Black Ops is ok, but RDR isn't?!

[LarenzoAOG]

Killing commies and VC is our duty as American citizens!

But more realistically she was probably ignorant to anything video game related.

 

[Zayren]

Black Ops isn't as bloody as RDR, really. There's also the scene where you walk in on the Mexican guy doing some chick on a table.

Right, lets see I skinned animal in rdr and a few bloodsplatters when people were shot.
In BOps I insert a knife into a mans skull, torture a man with glass, and saw through a guys neck with my knife(that last one caght me off gaurd due to how graphic it was).

Well that's pretty fucking rude, huh?

*re reads post*
No not really.

Inserting a knife into a man's skull, torturing a man with glass and sawing through a guy's neck with a knife isn't very rude, then? I'm glad I didn't even need to both reinforcing my point.

 

[LarenzoAOG]

it's a military family; they do have double standards.

Say what? I'm from a military family, I happen to know that on average military children are more mature when it comes to matters of violence and such.

I don't see how being a military kid affects anyones desicion on what games to buy, please enlighten me.

 

[GonzoGamer]

it's a military family; they do have double standards.

Say what? I'm from a military family, I happen to know that on average military children are more mature when it comes to matters of violence and such.

I don't see how being a military kid affects anyones desicion on what games to buy, please enlighten me.

Don't fly off the handle. That's actually exactly what I mean: children from military families are more mature when it comes to violence. I can see how a military mom might be more inclined to buy her kid Blops and not RDR.

 

[Mcface]

I overheard a very odd thing today in GAME store today, while browsing through the pre-owned games i heard a youngish lad ask his mum if he could buy Red Dead Redemption. Obviously he was under-age and i was kinda shocked to hear the mum say "No, its too old for you, your 11". I started to cheer as i thought that maybe, just maybe some parents actually use age ratings and that things like California and Jack Thompson can shut up and jump in some form of toxic death pit.

However what came next was quite odd, the 11 year old replied "I know, but you still bought me Black Ops" to which she replied with "Yeah, but that's different". That sentence has kinda stuck with me now, how on earth is it different?! Both are rated as 18 games due to graphic violence, swears and other stuff, how can one be "different". I thought it could be done due to popularity and advertisement but both are the same. RDR has won loads of GOTYs, had loads of adverts here in UK and was top of the charts at one point i believe. Its the same for Black Ops (minus the GOTYs THANK GOD)So i ask you, the smart otters of The Escapist to help me make sense of this quite weird statement, is there some profound answer or is this women just an idiot.

My opinion is, Black ops is very animated and almost cartoony. the violence (mainly multiplayer) is unbelievable at best. in RDR there are naked woman, whores etc. you can tie a nun to the back of your horse and drag her across the west, execute people at point blank, etc.

 

[Daveman]

My cousin is like 9 and he is allowed to play Reach, which I think is reasonable. He just goes into forge with friends and just tries to hit them with the rocket launcher and golf club.

My uncle can't get black ops though because that's got scenes of torture, and scenes where you are doing the torturing. I think that is also reasonable, that my cousin OBVIOUSLY shouldn't be playing BOps.

 

[Samus Aaron]

The kid should not be playing rated M games anyway, at least not until their high-pitched voices go away and they finally learn to make sentences without using only swears. The mom is misinformed for letting her kid play CODBlops in the first place.

That aside, COD is a patriotic military shooter with tons of hype and a "I have to have it or everyone won't think I'm cool" mentality behind it. RDR is a Rockstar game (Gasp! Jack Thompson no like Rockstar!) and it's actually "mature" on several levels, which adults find scary for children.

 

[moose_man]

maybe she is an animal rights protestor, she wouldnt be happy with the killing of animals in RDR

And yet, PETA is A-Okay with PEOPLE getting the shit shot out of them.

they bear attacked me first man, it was self defense

i was just strolling through the forest picking flowers when yogi pops out and KOs me

That happened to me once... there was like a whole pack or something.

 

[Blitzwarp]

And as I said earlier in this thread, the customer will then walk outside to the GameStation/HMV/Supermarket/Grainger Games/etc and buy it there instead.

Well done, you didn't manage ANYTHING successful, AND the company lost out on a sale.

Come into the store I work in and you'll see everyone reminding buyers the reasons for age restrictions, but as I have said: 99% of the time the parent will say they want to buy it anyway.

Occasionally you get someone slightly sheepish who tries the "Ohh, it's really for me, you see." route.

Thank you for reinforcing my point. If I did refuse a customer who was clearly 40 a sale of a game that's 18+ on the grounds that they have a child with them and that customer then complained to my manager, I'd most likely be put on disciplinary or given some kind of warning. Because that customer would then be dissatisfied and unlikely to come back to our shop again for a little while, and if there's one thing our shop is big on it's customer satisfaction.

