Uneducated Gaming Parent Syndrome

[Mr. Google]

Today i was in my local brick and mortar game store buying the game Eternal Sonata when i came upon some little kids with their mother. they were trying to buy some new Wii games. Now these were some i dont know 8 to 10 year old kids and the mother was trying to recommend games for them. She had no idea what she was talking about either! she would say oh do you want back yard football? or how about this tennis game! now i know that this isnt my place to tell parents that they are idiots and that even though the wii lacks tons of amazing games (to all fanboys i still want one for the soon to be amazing line up) but i knew right away that these kids were victims of uneducated gaming parent syndrome. The parents will never go for the good game because they wont research what the good games are. if i walk into a game store i hear something like this all the time like my very favorite, Does mario galaxy come on the xbox 360 you should have seen this employees face (i digress) my question to you all is, "do parents need to be more educated on what they are buying for their kids so that they dont waste their money?" And also if you want throw down a funny story im all ears
[Edit] This could also be about the whole parents shouldnt even buy their kids violent video games

 

[The Amazing Tea Alligator]

You spelled gaming and syndrome wrong.

I don't see this as a problem. These parents don't view games in the same light that we do. They are not coneseurs, but rather lost in the catalogues of shovelware. There are entire industries built off of this market segment, and I'm sure those guys appreciate it.

 

[delet]

No, if they want to waste their money let them do it.

You question should be "Do parents need to be more educated on what they're buying for their kids so they know what they are buying for their kids?"

And the answer to that is yes. Parents need to do the research on games, or at the very least figure out how ratings work, so that they can buy appropriate games for their children.

That, or at the very least just make sure to keep mics away from the kids...

 

[Irridium]

Thats... not that bad actually. Trust me, I work in games retail, I've seen worse. Much worse.

You'd be amazed at how many parents readily buy their kids violent games. Yes they do need to be educated, and I do my part. I've stopped many-a-kid from getting Halo 3/MW2.

When I say kid I'm talking 7-13.

The kids get pissed, but I don't care. Thats one less violent game in the hands of a kid, one more educated parent, and one less high-voiced kid online. I've done good.

 

[Mr. Google]

You spelled gaming wrong.

I don't see this as a problem. These parents don't view games in the same light that we do. They are not coneseurs, but rather lost in the catalogues of shovelware. There are entire industries built off of this market segment, and I'm sure those guys appreciate it.

Yeah totally sorry about that gaming thing i thought i fixed it before anyone could see it haha

 

[The Amazing Tea Alligator]

Yeah totally sorry about that gaming thing i thought i fixed it before anyone could see it haha

I see everything. Syndrome is still spelled wrong.

 

[Mr. Google]

Yeah totally sorry about that gaming thing i thought i fixed it before anyone could see it haha

I see everything.

Im scared...

 

[willard3]

Thats... not that bad actually. Trust me, I work in games retail, I've seen worse. Much worse.

You'd be amazed at how many parents readily buy their kids violent games. Yes they do need to be educated, and I do my part. I've stopped many-a-kid from getting Halo 3/MW2.

When I say kid I'm talking 7-13.

The kids get pissed, but I don't care. Thats one less violent game in the hands of a kid, one more educated parent, and one less high-voiced kid online. I've done good.

+1 point of your choice, sir.

I overhear these conversations all the time, and sometimes I join in politely when I feel that someone is dead wrong. If they're already talking to an employee, then I just stand there and grin.

 

[Orwellian37]

It could be worse. They could be trying to buy Battletoads. But once, I heard a parent arguing with the cashier that Mario Galaxy 2 wasn't worth the extra money when she could buy Wii Music.

So yes, PARENTS NEED TO PAY ATTENTION IF THEY ARE BUYING A GAME.

 

[The Amazing Tea Alligator]

+1 point of your choice, sir.

I overhear these conversations all the time, and sometimes I join in politely when I feel that someone is dead wrong. If they're already talking to an employee, then I just stand there and grin.

Are you Willard due to the movie, or are you Willard of your own accord?

 

[willard3]

+1 point of your choice, sir.

I overhear these conversations all the time, and sometimes I join in politely when I feel that someone is dead wrong. If they're already talking to an employee, then I just stand there and grin.

