Parents 'ignore game age ratings'

[ARMS 0]

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With Resident Evil and Grand Theft Auto i'm not surprised kids are violent!

 

I believe this adds more weight into the argument;

 

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[Wishfire 2]

It's a load of bull. They said the same exact things with Mortal Kombat. Also with Contra. Guess what other game they said that with? Super Mario Bros.

 

They're repeating the same lame things that have already been said before. If it wasn't true with Mario, and they are getting the same thing from GTA, then obviously it's still not true.

[stvoyagerfan 1]

i'm not surprised. i have witnessed on more than one occasion a worker at a store ask the parent if it's okay for the kid to get the game and also tell them that they explained to them why it's that rating and the parent says yes. i have even seen a father and son laugh about the rating system. today i witnessed a worker sell a game to a kid that was obviously not a teen buying a t for teen rated game. i'm glad my parents follow the rating system. my brother and sister are only allowed certain ratings. if i want a game that's not allowed for my brother and sister, it's only allowed on my playstation 2. i wish more people were this way and enforced the ratings. it also relates to movies. parents don't always follow that one either but that's a different discussion for another day.

 

tm :lol:

[LordOfTheBorg 1]

I have to agree with Wishfire, that the ESRB is saying the same thing about every little violent game. I play GTA: SA all the time, and i'm not violent! It's like saying that if you play Starcraft or Warcraft, you'll want to go out and build up a base, then start killing everything! Or like saying if you play Final Fantasy, you'll want to try and kill a guy named Sepheroth! I play Halo all the time, and i don't feel like i want to go out and shoot everything. Same with GTA, i dont want to steal cars or pick up prostitutes! It's just a bunch of hooey, even though, games rated M-higher should not be played by kids under the ages of 11-12, as they dont understand what they're seeing and think its normal. I do agree with tm about the movie ratings, but thats another story.

[MrPsychic 1]

About the T rating, it's not an age requirement like M ratings. Same with PG and PG-13 movies, they don't require kids to have parents with them for that, like they do with R ratings. I check ID for M rated games, plus I tell parents about the games.

[Ace 0]

I don't have the time to read the article right now, but I wouldn't just dismiss the effects of violent video games. They affect different people differently. I may not want to go out and commit a crime after playing some Halo or something, but I've known a few kids who should never be allowed to play violent games.

 

Since we can't always know how emotionally stable a kid is, I think the age ratings and requirements should be followed. Especially if you're talking about a game where you can beat hookers with golf clubs or something...? (at least that's what I heard about one of the Grand Theft Autos :lol: ).

[Theunicornhunter 2]

I have to agree with Ace, the connection with media and action isn't a direct cause and effect - watch violence and commit a crime; but at the same time you can't discount any influence.

 

For example, the bubble game the WF posted; many people described it as interesting or fun.

 

When I saw it I was troubled - what I mean the image of a semi naked female being battered, slammed and twisted affected me. It disturbed me. Whatever else you say - it was obvious that some people didn't find the image disturbing.

 

Why are some people disturbed by images of violence and not others? I don't know. What is the link between our desensitivity to violence and our behavior? I don't know.

 

It is true however that children are more influenced by the media than adults. In fact, I watched a documentary on military training once and it stated the reason that militaries selected young persons in their late teens was because it was easier to train them to kill another human being than someone who was older. Interesting.

 

One thing I will agree on - parents have forgotten how to be parents.

[KIMIMELA 1]

Being a media student I understand that the media is changing everyday lives. It's not the companies fault, they should still be allowed to sell but what the parents do is silly.

 

I don't mind it that much, but they moan about the kids, but aren't doing anything to stop there's! :lol:

[A l t e r E g o 9]

 

 

I too agree with TUHs agreement with Ace.

 

I believe the rating system is in place for a good reason and parents should obey the guidelines but unfortunately these days some parents seem willing or forced into using inappropriate Medias to serve as babysitter.

 

Why are some people disturbed by images of violence and not others? ... What is the link between our desensitivity to violence and our behavior?

 

As usual there is, as with most serious topics; much to take into account in order to reach even a tiny understanding of what's going on and also as usual; any answers found will undoubtedly spark more controversy.

[Stephen of Borg 2]

I agree, parents shouldn't be letting their four year olds play Grand Theft Auto, but I see no problems with adults playing if they choose to, I do and I have no criminal record at all. They took a national survey last year and discovered that the average age of video game players is no longer kids but the average age is 27 years old.

 

Just like kids underage shouldn't drink, neither should they playadult games. But people have been killing before TV so I don't blame video games for violent acts at all. Just an excuse they use

[BKY1701 0]

[rant]I love how people like this like to use the same lines over and over to blame their own errors on.

