What is Minecraft Legends?

Minecraft Legends is set in a colorful landscape that will be familiar to anyone who has played or seen the original Minecraft. Minecraft Legends is about mining for resources and building structures, but it’s also about using smart strategies to fight armies of enemies and defend bases in an adventure story.

The story sees hordes of enemy Piglins – blocky Orc-like creatures who generally live in an underground world called the Nether – invading Minecraft’s lush and bountiful Overworld. The Piglins are intent on plundering and ruling this beautiful land, and the main character is charged with defending the Overworld and retaliating against the Piglins.

How does Minecraft Legends play?

Your character is a warrior who rides one of a variety of mounts through different Minecraft-generated biomes, including a pretty jungle, and arid badlands. As you explore, you gather allies. These are often animals or creatures, aka “mobs.” To earn allies you ride up to them, and wave a magical banner. The critters then follow the player around, effectively creating an army.

You can also send magical fairies to gather resources like wood from trees, which can be used to build useful structures. These include “spawners” which manufacture more powerful helpers and followers. These include traditional Minecraft baddies, like Creepers, who are now allied with you against the Piglins.

When you arrive at a Piglin base, you should have gathered an army that’s made up of a good collection of fighters. Different kinds of mobs have different strengths and weaknesses, so mustering a correctly balanced army is a central winning strategy.

During the ensuing battle, you direct a beam of light (known as the Banner of Courage) at locations where you want your fighters to focus their attention. Just like mobs, Piglins come in different shapes and sizes, and some are far more difficult to beat than others.

Just like any good general, you try to focus your army’s attention on the most dangerous enemies. During battles, you can also build structures, like towers, that help your army take control of the enemy base.

The Piglins have built a great variety of fortresses across the Overland, so it’s up to the player to figure out each one’s weaknesses by wisely spending available resources, amassing the right mix of allies that will take down their increasingly formidable defenses, and planning attacks that will take advantage of enemy weaknesses.

Does Minecraft Legends have an Online Multiplayer Option?

Yes. Players can work together in teams of four to take down the Piglins. Or you can join one of two teams, made up of up to four players on each side, to build your own bases and try to destroy the other team. Make sure you set parental controls on your kids’ devices to manage your child’s online communications, including with whom your kids can chat while playing online. Of course, you can always block communication entirely!

Is Minecraft Legends Appropriate for Children?

Minecraft Legends is rated E10+ (Everyone 10+) by ESRB, with a Content Descriptor for Fantasy Violence and Interactive Elements including Users Interact and In-Game Purchases.

The story is heavily inspired by classic fairy tales and children’s stories. It features familiar tropes such as a magic lute that summons reinforcements, a banner that instills courage in fellow warriors, and an eternal flame that attracts new helpers to the cause of freedom.

Sympathetic characters are cute and friendly, while the hog-like Piglins are faintly comedic, although their strongholds have a demonic quality like pillars of fire, ominous artifacts, and cackling villains. The combat can be noisy and frenetic, but defeated Piglins disappear from the screen without evidence of wounds or fallen bodies.

Players use swords, arrows, and fire to defeat pixelated enemies. Battles are accompanied by cries of pain and small explosions. One cutscene depicts a villain throwing/shooting fiery arrows at a bunny and other unarmed characters.

ESRB’s Rating Summary for Minecraft Legends provides more details that may be important to consider as you decide if Minecraft Legends is appropriate for your family.

Where Can I Play Minecraft Legends?

Minecraft Legends is available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

Players use swords, arrows, and fire to defeat pixelated enemies.

How Much Does Minecraft Legends Cost?

Minecraft Legends costs $39.99 on all platforms, or $49.99 for the Deluxe Edition, which comes with extra cosmetic skins for player characters to wear. Skins and cosmetics will also be available through in-game purchases.

Staying Involved with Your Kids’ Playing

As always, understanding the games your children are playing is key to making sure they have appropriate experiences.

Checking ratings, researching online, or watching your children play for a while is not only a great way to stay informed, but also helps nurture a judgment-free environment around something they love. You may even want to pick up the controller and play the game yourself. Playing immersive strategy games with family and friends can be a great opportunity to connect and enjoy each other’s company.

Video game devices, such as consoles, PCs, and smartphones, offer parental controls that help you manage what your kids play, when and for how long, with whom, and whether they can spend money on new games or in-game purchases. Some video game storefronts, like Steam and the Epic Games Store, include parental controls as well. You can find step-by-step parental controls guides at ParentalTools.org.

