But while I’ll admit to being an eager participant in such gore-fests as “Gears of War” and “Call of Duty,” I’m not a fan of letting little ones join in the M-rated fun.

The good news for parents with pint-sized gamers (and I will be one of those parents very soon, by the way) is that all the big-name consoles—including the Nintendo Wii, the PlayStation 3, and the Xbox 360—come with a full arsenal of parental controls that will lock out specific games according to their ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) ratings.

What’s an ESRB rating? Similar to MPAA ratings for movies (you know, “PG,” “PG-13,” “R,” and the like), ESRB ratings are assigned to video games depending on their content, ranging from EC (Early Childhood) all the way to AO (Adults Online). In-between, you’ll find E (for Everyone), T (Teen), and M (Mature).

Related: The 10 hottest holiday video games: a cheat sheet for parents

While the gentle action in a new Mario Bros. game will surely arrive with an E for Everyone rating (for, say, “cartoon mischief”), a game like “Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception” will warrant a T rating (for “language” and “violence”). Meanwhile, last year’s fun (for adults) but blood-soaked “Battlefield 3” merited a well deserved M rating, for “blood and gore, intense violence” and “strong language.”

Set your game console to block games rated “T” or higher, and your kids will have no trouble playing Mario Bros. on the Wii or the adorable LittleBigPlanet for the PS3—but they’ll have to enter a PIN to blow things up in “Call of Duty.” No PIN? No explosions. (Of course, setting the parental controls on the console in your living room won’t stop determined tykes from playing violent games at a friend’s house, but that’s another story.)

All right, so how do you activate parental controls on the Wii, the Xbox 360, or the PS3? Just follow these steps.

Nintendo Wii

• From the main Wii menu, tap the Wii button and select “System Settings,” then click the blue arrow to browse to “Wii System Settings 2.1.”
• Select “Parental Controls” button, then follow the prompts to create a passcode and a security question (in case you forget your PIN).
• Next, click the “Game Settings and PIN” option and “The Highest Game Rating,” then select the maximum game rating you’d like your kids to be able to play.
• All set? Click “Confirm,” then “Settings Complete” (or “Other Settings” if you’d like to change the parental controls for other content on your Wii).

Sony PlayStation 3

• Turn on your PS3, then navigate to Settings on the main menu; scroll almost all the way down and select Security Settings, then choose Parental Control.
• Next, enter your PIN. (If this is your first time setting parental controls, enter “0000” as your PIN code.)
• Now, you’ll have to pick a security level, ranging from 1 to 11. How do the level numbers correlate to ESRB ratings, you ask? You can find the decoder ring here, but I’ll go ahead and spell it out for you. (Why didn’t Sony just list the ESRB rating equivalents in the on-screen setting menu? Great question.)

• Level 2: EC (early childhood)
• Level 3: E (everyone 6 and up)
• Level 4: E10+ (everyone 10 and up)
• Level 5: T (Teens 13 and up)
• Level 9: M (Mature, 17 and up)
• Level 10: AO (Adults 18 and up)

• Once you’ve picked a level, a page will appear confirming your choice.
• You’ll also get the option to block and game without a rating; check the labeled box to enable to option.

Microsoft Xbox 360

• Fire up your Xbox 360, then navigate to Settings, Family.
• Up at the top of the next screen, turn the Content Controls setting to On.
• Next, select Change Pass Code, Set Pass Code (to create your four-digit PIN and a security question), and then follow the prompts. Once you’ve set up your PIN, select Done to return to the main Content Controls menu.
• Next, select Ratings and Content, Game Ratings, then choose the maximum allowed rating for your kids, from EC to M.
• Click your game controller’s “B” button to back up to the main Content Controls menu, then select Save and Exit—or, to set parental controls for other content, select “Ratings and Content” again.

Have more questions about the parental controls in your gaming console? (There are many more settings, by the way, regulating everything from movie rentals to web browsing.) Let me know.

Note: This updated and revised post was first published in June 2011.

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Among the other findings from the Entertainment Software Association’s survey: the average gamer is 37 years old, about 42 percent of gamers are women, 55 percent of gamers are playing games on their phones (“Angry Birds,” anyone?), and 45 percent of parents say they play games with their children (hopefully kid-friendly games like “LittleBigPlanet” rather than “Call of Duty”).

