My dad came home with a Sega Mega Drive one day when I was about four, and I've been playing games since then. On my first system, I had games that ranged from Sonic, to Road Rash (beating people off bikes with clubs) to Mortal Kombat. So, yes, I was definitely an underage gamer. I was aware of how bloody and violet Mortal Kombat was, but it didn't affect me in any way (saying that, the first time I accidentally pulled off a fatality, it was Scorpion's, and that freaked me out majorly).
Come PS1 time and once again I had games ranging from Mickey Mouse to GTA. Whilst playing GTAII once, something came up about drug dealing, and I shouted out "aww not drug dealing!" to which my mother entered the room, irate, and asked me what I was playing. By this time I was around 6 or 7, and probably understood, in the simplest terms, what drugs were, and that they were bad, m'kay. She banned my younger brother from playing GTA, or watching me play, but she let me play as I was old enough to know that what my character was doing was wrong, and that I had no intention of doing anything like this irl. I was also never one of those people to sit on a mic and shout profanities like these "CoD kids" do....although, I my parents didn't allow me to play games online against people I didn't know when I was younger, which was probably a good thing - I mean, the majority of the time, playing against a young kid is aggravating. And on the other end of the spectrum, playing as the kid, there are all sorts of weirdos out there. I can understand why they didn't want me chatting with strangers: it's common sense. I think the first game that I played online with strangers was the first Battle for Middle Earth, which was probably when I was 11 or 12?
So I've always played games underage, but it hasn't affected me, because I am intelligent and a sensible lad. I don't condone those parents who let their kids play 18s when they're younger, as I did too. But it has to be taken with a pinch of salt. As a parent, I think that you have to definitely be aware of the content of the game, and whether or not this will affect your child. Similarly, I wouldn't blame a parent if they didn't let their 7 year old play a game like GTA. At the end of the day, it's down to parental consent.
In terms of spending all day playing a game, I think that we have all been there. I recall playing Final Fantasy 10 for something like 12 hours straight, bar one little break in between. It's just something you do as a kid. Obviously I would never let my child do this regularly, as my parents never let me do. They'd always want me off a good hour or so before I went to bed, and generally only let me play 2 hour blocks at a time. But playing all day every now and then isn't hurting. And, if it does begin hurting, the kid should have the common sense to stop.
Mr. GameBrain said:
Its not about age, its about maturity.
^This sums it up perfectly really.