While you’re there, visit ESRB’s Family Gaming Guide for more tips about how you can help to ensure positive video game experiences for your kids.

Colin Campbell is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in The Economist, The Guardian, Polygon, IGN, Gamesindustry.biz and more.

The post What Parents Need to Know About Minecraft Legends appeared first on ESRB Ratings.

What is Minecraft Legends?

Minecraft Legends is set in a colorful landscape that will be familiar to anyone who has played or seen the original Minecraft. Minecraft Legends is about mining for resources and building structures, but it’s also about using smart strategies to fight armies of enemies and defend bases in an adventure story.

The story sees hordes of enemy Piglins – blocky Orc-like creatures who generally live in an underground world called the Nether – invading Minecraft’s lush and bountiful Overworld. The Piglins are intent on plundering and ruling this beautiful land, and the main character is charged with defending the Overworld and retaliating against the Piglins.

How does Minecraft Legends play?

Your character is a warrior who rides one of a variety of mounts through different Minecraft-generated biomes, including a pretty jungle, and arid badlands. As you explore, you gather allies. These are often animals or creatures, aka “mobs.” To earn allies you ride up to them, and wave a magical banner. The critters then follow the player around, effectively creating an army.

You can also send magical fairies to gather resources like wood from trees, which can be used to build useful structures. These include “spawners” which manufacture more powerful helpers and followers. These include traditional Minecraft baddies, like Creepers, who are now allied with you against the Piglins.

When you arrive at a Piglin base, you should have gathered an army that’s made up of a good collection of fighters. Different kinds of mobs have different strengths and weaknesses, so mustering a correctly balanced army is a central winning strategy.

During the ensuing battle, you direct a beam of light (known as the Banner of Courage) at locations where you want your fighters to focus their attention. Just like mobs, Piglins come in different shapes and sizes, and some are far more difficult to beat than others.

Just like any good general, you try to focus your army’s attention on the most dangerous enemies. During battles, you can also build structures, like towers, that help your army take control of the enemy base.

The Piglins have built a great variety of fortresses across the Overland, so it’s up to the player to figure out each one’s weaknesses by wisely spending available resources, amassing the right mix of allies that will take down their increasingly formidable defenses, and planning attacks that will take advantage of enemy weaknesses.

Does Minecraft Legends have an Online Multiplayer Option?

Yes. Players can work together in teams of four to take down the Piglins. Or you can join one of two teams, made up of up to four players on each side, to build your own bases and try to destroy the other team. Make sure you set parental controls on your kids’ devices to manage your child’s online communications, including with whom your kids can chat while playing online. Of course, you can always block communication entirely!

Is Minecraft Legends Appropriate for Children?

Minecraft Legends is rated E10+ (Everyone 10+) by ESRB, with a Content Descriptor for Fantasy Violence and Interactive Elements including Users Interact and In-Game Purchases.

The story is heavily inspired by classic fairy tales and children’s stories. It features familiar tropes such as a magic lute that summons reinforcements, a banner that instills courage in fellow warriors, and an eternal flame that attracts new helpers to the cause of freedom.

Sympathetic characters are cute and friendly, while the hog-like Piglins are faintly comedic, although their strongholds have a demonic quality like pillars of fire, ominous artifacts, and cackling villains. The combat can be noisy and frenetic, but defeated Piglins disappear from the screen without evidence of wounds or fallen bodies.

Players use swords, arrows, and fire to defeat pixelated enemies. Battles are accompanied by cries of pain and small explosions. One cutscene depicts a villain throwing/shooting fiery arrows at a bunny and other unarmed characters.

ESRB’s Rating Summary for Minecraft Legends provides more details that may be important to consider as you decide if Minecraft Legends is appropriate for your family.

Where Can I Play Minecraft Legends?

Minecraft Legends is available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

Players use swords, arrows, and fire to defeat pixelated enemies.

How Much Does Minecraft Legends Cost?

Minecraft Legends costs $39.99 on all platforms, or $49.99 for the Deluxe Edition, which comes with extra cosmetic skins for player characters to wear. Skins and cosmetics will also be available through in-game purchases.

Staying Involved with Your Kids’ Playing

As always, understanding the games your children are playing is key to making sure they have appropriate experiences.

Checking ratings, researching online, or watching your children play for a while is not only a great way to stay informed, but also helps nurture a judgment-free environment around something they love. You may even want to pick up the controller and play the game yourself. Playing immersive strategy games with family and friends can be a great opportunity to connect and enjoy each other’s company.