So, fellow grown-ups: Do you consider yourself a gamer? Do you play games mostly on your cell phone, or do you prefer a game console like the Nintendo Wii, the Xbox 360, or the PlayStation 3? Last but not least, do you worry about the video games your kids are playing, or do you trust them to avoid “Grand Theft Auto” and the like?

Leave a comment below, or send me an email right here.

Source: Entertainment Software Association (via CNET)

The post This just in: Video games aren’t just for kids appeared first on here's the thing.

That’s the bad news—or at least it is for anyone dreading the prospect of braving the crowds at Best Buy or Toys ‘R Us. The good news? You’ve got a good year or so before the Wii U (pronounced “Wii You”) hits stores.

Read on for a cheat sheet on the latest gotta-have thing in video games.

What is it? The new Wii U console actually comes in two pieces: a traditional-looking box that connects to your TV using an HDMI cable, and a flat, wireless, tablet-sized controller, complete with a 6.2-inch touchscreen, a series of gaming controls on either side of the screen, stereo speakers, a microphone, and a front-facing video camera.

So wait … there’s a screen on the controller in addition to the TV? How’s that going to work?
In a number of different ways, according to Nintendo. For example: if your little one is playing a Wii U game on the big HDTV in your living room but you’d rather turn on CNN, your kid can flick a switch and stream the game to the smaller screen on the Wii U controller, leaving your HDTV free for Wolf Blitzer.

Another possibility: some games will let the Wii U handset act as a second screen during gameplay. In a demo reel, Nintendo showed a gamer taking a swing at a golf ball displayed on the Wii U’s controller screen, with the handset itself laying flat on the floor. Once you “strike” the ball with your Wii-mote (yes, the Wii’s motion controller will work with the new Wii U), you can watch it sail onto the course on your main HDTV set.

OK, so is the Wii U handheld controller like a portable table that the kids can take, say, on a road trip? Nope. Execs at a Nintendo press conference Tuesday were careful to explain that the Wii U isn’t a portable console like the best-selling Nintendo 3DS; instead, the “companion” tablet relies on the console hardware, which streams HD gaming images to the handheld controller.

What else do we know about the Wii U hardware?
Not much, but we do have a few details courtesy of gaming blog Kotaku. For one thing, the Wii U will be capable of full-on 1080p video, while the original Wii could only display standard-def images. The main Wii U console (the box that hooks up to your TV) will connect to the Internet, meaning you’ll be able to download games and browse the web. Meanwhile, the handheld controller has an internal motion-sensing gyroscope, along with a little internal motor that makes the device “rumble” in sync with the on-screen action.

Any word on what games will be on tap for the Wii U?
A few titles were announced Tuesday—and they’re ones that are sure to make the gamers in your house drool. Among them: including “Batman: Arkham City” (the sequel to a Batman game from a couple of years ago, which was a huge hit), a new Tekken fighting game, and Assassin’s Creed (a popular action game set in the Italian Renaissance that’s hugely popular with Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers). And while he wasn’t mentioned on Tuesday, you can bet the venerable Mario will make his way to the Wii U at some point.

And what about all those games I bought for the Wii—will they work on the Wii U?
Good news: yes, according to Nintendo.

Will the Wii U do anything besides play games?
Sure, promises Nintendo. Besides browsing the web, the handheld Wii U controller will let you video chat with far-flung friends and relatives thanks to its built-in, front-facing camera. You can also use the controller to “flick” snapshots and videos from the six-inch touchscreen onto your main HDTV.

Any possibility that grown-ups like me will get a kick out of the Wii U?
If the original Wii—which was wildly popular with adults as well as kids—is any guide, then yes … there’s a distinct possibility you’ll have some fun, too.

When will the Wii U go on sale?
Anywhere between April 1, 2012, and December 31, 2012, so you’ve got about a year or so to starting saving up.

Last but not least, how much will the Wii U cost?
Nintendo hasn’t announced any pricing details yet. But considering that the original Wii cost $250 when it first launched, I’m guessing the Wii U’s price tag will land in the same ballpark.

Want to see the Wii U in action? Check out the video below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRR87iT5sZw&w=550]

Got more questions about the Wii U? Post ’em in the comments, or send me an email.

The post What your kids will be begging for next year: the Nintendo Wii U appeared first on here's the thing.