Video and online games & apps: 3-18 years

Best video games, online games and gaming apps for children and teenagers

The best video games for children have learning value and positive messages. They also let children feel like they can do something well.

Children: 3-11 years
For children and preteens, the best games:

have G ratings
encourage your child to be creative, make things, solve problems or do puzzles
help your child learn about rules and strategy
have appropriate settings, storylines or themes
encourage your child to take turns, collaborate and work as part of a team
boost your child’s confidence by giving them the chance to progress through levels
promote respectful and inclusive behaviour and attitudes.

Avoid games that:

are designed to keep your child playing or won’t let them stop and save their progress
have in-app purchases and pop-up advertisements
have adult themes or involve playing with strangers online.

Teenagers: 12-18 years
Games that give your child a way to work with other people in a team are a good choice. You and your child can also look for games that have positive messages about gender and race and promote respectful behaviour and attitudes.

Avoid games that:

have an MA15+ or R18+ rating – these are designed for older teenagers and adults and often have a lot of violence, sexual content and drug use
simulate gambling, have casino themes, betting activities or risk-and-reward activities, or use fake money or tokens – these games might lead to gambling in adulthood.

It’s always a good idea to encourage healthy gaming habits as well as focusing on specific games or game features. Healthy gaming habits are particularly important for teenagers, who want to play the games that their friends are playing.

Choosing video games, online games and gaming apps for children and teenagers

When you and your child are choosing video games, a good place to start is Australian Classification.

Australian Classification gives video games a rating of G, PG, M, MA15+ or R18+. A game’s rating is determined by the game’s themes, violent content, nudity, sexual activity, language and drug use. The rating also considers how often this content appears, how much detail is shown, and how real it looks.

Not all games for phones and tablets are covered by Australian Classification. But Apple App Store and Google Store have age recommendations for these games. Also, you can use parental or family controls to limit downloadable content.

To work out whether a game is high quality, has recognised educational benefits, and is appropriate for your child, you can also check:

Video game literacy helps children make good choices about the games they play. To help your child develop video game literacy, you could start by talking with your child about how games are designed, how they’re played, how they keep you playing, what messages they send about violence, sex and drug use, how they represent gender and race, and how their developers make money.

Benefits of playing video games, online games and gaming apps

Your child can get benefits from playing video games, online games and gaming apps. The benefits depend on things like:

what stories or activities are featured in the games your child plays
how gender and race are represented
why your child is playing games
whether playing video games is interfering with other parts of your child’s life
whether your child is playing alone, with others they know, or with unknown players online.

Developmental benefits
Video games can improve your child’s:

problem-solving, decision-making and thinking skills
ability to set and achieve goals
imagination and creativity
physical coordination
spatial awareness.

Social benefits
Video games can help your child:

strengthen existing friendships and make new ones
learn to play in teams
learn to play fairly and take turns
learn leadership skills
feel closer to family if you all play games together.

Educational benefits
Video games can help your child get better at:

recognising and understanding visual information
understanding school subjects, like maths
thinking critically.

Video gaming problems include gaming too often, for too long or obsessively. Signs of video gaming problems include withdrawal from friends and family, poor school performance, poor sleep, and angry or aggressive behaviour. If you’re concerned about your child’s gaming, start by talking to your child. It might also be a good idea to get professional advice.

About violence in video games

Violent video games aren’t appropriate for younger children.

Younger children struggle to tell the difference between fantasy and reality in games. They’re more likely to copy what they see in violent video games and use it on other children outside the game. Violent content can also upset younger children, who might not understand mature themes or understand the reasons for the violence.

For older children, it’s more complicated. Violence in video games seems to affect children in many ways, and experts have differing opinions.

For example, some experts think that violent video games:

make children less likely to be shocked or distressed by violence and less likely to recognise other people’s feelings
lead children to use the violence they’ve seen in games in real life
teach children violence through watching and copying.

Other experts say that violent video games are OK for older children, because children:

can tell the difference between the games and reality
usually play in a spirit of good-natured competition
get the chance to let off steam, which can reduce feelings of tension or aggression.

Experts do agree that it’s a good idea for children to have a balance between games that focus on violent game play and other types of games.

Talking with your child about violent games
It’s best to deal with the issue of violence in video games by talking with your child about it and sharing your own family values.

Here are questions you could talk about with your child:

Why do video games sometimes have violence, and how is real life different?
In real life, how do we cope with anger or people who upset us?
How are people of different genders and people from diverse backgrounds portrayed in these games? Are some people always victims? How often are they the main characters?