Video game devices, such as consoles, PCs, and smartphones, offer parental controls that help you manage what your kids play, when and for how long, with whom, and whether they can spend money on new games or in-game purchases. Some video game storefronts, like Steam and the Epic Games Store, include parental controls as well. You can find step-by-step parental controls guides at ParentalTools.org.

While you’re there, visit ESRB’s Family Gaming Guide for more tips about how you can help to ensure positive video game experiences for your kids.

Colin Campbell is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in The Economist, The Guardian, Polygon, IGN, Gamesindustry.biz and more.

The post What Parents Need to Know About Minecraft Legends appeared first on ESRB Ratings.

Odds are your teen is among the millions logging in to play with their friends, but it can be challenging to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of a popular game. Read on for everything you need to know about Apex Legends.

What is Apex Legends?

Apex Legends is a first-person, online multiplayer game published by Electronic Arts and developed by Respawn Entertainment. Set on a distant planet in the aftermath of a galactic war, players take on the role of a characters fighting in huge gladiatorial games for the entertainment of unseen settlers. Players engage in team battles across a variety of locations while searching for supplies and weapons, including machine guns, rifles, and explosives. The map area decreases over time, forcing teams closer and closer to each other, until only one team remains.

Players in the core game form teams of three, made up of pre-designed characters, A.K.A Legends. Legends each have their own personalities, abilities, skills, and boosts – making them feel like fully fleshed out characters. For example, Octane is a young daredevil who got into an accident and now has bionic legs. As a result, he moves and heals quickly. However, if the Octane moves too far from supporting teammates these advantages are offset. All of the Legends have unique hooks that change the gameplay and allow a team to work strategically.

Teams can comprise groups of friends who want to play together, or individual players can choose to be randomly assigned to online squads. Up to 20 teams battle one another in a variety of maps that include towering mountains, cityscapes, industrial installations, and abandoned settlements, each of which includes roaming alien wildlife.

Apex Legends has quickly grown into a spectator sport of sorts, providing visual and audible entertainment through gameplay as well as in-game characters’ antics and quips. Over the past three years, Apex Legends has added a host of new play modes, maps, and characters, with more every few months.

Is Apex Legends Appropriate for Kids?

Apex Legends is rated T (Teen 13+) with Content Descriptors for Blood and Violence and Interactive Elements that include Users Interact (meaning players can communicate online if they choose) and In-Game Purchases (meaning the game offers the ability to exchange real-world currency for in-game currency or items).

Many parents may be interested in the fact that Apex Legends is a first-person, team-based shooter, however the visuals are highly stylized, giving it a futuristic and unrealistic vibe. The Rating Summary for Apex Legends goes on to say, “Frenetic firefights are accompanied by blood-splatter effects, realistic gunfire, and large explosions. Players can also perform various finishing moves on weakened enemies (e.g., stabbing them with a knife; beating opponents down with fists; electrocuting characters). These attacks are often depicted close-up and/or from the victim’s perspective.”

Playing Apex Legends Online

Like many battle royale games, Apex Legends is played online with others. Players can either team up with friends to battle it out or sign on individually and get grouped with random teammates. Unlike similar team-based games, Apex Legends does not require direct person-to-person communication via voice chat to make a team effective, although it always remains an option. Instead, players can use the “Ping system,” an entirely unique mode of communication.

Players can use the Ping system to communicate without speaking to one another directly. Using specific button presses, players can ping their teammates with visual icons that communicate directions, weapon locations, enemies, and more. Experienced players use pings to engage in whole conversations that allow teams to work together against enemies.

Many parents share reservations about their kids communicating openly online. The Ping system solves that issue by allowing players to collaborate in a proactive manner, without potentially inappropriate interactions with others.

Where Can I Play Apex Legends?

The game is available for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, as well as mobile platforms Android and iOS. Apex Legends is cross-play enabled for PC, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox, meaning that players who own different devices can play with one another.

How Much Does Apex Legends Cost?

Apex Legends is free but, like many free-to-play games, it offers cosmetic items for purchase. These include weapons, decorations (aka “skins”), as well as outfits, short victory animations, emotes and quips for specific characters.

In some cases, these cosmetics can be unlocked through free gameplay, but some individual items can only be obtained through the game’s online store. They are purchased using Apex Coins, which are tokens that can be purchased with real money. Players can also buy Apex Packs and Battle Passes.

