Study: Mature-rated games worry parents more than beer, porn

Studies announced this week by What They Play, a parents' guide to the video games their kids play, suggest that many parents are more concerned about kids being exposed to adult-themed video games than they are about kids viewing pornography or experimenting with alcohol.

Anxiety about video games superseded parental concerns about their children drinking beer or viewing pornography. As for the content of video games, sex appears to be more distasteful to parents than violence. Asked what they'd be most offended to find depicted in a video game, more parents responded "a man and a woman having sex" than "a graphically severed head," according to the researchers.

"Although these findings seem surprising at first, they hint at fears parents have about video games," said Cheryl K. Olson, co-author of the book Grand Theft Childhood.

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