 

Shift blame, shift blame… evil game companies, evil TV, evil internet, they must all be stopped!

 

Let’s kill free media and expression, that will magically solve all the violate kid’s problems…. Not.

 

The fact is deep rooted discrimination (in the from of being an “outcast” or in the other uses of the term) and seeing things that are violate in real life has far more of an affect then playing a video game EVER will.

 

I have played games that are violent all my life and I am not killing everyone I see, on the other hand I can point to a number of violent children that have never been allowed to play a video game that are far more violent then I ever was.

 

Sensationalizing video game violence is just a way of claming someone else is responsible for your failures.

 

Do not try to debate me, I am done debating with people that will never understand my views.[/rant]

 

Also you seem to jump to the conclusion that someone that is violent and has done something violent based on something in a game does not mean they became violent from games. A currently violent person may simply mold their violence to that of a game, movie or TV show, this putting blame on the game for a preexisting problem.

Edited July 5, 2005 by BKY1701

[Ace 0]

Again...

 

Just because they don't affect you, that doesn't mean they can't affect someone else who may have a pre-existing condition of mental or emotional instability. Video games don't make people violent, but that's not to say they don't contribute in some way (in a few cases), and they definitely desensitize.

 

No matter what, the responsibility falls on the parents much more than the gaming companies. If you don't think your kid can handle the violence and take it in stride, then don't buy them the game. Plain and simple.

 

You at least have to admit that there are games out there that a 7 or 8 year old shouldn't be playing, right? It's all about using discretion and knowing what is or isn't good for your kid.

Edited July 5, 2005 by Ace

[gul_nodrog 2]

You at least have to admit that there are games out there that a 7 or 8 year old shouldn't be playing, right? It's all about using discretion and knowing what is or isn't good for your kid.

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Discretion and knowing your own child ... both of these things are more important than any stupid rating system they can come up with.

 

My six-year-old watches me play Resident Evil 0,1,2,3 and 4. That is all a bunch of make-believe monsters and he barely believes in Santa Claus let alone zombies! He's just too smart for his own good ... he has always been able to grasp the difference between real and not-real in every scenario.

 

Now, I wouldn't dream of allowing him to watch us play Grand Theft Auto, any version. Why? Because that game is set in the real world, the main character is a criminal and he goes around with the ability to shoot civilians and cops. He's not killing monsters, he's shooting real people. THAT would scare and scar my son and I know that because I actually spend time with him and KNOW him.

 

He plays many games that are rated "TEEN" -- Spyhunter, Spiderman and Spiderman II, Burnout, Gran Turismo ... those ratings are meaningless. I understand completely that my husband and I are not like most parents ... we are actually gamers ourselves. So we play all games prior to allowing our son to play them, just so we can judge their suitability and know their exact content. But, all parents are not gamers. It might be a good idea for those who are not to find other parents who are gamers to ask about a game before they buy it.

 

Game ratings, movie ratings and CD ratings systems are all flawed and are just another way for parents to blame someone else for their own shortcomings as parents. YOU are responsible for what your child is exposed to. You cannot trust a third party's opinions.

[Itchygomba69 0]

there was vioent kids before video games, oh yea they blamed Tv for that them, then Rock N Roll, and before that Comics, its just the puritant society we live in where people cant think on their own, the parents should take responsiblity if they dont want their kids to play them, Come on people

[BKY1701 0]

there was vioent kids before video games, oh yea they blamed Tv for that them, then Rock N Roll, and before that Comics, its just the puritant society we live in where people cant think on their own, the parents should take responsiblity if they dont want their kids to play them, Come on people

337281[/snapback]

I agree totally. Like I said, all they are doing is shifting the blame, as if society would be perfect if things like video games and TV didn't exist.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

there was vioent kids before video games, oh yea they blamed Tv for that them, then Rock N Roll, and before that Comics, its just the puritant society we live in where people cant think on their own, the parents should take responsiblity if they dont want their kids to play them, Come on people

337281[/snapback]

I agree totally. Like I said, all they are doing is shifting the blame, as if society would be perfect if things like video games and TV didn't exist.

337446[/snapback]

 

Actually, I didn't see where anyone on this thread said there was a direct causal link between media and violent behavior. There is however, some evidence that shows it has an effect on viewers - which is a different thing - that makes it only one factor among many.

