So I went to EB games to get my copy of GTA IV...

[dream431ca]

What I saw kind of disgusted me. There was this 8 year old kid with his mom in the line, and his mom bought GTA IV for him...don't these parents do any research before buying their kids any games?

I have nothing against GTA IV, I love the game, but what bothers me is parents who don't have a clue about what they are buying for their children. Most of them think, oh it's just a game, it's nothing. Boy are they gonna be in for a surprise when her kid starts to pick up hookers and drunk driving and hearing curse words every 30 seconds.

It's kind of a shame, to think that these parents will blame the game company and publisher for putting out such a game, but in reality, it's the parents fault.

Just thought I'd put this out there. There are some really stupid people out there.

 

[giant384]

ya i know what you mean, ive also only been asked to show my id when i was already over the age limit lol.

 

[Asuka]

I dont see this as a problem, its just a game its not like he is watching porn. Its not going to effect him.

 

[TCfromBN]

lol, sarcasm

 

[Krynn72]

I dont see this as a problem, its just like he is watching porn. Its not going to effect him.

Fix'd for more sarcasm.

 

[Kadayi]

What I saw kind of disgusted me. There was this 8 year old kid with his mom in the line, and his mom bought GTA IV for him...don't these parents do any research before buying their kids any games?

Did you not step up and say something to her, or the shop assistant at the time? I mean it's all very well to coming here to vent you indignation, but that would be a far more effective thing to have done. Sure you'd have made an enemy for life of some 8 year old, but what's he going to do

 

[99.vikram]

You should pulled her aside and told her about the M rating, and the bewbs. That's what I'd have done.

 

[jimbo118]

He was in the line with his mom? When she got to the front of the queue did the salesman not say anything? I'm sure it was probably obvious she wasn't going to play it. I've seen store sales people say this to parents buying games before (Game is only suitable for 18+ etct), notably in HMV.

 

[TwwIX]

I Am more worried about parents that don't teach their kids morals and discipline then what games they purchase them.
I've been watching porn and violent content ever since i was a toddler, yet you don't see me going on rampage and mass raping little childuns.This constant criticism towards "adult" media by this pussified nation is ****ing ridiculous and a waste of tax payers money.I've never experienced these type of restrictions before i came to the US.I remember being able to buy replica plastic machine guns etc. as a kid but nowadays all i see is tickle me Elmo and all the other retard proof toys.
Some imbecile choked on a Kinder Surprise a decade ago.So, now i can't enjoy one of my favorite childhood chocolates and the great collectibles that came inside of it.This country needs to get their ****ing priorities straight.You don't want nutcases going around killing people randomly?Fine!
To quote one of my favorite comedians “Gun control? We need bullet control! I think every bullet should cost 5,000 dollars. Because if a bullet cost five thousand dollar, we wouldn't have any innocent bystanders .Man, l would blow your ****ing head off, if l could afford it.’ …'You better hope l can't get no bullets on layaway.''

/end rant

 

[VictimOfScience]

Yeah, it varies from shop to shop, but I know at the EBGamestop by me the clerks are always sure to mention the adult content that might be in a game when parents or grandparents are purchasing content for their young ones. Stupid grandmother last month said, "Aw, he's a good kid. He can handle it." Forget the game, but it was a mature title. The shop has the responsibility to mention it at least I feel, but it really is up to the guardian or parent to instill the proper values and behaviors in their kids or wards.

 

[StardogChampion]

I Am more worried about parents that don't teach their kids morals and discipline then what games they purchase them.
I've been watching porn and violent content ever since i was a toddler, yet you don't see me going on rampage and mass raping little childuns.

Agreed. I've been watching Van Damme movies from the age of 2, which usually end with him in a ring and snapping the guy's neck after a lot of blood is spilled.

I don't own any weapons, haven't killed anyone yet, and don't watch any crappy action movies anymore.

 

[Que-Ever]

blah blah

Agreed. I've been watching Van Damme movies from the age of 2, which usually end with him in a ring and snapping the guy's neck after a lot of blood is spilled.

I don't own any weapons, haven't killed anyone yet, and don't watch any crappy action movies anymore.

So you guys are saying that it's okay that the mom bought her 8 year old son GTA4?

 

[CptStern]

I dont see this as a problem, its just a game its not like he is watching porn. Its not going to effect him.

you're kidding right?



I also find it funny that some people think the only possible outcome from playing games is going on a shooting spree or raping someone ...you're just as bad as the anti-game activists because you support the exact same outcome as they do when you make styatements like

"I've been playing/watching porn/violence since I was a toddler and I'v never gone on a shooting spree"

as if it's the only possible outcome ..to say that an 8 year old should be able to play GTA4 is being just as narrowminded as the anti-game activists

I mean really have ytou played the game? how can that possibly be appropriate for a 8 year old?

