Question:

We have a 10 year old son who wants to download a free online game called CrossFire. Is this a suitable game for children of his age?

All of our sons’ friends are playing CrossFire, and it is our impression that this game is popular among 10- and 11-year-olds. It does not appear to us as particularly suitable for this age group, but the boys claim that it has a 12 year age limit.  

Our son is not allowed to play CrossFire, but unfortunately he plays the game at his friend’s house. Earlier, we had an agreement with his friend’s parents that neither of the boys were allowed to play. However, their son is one year older than our son, and they subsequently gave in and allowed their son, and thus our son, to play CrossFire, due to the claim that the game has a 12 year age limit.

Could you help us find some objective information about CrossFire? We feel it would be easier to achieve cooperation with the parents of our son’s friends if we have some more knowledge of the game.

Answer from Kids and Media’s Advisor:

CrossFire is a South Korean made tactical first-person shooter online PC game. A North American version was released in 2009. On the CrossFire home page the following information is given to users and parents or legal guardians:

Excerpt from “Terms of Use”:
By registering as a member and accepting this Agreement, you represent that: (i) you have read and understood this Agreement and agree to be bound by its terms and (ii) that you are at least 18 years of age. (iii) If you are under the age of 18 but are at least 13 years of age you agree that you have the consent of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to be bound by these Terms of Use. Children under the age of 13 may not use our services for other than browsing, and parents or legal guardians may not agree to these Terms of Use on their behalf. If you are a parent or legal guardian agreeing to these Terms of Use for the benefit of a child between the ages of 13 and 18, be advised that you are fully responsible for his or her use of this Site, including all financial charges and legal liability that he or she may incur. If you do not agree to (or cannot comply with) any of these terms and conditions, do not use this Site.
 
Source: http://www.z8games.com/termsandcondition.aspx
 
CrossFire has been rated by The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Most games released in the United States and Canada are assigned a rating by the ESRB, and the ratings are designed to give consumers concise and impartial information about a game’s content and age suitability.

The ESRB uses different rating symbols than the European PEGI rating system, but both systems serve the same purpose; to suggest age appropriateness for computer and video games.

On the CrossFire Home Page the following rating symbol is clearly displayed in the game trailer and at the bottom of the page:


Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. The ESRB states that “titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humour, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language”.

Read more about ESRB rating symbols: http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp#rating_symbols

As well as this, CrossFire is described as containing “violence”. This content descriptor suggests that the game contains “scenes involving aggressive conflict. May contain bloodless dismemberment”.

Read more about ESRB content descriptors: http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp#descriptors

ESRB’s rating summary of CrossFire:
Cross Fire is a first-person shooter game involving mercenary soldiers engaged in combat in a fictional environment. Players can use a large array of military weaponry, including guns, knives, and grenades. Combat can be frenetic with frequent gunfire and realistic sound effects such as explosion and demolition. Collateral damage includes flying bodies and cries of pain, though defeated soldiers disappear after a short time.

Useful resources:
ESRB’s resources for parents, including a number of useful links: http://www.esrb.org/about/resources.jsp

“Whattheyplay” is an American website containing a lot of information on different computer and video games: http://www.whattheyplay.com/  
 
Come to an agreement
I hope this is useful information for you. Obviously, it's easier to reach common agreement with other parents when the games are clearly marked, and when available information is easy to understand. It is not easy to make sense of a different rating system than that which we are accustomed to.

I wish you the very best of luck. It is a good idea to talk to the parents of your son’s friends and come to an agreement. These boys are still only 10 and 11 years old, and you parents have plenty of possibilities to influence them in a good way. Maybe you can do some research and find a few appropriate games to buy or download? For example, there are many action filled racing and sports games available.

You can search for recommended games in Kids and Media’s game reviews.