Mature rated games and underage gamers.

[TheDarkCynder]

((I searched, but did not find anything similar. Sorry if i'm wrong. I don't think this would go in "Video Games" because it isn't about a game, rather the opinions of underage children playing games rated higher than their age group. Again, sorry if i'm wrong.))

 

While in many countries it isn't illegal for children under the age of 18 to play "17+" or "Mature" rated games. I was searching the internet and found this topic is an extremely hot debate between adults and kids alike.

 

Personally, i'm 14 and I do play some 'M' rated games. While I understand that some people my age can't handle something like this, I know many can. I don't play any that are heavily sex related, but some of them do hint about more "adult" subjects, which I can handle fine. My parents have given their permission. If someone is responsible enough and does have parental permission, I honestly don't see any reason why someone under the age of 18 shouldn't be allowed to play one of these games. (Mind you, I wouldn't approve of an 8-year old playing an 'M' game.)

 

While looking further into this debate, I found some interesting responses by adults.

One of the most heated comments was this;

 

"All you little kids replying to this: please stop playing video games and do some homework. None of you can spell, punctuate or form a complete sentence. This is one of the reasons you shouldn't be playing ANY games, let alone M rated ones.

If you ABSOLUTELY NEED to play an M rated games just don't use the mic. NO ONE wants to hear what you have to say, even if you're not being loud and obnoxious. Even if you think you are mature, NO ONE wants to hear what you have to say. That's why we play M rated games! Instead of making 15 people mute you, how about just don't use the mic."

 

(By "little kids", they mean pre-teens. I looked at the rest of the responses.) There are more comments quite similar to this on the page that I looked at.

 

So what are your opinions on this?

 

(Edited for typos.)

 

EDIT: The topic was kind of more about "playing" them, not buying them.

Edited August 13, 2011 by TheDarkCynder

[Kokay]

I don't see much wrong with it. Mature rated games, however, are rated that way for a reason. And, as much as I hate it, I think it should be enforced a bit more. Like the other day my brother and I bought the first Assassin's Creed. (Yeah, we're a bit late) The clerk was very clear with my dad on what it consisted of and that it was, indeed, rated M. I liked that. More of that should be done, in my opinion. If your parents won't let you play certain or any M rated games, so be it. They probably know best.

[CYDA LUVA83]

What.

I like to show that parent DC forums and then make them eat what they said about us not being able to form sentences.

 

Yeah, I play Devil May Cry, I'ved played Grand Theft Auto, and even Duke Nukem(trial version, mind you.). I'm fine, a tad disturbed, but I'm not mentally altered, I don't need 12 hours of visual stimulant to keep myself conscious.

 

Those parents, instead of being upset about children playing games that they're honestly not ready to play, should BUCK UP and TAKE THE GAMES AWAY from their kids. If the kid is mature enough and doesn't spend every waking moment on the game-station, let 'em be. They're fine.

[Lila]

Younger kids shouldn't be exposed to games where you shoot people too often. A lot of them develop into extremely violent adults, it's frightening. A child needs to have a well-developed personality before they play violent games.

 

Although I never understood the words why in the world 'violent' and 'games' go together /:

[Switch]

I've played about four Mature rated games since I was 12 (and that's not really counting Let's Plays I've seen before then). Left 4 Dead, Fallout New Vegas, Alice: Madness Returns, and I played Prototype for about 5 minutes.

 

If the parent is fine with it and the child is mature enough to handle those kinds of games, I don't see the issue.

And I'm not quite sure what to think about the whole "Kids exposed to violent videogames become violent adults." I've been exposed to violent games and tv shows and the like since I was fairly little (never played the games, though, just watched), and I'm not violent. o-o; I think it kinda depends on the kid, though.

[Lila]

I think it kinda depends on the kid, though.

It's not always that way, but impressionable kids tend to carry out behaviors they are exposed to if it's deemed 'fun'.

[Kamak]

I like that most stores (especially specialty game stores) uphold the rating system, even though most parents don't seem to know much about it. While I have some issues with Gamestop as a company, I applaud that I've seen them turn away underaged kids from purchasing mature games and indicated to parents that the games may not be appropriate for their kids.

