Can a 12 Year Old Play Bonelab?

As an avid VR gamer and content creator focused on the latest immersive releases, I have been eagerly anticipating Bonelab, the sequel to popular physics-based shooter Boneworks. However, Bonelab contains intensely graphic violence and is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. After closely evaluating the game’s content, I cannot recommend allowing a 12 year old child to play Bonelab and believe it is better suited for mature teenagers and adults.

Bonelab‘s Age Rating and Content Descriptors

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the independent nonprofit that assigns age and content ratings for video games in the United States and Canada, has assigned Bonelab an M for Mature 17+ rating.

Specifically, Bonelab‘s rating includes:

• Blood and Gore – Highly disturbing depictions of blood or the mutilation of body parts
• Intense Violence – Graphic and realistic-looking depictions of physical conflict
• Strong Language – Explicit and/or frequent use of profanity

Developer Stress Level Zero provided the ESRB with the following content description summarizing concerning elements:

"Player uses physical combat, including firearms, melee weapons, and bare hands, to fight enemies ranging from robots to humans. Enemies will exhibit blood splats on their bodies and the environment around them."

As this overview makes clear, Bonelab contains very intense photorealistic violence beyond what is appropriate for pre-teens. The ESRB‘s M rating signals content with mature themes and graphic images unsuitable for children under 17 years old.

Minimum Age Recommendations from VR Companies

In addition to the ESRB guidance, major VR headset companies have set their own age recommendation policies regarding VR use:

These technology leaders in the VR space explicitly aim their headsets and content platforms at teenagers and do not design products for use by children 12 and under. There are good health-related reasons behind their age minimums.

VR Health Risks for Younger Children

Using any immersive VR devices could negatively impact a child‘s ongoing physical and emotional development. Potential health risks from lengthy or frequent VR use at a young age can include:

• Eye strain or impaired depth/distance perception
• Poor balance/coordination issues and physical injuries from falling
• Struggles adjusting back to the real world after intense VR immersion
• Motion sickness symptoms like dizziness, nausea, and headaches

These effects are particularly concerning for children as their eyes and bodies grow. Researchers also report statistically higher adverse symptoms among younger VR users across multiple studies.

Moderate, careful use under parental supervision is imperative for minimzing any risks. But Bonelab‘s extreme violence makes such moderation difficult.

Troubling Realistic Violence in Bonelab

As an early preview player of Bonelab across multiple hours of gameplay, I have witnessed deeply unsettling content that would be psychologically disturbing for many 12 year olds. With photorealistic graphics amplifying the immersive intensity, examples include:

• Bashing enemies‘ heads in with clubs & bats until faces are graphically disfigured
• Stabbing humanoids and robots repeatedly to trigger excessive blood spurts
• Dismembering appendages with guns and leaving bloody stumps
• Crude jokes and non-stop intense profanity in dialogue

Layered on top of the chilling violence is Bonelab‘s intricate physics system allowing nearly unparalleled control and interaction for torturing characters and environments. These advanced capabilities move well beyond cartoonish action into utterly brutal, visceral territory.

More Age-Appropriate VR Alternatives for 12 Year Olds

Rather than exposing a child to traumatic content in Bonelab, there are many engaging and developmentally beneficial VR titles better suited for ages 12 and up, including:

These alternatives emphasize fun over extreme violence and are validated as quality age-appropriate titles by parents and VR reviewers. Exercise caution looking into any shooters or games with combat. Prioritize harmless titles for young gamers still developing ethically and cognitively.

The Bottom Line

While Bonelab succeeds as an impressive technical showcase allowing unprecedented player freedom, its lack of ethical constraints enables gratuitous graphic violence. I cannot in good conscience sanction exposing children under the VR age recommendations to such realistic carnage and cruelty for entertainment. Parents should thoughtfully steward their child‘s introduction to immersive media, focusing on positive enriching content while postponing excessively mature experiences for much later ages. Despite looking cartoonish at quick glances, Bonelab contains deeply disturbing elements warranting great prudence.