Are you Willard due to the movie, or are you Willard of your own accord?

I get that a lot.

Willard from Tomb Raider 3.

 

[The Amazing Tea Alligator]

I get that a lot.

Willard from Tomb Raider 3.

Oh. I see. Not this?

 

[Judgement101]

I saw a 5 year-old's parent buy them GTA once and thought "Wow they don't know what that is, do they?" It just annoys me that parents will reccomend a game that doesn't even seem remotely interesting.

 

[PhunkyPhazon]

Meh, that's not bad. I once heard a lady tell her kid they couldn't get a game because it was for Gamecube and they only had a Wii. I thought about telling her, but she didn't seem enthusiastic about buying a game for her kid.

Oh, and a little while ago my brother (A parent) was insisting he saw a Mario game for PS2.

 

[viranimus]

The question I have to ask is, is it a case of a parent being uneducated, or that parents actual values?

Example... I know a parent of 2, a boy and girl. Who had her kids playing Halo 1 when it came out, and the kids were 11-13 respectively the year halo 2 came out. Now when they got onto the game they would smack, punch , and call each other everything in the book. When they got online, they had Atypical 12 year old on XBL tirades and threw temper tantrums that would make the chocolate milk kid blush.

One would think this was a parent feigning ignorance, until you see her sitting down and playing with the kids.

A year later the same kids were going nuts because they wanted to play God of War, to which she wouldnt allow it, because she herself had made it through the first stage, and the corresponding sex scene minigame.

So, it wasnt a case of the parent being ignorant to the content within the games she allowed her children to play. Its just that even though she saw first hand the negative impacts from what these types of games do to children of inappropriate ages and maturity, she still allowed her children to play it, but went batshit crazy at the concept of her children seeing polygonal boobies.

I think its representative of US culture where basically any media we have little or no trouble exposing our children to violence in its many forms, but shun even the slightest concept of sex at all costs.

As for uneducated parents. I know in my day, parents typically had no clue as to the content in the games they bought (back in the days before the ESRB rating system) and I know most parents bought fairly random games, with no rhyme or reason. In this day and age, I do find it alot harder to see in a 2 parent household, at least one parent has a general idea of the content in games.

But what you must consider is that there are an abundance of parents who buy their kids games, not based on what the kid wants, Not based on the content in the game, Just soley based on the idea of "Maybe this will shut the little bugger up for a while"

 

[The Amazing Tea Alligator]

Meh, that's not bad. I once heard a lady tell her kid they couldn't get a game because it was for Gamecube and they only had a Wii. I thought about telling her, but she didn't seem enthusiastic about buying a game for her kid.

Oh, and a little while ago my brother (A parent) was insisting he saw a Mario game for PS2.

I love your avatar.

 

[Acting like a FOOL]

Well my dad is Lord of the Rings and spiderman ( I mean he watches these two movies like EVERY night)

and my Mom is - get this- a Mortal Kombat fan... :I

if that's not enough they're both devout christian African Americans in their mid 50's....

so how their tastes work, I have no idea, but they can never condescend on the choices I make...

 

[Fidelias]

Hmmmm...
My opinion is that the parents shouldn't get too involved, except to stop some 8-13 year-old from buying a mature game. Face it, most parents aren't gamers, so they have no idea what is a good game, and what's a bad game, so when they get too involved and try to get their kids to buy games that look "nice" they usually end up wasting their money on a game the kid will hate. Just leave the kid alone, let them buy their game, and everyone's happy. That's how my parents treated my gaming obsession, and I've never been one of those 12-year-olds who screamed into their mics and played random music that annoys people. Of course, when I was 12 they didn't have that stuff, but still.

Anyway, I digress. Basically, pay attention to what games your kids are playing, but don't get too involved unless you actually game.

 

[Thaius]

Parents need to be educated about video games for many, many more reasons than just that. For one, they need to know what games are appropriate for their kids. They also need to be able to connect with their kids, which can't happen if they're ignorant about their kids' hobby. They need to know what kinds of games their kids like so they can help them pick without suggesting the newest movie-based piece of crap. And there are more reasons too.

Unfortunately, parents can be idiots sometimes. In this particular area, they have a tendency to be.