# Parents buying underage kids rated M games?



## CR33P (Oct 25, 2014)

What are your opinions on this? 

I just find it really troubling when I see an eight-year-old playing games like GTA V.. What are they thinking?!


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## cannedcommunism (Oct 25, 2014)

As long as the kid can handle it, I don't give a damn how other people live their lives.


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## Alolan_Apples (Oct 25, 2014)

I don't think kids should be allowed to play rated M games. Not only they are too disturbing for their age group, but they're turning into trashy kids.

Did you know that most of the people who cuss online, talk about sex and nudity online, and those who say "go to hell" a lot online are actually immature people under the age of 13? It's true.


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## CR33P (Oct 25, 2014)

Apple2012 said:


> I don't think kids should be allowed to play rated M games. Not only they are too disturbing for their age group, but they're turning into trashy kids.
> 
> Did you know that most of the people who cuss online, talk about sex and nudity online, and those who say "go to hell" a lot online are actually immature people under the age of 13? It's true.



I know a person who played rated M games their whole life.. let's just say that he has an obsession with guns.


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## Alolan_Apples (Oct 25, 2014)

CR33P said:


> I know a person who played rated M games their whole life.. let's just say that he has an obsession with guns.



That's not cool at all. At least you are cool compared to whom you're talking about.


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## Puffy (Oct 25, 2014)

My brother let me play GTA when I was 6 and I got beaten up by an old lady

but if the kid can handle it then they can play it? but eh whatever


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## Locket (Oct 25, 2014)

I've played GTA V. I'm 10. I've played Call of Duty. All I know is my cousins force me too play.


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## ApolloJusticeAC (Oct 25, 2014)

Puffy said:


> My brother let me play GTA when I was 6 and I got beaten up by an old lady
> 
> but if the kid can handle it then they can play it? but eh whatever



I Agree.


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## Locket (Oct 25, 2014)

Puffy said:


> My brother let me play GTA when I was 6 and I got beaten up by an old lady
> 
> but if the kid can handle it then they can play it? but eh whatever



Nice goin'


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## f11 (Oct 25, 2014)

ive played m and t rated games and im underaged. idc, people can run their own lives.


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## Bird (Oct 25, 2014)

If the child can handle all of the M-rated things, then they should be fine.

My little cousin played Call of Duty when he was, iirc, four years-old or five years-old. Note that it was the earlier versions of Call of Duty. Heck, I even lose to him back then.


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## CR33P (Oct 25, 2014)

Star Fire said:


> I've played GTA V. I'm 10. I've played Call of Duty. All I know is my cousins force me *too* play.



Mhm.. I see.


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## cannedcommunism (Oct 25, 2014)

CR33P said:


> I know a person who played rated M games their whole life.. let's just say that he has an obsession with guns.



Yeah, you can definitely tell what somebody does by their personality. I hate pretty much everybody who plays rated M games at my school. Know why? They have the worst personalities. They're the perverted ones talking about violence every 5 seconds. I'm glad I'm more of an audiophile, it's kind of a better turnout for me ;D


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## oath2order (Oct 25, 2014)

If the parent thinks the kid can handle it, and isn't just giving the kid the game to shut them up, then by all means, let the kid play whatever ****ing game they want.



FoxWolf64 said:


> As long as the kid can handle it, I don't give a damn how other people live their lives.



VOICE OF REASON



Apple2012 said:


> I don't think kids should be allowed to play rated M games. Not only they are too disturbing for their age group, but they're turning into trashy kids.
> 
> Did you know that most of the people who cuss online, talk about sex and nudity online, and those who say "go to hell" a lot online are actually immature people under the age of 13? It's true.



Citation needed. Just because the stereotype of "little 13 year olds swearing online" exists, and just because you say "it's true" does not make it true unless you back it up with facts from a reputable source.


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## CR33P (Oct 25, 2014)

FoxWolf64 said:


> Yeah, you can definitely tell what somebody does by their personality. I hate pretty much everybody who plays rated M games at my school. Know why? They have the worst personalities. They're the perverted ones talking about violence every 5 seconds. I'm glad I'm more of an audiophile, it's kind of a better turnout for me ;D



That's kind of unreasonable.


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## Stevey Queen (Oct 25, 2014)

I don't believe in ratings. There is no correlation between video games and unwanted behavior. If someone is trashy or obsessed with guns it's because that's how they are and always have been, not because of the games they play. It's really stupid to think that someone could be so weak-minded to let video games influence their actions and if someone is that weak-minded then they are just stupid people.


