Installing a Game: Age Rating, Space and Requirements
A new game looks great. But before anyone presses “Install”, there are four checks: what age it is for, what it needs, whether there is room, and what it will cost. Today you will learn them.
For parents: a one-page guide — dinner questions and a “game timetable”.
01Remember
Think first, then open the answer.
Where is it safe to get a new program?
From the official store of the device or the publisher's official website — and only together with an adult.
Who types the access code and gives administrator rights when something is installed?
The adult. Access codes and administrator rights stay with them.
Which part of a computer is the “desk” and which is the “cupboard”?
Working memory (RAM) is the desk — it remembers while there is power. Storage is the cupboard — it keeps things even when switched off. Today we need both.
02Story
This is a made-up story. Mila hears about a new game — “Space Race”. A friend says: “Download it from this website, it is free there!”
Mila does not rush. She asks Mum. Together they open the official store and read the game card: age 7+, 20 GB of space needed. On their computer only 15 GB is free.
“Free from a stranger's website” is often a cracked (pirated) copy — made without the creators' permission. Such copies can hide viruses. So Mila leaves it alone.
Mum frees up some space and installs the game from the official store. And on Friday the two of them write on a sheet when to play and when to rest.
03Worked example
We take the made-up card of “Space Race” and compare it with Mila's made-up computer: 8 GB RAM, 15 GB free space, a family rule of “up to 7+”.
Age
The card has an age label — a number: 3, 7, 12, 16 or 18. Here it is 7. PEGI says whether the content suits that age — not how hard the game is. But every child is different: the family has the last word.
Descriptors
They say why the game has that age — for example fear or violence. There is also a descriptor for in-game purchases. The full list is on pegi.info; read it with an adult.
Requirements
Minimum is the weakest computer the publisher says the game will run on. Recommended is the computer for a smoother game. Here: minimum 4 GB RAM, recommended 8 GB. Mila has 8 GB — good.
Disk space
The game wants 20 GB and 15 GB are free. Not enough. So we wait: an adult decides what to free up.
Purchases and time
If the game offers purchases with real money, we buy nothing without an adult. And before we start, the family agrees how long we play.
04Try it now
This is a simulation with three made-up games and a made-up computer. Nothing is downloaded or installed.
1 · Predict
The computer has 8 GB RAM and 15 GB free space. The family rule is “up to 7+”. Which game will pass every check? Choose before you check.
2 · Run: check the game
3 · Change: change the computer and the rule
Change the memory, the free space and the family rule. Then press “Check” again. When does “Space Race” start to pass?
Memory (RAM):
Family rule — games up to age:
Where do you look on a real computer? (look only, with an adult)
In Windows 11: Settings › System › About — under “Device specifications” you see the processor and RAM. Free space is in Settings › System › Storage, or in File Explorer › This PC. Checked in Microsoft Support on 02.10.2026. On other devices the menus are different — ask an adult. Do not delete or move anything yourself.
05No screen: “Game timetable”
You need: a sheet of paper, a pen and an adult at home. You only look at the game's box or its card in the store — together.
Draw a table with columns: game · age by PEGI · where we play · when and for how long · when we rest.
Fill it in with an adult: copy the age from the label, and the time is whatever all of you decided together.
At the bottom write a rule: “We buy nothing in the game without an adult.” Everyone signs.
Put the sheet where everyone can see it. After a week ask: is it working? What should we change?
06Make your own
Make a “game card” for a made-up or a favourite game.
- Draw a card with: name · age by PEGI · descriptors · minimum and recommended requirements · disk space · are there purchases.
- Where you do not know — write “I don't know, I ask”. Do not guess.
- Show the card to an adult and explain: does the game pass the four checks?
07What I learned
- Before a game is installed: age, requirements, space, purchases and time.
- Minimum requirements are the weakest setup the game starts on; recommended ones are for a smoother game.
- An adult installs it, from an official store. Never cracked games.
A game says how much space it needs. What do you need to feel well tomorrow too?
Check yourself
1. A game has a PEGI 12 label. What does it mean?
2. What are “minimum requirements”?
3. A game offers purchases with real money. What do you do?
It is yours when you can show someone the four checks of a game. No points and no rankings — just a skill.
08I have a question
Do you still have a question? Write it here. It goes to your parent, not to strangers. Your parent confirms their e-mail first.
The form is loading… If it does not appear, write your question on paper and show it to a parent or teacher.
If something scares you — tell an adult you trust.
·Sources
- Title: Installing a Game: Age Rating, Space and Requirements (DB-RK-08) · Author: Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation · Source: original content, 2026 · Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0.
- PEGI: “What do the labels mean?” (ages 3, 7, 12, 16, 18 and descriptors), “Tips for Parents” (agreeing time, breaks, “every child is different”), “In-Game Purchases”, “Parental Control Tools” — checked on 02.10.2026, paraphrased in our own words. PEGI labels are described in words; the logos are not copied.
- Microsoft Support: “Find information about your Windows device” and “Free up drive space in Windows” — checked on 02.10.2026. “Windows” is a Microsoft product name, used only to name it.
- Minimum and recommended requirements: game stores (for example Steam) show two lists — checked on 02.10.2026 on a sample game page.
- Cracked copies and viruses: Microsoft Stories Asia — NUS study on pirated software and malware (2017).
- The game, its name and the numbers in the example and in the simulation are made up.
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation, 2026. You may share and adapt this lesson if you credit the author and keep the same licence. Learning is free forever.