Should I let my son play rated M games?

elvistheking44

I have no idea how bad these things are. He plays COD, the blood is kind of silly rather than offensive, not very realistic. However he wants to get into more of the games that have some sexual content and nudity..... So I ask you gamers out there, how bad is it?

Oh, he turns 11 this Friday and wants one of the Grand Theft Auto games.......

rick1zoo2

I have three sons aged 16, 15, and 10. I say no to Grand Theft Auto. I tried to say no to games like Call of Duty, but unfortunately their mother let them play that.

I would definitely say no to Grand theft.

mca47

I think it depends on the child.
If your child is mature and understands it's entertainment only (like a movie), then I think its ok.
That said, there are some games that are pretty "adult"...with a lot of graphic violence, sex and language,

Grand Theft Auto is probably a little much for a 11 year old, but games like Call of Duty aren't too "adult" in nature...just violent...

mca47

Oh, you can also rent a game first...play it yourself, and see how "bad" it is before buying it for him.

Gary Carter

no to any grand theft auto games

even the original ones are bad for teens who are under 15

Kilgore_Trout

I've been pretty disgusted with the clips I've seen of the new Mortal Kombat... the old ones were violent, but the graphics were always shitty enough that it didn't bug me

I don't get why any game developers think that more blood or sex automatically makes for a cooler game... but I'm more of a dorky character-based nintendo kind of guy (zelda, mario, etc.)

Your kid will probably end up playing whatever he wants at his friends' houses anyway... you might as well do what you can to keep a zero tolerance policy at home

and if he has a problem with that, you tell him kilgore said "NO!" :geek:

curly

Agreed,,11 year old is just too yound for grand theft auto...
My son is 13 and he plays Call duty online with his friends but my major rule is...He cannot be connected or have friends online with someone he doesn't know or kids/guys that i dont know...The first time i noticed someone on there i didnt recognize...I asked and...He said "oh dad, thats just charlie, He's real nice dad,,he's 13 yrs old and lives in canada" I said "No, he's prob 38 and lives around the corner from us!" my son was pissed when i made him delete that friend asap...Its just way too dangerous and kids are so so vulnerable...And as for the Grand theft auto...its the sad cheat codes that are really bad...how you can input cheat codes and next thing you know it, your raping a prostitute in the backseat of your car...its really sad.....dont mean to preach but be a parent the best you can...

aspoonfulweighsaton

Yeah no way should you let him play GTA. I'm a huge gamer and wonder what I'm going to let my son play as he gets older (he's currently 4) and so far I have a nice stash of Lego games.

Claireack

Agree with the concensus on Grand Theft Auto.

It's hard to remember what I let my son on at 11, he a Wii then so seemed to play much tamer games.

Jason P

The biggest problem I'd worry about is online play. A game could be rated "E" or "T" but once you go online, your still subjected to the same cursing and racism that exists in "M" games.

Gary Carter

curly wrote:

ts the sad cheat codes that are really bad...how you can input cheat codes and next thing you know it, your raping a prostitute in the backseat of your car...its really sad.....dont mean to preach but be a parent the best you can...

how is it sad if it's meant for adults? whats sad is parents get the gta games for their kids. they have ratings system for a reason and sadly parents can't grasp that idea.

covered in bliss

Any M games in our house are stored where the kids can't get them. My almost 12yo son doesn't really play T ones, either... he's REALLY into sports and not guns and blood so that helps with the 'deny' thing. The rating guides are there for a reason so we try to follow them.

I'm sure he has played them at other people's houses because COD was voted 'Favorite Video Game' of his 5th grade class. :!:

I'm not exactly sure of my reasoning... Kids grow up too fast these days and they don't need to be exposed to blood/shooting games yet. I don't agree with the "it depends on your child" thing, either, because plenty of parents think their kids are soooo fantastic! Special and wise beyond their years!

There must be a reason that they are so popular and I have to remind my husband to breathe when he's playing some of them. There has to be a physical rush or something and I don't necessarily think that's a good thing for kids to constantly be exposed to.

Pledge My Grievance

Yeah, check the rating system and the little box that lists everything that gave the game its rating.

PJPOWER

Let's see, getting points (positive reinforcement) for simulated raping, drug dealing, cop killing, etc...Yeah, perfectly acceptable for a child. :roll: In my opinion, some of these games should not even be played by adults, lol! If I were you, research what he is wanting to play before buying it for him. Just because he plays grand theft auto, sees R rated movies, or watches porno at his friends house doesn't mean you have to let it in yours. Is there any baseline for when someone is "mature enough" to seek entertainment in simulated raping of hookers...or is it just exposure to trashy shit? You are what you eat...

PillowPants

curly wrote:

Agreed,,11 year old is just too yound for grand theft auto...
My son is 13 and he plays Call duty online with his friends but my major rule is...He cannot be connected or have friends online with someone he doesn't know or kids/guys that i dont know...The first time i noticed someone on there i didnt recognize...I asked and...He said "oh dad, thats just charlie, He's real nice dad,,he's 13 yrs old and lives in canada" I said "No, he's prob 38 and lives around the corner from us!" my son was pissed when i made him delete that friend asap...Its just way too dangerous and kids are so so vulnerable...And as for the Grand theft auto...its the sad cheat codes that are really bad...how you can input cheat codes and next thing you know it, your raping a prostitute in the backseat of your car...its really sad.....dont mean to preach but be a parent the best you can...

ummm... I'm either out of touch or you've been misinformed

I used to play GTA all the time... and you didn't need cheat codes to pick up a prostitute and have sex with her in the car

and she willingly got in the car so it wasn't actually rape - and it was in the front seat

and you never saw anything but the car shaking side to side while she moaned and the shocks squeaked


anyway... not ideal for an 11 year old... that i agree on

PillowPants

PJPOWER wrote:

Let's see, getting points (positive reinforcement) for simulated raping, drug dealing, cop killing, etc...Yeah, perfectly acceptable for a child. :roll: In my opinion, some of these games should not even be played by adults, lol! If I were you, research what he is wanting to play before buying it for him. Just because he plays grand theft auto, sees R rated movies, or watches porno at his friends house doesn't mean you have to let it in yours. Is there any baseline for when someone is "mature enough" to seek entertainment in simulated raping of hookers...or is it just exposure to trashy shit? You are what you eat...

again

i don't see how consensual sex with a hooker is considered rape?