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## Locket (Oct 25, 2014)

CR33P said:


> Mhm.. I see.


"Play GTA V with me!" "Play Call of Duty with me!"

And the person that mainly says that is eight

Unlikely that their mom doesn't give a ****


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## cannedcommunism (Oct 25, 2014)

CR33P said:


> That's kind of unreasonable.



…How? I mean, it is kind of true.

EDIT: The ones that casually play it are fine, it's not an obsession. However, I know kids who let those games control their lives, and you can see it. Not that I care, though: why should I?


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## Locket (Oct 25, 2014)

I also played Golden Eye 0007 for the Wii

- - - Post Merge - - -

Age 7 when I first played it.


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## Mephisto Pheles (Oct 25, 2014)

I can see how it could effect _some_ kids badly.. But just because someone is a child doesn't mean they're incapable of being mature. If the kid is mature, then why shouldn't they be allowed to play "mature" games?

I for one played M rated games as a kid, and I turned out fine.


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## Reindeer (Oct 25, 2014)

Apple2012 said:


> I don't think kids should be allowed to play rated M games. Not only they are too disturbing for their age group, but they're turning into trashy kids.
> 
> Did you know that most of the people who cuss online, talk about sex and nudity online, and those who say "go to hell" a lot online are actually immature people under the age of 13? It's true.


wut

I've been playing M-rated games for over a decade and I'm not the kind of person to go yelling outside at 3AM in the morning or blasting my subwoofers at such a volume that people's houses literally shake. Those are actually the people who play little to no video games, so I'm not sure what kind of people you're running into.

And from personal experience I can say that playing rated M games can help in a person's development. At least it did for me. I decided to play a bunch of horror games (rated 16-18 here, I was 13 when I started), and they helped a lot with my nerves. I was really jumpy before that, scared of a bunch of things without any reason. Horror games made me face that and mature.

Things like violence in video games is also fine. It's just a fact of life. If people want to shelter their kids that much they should keep them at home, because there's enough violence, strong language, etc. just in a school environment. Whether or not their kids are playing games that are rated for ages higher than theirs is not going to help.


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## Lovelylexi (Oct 25, 2014)

I'm not against kids who are mature enough themselves to play mature games, but there are some who _can't_ handle it and should wait until they do actually mature.

A good example is my little brother.  All the video games he plays are mature rated and the way they reflect what he says concerns me. It's not so much the actual game, as it is the people on the games he plays with are. They influence him in a lot of different ways, they're always cursing, yelling at each other, things like that and then my brother will go yelling and cursing at my mom when he's getting in trouble because he starts to think it's okay.

Obviously my mom doesn't put up with it and he gets in more trouble, but she never really puts her foot down, as in she doesn't take the games away from him. I've tried to convince her that she should at least make him take a break but she doesn't listen to me.

I mean I'm not saying my brother is a complete monster because of the video games he plays, but he probably would be better off if he stopped playing them for now and didn't start back up on them again until he's able to handle them the right way and I think it should be like that for all of the little kids that play M rated games. If they can handle it, fine. If they can't handle it, they shouldn't be playing them.


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## Alolan_Apples (Oct 25, 2014)

Reindeer said:


> wut
> 
> I've been playing M-rated games for over a decade and I'm not the kind of person to go yelling outside at 3AM in the morning or blasting my subwoofers at such a volume that people's houses literally shake. Those are actually the people who play little to no video games, so I'm not sure what kind of people you're running into.
> 
> ...



As long as you're mature about it, it's fine. I'm only talking about the ones who are immature about it.


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## rariorana (Oct 25, 2014)

I don't think young kids should play M-rated games, but if they're a mid-to-older teenager then I'm okay with it.

When I was a kid my mom refused to let me play T-rated games other than The Sims.


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## #1 Senpai (Oct 25, 2014)

I played a GTA game when I was like 6-8?
and watched some people play it

If the parent knows that the kid can handle it and won't be out of control then so be it aha, I don't really care.


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## spCrossing (Oct 25, 2014)

Meh.

It happens all the time here, I got used to it.
Not to mention, my first video game ever was the original Unreal when I was like 2-3.


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## Aryxia (Oct 25, 2014)

Their crap attitudes probably come from crap parenting, not the games. As long as the parents are there to tell them what is right and wrong, they'll have that sense of morality.


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## Nanobyte (Oct 25, 2014)

Though I think it's silly, I guess I'm okay with it. It's their parent's choice.


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## spCrossing (Oct 25, 2014)

Aryxia said:


> Their crap attitudes probably come from crap parenting, not the games.





