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Games - The Jury Is Out And Confused

Posted by simoniker on from the no-gta-for-toddlers dept.

Thanks to Blue's News for pointing to a New York Times article entitled 'On Video Games, the Jury Is Out and Confused' (registration required). It talks about the mixed messages being given to parents about video gaming, especially with regard to violent content, and its effect on their children: "In the face of contradictory, inconclusive or just plain confusing evidence, some parents... agonize over what limits to set." One concerned mother even has to keep her spouse in check as well: "My husband is a little hard to control. Sometimes he lets them rent games with little figures on top of buildings trying to shoot each other off." What limits do you or your relatives put on their children's gaming, and why?

4 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. Here's an idea... by Smidge204 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How about parents actually act like parents and take some responsibility for their kids?

    Which do you think would be more like a responsible parent:

    a) Reviewing the games/movies/etc your child wants, and deciding if that's the kind of thing you want him/her to have.

    or

    b) Letting a bunch of people you don't (and probably never will) know tell you wht they think your child should be exposed to?

    =Smidge=

  2. My thoughts by Ryan+Stortz · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Google Link

    The article mentions a mother fearing that her sons will become socially isolated if they play video games, I think this is totally wrong. I just graduated high school and the majority of the guys all had atleast one gaming system and played them regularly. Those who didn't play video games were normally the kids that were in either the church group, or the alcoholic jocks.

    It's great that video games improve your visual skills, but if you shelter your children then they'll never learn.

    Another thing, I don't think there should be any laws deciding what I can and can not buy in terms of video games. On more than one occasion my mother has went out and bought the game for me because I wasn't allowed to. If you don't want your kids playing a game, then it should be your respondsibility to make sure they don't, not the governments/corperations. I feel the same way about movies, I was able to buy rated R tickets when I was 14 but for the last two years I couldn't. Thank you very much Tipper Gore.

    --
    Bugs are just features that have been fixed.
  3. This is ridiculous. by Executive+Override · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Every time you prohibit a child of committing virtual violence you're somehow assuming that that's real somehow. Video game violence is _not_ violence, and if you put it in the head of the child that doing that is wrong, you're completely blurring the notion of what's real and what's not.

    I think it's OK for parents to limit the amount of video game a child plays, but it shouldn't have anything to do with morals. Its more of health issue. Kids should be out and playing more...

  4. I have a four year old son and a PlayStation 2 by grundy · · Score: 5, Interesting
    It's my PS2 and the boy is allowed to play games on it, but it's a privledge that can be taken away for minor violations. It also hasn't been turned on for two weeks, because we've been trying to get outside every chance we can since it got nice (even though we've been dodging rain drops lately)

    OK, so with the violence deal, the folks who blame violence on video games should take the fire hydrant out of their ass that's holding their head in. These fuctards who think video games cause violence aren't mature enough to figure out the difference between reality and a video game themselves. They are also people who don't really seem interested in raising their kids. "It takes a village", Bullshit! It takes time, your time, spend it with your kid and help them grow up right

    I pay close attention to the games my son plays. I check them out with him, I help him play through the hard spots, and I don't let him play adult games.

    Things will change as he gets older, and what I let him play will be determined by his level of maturity. I have friends and relatives who don't game who look to me for advice about the games their kids are exposed to. My cousin bought her third grader GTA Vice City, I could have smacked her when I found out, but she already knew at that point. That just isn't appropriate for kids in grade school. No, I don't think the one time he played it is going to make him go out and run someone over, but you don't give a little kid a game that they don't have the mature thought processes to handle, that's why it's rated M, mature, don't give it to your fucking grade school kids.

    But there you go, she bought her kid a game that wasn't appropriate, but she sat down with him on Christmas day as he played it for the first time, and said "oh shit."

    Another example, "War of the Monsters" It's a T rated game, but I let my four year old play it. I let him play it because we only play in two player, and we just run around and break up buildings. Good clean fun. He gets mad at me if I throw his monster around, and he doesn't like the normal single player mode because the other monsters are mean to him.