PJPOWER

PillowPants wrote:

PJPOWER wrote:

Let's see, getting points (positive reinforcement) for simulated raping, drug dealing, cop killing, etc...Yeah, perfectly acceptable for a child. :roll: In my opinion, some of these games should not even be played by adults, lol! If I were you, research what he is wanting to play before buying it for him. Just because he plays grand theft auto, sees R rated movies, or watches porno at his friends house doesn't mean you have to let it in yours. Is there any baseline for when someone is "mature enough" to seek entertainment in simulated raping of hookers...or is it just exposure to trashy shit? You are what you eat...

again

i don't see how consensual sex with a hooker is considered rape?

My bad, I guess you're right...Maybe it's the blowing her brains out with a shotgun or driving her into a lake instead of paying her that is the problem
edit: please replace "raping" with "murdering" in my previous post...

Kat

The games can be bad and it's good that you're staying on top of it. There are things in some games that are very mature and can be very disturbing. I'm a gamer and they disturb me! M is seriously Mature.

x

thefixer9

Kat wrote:

The games can be bad and it's good that you're staying on top of it. There are things in some games that are very mature and can be very disturbing. I'm a gamer and they disturb me! M is seriously Mature.

x

Agreed, I don't even play much M games because they are just plain stupid.

PillowPants

PJPOWER wrote:

PillowPants wrote:

PJPOWER wrote:

Let's see, getting points (positive reinforcement) for simulated raping, drug dealing, cop killing, etc...Yeah, perfectly acceptable for a child. :roll: In my opinion, some of these games should not even be played by adults, lol! If I were you, research what he is wanting to play before buying it for him. Just because he plays grand theft auto, sees R rated movies, or watches porno at his friends house doesn't mean you have to let it in yours. Is there any baseline for when someone is "mature enough" to seek entertainment in simulated raping of hookers...or is it just exposure to trashy shit? You are what you eat...

again

i don't see how consensual sex with a hooker is considered rape?

My bad, I guess you're right...Maybe it's the blowing her brains out with a shotgun or driving her into a lake instead of paying her that is the problem
edit: please replace "raping" with "murdering" in my previous post...

very good points - paying her and then jumping out to kill her and get your money back - definitely not a lesson for any sane kid or adult - although i don't think i ever drove into a lake with a passenger - they don't swim so well? maybe you're the twisted one




I'd say that asking others is the best way to go

i don't know that renting it and playing it yourself will give you the whole game... with hidden stuff or things like the prostitute only happening if certain conditions are met

dcfaithful

PillowPants wrote:

PJPOWER wrote:

Let's see, getting points (positive reinforcement) for simulated raping, drug dealing, cop killing, etc...Yeah, perfectly acceptable for a child. :roll: In my opinion, some of these games should not even be played by adults, lol! If I were you, research what he is wanting to play before buying it for him. Just because he plays grand theft auto, sees R rated movies, or watches porno at his friends house doesn't mean you have to let it in yours. Is there any baseline for when someone is "mature enough" to seek entertainment in simulated raping of hookers...or is it just exposure to trashy shit? You are what you eat...

again

i don't see how consensual sex with a hooker is considered rape?

It's not.

dcfaithful

I think GTA is unacceptable for an 11 year old.

I'm not going to go and say that GTA is a very sophisticated, classy, or wonderful game... but, it provides entertainment. It's ridiculously violent, feeds off of a lot of horrible societal characteristics, but... it's a video game and is entertainment. I think the real important matter is with the person who plays it. But again, if I had an 11 year old son who wanted that game, I would say no.

Is your 11 year old allowed to watch R rated films?

Gary Carter

Kat wrote:

The games can be bad and it's good that you're staying on top of it. There are things in some games that are very mature and can be very disturbing. I'm a gamer and they disturb me! M is seriously Mature.

x

very cool kat

:wave:

dcfaithful

Kat wrote:

The games can be bad and it's good that you're staying on top of it. There are things in some games that are very mature and can be very disturbing. I'm a gamer and they disturb me! M is seriously Mature.

x

I'll agree with this. I've played some M games that have things in them that shock even me, and I consider myself to not be easily shaken.

elvistheking44

Thanks everyone that chimed in, we definitely monitor the online thing and he's not allowed to converse with anyone he (and I) don't know. No Grand Theft for him.........here come the tears, and, but, but my friends play it!!!!!

dcfaithful

ofthegirl99 wrote:

Thanks everyone that chimed in, we definitely monitor the online thing and he's not allowed to converse with anyone he (and I) don't know. No Grand Theft for him.........here come the tears, and, but, but my friends play it!!!!!

Response:

"And that's why I'm the better parent."

BAM!

LikeAnOcean

Thinking back, I think I was ok with this stuff by the time I was 12. I started watching R rated movies and was fine with it back then.