Nanobyte said:


> Though I think it's silly, I guess I'm okay with it. It's their parent's fault if they grow up in to horrible people.


Exactly.


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## tamagotchi (Oct 25, 2014)

I mean, if they can handle it. I don't have a lot of thoughts on the matter, I don't think about it all that much. Personally, I wouldn't want my child, if I had one, playing a game with implied sexual actions and such, but that's my opinion. I guess people just have their own ways of parenting.


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## spCrossing (Oct 25, 2014)

It only gets annoying when other kids call out on other games who play different games than "M-Rated games" (Mainly Nintendo here, cuz imma Nintendo fanboy over here) kiddy.
Even those games are just as fun or even more fun than the M-Rated games that people play.
Really don't have to call out on some body for liking different stuff.

Then again I do that with Smash Bros 4 with people here so....


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## Gideon (Oct 25, 2014)

I disagree with the practice of allowing children, and I am talking about kids under the age of 13 at the very least, to play games with all this mature content. Children are much more easily influenced than teenagers and adults are, and many of those games can easily cause a child to come to the understanding that certain things aren't bad; this is especially the case with children whose parents (and/or other influential figures in their lives) do not properly teach them right from wrong, or things that are simply not supposed to be done in the real world. 

A particularly notable issue is when children who are already questionable in their mental health, get their hands on things, whether it be video games, movies, etc. with content that can be considered inappropriate (especially for young children). A child who is easily influenced in general has a greater risk in my opinion of doing the wrong thing when they take part in experiencing in such mediums. I'm not someone who believes that video games are a cause of these people who go out and kill, and just happen to play video games. What I will say is that allowing younger children to play such games (or watch movies like them etc.) with heavy violence, sexual themes, alcohol, profanity, abusive actions, etc. _can_ potentially cause problems with the child in the future. 

For kids in the teens it's not really as big of a deal to me, but some 8 year old in elementary school playing Grand Theft Auto, shooting people, being exposed to sexual content, heavy amounts of profanity, and the like is rather disturbing to me. And is a very questionable action by the parents/guardians of a child for allowing them to play such games.


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## ellabella12345 (Oct 25, 2014)

Puffy said:


> My brother let me play GTA when I was 6...


Exactly the same as me. I actually loved it. I didn't do the missions though. I would just walk around pretending I was a human and real.and stealing cars, running people over and have the cops chase me


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## thatawkwardkid (Oct 25, 2014)

I don't care if kids buy those games or not. If it doesn't have some sort of negative impact on them, or me, or anyone else, I don't care what they do.


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## Bowie (Oct 25, 2014)

If you can handle it, play it. If you can't, don't play it.


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## Aradai (Oct 25, 2014)

I've been playing M-rated games since I was....about 10 or something.
But that was *my* choice. I thought I could handle it. And I did.


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## Shirohibiki (Oct 25, 2014)

oath2order said:


> If the parent thinks the kid can handle it, and isn't just giving the kid the game to shut them up, then by all means, let the kid play whatever ****ing game they want.



p much this^

and people _really_ need to stop blaming games and whatever else for peoples' attitudes. it may _contribute,_ but it is nowhere NEAR the sole reason people become violent or vulgar or whatever else have you. as someone else mentioned, that would ESPECIALLY be contributed to by parenting, as well as core personality, among other things.


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## Groovycat64 (Oct 25, 2014)

I think it really depends on the child.

I mean over in the U.S., you sometimes hear some parents complaining that video games are linked to their child's violent temper or cause of a child shooting something or someone.
I disagree with that though.

I think that if the child has a clear depiction between what's reality and fantasy or virtual, not to mention the parent feels the child is mature enough to realize the fictitious implications the video game holds, then let them play it.

If they can't do that, then they shouldn't play the game.

Just my opinion though.


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## FriendlyVillager (Oct 25, 2014)

not all rated M games are bad though, like Virtue's Last Reward is rated M but it has nothing in it thats bad for a teenager


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## Beachland (Oct 26, 2014)

It depends on the game, and the maturity and age of the kid. I played many M-rated games when I was under 17 but I don't think any of them were "too mature" for me at the time. I probably wouldn't let a ten-year-old play GTA, though that seems like an extreme case considering the nature of the game. I WOULD let a thirteen-year-old play Assassin's Creed. Just my personal opinion though, thinking of myself at that age- not much would "shock" me.


