Parents' holiday video game buying guide

November 25, 1:47 PMDenver Video Game ExaminerCarol Orsini

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Seriously, would you want your kids bathing in that tub?

In a rousing yearly report, The National Institute on Media and the Family has compiled a list of the most inappropriate games for parents to buy their children. Essentially, if you have bought or even allowed these morally repugnant titles to enter your house you might have already damaged your spawn irrevocably. Let's see what is on the list, shall we?

• Blitz The League II
• Dead Space
• Fallout 3
• Far Cry 2
• Gears of War 2
• Left 4 Dead
• Legendary
• Resistance 2
• Saints Row 2
• Silent Hill: Homecoming

Are you seeing a theme here? It appears that every game mentioned on their 'Games to Avoid' list manages to be completely violent, disturbing and most shockingly, rated M for Mature. This opens up a whole other can of worms. Why go to the trouble to inflame adults with children and game-buying power against these games that are perfectly safe for ages 17 and above when they could just write a simple paragraph urging parents to learn, love and apply the wonderful video game rating system implemented by the infallible ESRB? Parents, if you're interested in what not to let your children play, pick up a box, check the rating and go from there. It's not as if parents would cluelessly purchase or rent a film for their children without checking the MPAA rating, so why can't this simple rule be applied to video games as well? Speaking as a former staff member of a certain game store all throughout college, you saw too many parents who had no clue about the rating system and how to choose age-appropriate games for their children. Parents, educate yourselves. Don't listen to what other people tell you not to buy, go out there and see for yourself.

As a side note, MediaFamily.org might want to get their facts straight before spouting off on the violence and possible destruction of a certain video game:

Silent Hill: Homecoming is a “first-person shooter” game. The gamer plays Alex Shepherd, a recently discharged soldier who returns home to Shepherd’s Glen. He finds that people are disappearing, the streets are shattered and strange creatures are roaming the town. Near the end the player is faced with a choice to shoot his mother in the head or let the rack rip her in half. The game is rated M for blood and gore, intense violence, language and sexual themes. Available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Last we checked, Silent Hill: Homecoming is actually a third person survival horror game. Darn non-gamers, trying to take video games away from children.