 

However, I hate some of the response this has generated. Many kids think they're being picked on and it's a "right" for them to be able to buy these games, and many parents feel like stores that point out the rating to them are looking down on them and questioning their parenting skills (neither of which I've personally seen, but I have seen people explode on cashiers that point it out or deny a sale).

 

I had to do a 10 page research paper on the matter, and ultimately, I feel that the ESA is going about defending the ESRB, and gaming in general, badly (like suing any study that finds that violent video games have a "possibility" of causing violence), and that parents (and the people that support the parental side of the issue) are busy vilifying gaming unfairly as a scapegoat for their responsibility in raising their kids (or have been indoctrinated into the idea that gaming turns kids into psychos).

 

Ultimately though, the kids, and especially the adults, that turn to violence (for whatever reason) are the ones responsible for their actions, whether they got the idea from a game, a book, a movie, etc. Personal responsibility seems to be overlooked a lot in these cases, but at the end of the day, regardless of what put the idea in their head, they're the one who decided to act on it.

 

That being said, I actually hope the ESA gets a bit tougher with ratings, even putting out a detailed explanation of what to expect from games on their site, and helping get out the word that there actually is a rating system, and what it means. I want all of the responsibility for minors playing these games to rest on the parents, because maybe at that point there will be a bit more thought on their part than picking up the game their kid wants and buying it.

 

NOTE: I'm not against Minors getting their hands on Mature games, provided they're READY for those games. However, currently, I think the games have wound up too often in the hands of kids that are just not ready for them.

 

-K-

Edited August 13, 2011 by Kamak

[dangershy]

I play a few violent games, like fighting, warring, etc. Basically Team Fortress 2, Half-Life 2, the Half-Life Episodes, and Half-Life 2 Lost Coast. My parents don't really care, except for my dad. He's always fussing at me for playing 'bad' games. There's no sexual refrences, just minor cursing and blood. I don't understand how that's 'bad'.

[Princess Artemis]

What.

I like to show that parent DC forums and then make them eat what they said about us not being able to form sentences.

Did you ever consider that the adult who said that is not a parent but an adult who doesn't want to play an adult's game with children?

 

There are quite a few people on DC's forums that can't form a sentence. There are also a lot of very well spoken young people here.

 

On the topic, I feel it is something that is up to the parents, but the games are rated the way they are for a reason. For the most part, I think the ratings are a good guideline. It does no one any harm at all to follow them.

[sir_horsey_XIX]

I think it's fine for stores to deny/warn about mature game sales. I've heard of way too many pre-teens playing games that were rated for 17+ year old people for a good reason. And they don't HAVE to play the rated M games, either. Many genres that typically fall under the M category are also prevalent in rated T(teenager or older) from my experience. I'm pretty sure I was more than able to handle a rated M game when I was 14, but I never felt compelled to play anything higher than rated T, since there's a truckload of great games that aren't rated for 17+ years old. In the end, it's up to the parents. If they want to be irresponsible and let their impressionable kid mess himself up by playing rated M videogames all day because that's what the kid wants, there's not much we can do other than learn from their mistakes. While the government could enact a law, I feel it would be too invasive on our rights. Kids do have differing maturity levels and thus even when I and many other kids wereas 12, we could handle rated R movies. The parents should know more than anyone what their kids can handle.

[Layn]

I have to say, I agree about the "don't use a microphone, type" aspect. I don't play mature games, but on WoW... the voice speech aspect tends to alter anyone under about 14-15's voice into a high pitched screech that is murder to my ears. It is difficult to concentrate on ANYTHING when you have a high pitched screech talking to you, even when that high pitched screech is saying "look out behind you! get out of there!" (and other helpful advice). It would be much, much easier to communicate with the few young people with mature personalities who play mature games if they could just type because that loud screech is painful.

