Can a 14 Year Old Handle Playing Assassin’s Creed?

As an avid lifelong gamer and parent who reviews games for both audiences, one of the top questions I‘m asked is whether popular, more mature game franchises like Assassin‘s Creed are suitable for young teenagers.

So in this extensive guide tailored specifically to parents with 14 year olds, I‘ll cover everything you need to consider if you‘re wondering: “Can my 14 year old safely play Assassin’s Creed?”

The short answer is "Yes, but use caution" – while these historical action-adventure games can be very engaging and playable for many 14-15 year olds, the Mature 17+ ratings encompass really important factors that require some management, oversight and mutual understanding of expectations with your teen.

Let’s jump into the key details across Assassin Creed installments that contribute to those Mature designations – and how game to game appropriateness differs slightly among the options in this long-running, best-selling franchise.

All Assassin’s Creed Games Earn a Mature ESRB Rating

As critically acclaimed as the Assassin’s Creed franchise has been over the years for its immersive historical settings, parkour movement systems and stealth-focused battle mechanics, parents do need to be aware these games universally carry Mature ratings from the ESRB.

Specifically, almost every mainline Assassin’s Creed title and recent spin-offs like Valhalla have earned the following consistent content descriptors:

• Blood and Gore – Frequent scenes of bloody injury or death
• Sexual Themes – References or depictions of sexuality/nudity
• Strong Language – Expressions that go beyond polite conversation
• Use of Drugs/Alcohol – Consumption of illegal, controlled or risky substances

And many AC releases have also included:

• Intense Violence – Graphic and serious depictions of conflict
• Nudity – Visuals of partial or full exposure of breasts/genitals

Similar 18+ PEGI ratings are designated across European releases of Assassin’s Creed as well based on violence, sex, language and drug depictions.

So out of the gate, most Assassin’s Creed games sit firmly in the Mature camp – but does that mean your 14 year old can’t play or enjoy them responsibly? Not necessarily.

Key Areas of Mature Content Concern in AC Games

While every child matures differently (and you know yours best), there are some consistent areas of more adult content across Assassin’s Creed games you should be especially aware of with a 14 year old:

Frequent Bloody Violence

As an action-stealth series, Assassin’s Creed involves a lot of weapon-based combat using blades, hammers, arrows and an array of historical arms. Fights with soldiers and brutes can have moderate to high levels of blood spray when struck.

Signature assassinations or “sync kills” also often depict graphic impalements or neck slashes with gory sound effects.

• Some parents allow Teen-rated action combat, but have concerns on the Mature side. Gauge your teen’s tolerance, and consider limiting play if it elevates aggression or desensitization.

Strong Language/Profanity

These maturely written historical stories involve occasional to frequent uses of strong profanity by main characters and NPCs – typically F-words and S-words, sometimes used sexually.

• Set clear expectations whether you find strong language appropriate for your child at this age in entertainment contexts.

Sexual Themes/Nudity

While not over-the-top, some Assassin‘s Creed games have included sexual references, partial nudity in environments and characters, verbal sexual remarks or joking innuendos about sexual acts.

• Discuss mature themes that may arise – relationships, cultural views on sexuality, respect for real historical context, etc. Check ratings guides for specific chapter details.

Use of Alcohol/Drugs

Most Assassin’s Creed titles feature use of alcohol, drunken characters or verbal references. Origins and Odyssey also included missions involving hallucinogenic or poisonous plants.

• Good opportunity to discuss substance use realistically without glorifying illegal behaviors.

Mature Themes in Complex Storylines

All AC stories deal with complex societal issues, politics, ideologies at odds, moral shades of grey in factions and civilizations. The historically-rooted narratives require some emotional maturity to fully grasp.

• Consider playing through story missions together and discussing scenarios to build media literacy skills analyzing mature gaming plots.

So in what games and where do these areas of concern appear most prominently? Let’s break down some of the most acclaimed AC titles in detail…

Assassin’s Creed Game Appropriateness for a 14 Year Old

While the core themes of assassination, parkour movement and stealth remain consistent. certain Assassin’s Creed releases push various content envelope more than others.

If considering origins, franchises and appropriateness matter to you, here’s a game-by-game breakdown:

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

• Release: 2020
• Setting: 9th Century Viking Era
• Mature Content Issues
  • Graphic and gory violence in raids and battles
  • Partial nudity, sexual references and infidelity
  • Alcohol use
  • Use of hallucinogenic mushrooms
• Parent’s Bottom Line – Valhalla skews very Mature visually and thematically. Best for ages 15+ unless very mature 14 year old.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

• Release: 2018
• Setting: Ancient Greece
• Mature Content Issues:
  • Moderate revealing wardrobes and nudity
  • Sexual references and infidelity themes
  • Fantasy violence on par with mature action films
• Parent‘s Bottom Line – A great entry choice for mature 14 year olds who can handle strong violence and moderate sexual themes.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

• Release: 2017
• Setting: Ancient Egypt
• Mature Content Issues
  • Blood effects during combat, executions and injuries
  • Occasional uses of strong profanity
  • Depictions of drug use and addiction
  • Political turmoil in narrative
• Parent’s Bottom Line – Generally appropriate content for ages 14+ outside of bloody action. Good pick for young teen playing first AC game.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

• Release: 2015
• Setting: Victorian Era London
• Mature Content Issues
  • Moderate blood spray in fist fights and sword battles
  • Action violence on par with PG-13 films
  • Rare uses of strong language
• Parent’s Bottom Line – Lighter Mature tone makes it one of the safer AC choices for ages 14 and up.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

• Release: 2014
• Setting: French Revolution Paris
• Mature Content Issues
  • Blood spray in guillotine executions
  • Societal sexuality more openly addressed
  • Alcohol usage in plot points
• Parent’s Bottom Line – Generally tame compared to newer ACs, but guillotine violence is intense. Would exercise some caution for 14 year olds.

And this snapshot really reveals an escalation…

Mature Content Has Increased over Time

As seen above, more recent Assassin’s Creed games have pushed boundaries further in terms of blood, gore, nudity and sexual themes compared to earlier franchise installments.

Here‘s a helpful Content Ratings Overview across core "numbered" franchise releases over time:

As you can see, all core franchise releases sit firmly into the Mature 17+ / PEGI 18+ categories – but some titles push specific content envelopes further than others.

For comparisons to other franchises, here‘s a Ratings Reference Guide for other mature titles:

So where does this leave us in answering our original question around a 14 year old playing Assassin‘s Creed?

Final Parent Tips and My Recommendation

While the Mature designations rightly indicate these AC games are best geared towards ages 17+, many 14-15 year olds can still play titles like Syndicate or Odyssey responsibly with proper parental guidance.

Here are my top tips for parents considering Assassin’s Creed for a young teen gamer:

• Play early game chapters yourself or watch mature content rundowns so you understand exactly what kind of themes, violence or language arise.
• Have open conversations about content concerns, your expectations & house rules for games.
• Utilize built-in parental control options on consoles to restrict inappropriate content or limit playtime.
• Consider playing co-op or taking turns with story missions to experience it together.
• Most importantly, gauge your own child’s individual maturity level in different areas.

At the end of the day, it comes down to using your best parental judgement about what makes sense for your 14 year old’s sensibilities and situation.

While I’d still consider a few AC options mostly appropriate at that age with oversight, you know your child best. Manage expectations, leverage available controls options, and the interactive historical thrills can be safely experienced under your watchful assassin eye!

Let me know if you have any other questions – I‘m happy to offer perspective from both the gamer and parent point of view.