 

[StardogChampion]

So you guys are saying that it's okay that the mom bought her 8 year old son GTA4?

Yes. It must've been my mum who bought me the first one when I was 11/12.

 

[TwwIX]

you're kidding right?



I also find it funny that some people think the only possible outcome from playing games is going on a shooting spree or raping someone ...you're just as bad as the anti-game activists because you support the exact same outcome as they do when you make styatements like

"I've been playing/watching porn/violence since I was a toddler and I'v never gone on a shooting spree"

as if it's the only possible outcome ..to say that an 8 year old should be able to play GTA4 is being just as narrowminded as the anti-game activists

I mean really have ytou played the game? how can that possibly be appropriate for a 8 year old?

Your logic makes no sense whatsoever.
I was using the mass murdering and raping as an example since everything is blamed on video games and movies nowadays.Yes, i do think that it is perfectly ok for a 8 year old to play games such as this.Well, as long as the kid knows the difference between reality and fiction and doesn't have some emotional issues or is mentally unstable.After all it's the parents responsibility to know these things and how it will affect their kids.
I Am more worried about Dad's taking their 8 year old sons deer hunting then i am about video games.

 

[Que-Ever]

Whatever, yall a bunch of tards.

 

[Kadayi]

Well, as long as the kid knows the difference between reality and fiction and doesn't have some emotional issues or is mentally unstable.

Have you ever spent time with an actual 8 year old child? You don't get much in the way of sensible/rational conversation/behaviour from them on the whole TBH. Your talking about a human being generally incapable of looking after themselves unsupervised at the best of times. Saying it's acceptable to give a child of that age whose probably still struggling to do joined up writing an Adult game, full of Adult themes and Adult language is utter nonsense, and that your parents were lax enough to indulge you and 'it did me no harm governor!' is not a point of justification for universal roll out. :dozey:

 

[Iced_Eagle]

If the parent wants to do that, so be them. It's their choice that they are making.

What the parents need to do is teach the kid morals, discipline, etc...

I actually had a discussion with my dad about this a few days ago when we were on that topic. He was saying that when I was younger he let me play Doom on all those games all I wanted. I was like five or six years old at that point. They taught me morals and all that, and I grew up just fine.

As long as the mother or whoever gets carded, they would then know that it's something they at least need to be careful with since people don't get carded for nothing.

 

[TwwIX]

Have you ever spent time with an actual 8 year old child

I was 8 once, if i remember correctly.

your parents were lax enough to indulge you and 'it did me no harm governor!' is not a point of justification for universal roll out. :dozey:

Yes, my parents very careless and i am a very spoiled brat.


If your kid is unable to absorb the content and process it without any permanent "damage", then you as a parent should know that.
If there's anybody to blame for a ****ed up kid, it's the parents parenting skills and poor genes.


Would i purchase this type of media for my kid.Yes, i would.After all, it's my responsibility
to teach the kid right from wrong.

 

[TwwIX]

If the parent wants to do that, so be them. It's their choice that they are making.

What the parents need to do is teach the kid morals, discipline, etc...

I actually had a discussion with my dad about this a few days ago when we were on that topic. He was saying that when I was younger he let me play Doom on all those games all I wanted. I was like five or six years old at that point. They taught me morals and all that, and I grew up just fine.

As long as the mother or whoever gets carded, they would then know that it's something they at least need to be careful with since people don't get carded for nothing.

What!? You parents were "lax" enough to pamper you with these kind of things?
How dare they!

 

[Kadayi]

I actually had a discussion with my dad about this a few days ago when we were on that topic. He was saying that when I was younger he let me play Doom on all those games all I wanted. I was like five or six years old at that point. They taught me morals and all that, and I grew up just fine.

Your attempting parallel Doom with GTA IV? In one you shoot bitmapped pinkie imps, in the other you can bash the skulls in of hookers and Policemen. It's not enough to say 'that game had shootie elements too' in an age when the graphical/visceral intensity of the medium is much more advanced. Pretty much the first thing anyone says about GTA IV is 'it looks so realistic'. Doom was fun, but it was never going to win awards for photorealism.

Sure it's ultimately the responsibility of parents to ensure that their children have a sense of morality, but it's generally not the sort of people who do that kind of thing who are the ones who need to be checked.

