When deciding if a game is appropriate for your child, it’s important to take a look at the age rating. This rating can show you if a game’s content is appropriate for your child’s age. We dedicated a separate section of this website to age ratings, which you can find by clicking here.

Age ratings provide a way to show you if a game’s content is appropriate for your child’s age. We dedicated a separate section of this website to age ratings, which you can find by clicking here.

Knowing the age rating of a game is a step in the right direction, but there is more to find out. Our Games section provides ample information about most games available on Nintendo systems, both in terms of content (what is the game about?) and requirements (are any peripherals required to play the game?). We also encourage you to talk to your peers to find out which games they are playing with their children.

We encourage you to play videogames with your children. Watch which games your children are playing and talk about games with them and others as often as possible. You can never have too much knowledge about the games your children are playing and the games they like to play.

It is important to note that by age seven or eight, most children have the necessary reading level, problem-solving skills and hand-eye coordination (or skill level) to play just about any game. After this age, all you need to determine is what kind of game your child likes to play and what kind of game content is appropriate.

For children under the age of seven or eight, take a close look at their reading level, their problem-solving skills and their hand-eye coordination. This should help you determine the best kind of game to purchase.

What is the child's reading level?

If your child is not able to read more complicated sentences and vocabulary, you may want to avoid role playing games (RPGs), strategy games and adventure titles. These games typically feature a large amount of written text as game characters chat with the player. Because such text usually tells the player how to go about completing game challenges, many children who cannot read will struggle. Action and Sports games are the best types of games for those still early in their reading career.

What is the child's problem-solving skill level?

When your child is given a puzzle to solve, do they tend to give up quickly or do they stick with it? Players who enjoy mind challenges tend to favour games like Puzzle, Adventure, RPGs and certain Action titles. Stronger reading skills may be required for some of these games however - especially text-heavy Adventure games. Research the game on our website for a better overview, or rent it first to see if the child understands and enjoys the title. Some games may feature English screen text only – please refer to our Games section for details about each game.

What is the player's hand-eye coordination?

Does your child enjoy working with their hands? Do they tend to do well in activities that require fine motor skills, such as colouring between the lines and writing practice? The better a child's hand-eye coordination, the better they will enjoy Action, Sports and Racing games. These games can actually help develop such skills, and usually offer different difficulty settings to suit a player's level of skill. If a child is still developing these skills, some Edutainment titles oriented towards young children are a good place to begin.

On the back of each game’s packaging, Nintendo clearly details with a special icon if any extra accessories are needed to play a game. You can also look up the title you are interested in under the Games section of this website. If a game uses an accessory, that fact is detailed on the gamepage.

Nintendo offers an automated help line for some games that Nintendo publishes (see the Contact page for more details). Beyond that, several companies print scenario guides for various games. You can find these where games and specialty magazines are sold. There are also countless Internet resources dedicated to helping players past tough spots. ‘Gameplay tips’ plus the title of the game might be a good starting point for a web search.

Nintendo platforms offer a wide range of family-friendly games, from the Mario Party titles to the Touch! Generations series. The latter are specifically designed to be accessible for players of all skill levels, providing a fun experience regardless of age or experience.

Depending on the type of game you would like to play with your children, we can highly recommend Big Brain Academy for Wii (an easy to control series of mental challenges that can both be played cooperatively and competitively) or Wii Sports (bundled with the Wii console and including five different sports activities).

While playing a game can be a form of escapism for children just like a book or a film, there are many games that feature multiplayer modes, encouraging players to get together in a social setting. We believe that it is important for parents to talk to their children about the videogames they are playing. By getting a better understanding of the games your children play, you can decide if your children’s playing habits are cause for concern.

Every game and piece of hardware published by Nintendo should come with a Club Nintendo card, allowing you to receive Stars for registering the product. In our Games section, such titles include the red Club Nintendo logo on their gamepage. Click here for a complete list of Club Nintendo games.

If you did not receive a Club Nintendo card please get in touch with the Nintendo Service Centre (see the Contact page for details). Please note that games released by third-party publishers do not come with Club Nintendo cards. These titles will not have the red Club Nintendo logo on their gamepage.

Just like Nintendo GameCube and other television-bound consoles before it, Wii employs a Region Code based on the country where it is sold. Because of the Region Code, only software purchased in the same region will be compatible with your Wii console.

Because of the different television standards employed throughout the world (for example PAL and NTSC) it’s impossible to play a Wii game produced with a television standard that doesn’t correspond with that of the Wii console. We use the Region Code system to prevent such issues, and advise you not to purchase Wii software outside the European Union.

The Nintendo DS handheld system is not bound to television standards, meaning that domestically purchased hardware and software is compatible with hardware and software purchased abroad. However, the power supply for Nintendo DS is designed to meet the technical requirements of different countries. Also, certain Multi-Card multiplayer games for Nintendo DS may only have compatible multiplayer functionality with a version of the game purchased in the same region. We encourage you to get in touch with our Nintendo Service Centre when in doubt (see the Contact page for details).

Please note that we do not offer warranty on products that weren’t purchased in the EU.

Wii introduces a whole new interactive way of playing and enjoying videogames. The Wii Remote offers intuitive control for anyone using physical motion. In many Wii games, players become immersed in the game by mimicking the actual motions needed to control their character on the screen. Thus, if you are playing tennis in Wii Sports, the motion is that of swinging a real tennis racket. However, the Wii Remote reponds to minor movements, so excessive and forceful actions are not necessary.

While playing videogames is generally a very safe activity, we recommend parents before they allow their child to use the Wii system to determine whether the Wii system is appropriate for their child. Only children who are old enough and capable of wearing the Wrist Strap and properly gripping the Wii Remote should use the system. You should also consider whether children should be supervised while playing games, connecting to the Internet and/or downloading games. Be sure to explain all safety and health information and instructions to any children who are going to use the system. Please read the detailed Health and Safetey Information in the Wii Operations Manual - System Setup for more information.

Players should take a 10-15 minute break every hour, even if they don't think they need it. If, with the additional physical motions, players' hands, wrists, arms or eyes become tired or sore while playing, or if they have symptoms such as tingling, numbness, burning, or stiffness, they should stop playing and rest for several hours before playing again.

Some people (about 1 in 4000) may have seizures or blackouts triggered by light flashes or patterns, and this may occur while they are watching TV or playing video games, even if they never had a seizure before. Anyone who has had a seizure, loss of awareness, or other symptom linked to an epileptic condition, should consult a doctor before playing a video game. Parents should supervise children when playing videogames. Stop play immediately and consult a doctor if your child or you have any of the following symptoms: convulsions, eye or muscle twitching, loss of awareness, altered vision, involuntary movements, disorientation.

Be sure players have enough space around them during game play. Make sure that furniture, objects and other people are out of the play area so that the player does not accidentally bump into them while playing. Also, be careful of any objects above (e.g. lamps) that the player could collide with if he jumps or raises his hand above the head. Please read the Wii Operations Manual - System Setup for the complete Health and Safety Information. The player should stand at least 1 meter away from the television when using the Wii Remote.

Please ensure all players use the wrist strap to help prevent losing their grip on the Wii Remote and causing damage to the remote, surrounding objects or players.