[Omen]

I agree with Princess Artemis, games are usually rated to coincide with the content. Should a child attempt to buy a game and have the sale denied to them due to age restrictions, the sales clerk was doing their job right. With those age restrictions, it pretty much forces the child to look to the parent or guardian in order for them to be able to get the game. In the even that the parent or guardian purchases the game, it means the parent is somewhat aware of the games content. Any parent that still isn't aware of the content of the game probably shouldn't let the kid play it. I mean, it's not that hard to see whats on the cover and what is written on the rating label.

 

Some labels can leave things out though, one particular game I played I knew was certainly filled with blood and violence, but I wasn't expecting the birth scene at the start or the 'love' scene slightly further into the game. It's cases like that, where supervising the child playing the game is a good idea. What I mean by saying that is, should the rating of the game be above the child's age, the child should be checked on every now and then to ensure the child isn't mixing the gaming world with reality (also to make sure that the rating isn't incredibly misleading).

 

Regarding older players not wanting to play adult games with children, I do agree that some children are a little annoying, but I have had more problems with people my age than what I have had with people 5 years+ younger than me. From experience, the younger players will bug you long enough to realise it isn't working, then leave you alone. While older players will continue to bug you, to the point of you retaliating. In saying that, I haven't played any online game that has voice chat enabled.

 

Pity ratings aren't universal, as there is no such thing as a 'Teen' rating in Australia. You have G (all ages), PG (parental guidance recommended), M (recommended for mature audience). Then you have the restricted ratings, which are not just advisory: MA15+ (not suitable for under 15, under 15's must be accompanied by adult or guardian) and R 18+ (naturally, 18+ only). The latter doesn't even apply to video games, so basically you have to be 15 to buy games without restrictions.

[TheDarkCynder]

I have to say, I agree about the "don't use a microphone, type" aspect. I don't play mature games, but on WoW... the voice speech aspect tends to alter anyone under about 14-15's voice into a high pitched screech that is murder to my ears. It is difficult to concentrate on ANYTHING when you have a high pitched screech talking to you, even when that high pitched screech is saying "look out behind you! get out of there!" (and other helpful advice). It would be much, much easier to communicate with the few young people with mature personalities who play mature games if they could just type because that loud screech is painful.

I'm 14 and I don't have a "screechy" voice, nor do any of my friends at a similar age. I have 98 friends on Xbox LIVE who are mostly 18+, and none of them complain about my voice. In fact, I've never met someone my age on Xbox LIVE with a "screechy" voice. I do, however, have someone who is 10 on Xbox LIVE on my friends list and they are a "squeaker".

[Layn]

I'm 14 and I don't have a "screechy" voice, nor do any of my friends at a similar age. I have 98 friends on Xbox LIVE who are mostly 18+, and none of them complain about my voice. In fact, I've never met someone my age on Xbox LIVE with a "screechy" voice. I do, however, have someone who is 10 on Xbox LIVE on my friends list and they are a "squeaker".

It varies person by person, but it's generally 14 and 15 that you can hear the difference. It's also incredibly distressing to have a 14 year old's mother get on their account and start scolding your guild members for their "inappropriate" language.

[TheDarkCynder]

It varies person by person, but it's generally 14 and 15 that you can hear the difference. It's also incredibly distressing to have a 14 year old's mother get on their account and start scolding your guild members for their "inappropriate" language.

Well, that game must have a lot of strange people then, because I have not ever heard that happen on Xbox LIVE or anywhere else that involved voice chat.

[7Deadly$ins]

I'm 14 and I don't have a "screechy" voice, nor do any of my friends at a similar age. I have 98 friends on Xbox LIVE who are mostly 18+, and none of them complain about my voice. In fact, I've never met someone my age on Xbox LIVE with a "screechy" voice. I do, however, have someone who is 10 on Xbox LIVE on my friends list and they are a "squeaker".

It's the male voices that are usually the screechy ones.

[Kestra15]

My approach is the same as ratings on films - in stores etc the kids shouldn't be able to buy them, nor should they be sold if it is believed they are being bought for someone underage. But if the parents think their child can handle it, it is up to them to observe the exposure.