Apex Packs are loot boxes that yield random cosmetics and other goodies. They come in different tiers, with the more expensive packs more likely to yield high value in-game items.

Battle Passes are released for purchase roughly every three months, often with a new Season, in which new maps, modes, characters, and cosmetics are introduced. The Battle Pass gives players new goodies right off the bat and allows them to unlock new progress paths. This includes opportunities to earn extra items as your kids achieve various challenges. Players who do not buy the Battle Pass can also earn cosmetics, but are blocked from earning certain items.

It’s important to remember that cosmetic items don’t impact the actual gameplay. There is no “pay-to-win” in Apex Legends. They are there for players who like to individualize their character, and to show other players their level of progression.

Parental Controls

Virtually all video game devices include parental controls to help you manage what your kids play, with whom, when and for how long, and whether they can spend money on new games and in-game purchases. ESRB provides step-by-step parental control guides at ParentalTools.org.

It’s also helpful to keep in mind that you can mute voice conversations and text messages between players, and in the case of Apex Legends, your kids can still communicate via the ping system.

The post What Parents Need to Know About Apex Legends appeared first on ESRB Ratings.

More than 150 million people use Discord each month, and if you’re a parent chances are your kids are among them. Discord’s explosive popularity thus far has been fueled primarily by teens and young adults who flock to its platform to connect while playing games, do homework together, hold club meetings, sing karaoke, or just hang out.

Tyler Jones, who began using Discord when he was 15, sums up the platform’s appeal to teens and young adults this way: “It’s fast, it’s reliable, it’s easy to use, and it offers so many features, like video calling, screen sharing and presenting, and customizations, that other sites don’t have for free.”

More than anything, Discord helps facilitate socialization among peers, especially in times when it’d be otherwise impossible to do so in-person.

“I’ve known a lot of young adults my age struggle socially, especially in a time like now, and have found Discord as a comforting place to make friends and keep up with them,” Jones said.

If you’re intrigued about Discord, the following will help you learn the basics about Discord, including how you can make sure your kids stay safe while navigating the platform.

What is Discord?

Discord is a free communications platform that lets users text, talk, video chat, and share screens with one another. It was initially used largely by gamers, but it’s since spread to other groups thanks to its ease-of-use and wide variety of useful functions, including to host book clubs, knitting groups, sewing circles, and all manner of gatherings, both personal and professional.

How is Discord Different from Other Social Media Platforms?

One of Discord’s biggest differentiators is that it has no ads. Discord also says it does not sell user data or share its data with third parties for advertising purposes, although it does offer a subscription that offers users various enhancements to the Discord experience.  And unlike many social media platforms, there’s no news feed.

More than anything, Discord helps facilitate socialization among peers, especially in times when it’d be otherwise impossible to do so in-person.

Users can also engage with either public or private spaces. As implied by the name, the public servers (communities organized around a specific topic or group) are accessible to anyone, meaning whatever your kids post can be seen by anyone that happens across that space. Meanwhile, private servers are only accessible to approved users, giving your kids the opportunity to set up their own servers for people they know, or joining their friends’ servers.

This makes Discord a more personally curated platform.

Discord’s Vocabulary

Discord can be tricky for the uninitiated. Thankfully, there’s a glossary, as well as numerous beginner’s guides, including an official guide from Discord, an unofficial guide from PCWorld, and a manual put together by M.I.T. students on how to use Discord to collaborate with classmates on projects.

Some terms you may hear are:

• Server: Spaces where users can gather and communicate. Servers can be started by communities and friend groups and can be either public (meaning anyone can join) or invitation only. Any user can start a new server for free.
• Channel: Servers are organized into text and voice channels through which users can communicate. These are usually more limited in scope and dedicated to specific topics.
• DMs: Short for “direct message”. These are private messages (via text, voice, or video) sent directly from one user to another.
• GDMs: This is short for “group direct message”. While direct messages are between two people, users can invite others to a private conversation of up to 10 people. Users cannot join a conversation unless they are invited.

Can Children Use Discord?

Discord’s Terms of Service states that only users who are 13 years or older may use its service in the U.S. That said, there are children under 13 who use Discord. The company has said it is developing a “gate” that asks users to self-report their date of birth upon creating an account. If a user is reported as being under 13, Discord will lock the user out of their account until they can verify their age with an official ID.

Make sure your kids know to never lie about their age on Discord or any other platform!