 

As for there always being violence - again an assumption being passed off as fact. Not that the news media provides facts either - as they tend to make things appear worse than they are. To really assess the situation - we need more information - such as the number of incidents compared to the general population over time to say whether kids are more/less or the same as they were two or three decases (or a century) ago regarding violence. And information about the offenders would be helpful as well in getting a clearer picture of the (whys) of the situation. Absent any meaningful research all we have is assumptions.

 

Unfortunately, we live in a culture where people tend to make decisions on assumptions rather than seeking out facts - which is good for politicians because assumptions make great sound bites for campaign speeches.

[Odie 0]

The game rating are just guild lines that parents can follow if they choice to so. It is not monitory. If they think their children can handle what the games has to offer we shouldn't expect base their selection on a rating system. Also the rating system is more political motivated. I have seen so teen games out there and I wonder how they got that rating when is not even close to being violent. The system is a based on someone opinion and not on a standard.

 

We should stop allowing the government tell us how spend our money.

[BKY1701 0]

Actually, I didn't see where anyone on this thread said there was a direct causal link between media and violent behavior. There is however, some evidence that shows it has an effect on viewers - which is a different thing - that makes it only one factor among many.

 

I am not talking about anyone here, but I have talked to people that would swear video games are the main if not only source of violence in society today.

 

As for there always being violence - again an assumption being passed off as fact.

 

Did I say there will always be violence? No... someday, far from now, it is more then likely things like violence will be gone. And today, there will be violence with or without media/games, do you really think the world leaders killing thousands are motivated by battlefield 2? No, they are not. (Getting into other violence here, but I was not me that took the topic there)

[Theunicornhunter 2]

As for there always being violence - again an assumption being passed off as fact.

 

Did I say there will always be violence? No... someday, far from now, it is more then likely things like violence will be gone. And today, there will be violence with or without media/games, do you really think the world leaders killing thousands are motivated by battlefield 2? No, they are not. (Getting into other violence here, but I was not me that took the topic there)

337715[/snapback]

 

No, nor was that what I said; you did say there has always been violence to this point and the rest of my quote made it clear I was discussing the past. And what I am saying is - show me some data that demonstrates there was (or was not) as much teen violence twenty or thirty years ago as there is now. Because without facts all we have are assumptions.

[Stephen of Borg 2]

there are many reasons why violence has gone up in recent years, I read a couple of years ago that more than half of the people involved with gangs grew up in a fatherless home. So there are more than games that add to the violence

 

For those interested, here are the proven statistics of the results of a lot of fatherless homes, not all, but a lot.

 

Statistics of Homes With No Father Figure

Edited July 7, 2005 by Gamera

[Stephen of Borg 2]

if the above link doesn't work, this is what it says

 

EFFECTS OF FATHERLESSNESS (US DATA)

 

1) BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS/ RUNAWAYS/ HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS/CHEMICAL ABUSERS/ SUICIDES

 

85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes (Source: Center for Disease Control)

 

90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes (Source: U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census)

 

71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes (Source: National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools.)

 

75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes (Source: Rainbows for all God's Children.)

 

63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (Source: U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census)

 

2) JUVENILE DELINQUENCY/ CRIME/ GANGS

 

80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes (Source: Criminal Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26, 1978)

 

70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes (Source: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Special Report, Sept 1988)

 

85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home (Source: Fulton Co. Georgia jail populations, Texas Dept. of Corrections 1992)

 

California has the nation's highest juvenile incarceration rate and the nation's highest juvenile unemployment rate. Vincent Schiraldi, Executive Director, Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, "What Hallinan's Victory Means," San Francisco Chronicle (12/28/95).

 

These statistics translate to mean that children from a fatherless home are:

 

5 times more likely to commit suicide.

32 times more likely to run away.

20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders.

14 times more likely to commit rape

9 times more likely to drop out of high school.

10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances.

9 times more likely to end up in a state-operated institution.

20 times more likely to end up in prison.

 

Juveniles have become the driving force behind the nation's alarming increases in violent crime, with juvenile arrests for murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault growing sharply in the past decade as pistols and drugs became more available, and expected to continue at the same alarming rate during the next decade. "Justice Dept. Issues Scary Report on Juvenile Crime," San Francisco Chronicle (9/8/95). "Crime Wave Forecast With Teenager Boom," San Francisco Chronicle (2/15/95).

 

Criminal behavior experts and social scientists are finding intriguing evidence that the epidemic of youth violence and gangs is related to the breakdown of the two-parent family. "New Evidence That Quayle Was Right: Young Offenders Tell What Went Wrong at Home," San Francisco Chronicle (12/9/94).

