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happygeek 2,411 Most Valuable Poster

My youngest daughter got a Nintendo DS for xmas, complete with a bunch of cutesy games which seem to involve patting animals of various kinds. It is, of course, pink. Which has kind of summed up the DS, a handheld games console for the family which is all cuddly and inoffensive. All that is about to change as the DS goes X-rated.

Yes, it is true, while mum has her brain training games, and the kids can save a Lego universe or an endangered animal, dad has pretty much been left behind. Until now. With the that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS has been granted an adults only 18 certificate by the BBFC for the UK release in March, the DS had finally grown up.

In awarding the 18 certificate, which used to be known as an X-rating here in the UK, the BBFC warns consumers that the game "contains very strong language and drug references" and was awarded the certification with no cuts being made at all.

GTA, of course, has a habit of making the news. Be it for breaking entertainment sales records or involving in the game there is always something to keep we the media happy. Or should that be unhappy? After all, most of the headlines will be of the ilk.

Now that we have some evidence that games are not all bad, that the Wii is helping new amputees to walk again and games such as Tetris can delete painful memories in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder patients, perhaps the Nintendo DS can be added to the good news list.

Has Rockstar Games created the ultimate pocket stress buster for grown ups? A little virtual drug dealing, gangland violence, car theft and sleeping with prostitutes during your lunch hour can't do any harm, can it...

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Dani AI

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made a neat observation about how the DS’s “cuddly” image changed when a high-profile mature Grand Theft Auto landed on the platform — that shift is exactly why this thread matters. The DS catalogue has room for very different kinds of games, and that can catch families off guard; reviewers and parent guides at the time flagged Chinatown Wars as a major adult-oriented release.Common Sense Media

One practical point that often gets missed: the hardware matters. Original Nintendo DS and DS Lite units do not have system-level parental controls that can block cartridge-based DS games; the parental-control features Nintendo added later apply to DSi/3DS software and DSi-compatible content, not to classic DS cartridges. That means you can’t reliably stop a child from inserting and playing an adult-rated DS cartridge just by setting a PIN on an older DS. Nintendo Support

Useful, low-effort strategies that work around that limitation: keep adult cartridges out of the house or locked away; use a separate device (a DSi/3DS or another handheld/console/phone) for adult titles so the family DS stays kid-only; and pair any technical step with clear household rules. For broader guidance on blocking mature content and talking to kids about game ratings, the ESRB’s parental tools and conversation starters are a good resource. ESRB – Parental Controls

In short: the DS changing face from “family” to “family + adult options” is real, but manageable. Hardware choice, physical control of cartridges, and a short family policy will keep the pink DS kid-friendly while letting grown-ups enjoy their own games elsewhere.

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