First off I'm not talking about 18+ subject matter. I'm talking about complex issues and moral message normally target at adults but presenting them in game designed at younger audience. Basically do people feel it is appropriate or suitable for a game targeted at younger audience? For instance: In the magical forest there is mystical garden tended by a family of three gnomes. Their family was once very large and used to laugh and play throughout the woods. Until people discovered that gnomes’ beard can be used to boost a person magic power. Since then gnomes have become a lot less common and the only ones around here a three brothers that tend the mystical garden. It not explicitly said in the game but taking gnomes build will cause it to die, and because of this the player can be responsible for killing off the last of gnomes in the forest, which in turn will cause the forest to die, and slowly turn into a desert. How you feel if that was in a game designed for kids? Would it bother you if your lil brother or kids was seeing that in a game?

true point TechnoGoth
And the thing is that to kids its just a game but if a parent were to play this game, what are they trying to tell the parent or are they doing it unknown?

How young is young? I personally wouldn't put that in a game aimed at kids under 14. In the american public school system the holocaust and concept of genocide is covered in 8th grade when the youngest children are 13. So kids younger than that wouldn't have the background to understand what you were getting at, which effectively makes it a pg-13 issue.

Exactly and aimed at people like me who are around that ag but even if the teens were to understand most of us teens would also need background clues of tyhis to put it together. If it said something along the lines of what Techno said pretty much straight out we'd get it.

I think kids much younger than 13 understand the concept of endangered/extinct animals, which is pretty similar to your example. Unless there's something deeper here that's going right over my head. But in general I think that complex moral issues have long been a staple of literature and media consumed by kids (Robin Hood?).

I agree with BradDaBug on this.

Looking at the issue as a whole and not just this specific instince, if you've ever watched children's anime, (although by US standards they'd be teen or older) there are constantly complex moral issues that are made for children, very you to understand. I couldn't give you any more seeing as I don't watch the younger side of anime and don't have cable.

Although, I agree that your specific example calls for a 13+ or maybe a little younger - every child is different.

Quote: Original post by BradDaBug
I think kids much younger than 13 understand the concept of endangered/extinct animals, which is pretty similar to your example. Unless there's something deeper here that's going right over my head. But in general I think that complex moral issues have long been a staple of literature and media consumed by kids (Robin Hood?).

I thought the gnomes were intelligent, since they live in a family and take care of a garden. If they're intelligent their deaths would be more disturbing than those of animals.

Quote: Original post by sunandshadow

Quote: Original post by BradDaBug
I think kids much younger than 13 understand the concept of endangered/extinct animals, which is pretty similar to your example. Unless there's something deeper here that's going right over my head. But in general I think that complex moral issues have long been a staple of literature and media consumed by kids (Robin Hood?).

I thought the gnomes were intelligent, since they live in a family and take care of a garden. If they're intelligent their deaths would be more disturbing than those of animals.

Sentient?

Interesting point sunandshadow, is there a difference between "killing" a family of friendly gardeners and "killing" a few fuzzy bunnies?

On a side note what about Dr Seuss? Some of his book where very much about presenting adult ideas to kids. Such as the bitter butter battle which is essentially a book about the escalation of arms during the cold war until both sides are at the point of mutually assured destruction. Or the pro life book he wrote.