Recently in the UK a gang of 16 olds thought it was acceptable to kick a girl repeatedly until she was dead simply because her and her Goth boyfriend dressed differently from them. 16 year olds, technically people considered old enough to get married, just a year shy of being able to legally drive a car, and only 2 years off being allowed to vote in a general election. If you can't trust a 16 year old to know the difference between what is right, and what is wrong, how much more so a child of 8?

 

[Krynn72]

Some kids may be able to handle the content at that young of an age, but I think its quite obvious that the vast majority of children should not be subjected to it. Simply because you managed to handle the content of violent games well, doesnt mean that most people would. Especially nowadays where the content is so much more realistic and believable that it makes it much more relevant to the real world for the kids. Its not so much a matter of "knowing fake vs reality" as much as it is a matter of desensitization at that young of an age. The reason kids are shielded from such horrors as violence is that they should become desensitized to it until they are capable and mature enough to know how to deal with it.

 

[dream431ca]

There have been some really good points in this thread thus far.

If you think the kid has a high enough maturity level, would you let him play GTA IV or any other game of a similar nature? Or, let me ask you another question: If you had a son that was 8 years old and you knew GTA IV was coming out, would you let him play it? Think of it from that point of view. I know myself I played all the mature games on PC when I was around that age: Doom, Rise of the Triads, Duke Nukem 3D, Quake 2, but GTA IV seems a lot more mature than those games due to the content that is presented and what you are able to do in the game. Not only that, the city is very realistic both in looks and presentation. Rockstar did one hell of a job, and it's awesome, but to see a mother pick up this game for her 8 year old son (she also bought Mario Kart Wii at the same time) tells me she has no idea what kind of game GTA IV is.

 

[Krynn72]

I would probably let my kid play it, but only when im around (we'd probably be taking turns lawl). Because frankly, kids are probably going to play it somehow, usually at a friends. I know thats what happened with me and my friends. At least while hes under supervision I can talk to him and tell him not to do certain things and explain how they're "wrong." He may still do them at a friends house, but at least i'll have said something to put things into perspective, rather than let them go off making their own (probably wrong) version.

 

[Kadayi]

I was 8 once, if i remember correctly.

And clearly given the rest of your post, you're as level headed, logical and mature then as you are now :dozey:

If you think the kid has a high enough maturity level, would you let him play GTA IV or any other game of a similar nature? Or, let me ask you another question: If you had a son that was 8 years old and you knew GTA IV was coming out, would you let him play it? Think of it from that point of view. I know myself I played all the mature games on PC when I was around that age: Doom, Rise of the Triads, Duke Nukem 3D, Quake 2, but GTA IV seems a lot more mature than those games due to the content that is presented and what you are able to do in the game. Not only that, the city is very realistic both in looks and presentation. Rockstar did one hell of a job, and it's awesome, but to see a mother pick up this game for her 8 year old son (she also bought Mario Kart Wii at the same time) tells me she has no idea what kind of game GTA IV is.

Agreed. My objections aren't so much to do with the game being violent it's more to do with the setting, the language and the content. There's a big different in terms of playing Halo 3 or Halflife 2 vs GTA IV.

 

[TwwIX]

And clearly given the rest of your post, you're as level headed, logical and mature then as you are now :dozey:

Yes.I am a careless, spoiled and immature brat.I think we cleared that up in a previous post.Anyway,you are wrong if you think that you can numb a kids curiosity by restricting him/her access to this kind of material.You will only enhance it.He's going to get it in his hands, one way or another.

 

[Paulaner]

We should talk to a psychologist on this matter. If I was a parent I would never let my son play something like GTA4, but I am aware that television too can be a bad teacher, so it's very difficult to foresee the consequences of real world situations on a young mind.
This reminds me when a woman brought her young child at the cinema to see Akira. After the initial explosion, that poor thing started crying and she pushed him out. You know the commonplace of cartoons being for children, right?
Just for curiosity: in my country, clerks never check for the age rating of videogames.

 

[CptStern]

so there's a kid in my 4 year old's class who has played gears of war ..he has the usual run of the mill behavioural problems that left unchecked will give him great difficulty throughout his academic life; I'd be surprised if he graduates from highschool.

