I blame incompetent parents for that. To be fair, I see age ratings as more of a guideline than a restriction, and if an informed parent were to assess that their kid is mature enough to handle certain content, even if it’s technically for an older age group, especially if they’re ten or older, then I for one think that’s ok. Of course, that would involve at least a basic understanding of what one’s kids are playing, and it seems few parents want to take the time necessary to put in the research to make such an informed decision.
What seems to happen more often than not is, parents either don’t pay attention to age ratings when they get games for their kids, or they just let their kids have an unrestricted account on whatever system or service, complete with their saved credit card. Of course, there is then parent outrage, even though said game is clearly labeled as not for that age group. What’s worse is when a kid from a family who does follow age ratings visits a friend who has games they’re not otherwise allowed access to, they get exposed to said games anyways.
Personally, my recommendation is, any parents who don’t know enough about games to make an informed decision as to which games are appropriate for their kids should just follow the age ratings, because that’s what they’re there for. I’m all for informed parents being lenient, because they would have a greater knowledge of what is and isn’t right for their kids. Gamer parents have an edge in that regard. Parents who have no idea though, should just follow what their region’s age guidelines say as there are people whose literal job is to make such assessments for the general population.