Can Strangers Interact With My Children on Discord?

It depends on your child’s account settings. When your kids join a server, others in that server can send them direct messages. You can, however, disable this feature in the account settings under the Privacy & Safety tab (see more details below). You can also select who can send your child a friend request, for example, you can choose everyone, friends of friends, or only other server members.

Make sure your kids know to never lie about their age on any platform!

Discord recommends that users accept friend invites only from people they know. Keep in mind that users do not have to use their real names on Discord, so it may take one extra step to confirm who’s sending an invite. There’s also an option to scan messages and delete those that have explicit content. Should your kids ever encounter someone behaving inappropriately, Discord allows you to block the person in question, which prevents them from sending your kids direct messages and hides their messages in any shared servers. Finally, you can also create an invite-only server and invite only people you or your children know personally.

Is There Inappropriate Content on Discord?

As with any social media platform with user-generated and contributed content, Discord can contain content that’s inappropriate for kids. The platform’s community guidelines require that servers with adult content include an “age-restricted” label.

More recently, Discord has updated its community guidelines to also prohibit harmful misinformation and in some cases examine off-platform behavior when assessing if a user has violated the guidelines. According to Discord, this is part of an ongoing effort to make sure the platform stays safe for its users.

It’s great when companies and platforms take steps to ensure the safety of their users, but there’s no substitute for having a conversation with your kids about what to do when they spot inappropriate content. You can do this not only when they use Discord, but when they interact with other social media platforms as well.

Discord provides training materials for its users on how to moderate communities, while also spending resources to monitor and enforce compliance with its guidelines across the platform. In fact, every six months, it releases a Transparency Report highlighting how many users were reported for community guidelines violations, why the reports were submitted (harassment, spam, cybercrime, graphic content, etc.), the actions taken by the trust and safety team, and more.

Discord provides training materials for its users on how to moderate communities, while also spending resources to monitor and enforce compliance with its guidelines across the platform. In fact, every six months, it releases a Transparency Report highlighting how many users were reported for community guidelines violations, why the reports were submitted (harassment, spam, cybercrime, graphic content, etc.), the actions taken by the trust and safety team, and more.

How Can I Help Ensure My Kids Use Discord Safely?

As mentioned above, Discord has safety and privacy settings, It’s important to remember that anyone with access to a Discord account login can change the settings at any time, including your kids. However, Discord emphasizes in its safety FAQ that it will not share user login details with parents who request access to their kids’ accounts. So, you’ll have to get access from your kids directly.

Check the chart below to quickly access and set safety and privacy settings.

What Else Can Parents Do to Monitor What Their Kids Are Doing on Discord?

As with all social media and online game platforms, parents should nurture an ongoing, open conversation with each of their kids about their use of those platforms. Showing interest by regularly checking in and asking them to share what they’re doing on Discord in a non-judgmental way is a not only a great way to understand how the platform works and how your kids are using it, but also ascertain any potential risks.

Patricia E. Vance is the president of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). In her position, she leads the teams responsible for assigning age and content ratings to video games and apps, enforcing marketing guidelines adopted by the video game industry, and operating ESRB Privacy Certified, an FTC-sanctioned COPPA Safe Harbor Privacy seal certification program.

The post What Parents Need to Know About Discord appeared first on ESRB Ratings.

Nearly half a billion players likely felt this way about Among Us (Everyone 10+), when they rediscovered the two-year-old game last year, catapulting it to heights of popularity that took even its developers by surprise. Released in 2018 but rediscovered in 2020 by kids and adults who appreciated its mix of silly humor and simple online gameplay, the game became a vehicle for many to connect with others in a fun, lighthearted way.

The game snagged both the Mobile Game of the Year and the Best Multiplayer Game at the annual Game Awards 2020 in December. It’s also featured as an Editor’s Choice selection in Apple’s App Store. Its popularity also got a massive boost when U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) played the game in a live stream in October on her Twitch Channel to more than 435,000 viewers.

If you’d like to learn more about Among Us to help you decide whether it’s right for your family, or you’re just curious to know what the fuss is all about, read on!

What is Among Us?

Among Us is an online, multiplayer whodunnit game available on mobile (Android, iOS) devices, as well as on PCs, the Nintendo Switch and Microsoft’s Xbox platforms. In March, its developer, Innersloth, released a free new map for the game dubbed the Airship.

Among Us is Clue meets Alien – but with an adorable art style and a clever social engineering angle.

