I'm a thirteen year-old gamer.Don't hate me for it.

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Quick FYI, I hate smoking, and think it should be illegal. Secondly, unless you do warrant-less raids on homes, laws like that would never work. Plus, it takes away the freedom of parents to have their own beliefs. Perhaps it's because I have always had an overdeveloped notion of reality, and could always tell the difference. I was reading books at age 2, and was reading at a high school level by third grade. I've never had to study, and always thought outside the box. Laws and rules are not the way to go, open-mindedness and understanding that the human mind is not as fragile as we believe is.

Yeah, okay, whatever. From what has been studied and from what I have seen children universally have problems with conversions of mass and volume (little alone other perceptual problems). You can universally 'wow' any child of 5 years and younger by pouring water from a large, short beaker into a skinny, long beaker.

They'll think it's magic.

All children proceed from a state of egocentrism to sociocentrism. Which is why children act like children. That's not your fault, that's how children are hardwired. I have yet to see a child who didn't. Even your rundown of your merits seems disjointed from reality that children regularly associate with during the pre-operational phase (of which is, ironically, the age group you're talking about as you relate to me your memories).

One theory that a friend surmised in a developmental psych paper she wrote was the idea that maybe the lack of proper memory of Piaget's preoperational phase as adults is due to the fact that the worldviews and egocentrism that accompanies the mentality of that phase is universally misunderstandable in the adult psyche. Damn good paper and theory.

The idea that the reason why our memory falters trying to remember ourselves as children when we are 3 to 7 (beyond times of emotional distress which can resonate into powerful phobias) is because our brains cannot completely comprehend how we viewed the world in a said way, or how we rationalized the world in the way we did.

In short, you have much to learn about life. If Piaget's challengers were right about anything, being a child doesn't really end until one is 20-odd. As many people under the age of 20 still fail in the face of questions of moral integrity and retain levels of egocentrism that should have generally have been accepted as things that should be dropped for the sake of social cohesion.

Such questions as "Your wife is dying of a curable disease but you cannot afford the cure. Do you steal it and accept the consequences of your actions? Explain why you came up with your answer" and the like. The answers to the questions are surprising, even by people who are 18 or 19 who should possibly know better.

Sure the laws may not beable to be enforced, but I think the law should atleast state that it should be mentioned by store clerks to the parents who buy mature games "This product is not meant for use by children under the age of . It contains themes that are not suitable for developing minds.".

I think most parents would second guess their purchase for their children if they were told this. I know I would if confronted by such a direct comment. That being said I wouldn't buy a restricted product for my child to begin with.

 

[RUINER ACTUAL]

I've had really good experiences with friends online that were 12 or 13. Some of them you couldn't even tell because they acted so well. However, there are the majority that ruin things for others. Sorry for the prejudice, but it stands until you prove to me that its wrong to you, and that you aren't like other gamers your age. That's how I see it.

 

[zamot201]

Im also a 13 year old gamer. my voice really hasn't gotten low yet and I get trashed for it. I'm ironically an amazing trashtalker who's made countless people quit out of embarrassment. But I only talk shit in personal defense for it. I admit that I can get more frustrated than some adult gamers when someones corner camping with a fucking noob-tube, but I try to control my urges to trash-talk the shit out them.

 

[bam13302]

probably the 50th to say this, i dont hate you, i hate your voice

The sad fact is that regardless of how good I am at the game. These types of people (which represent a large percent of the online community) is the main reason why I'm very careful with who I talk to on mic.

Bloody puberty.

lol, exactly

 

[Zackary Yakumo]

I noticed after i read the original post that the most annoyinggamers are young ones that dont shut up, talk a bunch of uneeded things, and saying very rude things about my parents, who is dead.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Anybody can play a game, as long as they accept that people are going to be a dick to them.

 

[Limzz]

Off topic, but OP you might be interested to know that you're supposed to put a space after periods when writing.

 

[pyrosaw]

Im sort of glad and surprised that most people would agree.

As for why I would play M-rated games, I just want to expereince a real shooter. You must admit, even though it's an M-rated game, Team Fortess 2 is a amazing game. Why should I wait five years to play something that will quite possibly dieout by then, when I could play it when it's fun?

 

[savandicus]

Afew comments of this thread.

1 - Alot of flame going on here, i've read up to the 4th page and there are atleast 3 different flame wars about different subjects going on.

2 - Old people dont like playing with children that arent their own.

3 - Sterotypically the younger you are the worse you are at gaming, people dont like this in team games. Before i get flamed for that i will clarify by pointing out sterotypically and pointing out that in 2 years you will be a better gamer than you are now (Assuming you carry on playing)

4 - Whether you like it or not, high pitched voices down a microphone are pretty harsh on the ears, probably something to do the lack of quality of most microphones.

