a rather unspecific and less-than-common term. It seems they are referring to an ‘eSports athlete’ or ‘professional gamer’. We’re not here to criticise their preferred jargon, though. The point is, the ad seems rather dismissive of ambitions to make a living from games.

Ukie’s tweet about the 02 campaign was typically spirited and playful, but made an important point. The games industry is huge in the UK, and offers thousands of well-paid jobs catering to numerous skillsets, interests and specialties. The UK games industry is worth £5.11 billion, providing a significant space for opportunity, success and high earnings.

More and more schools, colleges and universities include game design skills on their curriculum, making the route to becoming employed in games more feasible and achievable. And even if your child loses interest in a career making games in later life, the core skills they will have learned on that journey will qualify them to work in many other sectors. Knowing how to code, design, engineer and distribute are increasingly essential skills in a continuously more technological, digital and connected world.

It’s fair to point out that, if the ad is talking about professional gamers, that is a slightly different realm. eSports – which refers to organised competitive gaming – can make its stars very rich indeed. Some of the best players are millionaires, making a great deal from prize winnings and sponsorships. And many more make a good amount in the five-figure area. Certainly, not every eSports competitor makes money. But the only way there is to make a success of eSports is to try, which brings us to a more important point; stifling your children’s ambition might not be the best way to go about managing their relationship with games. If they show an interest in eSports, talk to them about it; maybe play some of their favourite esports titles against them (and be prepared to lose!).

Why does eSports interest them? What do they love about it? Have they considered the many other professions in the booming eSports sector? There’s commentators, coaches, sports psychologists, broadcasters, event organisers, managers, marketeers; and, of course, the thousands of people making the games eSports athletes play. A youngster’s interest in becoming an eSports stat might actually open the conversation that leads them to a life loving their career, even if they’re making a lot of money making games, rather than earning it playing them. If you want more insights in the common careers in the games industry, check our recent series of guides to games jobs youngsters can aspire to and eventually make their day job.

Here at AskAboutGames we’re not here to criticise 02, and we certainly don’t know their answer to their own question. They may feel exactly as we do about the opportunity, and they deserve credit for inspiring an important conversation, which may well be their sole aim. But we do believe this; if youngsters in your family aspire to make video games part of their career, they have their eyes on an exciting, growing industry full of opportunities and good wages. And they are offering you a chance to engage with them in discussing the role games can play in your family.

As for us, we’d love to only be an eGamer when we grow up.

After something of a delay, finally this week the UK video game sales charts are available to the public, so we’ve compiled our regular list helping you pick the most popular age-appropriate games for you family.

Regular readers will know this update usually arrives every Monday. While we at AskAboutGames don’t know the exact reason for the hold up, we do know that the charts need games retailers across the country to provide sales data on each game they’ve sold. Gathering and compiling all that data is a wildly complex task, and now it is done.

So why do we provide these charts?

There are a lot of video games available, and not all of them will be suitable for your family. For that reason, here at  AskAboutGames we pour through the latest all formats video game charts. Then we pull out the three best-selling games under each  PEGI age-rating category. That gives you a quick-glance round-up of the most popular video games suitable under each age-rating: 3-plus, 7-plus, 12-plus, 16-plus  and 18-plus. Those PEGI ratings are given to games in the UK after careful analysis by a group of specialists at The VSC Rating Board.

Many games below link to their profile over on The VSC Rating Board website, so you can see details of why they were granted the rating they received, and get more detail on the type of content in the game.

It’s worth noting that the ratings below denote content that is appropriate in theme and tone. They don’t always indicate the ability or age required to necessarily get the most from the game. A three-years-plus rated football management game, for example, won’t contain content that would be disturbing for a four-year old, but it may be too complex for a youngster of that age.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
Madden NFL 19 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)*
Overcooked! 2 (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)*

Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy (PS4)
LEGO The Incredibles (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch, Wii U)
The Crew 2 (PS4, Xbox One)
The Sims 4 (PS4, Xbox One)

Jurassic World: Evolution (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Xbox One)
Destiny 2 (PlayStation 4, Xbox One)

Grand Theft Auto V (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox One)
Call of Duty: WWII (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
God of War (PS4)

–

* New entry

Data is taken from the Ukie Games Charts ‘Top 40 Full-Price Entertainment SOFTWARE’ compiled by GfK Chart Track

Recently a gaming ‘streamer’ known as Ninja became the first to reach 10 million followers on Twitch.

If you’ve got gamers in your family, you’ve likely heard of Twitch. You might even recognise the look of the website. But what is Twitch, and what can you do to make sure it is appropriately used in your home?

At its most simple, Twitch is a video gaming website. Its most significant offering is the ability to watch other people ‘stream’ live video of themselves playing a video game, usually while providing some kind of commentary. As such, a ‘streamer’ is somebody who creates and delivers these live broadcasts.