The premise is simple: players are dropped into a damaged spaceship and each is secretly assigned to be either a crewmember or an impostor. If you’re a crewmember, you have to fix your spaceship. If you’re an impostor, your job is to sabotage the ship and kill the crewmembers. Players hold meetings throughout each session to debate and vote on who they think the impostor is. The mate with the most votes gets tossed out of the airlock. Will the crew be able to repair the ship or eject the impostors in time?

Among Us is Clue meets Alien – but with an adorable art style and a clever social engineering angle.

Is Among Us Appropriate for Your Kids?

Because every family is unique, parents tend to have their own evaluation criteria for what they feel is OK for their kids.

That said, Sarah Kimmel has a five-step process she goes through each time she evaluates a new game for her 11-year-old son. Her first step is to check out the game’s ESRB rating. In this case, Among Us has been assigned an Everyone 10+ rating by the ESRB with Content Descriptors that include “Fantasy Violence” and “Mild Blood.” It also has Interactive Elements that include “Users Interact,” meaning players are able to chat with one another, and “In-Game Purchases,” which lets parents know the game offers the ability to make additional purchases.

“Next, I read reviews of the game in the app store,” said Kimmel, director of technical support for technology company Gryphon in Salt Lake City, Utah. “Then I look up the game’s maker to see if it’s a legit company, and I try to understand how they make money. Fourth, I ask other parents to see what their experiences have been with the game. Lastly, I play the game myself, or I watch my son play it for a while so I can see what kind of interactions he has in the game.”

For parents, one relevant aspect of the game is the cartoony violence that happens when impostors take out crewmembers. One parent I spoke with said she was initially nervous about the violence.

“But the way it was done was OK, and not too gruesome,” said Viviane Nguyen, a program analyst in Renton, Wash., whose two children ages 6 and 11 both play the game with their uncles and cousins.

Among Us lets you create games for players who are connected to the same local WiFi connection. It also allows you to create a private game with a six-character code that you can use to invite friends to your game.

Managing In-Game Communications

Another thing to consider is the game’s chat function, which lets players debate and discuss who might be the impostor prior to voting. This is where much of the intrigue and player interactions happen, and it’s integral to enjoying the game. In “Guest” mode, players select from a menu of canned dialogue. Once players create accounts, they can access the free chat. Parents are able to switch on the game’s profanity filter to bleep out offensive language, but it’s important to know that the filter doesn’t always catch everything.

Notably, developer Innersloth, recently tightened up its Code of Conduct to support moderation and reporting capabilities. For example, players are able to report inappropriate player names, inappropriate chat, cheating, hacking, harassment, or misconduct. Consequences can range from temporary to permanent bans. Innersloth noted that reports are read by people, not bots. In addition, players under 13 need parental approval before they can create an account and access the free chat.

Not into playing with strangers? Among Us lets you create games for players who are connected to the same local WiFi connection. It also allows you to create a private game with a six-character code that you can use to invite friends to your game.

How Much Does It Cost?

The price of the game depends on the platform. On iOS and Android, Among Us is free to download and play, but has in-game purchasing options ranging from $1.99 to $2.99 for cosmetic add-ons such as hats or pets. The mobile versions also feature ads that you can remove for $1.99.

On PC, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, the basic game costs $4.99, with optional add-ons and bundles ranging from $1.99 to $15.49. The add-ons consist of varying costumes and cosmetic bells and whistles; they don’t affect game play or provide any competitive advantage.

Other Parental Controls

In addition to making the profanity filter available and requiring kids under 13 to obtain their parents’ permission to create accounts and access free chat, other parental controls outside the game are available for virtually every device, including mobile devices, tablets, PCs, consoles and more.

Depending upon the device, parental controls can help parents manage what their kids play, for how long, with whom, and whether (and how much) they can spend money on in-game purchases. ESRB offers free, step-by-step parental controls guides for many platforms at ParentalTools.org.

Alex Pham is a mother, journalist and content strategist living in San Diego, Calif. She previously spent 20 years writing about media and technology for publications such as the Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and Billboard Magazine. The highlight of her career was when she beat Pikmin in a single, caffeine-fueled weekend.

The post What Parents Need to Know About Among Us appeared first on ESRB Ratings.

I absentmindedly gave my standard response, “Why don’t you go play with your friends?” The words flew out of my mouth just as my brain kicked in to remind me that, in the midst of a pandemic, it was bad manners for kids to show up at a friend’s house without first invoking complex inter-family logistics similar to prepping for a trip to the moon. “Oh. Right,” I said, feeling stupid.

