Doom was one of the most violent video games of its time

In the past decade the gaming world has changed a great deal.

In 1995, Doom II was one of the most popular games available. With an M rating, meaning Mature or 17+, it was one of the most violent.

Looking back today, and comparing it with more recent titles like Manhunt or Fear, you would think it was pretty lame.

The truth is that with dramatic improvements in technology, the scope of what is possible in games also rises significantly, and so the further along the asymptotic graph towards brutal reality we go.

In the days of Doom II, all you needed was a processor capable of running at speeds of 66MHz.

One of the results of this is that gaming has grown up. The average gamer nowadays is a little under 30, and so it is to be expected that games developers have changed the nature of their products to suit changing tastes accordingly.

This means there are a lot more 18 rated games on the shelves now than there ever were, some of which have shocked certain sections of society to such a degree that banning calls have ensued.

Console controls

The problem is not so much that such games exist, but how to stop them getting into the hands of under-18s.

Arguments as to who should be responsible for regulation have raged for the last couple of years. The BBFC applies a rating, as they do for films released in the UK, but it is the developers themselves who decide to make these games in the first place.

The Xbox 360 has built-in parental controls

On the other hand, perhaps it is down to the retail outlets to ask shoppers for ID each time. But then, what of online purchases? And if parents or relatives are buying the games for their children, could they be to blame?

Whilst those sorts of discussions go on, the problem is being tackled from an entirely different source, the console manufacturers.

Nintendo recently announced that their new machine, Revolution, will contain a security feature enabling gamers, or parents of gamers, to stop the console from playing games based on their age ratings.

Sony is also expected to follow suit with the PlayStation 3.

With the launch of the Xbox 360, Microsoft have gone further, allowing not just age-restriction but also limits and controls to be placed on its online Live service.

Parents concerned about who their child may be talking to or playing with online can specify just who makes it on to the friends list, and prevent the child from playing with anybody else.

Parental role

This is a great idea and seems to tackle all of the issues. But what if hacked versions of games become available with the age rating removed, or altered?

Or, more likely, what if the parent does not for whatever reason, actually use the family settings?

Admittedly there is, for the first time, a generation of young parents who grew up with video games, and therefore who are likely to be more comfortable interacting with the technology.

From that perspective, we have got as good a chance as we have ever had of family settings solving the problem.

But for the rest, how many will understand that some video games are not simply toys for children anymore?

Compared with film, which has a similarly troubled past, the games industry is still young. But as with film, it is likely that gaming still has an even more significant cultural impact to come.