Twitch also features the likes of product announcements, broadcasts of competitive gaming events, gaming news and official broadcasts from game companies. While Twitch is associated with personal gaming streams, the broadcast of major competitive events – or eSports – is an increasingly popular part of the website. Twitch can also be viewed on mobile devices, games consoles and some specific streaming hardware like Amazon Fire TV, as well as via a web browser.

Users who set up a Twitch account can not only watch their favourite streamers, but also set up their own streaming channel. It’s relatively easy to do, and using simple software, a web-cam and computer, it is possible to stream your own broadcasts.

Another popular element of Twitch sees viewers chatting to each other – and the streamer – via live text as they watch.

Gaming videos are, of course, very popular on Youtube too. But while live streaming is both possible and popular on Youtube, it is more generally associated with pre-recorded, edited video footage.

While it is not as popular, there are also music performances, TV broadcasts and tutorials for the likes of drawing and painting on Twitch. However, games and gaming entirely dominate the platform.

Certainly, most Twitch streamers broadcast as a hobby. But some have become very rich and famous. Ninja – real name Richard Tyler Blevins – is a true internet personality. His individual streams – distinct live broadcasts – attract huge audiences. It was reported that he was earning $560,000 a month from his Fortnite streams on Twitch; and that was back when he had ‘only’ 3 million followers. The money largely comes from paying subscribers, who subscribe to specific channels like Ninja’s, paying to get access to extra content. Ninja makes plenty of extra money from his other channels, like Youtube.

Officially, Twitch is for gamers aged 13 years and older. And a user between 13 and 18 years old should use the platform with an adult, according to the site’s terms of service. But any parent will likely know youngsters are fairly savvy at getting around such restrictions.

A typical Fortnite live stream on Twitch

Twitch offers fantastic potential; a chance to learn about new games, and a community of enthusiasts who want to share their passion. Streaming yourself can teach you to be tech savvy, give you experience in creating content and building a brand. Even if it doesn’t make you a penny, it’s a worthy creative endeavour, and might teach skills that help a great deal in education, and after that, finding work. And it could make your family rather well off (just to make it clear, this is extremely unlikely, and there’s a lot of competition to make even a tiny amount of money on Twitch. It is not a quick way to make cash.)

Twitch being live, however, means it brings with it many challenges. It is very hard to police or censor live content that – at least with the personal streams – is often improvised. Many users say what comes to their mind as they think it, meaning hearing mature conversation and bad language is not impossible. It may even be common on some channels.

Equally, the live chat is uncensored, and can include course language, offensive discussion and adult content. In rare cases abuse and threats are directed at users on Twitch via the chat window.

Also, games with adult age ratings are broadcast on Twitch. Users can’t play them, but they might see adult content. Even without an account, you can load up the website and see other people play games, including those carrying a PEGI-18 rating in the UK.

There are also a lot of adverts, which can only really be avoided by paying for a premium ‘Turbo’ account.

Parental controls on Twitch don’t exist, but there is much you can do. For one, many more official streaming channels on Twitch use a system that filters the chat stream for bad language and other words, blocking those words before they are used. Many channels may also have live moderators checking and policing the conversation; meaning another real human reading and contributing to the chat to keep it safe and friendly. The very largest channels often use automated tools on top of human moderators to keep things extra safe.

As such, try and spend some time watching the streams or channels youngsters in your family do. It won’t take long to get a sense of the games those streamers play, the tone and language of the broadcaster, and the content of the chat streams.

It’s worth knowing that Twitch uses the term ‘Whispers’ to refer to direct, private, one-to-one messages. There are also group-chats that users can invite each other to. You should make sure you have access to any Twitch account a youngster in your family uses, so you can check any conversations in these Whispers. Also, encourage them to speak to you as a parent if they see anything upsetting, or experience anything that they don’t feel confortable about or understand.

Twitch’s chat does make it easy to see who moderators are, so you or your younger family members can speak to them direct about any concerns. Twitch also has numerous settings for blocking the ability to receive different messages. And as you can easily report any problems you have, the community is fairly well self-policed.

And if Twitch has a presence in your family, and you’re unsure about that, the best way forward might be to set up a streaming channel with your younger family members. You might have to put your ego to one side and only be involved behind the scenes, because us adults are apparently embarrassing at all times… and you might start out with very few viewers indeed. But running a channel together is a fantastic creative process you can enjoy and learn from together. And more importantly, that will help you build up trust and a dialogue about how Twitch is used and enjoyed in the home. What’s more, as US streaming outfit FatherSonGaming prove, families can be very successful together as gaming streamers, and maybe even bring in some income.