my mom HATES violent video games

[BlueOnBlue]

hi guys I have a problem, my mom completely hates violent video games especially if they are rated M. I'll explain when my mom got me a ps3 for christmas i got mw2 two days later (buying it with my own money i might add) and she was fine with that next day she shows up while im playing and requests to see the game so i proceed to show her, not even after watching for 5 seconds she says no, and tells me to take the game out and give it to her then she goes and returns the game. the next day I ask her why she did that and she says she doesn't want to talk about it and threatens to take the ps3 away entirely if i ask again. about two weeks later i spend some time thinking of a few things i could try to use to justify me being allowed to get the game (by this time she has allowed me to get uncharted 2 which has amazing single player and very good mp but it's just not mw2) so i go to her and we have a good 2 hour long conversation on why the game is violent. At the end of it she says she will look into it and research the game. I ask her about it 4 days later and shes shut tight about it again threatning to take away the ps3 and by this point i had already disproven her claims that the game would make me violent or desensitized so when i ask her why she just says you know why. so that night i compiled some videos off youtube one showing some clips one from a t rated fps, battlefield: bad company and then one from a mp match in mw2 and i didn't tell her which was which and she said she would buy me the one that was mw2 but not bad company after i told her what the next two clips where and picked two very similar clips to the first two the only difference now she knows which is which, not even 20 seconds into the mw2 clips (which at this point the only thing that has happend is the person walked around a bit shot a bit and missed then got killed) she says it's too horryfying to watch. I've also tried getting her with the bandwagon "it's ruining my social life because everyone has it and I don't" thing but it didn't work either. any suggestions guys?

Info on me:
13 years old, iq:134 extremely mature for my age, father has died, report card usually consists of all A's and possibly one to two B's maximum, not violent at all, very compassionate and understanding, follows rules, has never had more then one detention in a school year (usually from my cellphone being on in class or a teacher that just plain trying to find ways to get me in trouble.)

 

[Gxas]

You're 13. You shouldn't be playing M-rated games. What she did was right as a parent.

Wait until you're 17, then you can play.

 

[Yoshemo]

If your mom won't let you play, she'll never listen to you. Parents tend to think "I know better than my child just because I do" so good luck

You're 13. You shouldn't be playing M-rated games. What she did was right as a parent.

Wait until you're 17, then you can play.

M is for Mature, not adult. If he can tell its not real and won't try to reinact the game in real life then he should be able to play. I've played M games since I was 6, yet I'm one of the least violent people I know

 

[Rensenhito]

Tell her that allowing you to play MW2 isn't going to turn you into an axe murderer; in fact, NUMEROUS empirical psychological studies have shown that kids who play violent video games are less likely to commit violent acts in real life. It helps defuse potentially dangerous impulses in pretty much everybody. In fact, the Dalai Lama's right hand man actually RECOMMENDS playing video games (even violent ones) as a way to relieve day-to-day stress. Look it up. Educate her.

 

[LockeDown]

Violent video games also hate your mom.


In all seriousness, you're 13. Even if you're intellectually mature enough to handle the content, you're still a minor, and your parents can do whatever they want to you that doesn't constitute neglect, abuse, or endangerment. Also, whatever store employee sold you the game shouldn't have done so, because the rating is too high.

I'd like to add that this has nothing to do with my hatred of squeakers on MW2...Okay, maybe a little.

Edit: Also, there's no way you have an IQ of 134 if your posts look like that. Not unless the scale has shifted since last I took an IQ test. Or maybe they give out extra-credit on those now. You know, No Child Left Behind and all.

 

[Gxas]

If your mom won't let you play, she'll never listen to you. Parents tend to think "I know better than my child just because I do" so good luck

You're 13. You shouldn't be playing M-rated games. What she did was right as a parent.

Wait until you're 17, then you can play.

M is for Mature, not adult. If he can tell its not real and won't try to reinact the game in real life then he should be able to play. I've played M games since I was 6, yet I'm one of the least violent people I know

Ratings are guidelines for parents. His parent is abiding by the guidelines. She is doing the right thing. When he is 17, she will let him play. She is one of the few parents who actually follows the ratings and uses them for what they're there for.

 

[Mr.Pandah]

...How did she manage to return the game if it was opened already? Did she get a full refund? Because I'd tell her to give me my 65 bucks back then. Does she know you're on the internet as well? Because she might take that away from you too.

Also, for an IQ as high as yours, and at that age...you have a lot of errors.

 

[DJ Lord Destructocon]

find the older sibling of one of your friends and get them to buy it for you. That;s what I did and I completely see where you're coming from here man. Playing M-rated games isn't going to turn you into a serial killer.

 

[Lizmichi]

God I know what you mean. I'm almost 21 and my mother thinks I don't need to play games like L4D2 (because zombies are "ewwwie") and that she thinks I have issues because most of the games on my xmas list were games like that. Anyway to the point sadly there isn't much you can do. I'm not saying you don't have any right to be mad but it also shows how much she pays attention and cares. Granted it's almost too much but M are M for a reason, me saying this not knowing you I'm just going by you're age. If you're mom won't see you're point you're kinda dead locked and stuck. What I do is use Steam because I have my own laptop and money so she'll never know but I'm still missing out on allot of games until she sees I'm 20 not 10. Anyway back to the point. you're still 13 not 17. Ratings, as dumb as some may see them, have a point. If you were my age with the same issue then I'd see you're point better but all I can say is wait. The games will still be on game stop as used games by then and much cheaper.

