Resident gaming fanatic William Gadsby Peet walks parents through what computer games their children will be after in 2018 with advice on exactly what each one contains
There's nothing worse than attempting to make the foray in to something your child loves, only to watch them unwrap their birthday present and give you the disappointed 'Uncool Parent' face. Nowhere are mums and dads more at risk of of falling afoul of this parent trap than when attempting to buy computer games for their beloved bundle of joy – the array of choice on offer is truly mind-boggling and it's likely that your closest frame of reference is the occasional game of minesweeper or solitaire played back in the mid 90s.
Fortunately for parents who think CoD is an odd way to spell a type of fish, below I've listed a few of the top games that are popular right now, with plenty of honest advice on exactly what is in each one with regards to violence, sexual content and swearing, so parents can buy with confidence.
Happy hunting Noob!
Fifa 18
PEGI: 3+
Consoles: Xbox, Playstation, PC, Switch
If your child loves football, getting them the latest Fifa is an absolute no-brainer. Having pulled ahead of its main competitor – Pro Evo Soccer – in recent years, Fifa is now the leader in the field and it is likely that at your child's school serious street cred is awarded to the best Fifa player (the Alpha male at my university house in third year was very much determined by the best player... we weren't particularly cool).
Suitable for all ages, there's an array of different game modes that offer almost unlimited replay value. Gamers can take over the management of their favourite team, an individual player, compete with people online or put themselves in the boots of a young up-and-coming starlet in the game's story mode.
Monster Hunter World
PEGI: 16+
Consoles: Xbox, Playstation, PC
In Monster Hunter World the emphasis is on action and adventure: your character is part of a camp dedicated to researching, tracking, capturing and often slaying a variety of giant monsters. Open world, the main game mechanic involves tracking prey to accumulate information on strength and weaknesses that will help a player during their attempt to capture/slay said prey in an epic high-octane boss battle. Completing monster quests allows players to craft more powerful gear to subsequently fight larger and larger beasts. Players can choose to go it alone, or fight as part of a team of up to four hunters in the online multiplayer.
Rated PEGI 16, there's no content of a sexual nature and only a small amount of swearing (the occasional use of the phrase p***ed off is about it). The violence in the game is primarily directed toward towering monsters and there's very little blood or gore.
Fe
PEGI: 7+
Consoles: Xbox, Playstation, PC, Nintendo Switch
Fe is an interesting take on a 3d puzzle platformer where the story is primarily up to the gamer to discover as they wander around a gorgeous surrealist landscape inspired by the forests of Scandinavia. Players learn the forest's secrets through trial and error with only a few subtle hints and tips on how to interact with its ecosystem. Puzzles are primarily solved with a unique song mechanic that allows you to communicate with every living thing in the forest, recruiting bears, birds and plants in your battle against the Silent Ones – a malevolent force that threatens the very survival of your home.
Rated PEGI 7 this game is suitable for almost all ages and at £17 for the standard edition offers fantastic value for money.
Star Wars Battlefront II
PEGI: 16+
Consoles: Xbox, Playstation, PC
Perfect for aspiring Jedis of either the dark or light persuasion, Star Wars Battlefront II offers an array of different gaming modes that provide endless hours of lightsaber swinging and blaster, well, blasting. The single player campaign introduces players to a new character in the Star Wars universe – Iden Versio, commander of an Imperial special forces unit called Inferno Squad. Where the Battlefront series really comes in to its own, however, is its gigantic multiplayer battles where up to 40 players fight on one mammoth map, either as a foot soldier armed with a variety of different blasters, or ensconced in the various tanks, assault vehicles and star craft of the many films (including, of course, the Millennium Falcon).
Rated PEGI 16, there's the sort of violence you would expect from the Star Wars universe, but very little blood and gore, and no swearing or scenes of a sexual nature. If you're comfortable with your kids watching the Star Wars films then you will quite likely be ok with them playing this game, but make sure to have a look at some gameplay clips online to make absolutely sure.
Dynasty Warriors 9
PEGI: 16+
Consoles: Xbox, Playstation, PC
This high-octane hack and slash series has been going strong since 1997 and offers players the chance to live out any fantasies they might secretly harbour of being a samurai/ninja warrior during the ancient Chinese era. With its trademark 'one vs thousands' battle mechanic, gamers can choose between dozens of different heroes to cut through endless hordes of AI. The game also has a loose historical setting in second century China (albeit it with the occasional flash of magic and physics-defying sword play of an old-school Kung Fu film), so there's a chance your little one might accidentally have some knowledge rub off on them while they are fighting for the honour of the Shu Dynasty.
While there is plenty of violence in this game, there's very little blood and gore as the graphics are quite cartoon/manga like in nature. There's also no bad language or content of a sexual nature.
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