Top 10 Video Games That Tricked Parents

This visual novel looks pretty harmless and cutesy at first glance, but players familiar with it will know “Doki Doki” is anything but. You start off as the lone boy who joins your new school’s literature club, perhaps with the intention to date one of the girls; however, things quickly deteriorate. The game is actually a thriller full to bursting with adult themes like depression and mental illness, with lots of graphic imagery about these issues. It’s expressly advertised as not being for kids by the developers, but due to its easy availability and innocuous art design, if a parent misses the warning they could traumatize their child.

This unusual game from the developers behind “Octodad” came to PS Plus as the PS5 launched, giving lots of people the opportunity to play it. It turned out that “Bugsnax” was actually even weirder than all the trailers looked; we won’t spoil it, but there’s a twist in the finale that will make the mere sight of a bugsnax fill you with dread and perhaps even disgust; it’s cartoonish, but definitely not for kids by the end. Despite that, its juvenile art style and focus on cute creatures that look like foods and have punny names, all combine to mean parents will let their kids play “Bugsnax” and think nothing of it.

Rare’s classic platforming series is simple fun for all the family – or is it? There’s no denying that these aren’t great games, they’re some of the best in their genre and are absolutely outstanding. But if you return to “Banjo-Kazooie” as an adult, you’ll probably be surprised by the volume of completely inappropriate jokes. It’s so prevalent when you play the games as a grown-up that you’ll be shocked they’re rated “E”. Luckily, kids aren’t going to understand any of these jokes, but that doesn’t mean their parents won’t be shocked if they see hidden profanities in their child’s favorite game.

Blizzard’s flagship hero-shooter might look friendly enough initially. It’s got a colorful, cartoonish art style and there isn’t really any gratuitous violence; sure, you’re shooting people with guns, but it’s never gory. However, like many other modern games, “Overwatch” has a problem with loot boxes, which have even been made illegal in some countries because they’re considered gambling. Parents might be fooled into thinking “Overwatch” is a family-friendly game, only for their kids to get upset because they haven’t been able to get a limited-time skin without spending real money on loot boxes. And on top of that, the “Overwatch” community can be toxic, despite Blizzard’s best efforts to counteract this.

Since 2014, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” has been a bizarre franchise that has taken kids by storm. The series has been going strong for years despite its incredibly convoluted, inconsistent lore and the fact all the games are more or less the same. But though it’s not that frightening to adults since it’s really just cheap jump scares, it’s enough to cause a moral panic in parents whose children are suddenly having nightmares because they’ve been playing too much “FNAF”. Not only will parents have to deal with this, but they’ll also have to keep buying new games and pieces of “FNAF” lore and merchandise forevermore.

There’s nothing inappropriate for kids about a soccer game; “FIFA” is one of the most wildly popular video game franchises about the world’s most popular sport, which is played by kids around the world. But in recent years, “FIFA” has gone further and further towards predatory microtransactions. What should be an innocent soccer game where kids can create their dream teams has become a way for EA to charge more and more money so that they can finally unlock all the players they want to use. It’ll trick parents into thinking it’s just about soccer, and then their bank accounts will be wiped clean by EA.

Kids and adults alike play and enjoy “Fortnite”; it’s totally free and has a highly addictive gameplay loop. But the problem with “Fortnite” is, once again, its microtransactions. It’s one of the absolute worst games in existence where microtransactions are concerned, and the internet is awash with stories of kids spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on V-Bucks. Simply put, “Fortnite” is tricking parents; kids feel left out if they don’t have all the best skins, and the fastest and easiest way to get all the latest skins is to just buy them. Parents could be pressured into giving a small fortune to Epic Games.

Activision’s popular, wartime shooter has always commanded a high rating; you’re taking part in recreations of real conflicts a lot of the time and come face-to-face with the horrors of war – “Modern Warfare 2” even featured an extremist attack on an airport full of civilians. But the days of Xbox Live voice chat made one thing clear: “Call of Duty’s” multiplayer was absolutely full of children. Not only were children playing the games, but they were extremely loud and wouldn’t stop yelling into the microphone. And if you were one of those kids allowed to play “COD” online in 2009, you’re probably embarrassed looking back, especially if you convinced your parents this was all totally normal.

We all know that kids shouldn’t be playing “GTA”, and the series has been the subject of hundreds of controversies over its lifetime. But despite the ESRB rating system existing for the entire time “GTA” has been around, warning parents about its content, they keep buying “GTA” games for their kids and then getting surprised by all the violence. Despite every part of “GTA”, including the fact it’s literally named after a felony, screaming that this is a game for adults, it’s obviously tricking some oblivious parents who buy it for their kids and then complain. Maybe someday they’ll learn to actually pay attention to the dang score.

The definition of a game that tricked parents is, without a doubt, “Conker’s Bad Fur Day”. Its cartoonish graphics and 3D platformer gameplay could easily fool an unwitting parent into believing it’s just another “Spyro” or “Crash Bandicoot”. Of course, though, “Conker’s Bad Fur Day” is an adults-only parody of those games, featuring profane language and incredibly inappropriate characters and themes. It’s so risqué that it’s a miracle Nintendo ever let it be published on the N64 since it shattered the console’s family-friendly image. It’s an iconic and outstanding game that no child should ever go anywhere near, or they might be scarred forever.