Ive seen 5 year olds playing GTA, i think the ratings are there for a reason and parents should take them into mind before letting their kid buy that game.
I don’t know how much freedom of speech has to do with letting kids play violent games. And maybe thats why I don’t work for the goverment. All I know is that people bich at everything they can because they’re lifes are too troubled or too boring or just don’t care enough about their lives or kids for them to pay attention to them. Honestly this also has been happening with TV (FCC troubling FG anyone?). And I know there are many great parents like you out there Andru. But for the rest, god would it kill you to pay attention to your kid once in a while? If your kid is watching something you don’t find suitable for him, turn the TV off or hell use that damn V chip. If he wants a rated M game, research. All you have to do is go on google and type in: GTA or the title of any rated M title for that matter. Then decide wether you want your kid playing this game or not. But please quit blaming your problems on everyone else, because I for one I’m sick of it.
I know South Park screws around a lot but their movie made a very serious point. Don’t blame everyone else for your mistakes.
And Rockstar should honestly be hated by just about every gamer out there. All their little joke or stunt did was fire up some lifeless lawyer and some stupid politicians trying to gain attention. And you guessed it, all games are now suddenly too violent for anyone and games are the cancer of society. For god’s sake some grandma was complaning that her 14 year old was scarred for life because he played GTA, a rated M game that was meant for 17 year olds.
The reasoning behind a book is that they are not graphic. Which is why no one cares.
...or any other book for that matter, and start reading.
One word: porn. Are children allowed to purchase it? No. How is that any different from violent or sexual content in video games intended for people of a “mature” age?
That’s obvious enough, it’s just like drinking. No matter what the legal age is, youre still going to have people under that age drinking. No matter what they do there’s still going to be some kids playing violent game that they shouldn’t be playing, it’s the parents who either don’t know what their kids are playing, or just simply don’t care.
I’d also like to point out the absolute idiocy of some parents out there: I forget who it was, but apparently she tried to sue RockStar for “not properly stating” that the GTA game she bought for her 6 or 9 year old kid was not intended for a child. If anyone’s got any interest I can find the article in my PSM/OPM and scan it in for you.
I think that actually looking at what the laws do makes a big difference. I’m not commenting on free speech, but you do realize that these laws just increase the age from 17 to 18. M rated games are only sold to people 17 and older, it’s just like R rated movies.
That’s how it’s supposed to be, but it’s not how things actually happen. And even so, if retailers did completely stop selling M rated games to minors, parents would still buy the games for their kids: “it’s the parents who either don’t know what their kids are playing, or just simply don’t care.” -Me
That’s how it’s supposed to be, but it’s not how things actually happen. And even so, if retailers did completely stop selling M rated games to minors, parents would still buy the games for their kids: “it’s the parents who either don’t know what their kids are playing, or just simply don’t care.” -Me
You can’t stop parents from buying their kids a game. Anyways raising the age to 18 isn’t going to change whether kids get away with buying M rated games or not.
“You can’t stop parents from buying their kids a game.” Is exactly what I said, only worded differently.
Raising the age to 18 wouldn’t stop kids entirely from getting games that they possibly shouldn’t be playing, but it would stop them buying them without their parents’ permission (whether or not their parents care is an entirely different story). As I said before, kids aren’t allowed to buy alcohol or porn, but they get it anyway, either the internet (exclusive to porn, as “internet alcohol” has yet to be invented) or an older friend buying it for them.
“You can’t stop parents from buying their kids a game.” Is exactly what I said, only worded differently.
Raising the age to 18 wouldn’t stop kids entirely from getting games that they possibly shouldn’t be playing, but it would stop them buying them without their parents’ permission (whether or not their parents care is an entirely different story). As I said before, kids aren’t allowed to buy alcohol or porn, but they get it anyway, either the internet (exclusive to porn, as “internet alcohol” has yet to be invented) or an older friend buying it for them.
They already can’t buy them without a parents permission if they are under 17. M rated games are like R rated movies. They are for 17 or older.
Again, that’s how it’s supposed to be. Most places I’ve been to don’t care how old a kid is, as long as they buy games. This is based on my friend’s brother buying games, as I’m 17 so I don’t have to worry about whether ot not they’ll let me. Though there was that one time the cranky theatre lady wouldn’t let my friends and I watch “Phonebooth” even though we were 2 years over the “limit”. Jerk.
...or any other book for that matter, and start reading.
One word: porn. Are children allowed to purchase it? No. How is that any different from violent or sexual content in video games intended for people of a “mature” age?
Are there any ‘porn’ books that minors cannot purchase? As far as I know, vendors only check ID when selling porno maganizes. You make a great point though - the argument at hand was just regarding books as it didn’t jump into films, although magazines do have strong similarities to books.
Again, that’s how it’s supposed to be. Most places I’ve been to don’t care how old a kid is, as long as they buy games. This is based on my friend’s brother buying games, as I’m 17 so I don’t have to worry about whether ot not they’ll let me. Though there was that one time the cranky theatre lady wouldn’t let my friends and I watch “Phonebooth” even though we were 2 years over the “limit”. Jerk.
My point is not whether it’s supposed to happen or not. It’s that changing the age will not change if it happens or not. Which makes the law pointless.
Anyways I went with my friend to a KB Toys once and they wouldn’t sell him GTA without a parent. His mother was in the car. At the time he was under 17.
I think it should be 13 and up can buy any game, fair enough
I agree, I remember when I was 12 years old. My mind only changed a little since then. Since I was 13 I thought the same about videgames as I do now. But when I was like 7 or 8,9 I saw a rated R movie or played an M rated game which my parents didn’t give a dam (although they did care about me) I wanted to try and do exactly as what I saw, no joke. But somehow I didn’t. When I turned in my teen years I started watching lots of R movies and playing M games and I promise that I did not get influence by them (maybe some but not the violence ones:), I just enjoyed them.
I dont see why anyone should care.I mean kids watch discovry channel and mtv and i have seen blade and the matrix on TLC and really who’s parents does’t cuss.So if they get an M game it is not like they have’t heard or seen something like it.So yes i think that minors should be able to buy any rated game they want.
If you are doing your job as a parent, you won’t need to control what your children play. A violent tv show or game is not going to make them become violent. I have been watching horror flicks since I was 3 yrs old, and I didn’t end up hacking up people for sport. My parents taught me the difference between reality and fantasy, bottom line, it is up to the parents to raise their kids; not the video games.
This has always been a needless battles. Parents should take their responsabilties of filtering what their kids can and cannot play. Using the same logic, a parent would never allow his kid to watch a pornographic movie, and if it was to happen, the movie producer would not be blamed for it, same goes for the games…
I played 18s games when i was little and it didnt screw me up, obviously now graphics are alot better etc but i dont think free speech applies here, are kids allowed buy porno movies? and watch R rated films??
Im really unsure on my position on this, im 17 and i have been watching 18s films since i was 10, played 18s games since 11 and started drinking at 14, looking back on it it seems kinda bad but it didnt do me any harm.
so technically, I think I’m safe….