Cleril said:
3. I haven't had any hand deformations, been playing since childhood, 16 now, nothing wrong with my hands.
Except for those hairy palms! *badum-tish* Thank you, I'll be here all night! (JK, your palms are actually quite lovely, erm.) Anyway, the parents are the ones who should be making the decisions. I've got a couple boys myself, 10 and 12, and they're limited on what they can play. Some games have subject matter that I really don't feel my kids should be focusing on at that age.
Do I shelter them from violence? Hell no, they watch me blow the head off a raider in Fallout 3 all the time. Do I shelter them from sex? Sure, the hardcore stuff that they shouldn't really even be thinking about at that point. I try to make it a point to not have them watching movies and such with sexually explicite scenes in them, but at the same time when there's, "OMG BOOBIES or OMG A BARE BUTTOCKS!" on screen I don't jump up screaming and cover their eyes. Do they know about sex? Sure, I've talked to them extensively on the subject, reinforced that it is in fact a
good thing, that the human body isn't something to be ashamed of. Do they feel that they can come to me with their questions and concerns? Yep, they already have on numerous subjects, including that the oldest actually is starting to be attracted to female classmates.
Now, on the other hand, there are a lot of parents out there who
don't take it upon themselves to educate their kids, in many cases because they simply can't be bothered. Do we as a society need to police them? I personally don't feel so. It's tragic that children have to grow up in that atmosphere but at the same time, 200+ years ago, hell even sooner then that time, pre-teens were expected to be more responsible then most 30 year olds now. At the age of fourteen some kids actually had to support their siblings when mommy and daddy died. Actually, that still happens today, especially in less developed countries. Did those children lose their innocence young? Sure they did, but they had to in order for their family to survive. The current younger generation is capable of the same behavior but unfortunately that potential, in many cases, is perverted by the mass media. Once again I'm not saying the government should step in on everything and lock it down. (I personally think the government should GTFO and have as little say on anything as possible, but that's another thread) Instead parents need to step up and actually
be parents.
Oh, and yes, the incessantly high pitched whining, cursing, screaming causes my ears to bleed. Parents, please either don't buy your damn kids a mic, or shove it up their nose till they shut up. I'm too busy blowing shit up to mute them. =P