5 - I only ever use voice chat with people who i've played with multiple times before or are friends or people i've played with multiple times before. If you've got a voice that your going to get flak for prove your skill and then reveal your voice. Noone can argue with a game well played.

 

[ShoopDaToaster]

OP has shone the light of truth upon younger than 14 gamers.

 

[open trap]

Im 14, an established member of the escapist, and a gamer. The only time you will finde me being a dick is when im with a friend and thats if some ones voice sounds like they're 4yrs old or there is one of those overly agressive douch bags who i then use big words and talk smart to, other than that i mute people

 

[TheBlackWaterMan]

Alot of people these day's play multiplayer.And i'm pretty sure we all have our story of some fourteen year-old(or younger) screaming in his mic about you actually killing him.This doesn't really bother me much, considering there is a handful of adults who can't coup with this either.But for some reason, adults have started to tell me I shouldn't play multiplayer because children ruin the online experince.Now, before I go on, I am fully aware that most american children are idiots, and that most idiots have mic's.But just because they are massive idiots, doesn't mean I am, so don't put me into this spectum of idiocy just because you feel like it.Some of us can handle ourselves without a cell phone and the Internet.We mostly live in Arizona.

Man know what this guy means I'm fourteen and unfortunatly my school is the one where they put the racist screaming idoits on xbox live.

 

[The Singularity]

You see heres the problem, if a 13 year old is cool and fine in game then you don't really remember them because their just another player. However if one 13 year old is a stereotypical whiner then you remember them because they were very annoying to you. My advice is just say your older, and people won't really care as long as your cool and their cool. Of course your going to find some people who just point out any difference especially if you kill them but the majority won't do that.

 

[stoaster]

I didn't read the rest of the thread, but just wanted to add that I think it's a bit silly when people complain about kids playing online. Sure, you'll get some stupid kids spamming the mic, but not all do. Heck, there's a 6 year old that, on a regular basis, games with my clan on Half-Life 2 DM as well as 2 kids that I think are probably 10 or 12.

What ruins people's impression of kids is the ones that get online, think they're supermen behind the keyboard and insult everyone else in the game.

edit- i'm 24 if that makes any difference for how people read this. On the HL2DM server I' m generally on, most players seem to be in their late teens to mid 30's with a few players considerably older.

 

[Dfskelleton]

I wholeheartedly agree with you sir! I'm 13, and most people on xbox live say "How old are you? 18?" because I don't scream like a girl when I die and have a voice deeper than most kids my age. I myself can't stand the whiny 12 year olds on Xbox Live, which is why I only play online with friends who I know are not annoying.

 

[wilze]

I'm 15 and I don't know if this is to say about 13-15 year olds but pissing of people is fun, i think we all know that, so really you can't blame them, or maybe a little. One thing that I have encountered is that it's really hard as a 15 year old to get accepted in to more mature gaming communities, like when i play ARMA 2 online i have to lie about my age, and they don't notice because i don't play like the little brats were discussing.

 

[Baneat]

adults have started to tell me I shouldn't play multiplayer because children ruin the online experince.Now, before I go on, I am fully aware that most american children are idiots,

Contradicting yourself in your argument is a great way to lose one.

 

[mastiffchild]

Agreed the average 14 year-old and younger are the most annoying/crybaby/excuse makers in the realm of online gaming. But, I see where you are coming from. Not every 14 year old or younger is like that. It's just the idiotic ones that give a bad name to all young gamers. Just another example of prejudice and stereotyping that we should try to avoid.

To be frank age was never, and ill never be, any indication of how big a tool someone is going to be. I've been gaming a lot, lot more since becoming disabled a few years back and have to say some of the most supportive and understanding gamers I've met(and on the whole the community HAS been very good to me unlike the image we gamers have in the media would have you imagine I'd be treated anyway)have been younger gamers in their teens.

I'd go as fare as to say that I come across more "grown up" idiots, racists and homophobes than I EVER do youngsters. Thinking about it perhaps the reason this stereotype exists is firstly as a mirror for the perception of teens as a group in society in general and, also, because when you do come across a painful younger gamer they tend just to be louder(and sometimes so young that the swearing/abuse is very shrill)than their older counterparts.

Anyhoo, kind of goes without saying that any generalisation about the youth will be wonky-like any generalisation about anything-so I'm always happy to take any game, regardless of age, gender or race or sexual preference at face value. You wouldn't judge on age in life so why in gaming?