Now did playing Gears of war cause this? absolutely not, is playing Gears of War (a violent over the top fps) appropriate for his peer age group? no, no one else but him is playing it ..is the fact he's allowed to play Gears of War dispite the obvious target audience (you messily chainsaw aliens in half) indicative of the level of involvement of his parents in his upbringing? hell yes ..anyone with even a modicum of intelligence would see that maybe their kid shouldnt be playing a game rated for adults ..I mean how much shock would there be if say he was watching porn?

anyways my point is that while under certain circumstances playing a game that's nowhere near age appopriate may not be detrimental, the very fact that they're playing it could be indicative of a much larger problem

btw ..the kid's name is River(how tendy) has an earing, wears those cheap polyester-ish t-shirts from wal-mart with monster trucks or spiderman covering the entire shirt


...wasnt surprised at the last christmas pageant when I noticed that both his parents had mullets


oh and I reallly dont think people can give an honest opinion as to whether they would purchase their children a copy of GTA4 or not. I mean every kid is different; kids have different emotional development levels even within the same age groups etc ..you cant possibly make a generalised statement till you're actually faced with the decision, your answer may surprise you

my son asked if he could play GTA4 because my brother in law was talking about it to his mom and said he would play GTA with him (just driving around) ..and I said no (it's my decision, not his, I'm the father, I get to decide what my son is exposed to not him) ....even monitored the game is still not approriate for a 4 year old (or as far as I'm concerned an 8 yr old)

 

[Kadayi]

Anyway,you are wrong if you think that you can numb a kids curiosity by restricting him/her access to this kind of material.You will only enhance it.He's going to get it in his hands, one way or another.

So you shouldn't/wouldn't bother having any restrictions then? You be happy for say your 6 year old daughter to pop round to Uncle Larrys whilst he's watching Amy Reid going ass to mouth? Because after all what can you do? Hell she's bound to end up with a cock in her mouth at some point in her life, so she might as well take some lessons now no? She can walk and talk, it's not going to do her any harm is it. Teaching her some valuable life skills for getting on with boys, you don't get that on teletubbies do you?

Uncle Larry: 'See that Tammy, is what is known in the trade as deep throating, and if you can do that, your boyfriend will be mightily impressed. I know I am'

:dozey:

 

[Acepilotf14]

and hearing curse words every 3 seconds.

Fixed. Yeah.. that's true.. I'm glad my Mom really doesn't care. In fact, she wants to play it with me.

 

[TwwIX]

So you shouldn't/wouldn't bother having any restrictions then? You be happy for say your 6 year old daughter to pop round to Uncle Larrys whilst he's watching Amy Reid going ass to mouth? Because after all what can you do? Hell she's bound to end up with a cock in her mouth at some point in her life, so she might as well take some lessons now no? She can walk and talk, it's not going to do her any harm is it. Teaching her some valuable life skills for getting on with boys, you don't get that on teletubbies do you?

Uncle Larry: 'See that Tammy, is what is known in the trade as deep throating, and if you can do that, your boyfriend will be mightily impressed. I know I am'

:dozey:

Most definitely.

 

[leib10]

Agreed. I've been watching Van Damme movies from the age of 2, which usually end with him in a ring and snapping the guy's neck after a lot of blood is spilled.

I don't own any weapons, haven't killed anyone yet, and don't watch any crappy action movies anymore.

Fair enough, but it's also fair that the inappropriate games get to some people more than others.

 

[Robert-]

In the end, there's no way to stop who gets a copy of the game. [/end]

 

[Kadayi]

Most definitely.

It's hilarious that you'd debase yourself that far, simply to support an untenable argument. Bravo, your opinions aren't worth the air you breathe. :dozey:


Stern, clear out you inbox for once

 

[CptStern]

heh ...they need to give me more space ffs

 

[TwwIX]

It's hilarious that you'd debase yourself that far, simply to support an untenable argument. Bravo, your opinions aren't worth the air you breathe. :dozey:


Stern, clear out you inbox for once

Aww, somebody needs a hug here.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

I have nothing against GTA IV, I love the game, but what bothers me is parents who don't have a clue about what they are buying for their children. Most of them think, oh it's just a game, it's nothing. Boy are they gonna be in for a surprise when her kid starts to pick up hookers and drunk driving and hearing curse words every 30 seconds.

Although I was playing Duke Nukem 3D at around the age of 10, it annoys me also that people have been calling for games that are certified 18, to be taken off the shelves of Games Retailers. But the mere fact that children got hold of the game, and something f*cks up with the child, then everybody will try to find a scape goat; usually pinpointed to the game itself

 

[Kadayi]

Aww, somebody needs a hug here.

Hey, you're lame and clueless and don't mind who knows it, I get it. You pump my gas and mow my lawn. Good for you :dozey:

 

[-Kashmir-]

I played Halo with my dad when I was 11, but that's not nearly as bad as GTA IV. In Halo, you fight aliens and zombies, not pick up hookers and shoot policeman.

 

[TwwIX]

Hey, you're lame and clueless and don't mind who knows it, I get it. You pump my gas and mow my lawn. Good for you :dozey:

Please,stop it!You have shattered my already damaged self esteem.