How to Buy Video Games for a Kid

October 31, 2008

Buying video games for a kid’s birthday or Christmas can be challenging. All the different systems and games can be intimidating for anyone who doesn’t play video games themselves. Luckily, the decision doesn’t have to be overwhelming if you keep three things in mind. System. Genre. And Rating

System – What system should you buy a game for?
Games are made to work on one specific system so you need to be sure you are buying the game for the correct system. Ask the kid or their parents what system they own. The main choices are: Playstation 2, Xbox, Gamecube, Nintendo DS, Gameboy Advance, Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PSP.

Genre – What kind of game should I buy?
Now that you have narrowed down your search to the right system, you have to choose the genre of game you will buy. The best way to do this is use what you know about the child. Do they play soccer? Buy a soccer game. Love watching football? Buy a football game. Do they skateboard or are they obsessed with cars? Buy a skateboarding game or racing game. Or do they really like a particular movie? Most major movies have a related video game you can buy.

Rating- Is the game appropriate for the kid?
Now you have honed in on the games you might want to buy but you have to be sure they are appropriate. Video games have a rating system like movies, with E, E10, T, and M standing for Everyone, Everyone over 10, Teens, and Mature. If the child is seven, but sure the game you choose is not rated Mature or more than likely the parents won’t be too happy.

Keep these three things in mind when shopping; System, Genre, and Rating. And you should be able to breeze through this daunting task and choose the video game that will make the kid’s birthday all they wanted.

Posted in RSS