Rated 'M' For Must-have

Mature ratings on videogames are designed to keep age-inappropriate content out of the hands of children. But the very act of designating some games as mature makes them desirable to young people, according to a new study on the effects of videogame ratings.

Researchers at the University of Michigan and VU University in Amsterdam studied 310 Dutch children between the ages of 7 and 17. The participants were shown made-up game descriptions and then answered a survey about how much (or how little) they wanted each fictional game. The games with the most mature content, which the researchers refer to as "forbidden fruit," were consistently more desirable for the participants, the researchers found.

"Although the Pan European Game Information system was developed to protect youth from objectionable content, this system actually makes such games forbidden fruits," the researchers concluded. "Pediatricians should be aware of this forbidden-fruit effect, because video games with objectionable content can have harmful effects on children and adolescents."

http://uk.ds.ign.com/articles/958/958301p1.html