 

Some things shouldn't be given to the youngest of kids flat-out, things with excessive gore, violence, sex. But if the game is rated 15 because of swearing, and your 14yr old uses far worse, then that's your choice as a parent.

[hoppy9046]

Well, I think that the video games themselves don't make kids violent, but the lag does. It drives me crazy to just sit there and wait for about an hour for a game to download or load, but that may just be me.

Edited August 13, 2011 by hoppy9046

[CYDA LUVA83]

Did you ever consider that the adult who said that is not a parent but an adult who doesn't want to play an adult's game with children?

Not really. When I first post in a topic and voice my feelings, I do just that. I don't really consider all the variables until a few minutes after. But yes, you have a point about it being an adult who doesn't want to play with children.

[Cavedragon49990]

One of the most heated comments was this;

 

"All you little kids replying to this: please stop playing video games and do some homework. None of you can spell, punctuate or form a complete sentence. This is one of the reasons you shouldn't be playing ANY games, let alone M rated ones.

If you ABSOLUTELY NEED to play an M rated games just don't use the mic. NO ONE wants to hear what you have to say, even if you're not being loud and obnoxious. Even if you think you are mature, NO ONE wants to hear what you have to say. That's why we play M rated games! Instead of making 15 people mute you, how about just don't use the mic."

Now that just made me MAD. I'm a tween and you could run a lot of my posts here through spellcheck and you would barely find anything wrong. Shut up, you adults. When you speak to us tweens like that you're no better than us.

I don't play Mature games because my parents don't allow it, but I play a Teen game (yes, my parents allow it even though I'm underage) and honestly, I'm not really affected by the mild (VERY mild) violence. There's a elementary kid I know who plays Half Life. He's not very violent (unless you count acting like a monkey violent.).

I'm just...irritated, sorry if I hurt any adult's feelings.

 

~Cavey

[Dragon Tamer Akira]

Honestly, I don't like the idea of kids playing M rated games under the age of 17. I never have agreed with today's society. That's just the way I've been raised.

[Yowl]

I've never agreed with the whole 'if a kid plays a violent game they will be violent' shtick. It's the parents job to have their kids KNOW that it's not reality and shouldn't be taken as such. I was allowed to play Mature games at a young age and I'm not a violent adult because I was taught better :\ That's what parents are there for.

 

So really? I don't think kids playing M rated games are the problem, I think the problem is parents not teaching their kids that games are games and reality is reality. Yup.

[XxdragicexX]

Im 15 and i play a LOT of rated M games. Growing up, i played 13+ games but it didnt change me one bit. I did my homework, i got good grades, and i could spell and write sentences correctly. Maybe its different with other people but its not with me. I grew up with a mind knowing i shouldnt do the things i do in these video games in real life. (Unlike some people >.>)

[Princess Artemis]

It's not a matter of "violent games will make you violent", it's a matter of mature games frequently contain subject matter younger people aren't ready for. If parents judge their children are ready, they have a good grasp of the contents of the game, and are ready to field the questions, then letting their children play a mature game is fine.

 

Just as a for-instance, inFamous is a T-rated game, and it's really a lot of fun. There is some bad language in it and it mentions some concepts that younger kids likely haven't heard about and wouldn't (hopefully) really be able to grasp, though it does that in passing to set the scene. Because of that and the morality system, if a parent chooses to allow their child to play, they should sit with them for a while to see how they react. I know for a fact that the morality system in it will genuinely bother some kids. Most just aren't old enough to play a game with such a system in it. That's where knowing the game and knowing one's child comes into play. It isn't the violence, language, etc., etc., of the game, it's knowing the child and knowing the game and knowing how they will react.

[AAurion]

I've had to read and write about this topic a number of times, and my opinion remains the same. If they're mature enough, let 'em play. If not, please do the rest of us a favor and don't. If they simply must play video games, there are plenty of better ones to choose from.

 

I like when cashiers make sure parents know what they're buying for their kids. Some don't even know, they're just getting what their kid picked out and asked for. Also, I've heard some funny stories about that.

 

Me... I haven't played any M games myself. I've watched others play them and I just wasn't interested.