If a kid understands the adult themes in a video game, is it okay for him to play it?

[NewYork_Comedian]

snip

Yeah what ive found is that the media goes batshit because they found an X-box in the culprits home. And of coarse theres crap like this. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.171232-9-year-old-boy-commits-suicide-videogames-to-blame-really?page=1

And this http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.245378-Teenager-Kills-Mother-Commits-Suicide-Over-Gaming-Argument but this ones in Korea, which [possible racist undertone] is a WHOLE other story...

 

[Frotality]

definitely; my irresponsible parents bought very mature games and let me play them, but not being as stupidly impressionable and ignorant as todays youth, nothing bad came of it; once i was able to play the violence, it ceased to be special, so i just enjoyed the games for what they were. and i had to actually fight people in my ghetto childhood, but never did i consider heading over to ammo-nation, buying a gun, highjacking the nearest vehicle and doing a drive-by on anyone; all that was in the same nonsensical boat as any other aspect of video games, and i never considered video game violence any more realistic then floating platforms and mushroom people.

considering one of those games was conkers bad fur day, thats saying something; that game would horribly corrupt most children today...

 

[Vakz]

I didn't read the articles you posted NewYork_Comedian, because I only have a minute and gotta be off soon, but: That really is the thing. SO many times have games been blamed for making kids violent, because a console was found in his room. Almost all middle class kids have a console now days, and even those who don't, probably own some violet PC game. Is it really so surprising that a console was found in the room of an assailant of a violent crime?

 

[AceAngel]

Yes, but it depends on many factors (age, cultural background, and how the narrative is presented).

I think I saw the younger brother of my friend playing Ninety-Nine Nights, and I got a strong hint of 'Rape' in one of the characters (as in the character was raped by Orcs or something). He didn't notice, but I did, so yeah, it depends alot on how useful the narrative is.

 

[Necrofudge]

The rules are set to protect the company's assets should an overprotective mother find her son playing something with guns in it.
With that in mind, if you think that games won't make you start contemplating homicide, then go ahead and play them.

 

[Risingblade]

It's up to the parent to decide that but yes if my kid was mature enough to play such gamed I'd let them.

 

[Savagezion]

I suppose, although if a kid DOES understand the adult themes in the game, I would think there is reason for concern.

Thank you. You worded what I was planning to respond with in one short and sweet sentence.

"Maturity" is a concept deemed by society, not a real thing. I always find it funny to watch kids start these posts to show how they are "more mature" than the average kid. (You know, the other ones starting these threads, just kidding kinda.) The problem is that most "Mature" rated games don't handle the material presented in a mature fashion. So you are suppose to handle immature material in a mature state of mind. Whatever the hell that means. That doesn't even make a whole lot of sense when you really think about it but that is what is being expected of us and it is what is being argued over here.

I guess my answer is yes but I feel arguing over whether it is ok or not kind of defeats the whole purpose of the point being presented. Only a few rare exceptional games in all of the vast gaming library thus far make that not true and the point remains valid.

 

[Grounogeos]

Pretty much what the OP said. If you can understand the concepts, themes, and the fact that this is a fucking game and not how the real world works, there's no reason you shouldn't be allowed to play it.

 

[triggrhappy94]

Well the restrictions are meant to save impressionable, inoccent little kids from becoming "desensatised" and more prone to violence. But what a lot of people don't understand is if they know th difference between right and wrong, and that violence belongs in video games, then there's no problem.

I'm 16 now and my first M game was Diablo 2 way back when I was 10. All those studies would suggest that I'd get the yearbook award for "Most Likely to Commit a School Shooting" but I'm hardly violent; I hate the SAW movies because of the pointless violence

 

[Atticus89]

I don't see why not. I've killed enough turtles and thrown enough of their shells as Mario to make PETA want to tear me to shreds.

In seriousness, it's really up to you. Gamers as parents are much more informed about what materials their children will see these days: they know what the ratings are, where to find the reviews, etc. My parents played the NES, went to arcades as teenagers, and knew the basic stuff for video games but probably wouldn't know what to think these days if they were magically transported from 25 years ago to today.

 

[Dark Knifer]

Sure. I mean, age is just a number after all, it doesn't actually represent the maturity of a particular party because that is a gross generalization. I guess the parents should still have a say, but I would still allow my kids to play games like that, especially ones with narrative depth, since they would have a much more positive effect then the mindless FPSs we get these days that 14 year olds seem mostly into. Just like I'd suggest good books and music for them. Something to get their thoughts started early.

 

[Blood Countess]

this is my view.I see no problem with teens playing a game like say Mass Effect, Fallout or whatever as long as they understand it's fiction and their parents are cool with it.I know the government wants to take away the parent's right to choose but if your mother, father or legal guardian is fine with it then yes you should be able to if you like

My sister's step daughter is 15 and she plays whatever game she like, GTA being one of them but yeah she knows better than to go out and get a hooker then kill you

 

[Sir_Auron_the_Badass]

I'd say absolutely, so long as the kids can also be mature about it and obviously realize that it's part of a game, and not reality (fucking anti-gaming fear-mongers, I'm looking at you). I would actually rather prefer a ~14 year-old to play an M rated game if they were doing it for the story of the game, rather than a ~20 year-old playing one just because of the gratuitous violence, nudity, or to scream profanities/t-bag during online play, because the latter obviously reveals that they are less mature than people 6 years younger than them. That said, of course, parents should ultimately be the ones making the judgment calls on what they think their kid(s) can handle. If they know their kid is nowhere near mature enough, then they obviously shouldn't get those kind of games for them, but if they feel their kid is mature beyond his/her age, then I would say go ahead and get them it. Same thing happened to me, and my parents made the right call to actually let me play M rated games, watch just about any movie (including the porn issue, which they didn't freak about), and read books with mature content all when I was 14-15, mainly because I demonstrated to them that I acted incredibly mature and reasonable compared to basically everyone else at my school. Now, if said parents are way too overprotective, then chances are, those odds of making a valid judgment call go straight out the window, and for which, I wouldn't blame a kid under those conditions to actually get a hold of these games to actually have fun once in a while.

 

[Nouw]

Yes, the only reason why those ratings are made is because...ummm...why were they made?
So yes.

 

[viranimus]

Yeah, i think it depends on what makes it mature in the first place.

Constant streams of violence? no not really because there is really nothing to understand about it, its just violence and as such the epitome of nothing to learn.

However a game such as say dragon age which does have violence, but also has the narrative depth equal to most books, I would have little or no problem to say go ahead, knock yourself out.

Thing is I dont really get the notion of sheltering kids and keeping them away from certain content based on age and maturity. For example films. Why shy your kids away from a violent film that can be representative of how violent the world actually is. The notion of protecting them from sex seems moronic to me as last I checked sex is a natural biological function and its clearly something that the US has some massive confusion over.

Now I do see keeping kids away from certain game types such as "enter whatever the top multiplayer shooter of this second is here" when it causes the kid to start to behave like an obnoxious twat. Thing is, that is a cause/effect relationship that you simply cannot know if your kid is going to behave like that until they are exposed to it.

 

[Jodah]

If their parents actually teach them right from wrong then by all means, let them play the games. If something goes wrong and they become homicidal maniacs though, don't go blaming the games...if you do I will find you and cut you...

 

[Evilsanta]

Yeah, they can. But the problem is that not everyone is like that and ruin it for others.