Yes, a shop can refuse sale of any item it is carrying, but at the end of the day if the fabled forty year old came to my till to buy an 18+ game, it's not worth my job to challenge their decision based on the fact they have a child. If the child then tried to hand me money then I would have adequate legal backing to refuse (thanks to some shiny stickers on my till front): but if the customer came back later alone to pay, I haven't a leg to stand on.

 

[Mehall]

And as I said earlier in this thread, the customer will then walk outside to the GameStation/HMV/Supermarket/Grainger Games/etc and buy it there instead.

They can try, yes. That's the risk you take opening a games store.

You're missing the point though.

Parents can't rely on the law to make for good parenting. What do we do if a childs father buys the game and the kid borrows it? Or borrows one from an older cousin? Or from a kid at school?

The law being there is a good idea, it provides a level of protection, I agree, but if a parent decides their child is mature enough or, more likely, the parent doesn't give a shit, then there's nothing they can do. Worst comes to worst the parent buys online, kid still gets the game. If the person behind the till has informed the buyer of the age rating and the reasons for it's existence and the parent still wants to buy the game, why should we stop them?

 

[Mehall]

And as I said earlier in this thread, the customer will then walk outside to the GameStation/HMV/Supermarket/Grainger Games/etc and buy it there instead.

They can try, yes. That's the risk you take opening a games store.

You're missing the point though.

Parents can't rely on the law to make for good parenting. What do we do if a childs father buys the game and the kid borrows it? Or borrows one from an older cousin? Or from a kid at school?

The law being there is a good idea, it provides a level of protection, I agree, but if a parent decides their child is mature enough or, more likely, the parent doesn't give a shit, then there's nothing they can do. Worst comes to worst the parent buys online, kid still gets the game. If the person behind the till has informed the buyer of the age rating and the reasons for it's existence and the parent still wants to buy the game, why should we stop them?

What exactly are you trying to say? YOu seem to be grasping for reasons to sell kids games they are too young to play. I really don't care how mature they are (though not that mature if they don't understand the law and why it exists). It isn't the job of retailers to raise other people's kids; it's the job of retailers to respect the law. If a shop cares more about a £40 sale than what's morally corret then they clearly don't want my custom.

We do respect the law, to the letter of the law. We also value not having parents scream and moan about the "horrendous customer service" they received if we refuse their sale because we reckon they're buying for someone under the age.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Because many parents don't have a fucking clue about games.

 

[Kukakkau]

Killing people isn't as bad as killing people and swearing.

Actually black ops probably has about as much swearing and dismemberment and other gory moments - granted they can be turned off but still

OP you should have asked the mother what she was on and then called her a bad parent

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

RDR has mild sex scenes and in the west that is more frowned upon. While the graphical violence is also not as bad in RDR than Black Ops(sawing a guy's head off) the intended violence especially towards women(kill porstitutes and dasterdly achievement) is much worse than the mundane killings from Black Ops. There is the skinning of animals as well. So yes overall RDR is a more mature game.

 

[Vampire cat]

Black Ops isn't as bloody as RDR, really. There's also the scene where you walk in on the Mexican guy doing some chick on a table.

...and the scene where you put glass in that dudes mouth and then punch him, or the many where your getting electro-torture.

Once again sex seems to be a massive no-no while violence, murder and torture is thumbs up... Geez!

 

[stefman]

I overheard a very odd thing today in GAME store today, while browsing through the pre-owned games i heard a youngish lad ask his mum if he could buy Red Dead Redemption. Obviously he was under-age and i was kinda shocked to hear the mum say "No, its too old for you, your 11". I started to cheer as i thought that maybe, just maybe some parents actually use age ratings and that things like California and Jack Thompson can shut up and jump in some form of toxic death pit.

However what came next was quite odd, the 11 year old replied "I know, but you still bought me Black Ops" to which she replied with "Yeah, but that's different". That sentence has kinda stuck with me now, how on earth is it different?! Both are rated as 18 games due to graphic violence, swears and other stuff, how can one be "different". I thought it could be done due to popularity and advertisement but both are the same. RDR has won loads of GOTYs, had loads of adverts here in UK and was top of the charts at one point i believe. Its the same for Black Ops (minus the GOTYs THANK GOD)So i ask you, the smart otters of The Escapist to help me make sense of this quite weird statement, is there some profound answer or is this women just an idiot.

keep in mind these are the same kind of parents who scream at developers and gamers saying things like "HOW COULD YOU MAKE SUCH VIOLENT GARBAGE THAT'S CORRUPTING MY CHILD" etc etc and i hate that. parents need to take some responsibility. that's why there is a rating system. pay attention to what your child plays and always be consistent and firm with your personal rules ie denying to buy m rated games. its kinda like R rated movies or really violent or sexual (graphic) books and music. just keep on top of what your kids play watch listen to / are exposed to and filter it.