Is skyrim suitable for 12 year olds?

Answer 1

That depends largely on what you think the kids can handle.

Reasons against: The game is mainly combat-oriented, with swords and shields and magic galore. There are several environments with blood in them, i.e. a dungeon floor with puddles of blood to show something dangerous is around. There is little swearing in the game, and there are one or two side missions with sexual innuendo. There is also a series of assassin quests, with some dark overtones to it.

Reasons for: Oblivion is pretty tame in comparison to most other games of the same nature, and surrounds the player in a very well-made fantasy environment. The game has a crime system that helps strongly discourage the player from just killing or stealing whatever they want, and even the "thieves guild" has penalties for killing innocents. Missions are layed out to present multiple solutions to a problem, encouraging the player to think things through before just plowing through all of the enemies. The enemies themselves are often magical creatures such as skeletons or overgrown insects.

Answer 2

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is rated M (Mature, age 17+) by the ESRB. It's mature because it has "Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, and Use of Alcohol". The game also has occasional swearing. In terms of "intense violence" decapitations can take place (one happens at the beginning of the game). There is no nudity. Children are present in the game, which means they can be attacked, but not killed. Nor are they maimed in any way.

If you're still unsure, watch videos on YouTube or other sites and get a feel of what the game offers. There are hundreds of videos of people playing Skyrim. However, there are videos which show the game played on the PC, which means they'll likely have Mods (things that change the game), so I recommend not watching the PC version as some Mods can add more to the game which could make it even less suitable to a 12 year old. But there could be Mods which make the game more suitable for a younger player.