NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Such top-selling video games as "Doom 3" and "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" made the National Institute on Media and the Family's list Tuesday of ten video games that parents should keep out of the hands of children and teenagers this holiday season.

The other games on the list are "Half Life 2," "Halo 2," "Resident Evil: Outbreak," "Psi Ops: the Mindgate Conspiracy" "The Guy Game" "Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude" "Mortal Kombat Deception," and finally "Rumble Roses."

All ten games carry an M rating, meaning they are intended for a mature audience. But the group says that too many parents ignore the ratings, believing any video game is appropriate for children and teens.

"We do continue to have concerns, however, about the reluctance of the Entertainment Software Rating Board to use the AO (adults only) rating," said the group's release.

"According to the ESRB, the AO rating is used when games 'include graphic depictions of sex and/or violence.' Games like "The Guy Game," "Leisure Suit Larry" and "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" would certainly fit that description and yet they are rated M."

The institute said it is "impossible to decipher" the distinction between AO, which ESRB says is "not intended for persons under the age of 18." and M, which it says is "suitable for persons ages 17 and older." But it said that because most major retailers will not sell AO games, video game publishers manipulate the criteria to avoid the AO rating.

But another problem with the ratings, according to the institute, is that a Kaiser Family Foundation study showed that only 52 percent of parents used ratings to guide game purchases.

And the group said that its own survey of retailers found 76 percent of respondents say they understand the ratings they are supposed to enforce, which is down from 85 percent in the 2003 survey. It also found only half of the stores train employees in the use of the ratings.

A look at the best and worst choices for children and teens. David Walsh, president of National Institute on Media and the Family, comments on the rating system. Play video (Real or Windows Media)

In a press release, Hal Halpin, president of the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association, said training procedures were put into place to alert store workers of the rating system by December, 2004, and that passing judgment before that date is premature.

"It is our belief that it is quite simply too early to assign a grade to the retailer's enforcement policies," said Halpin. "But if a grade needs to be assigned, nothing less than an "A" is worthy of their collective efforts over the last 11 months."

The National Institute on Media identified 10 games they recommended for kids, including "ESPN NFL 2 K5," "Pikmin 2," "Sly 2: Band of Thieves," "Karaoke Revolution Volume 3," "Madden NFL 2005," "Jak 3," "Prince of Persia," "Myst IV: Revelation," "RollerCoaster Tycoon 3," and "SimCity 4." Three of those games -- Jak, "Prince of Persia" and Myst -- are rated T to indicate they should be played by teens. The others are rated E, meaning they are appropriate for everyone.

But the group recommended that parents put limits on how much their children play even these games it considers appropriate.

"The conclusion we draw from the accumulated research is that the question of whether video games are 'good' or 'bad' for children is oversimplified," said the group's report. "Parents should recognize that video games can have powerful effects on children, and should therefore set limits on the amount and content of games their children play."

The warning list to parents in only one such list due out Tuesday. A coalition of groups -- including the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) and Mothers Against Violence in America -- also unveiled 10 "most violent video games," in which 5 of the games, "Doom 3," "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," "Half Life 2," "Halo 2" and "Mortal Combat: Deception," were mentioned on the National Institute on Media and the Family list.

The coalition's additional "violent" games included "Gunslinger Girls 2," "Hitman: Blood Money (releases in 2005)," "Manhunt," "Postal 2" and "Shadow Heart," which it said could also be inappropriate for children.

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The group also voiced concerns about a free, Web-based game called "America's Army," which is used to promote enlistment in the U.S. Army, but is accessible to young children.

"Many adults who have not played video games may not realize that these games typically force an impressionable child to kill in order to win," Sister Pat Wolf, executive director of ICCR, said in a conference call.

"We encourage parents to exercise their power as consumers and hold retailers accountable for the way that violent video games are marketed and sold," she added.

ICCR is a coalition of 275 faith-based institutional investors, including denominations, religious communities and pension funds.

National Institute on Media and the Family said it was aware of the other groups' efforts on the topic but that their video game warning list was completely separate.