“That’s okay, Mom,” my son said, reasonably. “I can play with Kayla on Minecraft. Is that okay?”

Just a few months ago, I would not have agreed. But now, I grabbed on to his idea like a life preserver. Kid engaged and out of trouble? Check! Socially distanced play? Check! Age appropriate content? It’s rated Everyone 10+. So, check! What’s not to like?

Going by the data, gaming has taken off during the pandemic, especially online gaming.

But then I started to wonder why my attitude has changed. Are other parents also re-evaluating what it means to “go play with friends”? Going by the data, gaming has taken off during the pandemic, especially online gaming. To get a different perspective, I asked several families about how they’re balancing social interaction with social distancing while making sure their kids are having age-appropriate experiences.

Although each of the families I spoke with had vastly different rules, they all had one thing in common – they grounded their decisions with extensive research, using content ratings and parental control options that help them draw and maintain boundaries for their children.

“I know my kids better than anyone else,” said Jonathan Silverstein, a father of two newborn twins and a teenager. “And one of the great things about ratings standards like the ESRB is that it gives me consistent guidance. I use that guidance to inform my decision-making.”

Here’s a snapshot of the families I spoke with.

The Silverstein Family

Location: Long Island, New York

Number of children: 3

Since the start of the pandemic, Jonathan Silverstein’s 14-year-old daughter Mila keeps up with friends by playing Star Stable Online. In addition, Silverstein and his family in Long Island have also used online games to stay in touch with relatives they’ve been unable to visit, including his two sisters’ families.

“It’s how we as a family have stayed connected with each other,” he said. “That was the only way we could hang out as a family. Even though they’re only about an hour’s drive away, every household in my family has at least one person at high risk for COVID-19 complications, so we might as well be on the other side of the planet.”

“It starts with the age ratings, but it’s the second component, the descriptors, that tells me what is and what is not appropriate.”

– Jonathan Silverstein

Their preferred game? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone. Silverstein is aware that the games are rated Mature 17+, but he’s comfortable with his daughter playing the online game as long as she’s with family members.

“It starts with the age ratings, but it’s the second component, the descriptors, that tells me what is and what is not appropriate,” he explained, referring to the ESRB’s more than 30 Content Descriptors and individual rating summaries. “It’s like movies. Some R-rated movies are okay, because I know my daughter is mature enough to understand the material. Same with the ESRB ratings. The Content Descriptors give me a set of criteria to evaluate the game’s appropriateness. With this title, I know she’s mature enough to understand that this is fiction.”

The Huey Family

Location: Seattle, Washington

Number of children: 3

Amy Huey used to be a lot more circumspect about her three children’s online gaming activities.

In normal times, this wasn’t an issue. With a schedule packed with sports, playdates, school, camps and extracurricular activities, there was little time left over for video games.

Once the pandemic hit, schedules turned upside down. What was once an occasional activity became a primary activity for her three boys, ages 8, 11 and 13 years.

“Since we’ve been home, it’s primarily how they stay in touch with their friends,” Huey said. “They’ve been on Minecraft, Fortnite (Teen 13+), and Terraria (Teen 13+), because that’s where all their friends are. They don’t do social media. Gaming is how they connect.”

The sudden influx of gaming this year has led Huey to pay closer attention to ratings and reviews to help ensure that her boys were selecting games that were appropriate for their ages. “My oldest is 13, and my youngest is 8,” she explained. “With such a wide age range, it’s a challenge to manage. The [ESRB] ratings and descriptors really help guide what we should allow in the house.”

The Bunge Sellers Family

Location: Katy, Texas

Number of children: 2

Tonda Bunge Sellers once maintained an “E-only” household.

“No games unless it’s rated E,” Bunge Sellers said, referring to the ESRB’s “Everyone” rating category that’s granted to games that are suitable for all ages. “It had to be an E, and no online interactions were allowed. I am very intentional about the technology that comes into our home.”

But in May, she found herself re-evaluating her rules for her 10-year-old son.

“I realized I was going to have to let him online,” said Bunge Sellers, who produces events about kids and technology. “It’s hard to be with your parents 24/7 when you’re 10 years old. He needs his friends.”

The family settled on playing Minecraft (rated Everyone 10+) and Fortnite Creative, a sandbox version of the original battle royale version of Fortnite, which was assigned a Teen 13+ rating from the ESRB.

