During the late 1990s, a great debate began in the video gaming world. A game called Night Trap had just been released, the object of which was to stop vampires from killing barely dressed sorority students. Parents all over the country began to complain. In fact, it was such a big deal that the Supreme Court became involved. That controversy gave birth to what we now call the video game rating system. It is designed to help parents know exactly what type of content is in the game. "M," or Mature, is designed for those 18 years and over. "T," or Teen, is for ages 13 and over. "E," or Everybody, is for any age. The rating system has had some significant affect on video games that are now being produced.

First, video game companies believe that, because parents now know what they are buying, it is okay for them to push the envelope with the content of their games. Secondly, it has caused many parents to become lazy where game content monitoring is concerned. Many parents assume that just because the rating system is in place, they can allow their children to buy whatever games they want within or below a certain rating. But, like any system, it is not perfect or fail-proof. As a parent, it is essential that you know what your kids are playing. Although you may not know anything about video games, there are ways to ensure that you know what is influencing your children's minds.