Are these game appropriate for a NINE year old?

[Straz]

None of those are appropriate. Buy him Grim Fandango instead.

Not really true.
I'd say maybe l4d, saints row and gta might be too inappropriate, fallout three and mass effect are not horribly violence-centric games and I'd say are good.
Mass Effect more than Fallout, as that game truly isn't that bad, and those sex scenes which have been talked up so much go as far as showing a bra, and maybe some seedy music.
So I'd say Mass Effect would be fine.

And you say he is about 4chan's level of mature?
Try and fix him.
Honestly.

 

[Terramax]

None of those are appropriate. Buy him Grim Fandango instead.

Not really true.
I'd say maybe l4d, saints row and gta might be too inappropriate, fallout three and mass effect are not horribly violence-centric games and I'd say are good.
Mass Effect more than Fallout, as that game truly isn't that bad, and those sex scenes which have been talked up so much go as far as showing a bra, and maybe some seedy music.
So I'd say Mass Effect would be fine.

And you say he is about 4chan's level of mature?
Try and fix him.
Honestly.

He either won't understand the games or they're too violent. Find solid replacements. Instead of GTA, get Driver or Crazy Taxi, etc.

 

[Negatempest]

I was going to say that kids should be limited by what they play....but then I see CSI, House, Criminal Minds, and Law & Order being shown at 10 in the morn. So, I would feel like one hell of a hypocrite if I said anything against games being too old for children.

In my own opinion, it is this. If the child themselves can distinguish between reality and fantasy, than there is very little a game can do. If your in a living room watching a romance movie with your wife/girlfriend with the main leads making out and you tell your child/sibling that playing video games with sexual references in them is wrong. To me that does a HELL of alot more dmg than just watching porn. Parents/role models contradicting what they say and do is more dmging to a child in my opinion, is what I am clarifying.

 

[Ekit]

No, I don't think they are.

Talk with your parents and make sure they're okay with it.

Quick question: If you don't think they're appropriate, why do you let him watch you play?

 

[acosn]

Okay so my brother has steam and everytime he sees me playing a game he decides that he has to have it.

However I'm seventeen and he's nine. but regardless of this fact a majority of his games are MA+15. Are the following games really that appropriate? should I have a word with my folks about this?

Hitman : Blood Money
Alien Vs Predator 2010 - Extreme Gore
Mass Effect - Sexual Referances, violence ect.
Modern Warfare 1 - High Level Violence
CoD World at War - Torture, executions ect
L4D 1&2 - Gore, not much but it's still enough to be MA+15
FallOut 3 - Gore and Adult references
Saint Row 2 - what doesn't this game have
Grand Theft Auto IV - see Saints Row 2
I cant even buy games that I normally would because I know he'll want them and I cant convince my parents to stop buying them.

Are there problems with these games being played by a nine year old or am I over reacting?

I'd like to add that I have no problem with any of the content in any of these games, I have in fact enjoyed them all. My only concern is whether they are appropriate for someone so young

Do you need to ask? No on all counts, except maybe mass effect.

I wasn't touching mature rated games till I was around 14 (mind you- these are the states, so it's 17+) and I kind of knew better at that point.

He's just too young. Besides, you shouldn't help raise a bro-gamer who only goes for the games with the adult ratings.

 

[ExplosionProofTaco]

Kids always want to play games that they know are not suitable for them. It's Human Nature or some shit.

CoD4 (the first one, the GOOD one) and Mass Effect won't fuck him up completely. He may get bored of Mass Effect though, with the extensive Dialogue and the short attention span and AWW Y'ALL KNOW WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!

 

[commasplice]

I dunno, man. I was playing Diablo 2 when I was 10 or 11, but I guess that's way different than GTA. Mass Effect isn't especially bloody, but I think he'd get pretty bored of all the talking and whatnot. As long as he stayed away from the "sex scenes," I don't see a huge problem with that one. All the other games on the list are definite "no"-s, in my mind. Makes me miss the days my mom and I sat around and played Mario 64 together. Good times, good times.

 

[The Last Parade]

thanks for the second opinoions guys =D

 

[LWS666]

usually i see the rating system not as an age level, but a way to try and gauge maturity.

given that he gets his parents to buy every game you have i'd say not mature enough.

 

[commasplice]

Pfft, the sex scenes are tamer than fucking Eclipse man.

Bad example, since Twilight wasn't meant for human consumption, anyhow.

 

[RMcD94]

The answer as you will find out, and have done, is nothing to do with a number of years, but him. Some people will be mature (and I cringe to say mature in a society where mature = not fun, for example, people would call 4chan immature, but I bet they can handle all of those games) enough for that at 9, some people won't.

 

[Kiefer13]

As long as he understands the difference between a game and real life, sure, they're completely fine. I was playing games like that at his age, and I'm not emotionally unstable and susceptible to going on killing sprees.

 

[commasplice]

Pfft, the sex scenes are tamer than fucking Eclipse man.

Bad example, since Twilight wasn't meant for human consumption, anyhow.

Ok, they're tamer than any sex in Firefly.

Now, THAT, his brother should check out. Still, yeah, I'd probably seen more graphic stuff on TV by that age.

 

[Snownine]

The notion that violence & swearing traumatise or 'influence' children is ridiculous. If they feel the game is too gory for them they'll turn it off, & every kid gets a kick out of swearing.
Let him play what he likes.

...
Though keep him away from those Hentai games...

I agree %100 with this statement.

 

[commasplice]

The notion that violence & swearing traumatise or 'influence' children is ridiculous. If they feel the game is too gory for them they'll turn it off, & every kid gets a kick out of swearing.
Let him play what he likes.

...
Though keep him away from those Hentai games...

I agree %100 with this statement.

Eh, I don't know. While I don't think it'd traumatize him or anything, graphic imagery can still freak a kid out. I know Nightmare Before Christmas scared the shit out of me (even though I loved it). Particularly, those little vampire duck things. There was also that one time, when I was about 5, where I watched Jurassic Park every night until it gave me nightmares. Again, I don't think those things ruined me as a person, and I certainly don't have PTSD or anything, but I probably shouldn't have been watching them way back when.