Stuart Shepard, 'Adult' Video Games Can Slip Past Parents , Family News in Focus, October 14, 2004.

Many moms and dads probably don't know the games their kids play are pornographic.

They may look similar to innocent video games, but a number of new titles contain sexually oriented content.

One of them is "Outlaw Golf 2," which carries an "M" rating, for "Mature," according to Bob Waliszewski, senior director of Focus on the Family's teen ministries.

" 'Outlaw Golf 2.' Does that sound risque?" Waliszewski asked. "Some parent, whose kid says, 'I'd like the golf game,' would probably say, 'I don't understand video games, but, hey, get the golf game, if it's about golf.' But it's about a whole lot more than golf."

Waliszewski, who quotes here from a gaming magazine review about the video -- "Bits where foxy strippers swap spit?" — is shocked: "Excuse me, what does that have to do with golf?"

He wants parents to be aware that a growing number of games are now garnering an "M" rating, or an "AO" rating (for "adults only.") Though you would likely pick up on the adults-only nature of something called "Playboy: The Mansion," what about games called "The Guy Game" or "Singles: Flirt Up Your Life" - both of which are rated "AO."

Kimberly McGovern of the Parents Television Council was blunt in her assessment: "A lot of parents think that games are made for kids, and that's a perception that I like to try to end."

McGovern said parents need to know what their kids are playing.

"Go through all the games that they have now and look at the ratings," she said. "And even watch them play it."