 

3) TEENAGE PREGNANCY

 

"Daughters of single parents are 53% more likely to marry as teenagers, 164% more likely to have a premarital birth, and 92% more likely to dissolve their own marriages. All these intergenerational consequences of single motherhood increase the likelihood of chronic welfare dependency." Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, Atlantic Monthly (April 1993).

 

Daughters of single parents are 2.1 times more likely to have children during their teenage years than are daughters from intact families. The Good Family Man, David Blankenhorn.

 

71% of teenage pregnancies are to children of single parents. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

 

4) CHILD ABUSE

 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that there were more than 1,000,000 documented child abuse cases in 1990. In 1983, it found that 60% of perpetrators were women with sole custody. Shared parenting can significantly reduce the stress associated with sole custody, and reduce the isolation of children in abusive situations by allowing both parents' to monitor the children's health and welfare and to protect them.

 

5) POVERTY

 

"The National Fatherhood Institute reports that 18 million children live in single-parent homes. Nearly 75% of American children living in single-parent families will experience poverty before they turn 11. Only 20% in two-parent families will experience poverty." Melinda Sacks, "Fatherhood in the 90's: Kids of absent fathers more "at risk"," San Jose Mercury News (10/29/95).

"The feminization of poverty is linked to the feminization of custody, as well as linked to lower earnings for women. Greater opportunity for education and jobs through shared parenting can help break the cycle." David Levy, Ed., The Best Parent is Both Parents (1993).

 

6) KIDNAPPING

 

Family abductions were 163,200 compared to non-family abductions of 200-300. The parental abductions were attributed to the parents' disenchantment with the legal system. David Levy, Ed., The Best Parent is Both Parents (1993), citing a report from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice (May 1990).

[Itchygomba69 0]

i agree the breakdown of the family is more f a reason there are violence IMO then Videogames, which leads again to kids not being monitored, also there are just bad people out there and they can blame something for it, so hey lets blame videogames, ugh Im ticked I'm gonna go Play GTA3 and after I am donr im gonna go hold up a liquor store :blink:

[ARMS 0]

It's a load of bull. They said the same exact things with Mortal Kombat. Also with Contra. Guess what other game they said that with? Super Mario Bros.

 

They're repeating the same lame things that have already been said before. If it wasn't true with Mario, and they are getting the same thing from GTA, then obviously it's still not true.

336814[/snapback]

 

It may be a big load to some of us here, as games may not affect US as trekkies (we've got more sense on average), but their are mentally younger and more suggestive people out there, who are affected.

 

I've seen people go crazy over difficult games, and in the case of 1 on 1 combat games i've seen people driven to actual rage.

[APW 0]

I've seen games drive a man to drink....

I kept getting called for clipping and defensive pass interference on Madden 2004 (San Francisco 49ers vs. Oakland Raiders....I was the 49ers).I got so ticked off because the computer's team wasn't getting called for anything that I nearly grabbed the control deck and introduced it to the wall :blink:

I decided it might be better to cut the game off and go have a cold one,instead.

Now,if I can get so worked up over a football game,what will some overly-suggestive person do?

[Itchygomba69 0]

It's a load of bull. They said the same exact things with Mortal Kombat. Also with Contra. Guess what other game they said that with? Super Mario Bros.

 

They're repeating the same lame things that have already been said before. If it wasn't true with Mario, and they are getting the same thing from GTA, then obviously it's still not true.

336814[/snapback]

 

It may be a big load to some of us here, as games may not affect US as trekkies (we've got more sense on average), but their are mentally younger and more suggestive people out there, who are affected.

 

I've seen people go crazy over difficult games, and in the case of 1 on 1 combat games i've seen people driven to actual rage.

337955[/snapback]

 

Ok and I bet they proably would go crazy and start a fight if they lost on a 1 on 1 game of basketball too, they just dont like to lose, don't blame there mental instability on Videogames

[Wishfire 2]

It's a load of bull. They said the same exact things with Mortal Kombat. Also with Contra. Guess what other game they said that with? Super Mario Bros.

 

They're repeating the same lame things that have already been said before. If it wasn't true with Mario, and they are getting the same thing from GTA, then obviously it's still not true.

336814[/snapback]

 

It may be a big load to some of us here, as games may not affect US as trekkies (we've got more sense on average), but their are mentally younger and more suggestive people out there, who are affected.

 

I've seen people go crazy over difficult games, and in the case of 1 on 1 combat games i've seen people driven to actual rage.

337955[/snapback]

 

That's different. I've borken several controllers playing games that were difficult to the point of enraged frustration. I took it out on the controller, not on my fiancee or my son, or a neighbor, or anyone for that matter. And I didn't steal any cars and go looking for hidden packages.