 

[Senrab]

...How did she manage to return the game if it was opened already? Did she get a full refund? Because I'd tell her to give me my 65 bucks back then. Does she know you're on the internet as well? Because she might take that away from you too.

Also, for an IQ as high as yours, and at that age...you have a lot of errors.

I was going to make a grammar related comment, but this sums it up nicely.

 

[PxDn Ninja]

You're 13. You shouldn't be playing M-rated games. What she did was right as a parent.

Wait until you're 17, then you can play.

This is almost right.

You're 13, so what your parents say, goes. Prove you are mature and firmly request a discussion about it. Point out the pros and cons. Check out the book Grand Theft Childhood, it has a lot of interesting information about teens and preteens playing violent games.

The key thing here is you are her dependent, so what she says goes. Prove your mature through your actions, but don't let up or give up.

 

[VanityGirl]

There is a rating for a reason. Your young mind shouldn't be seeing people being chainsawed in half.

Honestly, kudos go out to your mom for actually paying attention to the ESRB.

 

[teisjm]

Tell her that the internetz hate her for beeing stupid and ignorant, and unless he starts acting right anonymous will come and take her back to the store for a refund.

Then let her look up anonymous, and she'll realize that with an internet conenction, online shooters is the least of her worries.

Tell her that if you don't egt the game back, you'll spend all the time you would've spend playing browsing for violent porn instead.
Even if she threatens to take away your PS3/PC/internet you can always us ethe internet from otehr palces.
if you're as smart as you say you are, youcan easily find a way to bypass the parentatl controll thingies on library/school comps.

 

[LeonLethality]

They still letter grade report cards?! wow it sure has bee na while since I have had a letter grade...

anyway you shouldn't try and argue as it will go nowhere, just live with it and play some other games as there are much better games for the PS3 than MW2

 

[GRoXERs]

You're 13. You shouldn't be playing M-rated games. What she did was right as a parent.

Wait until you're 17, then you can play.

This is almost right.

You're 13, so what your parents say, goes. Prove you are mature and firmly request a discussion about it. Point out the pros and cons. Check out the book Grand Theft Childhood, it has a lot of interesting information about teens and preteens playing violent games.

The key thing here is you are her dependent, so what she says goes. Prove your mature through your actions, but don't let up or give up.

This. Consider yourself lucky, kid, I wasn't allowed to own any kind of videogames at all until I was 11, and that was just a GBC. I spent the next five years playing that and my GameCube. I didn't get a 360 and FPS of my own until college - and on top of all that, I have never owned a game or console that I didn't buy myself with money I earned. My parents are really not big supporters of my videogame habit.

Also, if you have a serious discussion where you both get to air your points, and she still decides you can't have it, stop bothering her about it.

Go outside and play instead.

 

[Korten12]

If your mom won't let you play, she'll never listen to you. Parents tend to think "I know better than my child just because I do" so good luck

You're 13. You shouldn't be playing M-rated games. What she did was right as a parent.

Wait until you're 17, then you can play.

M is for Mature, not adult. If he can tell its not real and won't try to reinact the game in real life then he should be able to play. I've played M games since I was 6, yet I'm one of the least violent people I know

so true. So many people belive that just becuase your not over 17 your not mature enough.

 

[S29 Afterlife]

well I'm 14, and my parents let me have it.
Basically, you have to be good to them.
Do all of the housework, play for a bit, then do more work.
If you're lucky, you'll get a day off.
But hey, doing a lot of work with little playtime is worth it to keep Modern Warfare 2, right?
I went through the same thing, so don't worry about it.

 

[Therumancer]

You shouldn't be playing that game, honestly. M rated games are rated that way for a reason, and no matter how "mature" you think you are for your age, you really aren't. Pretty much every 13 year old thinks they are an exception to the normal rules, and well... that's a defining feature of being a teen.

It's not just about the level of violence, but also the mentality expressed. Things like the ethics behind the "terrorism" scene are extremely touchy and contreversial for a reason. If all you see is the violence involved, then your missing half the point.

Ultimatly, very few people believe that video games are going to turn their kids into violent sociopaths (they exist, but aren't as common as many might think). However without life experience a kid can take messages away from "M" rated games that they really aren't prepared to deal with.

Shooting aliens with laser guns is one thing, but a game like Modern Warfare 2 that is not just graphic but also indirectly touches on real world politics that have adults tying themselves in knots? No... just no. Plenty of "T" rated games have violence in them, and "intense violence" does not nessicarly refer to gore but also to context.

At any rate, I'm rambling: The bottom line is that I agree with your mother. What's more the very fact that your going to the lengths you've described anc continueing that arguement sort of makes the point about maturity. See, had you let things drop entirely you might have had a somewhat better case next time you wanted to claim being an "exception" for an 'M' rated game, but you didn't, and just that kind of behavior makes the point.

What's more buying the game with your own money doesn't make any kind of a point except for the fact that someone in a game store was not doing their bloody job.