“We did the research and looked at these games together,” said Bunge Sellers, who drew the line for her family at allowing Fortnite Creative, because it was “still team-based play and building obstacle courses,” but not Fortnite itself because she felt the frenetic third-person combat was not appropriate for her son.

“Although the rating was for Teen,” she explained, “I learned personally that the game allows for builders and hunters and that there are collaborative aspects that provided a social outlet for our son during the pandemic.”

Bunge Sellers readily admits that the lines she draws for her family may be very different than what other families may decide for theirs – and that’s okay.

“For me, it helps to have ratings and guidelines created by people that I trust. It means something to me to know that there’s research behind it,” she said. “Every family is different, but having a common standard helps us know what we’re getting so we can make the right decisions for our own families.”

The Chelesnik Family

Location: San Diego, California

Number of children: 1

Like nearly all parents I spoke with, Amy Chelesnik is especially alert to how her 13-year-old son interacts with others while playing online.

“I don’t take issue with him connecting with people he knows. I take great issue with him engaging with people he doesn’t know,” said Chelesnik.

Chelesnik said she specifically approved Minecraft for her son because the game allowed her to set whom he can communicate with. As a former middle school science teacher, her model for vetting games and apps is based on the rigorous standards that school districts place on interactive technologies before they are allowed in classrooms. Even after they make it on the districts’ approved list, Chelesnik made a point of using the technologies herself before deciding whether she would adopt them for her students.

“… It’s important for me to know if he’s going to be interacting with strangers. Will there be in-app purchases? Is there a chat feature? Is our location being shared? Can I limit those things?”

– Amy Chelesnik

“The most important thing for us as a family is having the tools to manage who he interacts with,” Chelesnik said.

“I especially like the addition of the Interactive Elements at the bottom” of the ESRB three-part rating system, she said. “I think it’s awesome, because it’s important for me to know if he’s going to be interacting with strangers. Will there be in-app purchases? Is there a chat feature? Is our location being shared? Can I limit those things? Having clear answers to those questions is important to me.”

The Chen Family

Location: Del Mar, California

Number of children: 4

With four kids age 9 to 16 years, the Chen household is a whirlwind – and the pandemic hasn’t seemed to slow down their pace. To be sure, many of the activities, from theater and improv workshops to cooking classes and video game playdates, have shifted online.

Still, the insatiable curiosity and rocket-fueled energy of each of Kathy Chen’s four children make it a challenge to know everything that goes on at all times. To keep tabs on her kids and make sure they stay within the digital boundaries she sets, Chen takes maximum advantage of all the parental controls at her disposal.

“As a former prosecutor, any kind of consistent ratings system that gives parents a sense of the content and interactive elements is hugely welcome.”

– Kathy Chen

Chen, who spent several years as a prosecutor in Massachusetts, invests time to vet her children’s digital experiences, whether it’s social media, online classes or online games.

“Whenever you bring kids together, you have to be careful,” she said. “As a former prosecutor, any kind of consistent ratings system that gives parents a sense of the content and interactive elements is hugely welcome.”

The ESRB’s rating system, for example, calls out interactive features including the ability for players to interact with each other, whether the game or app shares players’ locations with others, whether there are in-game purchases of digital goods or services, and if unrestricted internet access is provided.

“Look, being online and chatting with friends online is suboptimal,” Chen conceded. “You miss a lot of the nuances of being next to a person. But I can’t imagine going through COVID-19 without it. Even though it’s suboptimal doesn’t mean it’s not useful.”

***

What struck me as I spoke with Kathy and other fellow parents is how the pandemic has reshaped how children interact and how parents think of social play – perhaps in ways that will endure long after a vaccine is developed. To be sure, for many parents online games and digital interactions aren’t a one-to-one substitute for spending time in person. But they can add a new dimension to how our kids develop friendships, along with a sense of community. And as families grapple with how to adapt, ratings are giving parents like myself a layer of confidence and reassurance that they are, if nothing else, making safe, appropriate choices for their children.

As I listened to my son chat with his friend over Minecraft this past weekend, I could hear echoes of the familiar, back and forth patter that the two of them have engaged in since grade school. I have to admit, it soothed me and gave me a sense that, yes, things will be OK after all.

Alex Pham is a mother, journalist and content strategist living in San Diego, Calif. She previously spent 20 years writing about media and technology for publications such as the Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and Billboard Magazine. The highlight of her career was when she beat Pikmin in a single, caffeine-fueled weekend.

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