Tomorrow, one of the most eagerly anticipated IT fairs in the country, the Pikom PC Fair, will open its doors to the public. It’s a day where buyers can find almost everything and anything they need for their computing and multimedia needs under one roof.

With bargains, discounts and good buys, it will be a good time to shop for any software or hardware you’d been wanting to add-on to your PC or multimedia gadgets.

And with Christmas just around the corner, PC Fair will also become a shopping ground for some folks who want to get tech gadgets as gifts.

One of the hottest selling items, undoubtedly, has to be PC games, and parents who want to get their kids new games as gifts need to be cautioned on the gore, sex and violence in some of the new game releases.

Unlike in the United States where there’s a National Institute on Media and the Family which presents its yearly video report card to help parents decide on what games are appropriate for their children, such a guide is unfortunately not available here for Malaysian parents to refer before making any decisions.

According to the institute, a media watchdog group, some of the latest game releases have too much gore and violence that kids under 17 should not be exposed to.

A new game titled Assassin’s Creed, for example, the institute highlighted, depicts an attacker plunging a knife into his victim’s back several times. And a scene in The Darkenss, for example, shows blood spurting across the screen as a fallen victim’s body is riddled with gunfire.

Although Malaysian parents can’t expect sales-hungry retailers here to advise them on which games to avoid for their younger kids and teens, retailers, should, the least, have a list ready with ratings on how gory a game is, as a guide for buyers.

All that said, concerned parents can keep a tab on the top 10 M-rated games to avoid by visiting http://www.mediafamily.org, which has a list of recommended games. Happy “safe” shopping!