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## RiceBunny (Oct 26, 2014)

To be honest I don't agree with it most of the time. I remember I wasn't allowed to use the computer until I was 15 and even then it was monitored. It's important to make sure kids/teens(specially) have the least amount of distractions possible. My mom made sure I was plenty busy and barely had any time to play games. I'm grateful for that, as I don't think I would be where I am now in life.


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## CR33P (Oct 26, 2014)

RiceBunny said:


> To be honest I don't agree with it most of the time. I remember I wasn't allowed to use the computer until I was 15 and even then it was monitored. It's important to make sure kids/teens(specially) have the least amount of distractions possible. My mom made sure I was plenty busy and barely had any time to play games. I'm grateful for that, as I don't think I would be where I am now in life.


where are you now?


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## Marisol (Oct 26, 2014)

Bowie said:


> If you can handle it, play it. If you can't, don't play it.



I agree with this completely. It just depends on the kid and whether or not they can handle the content in the game.


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## Stevey Queen (Oct 26, 2014)

CR33P said:


> where are you now?



On the bell tree forums playing animal crossing and based off her signature playing mario as well


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## Amissapanda (Oct 26, 2014)

_*Bad parenting*_, in my opinion. End of story. I don't care what sort of excuse they come up with, but there is no reason to purposely expose your kids to that kind of thing so early in life. The games are rated for a _reason_. That said, these are often the same parents that then blame the _video games_ when their children do something bad/against the law. 

It has nothing to do with 'running your own life' or 'making your own choices'. It has to do with the influential power of media and that parents should know better than to let their children play/experience such explicit themes and games. This is the same reason you can't get into a NC-17 movie if you're underage. Are you really going to march up to them and plead that you should be able to 'make your own choices', too?


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## baileyanne94 (Oct 26, 2014)

This goes for anything, but parents need to teach their children the difference between real-life and fantasy. I think if the kid understands that things that may happen in certain games are not acceptable in real life, it may be ok in some cases. I don't think they_ need _to, and many kids will wanna play those games because their friends/classmates are. There are kids who are mature enough (in a way) to play a game like that, but again, they don't need to be playing something with violence and/or sex. I don't think it's guaranteed to turn your kid into a sociopath or anything, but children these days are already exposed to so much way too early.
As has been said, games have ratings for a reason.
You can't blame video games for poor/violent behavior. You just can't. Who allowed the kid to get ahold of the game(s) in the first place?


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## Jaebeommie (Oct 26, 2014)

My first video game was Metal Gear Solid. When I wasn't even a teenager.
You don't see me having homicidal tendencies or swearing every other sentence. 
My parents raised me well enough to have a good sense of judgement and to be able to tell between right and wrong. And I knew the game was just a game. 
If a kid's mature enough to handle something, I say let them.

Funny story though. I was with my parents when I was buying Watch Dogs for my brother's birthday and the employee was like, "This game has violence and bad language. Are you okay with her playing this game?" 
Dude I'm 20. Chill.


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## Locket (Oct 26, 2014)

Groovycat64 said:


> I think it really depends on the child.
> *
> I mean over in the U.S., you sometimes hear some parents complaining that video games are linked to their child's violent temper or cause of a child shooting something or someone.
> I disagree with that though.
> ...


Exactly. My four year old brother never played games with blood. And he has ODD.


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## MozzarellaSticks (Oct 26, 2014)

My parents used to. I think kids can separate reality and fiction. But this is a case to case bases. Parents should be aware of their children and their level of understanding.

I also think it's wrong that we give things a lower rating when they take the gore away. I think it's more problematic to show kids violence without consequence than violence with consequence, the consequence in this case being the gore. I think that does more to desensitize, and it's wrong those games get lower ratings.

I'm also against sex and nudity being mature. I think it gives kids an unhealthy image as they learn that it's not okay to talk about, and they get this goreless violence at a young age. So kids learn violence without consequence but that the human body is taboo.

Tldr, I think we need to reevaluate the rating system


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## Cariad (Oct 26, 2014)

My parents give them to me and I'm a perfectly healthy girl so I don't see the big deal


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## Zanessa (Oct 26, 2014)

I mean as long as they're a good kid, I don't really care.


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## DeadJo (Oct 26, 2014)

When I was 8 years old, I was mature enough for rated R movies and M games. I also know 13 year olds who can't handle either. It really depends on the kid and if they're ready for it.


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## Mayorofarcadia (Oct 26, 2014)

I never played high rated games as a kid but I saw scary R rated movies when I was young. >< my brother (who was 16) managed to rent a few R rated scary movies. omfg I didn't sleepy for a week..


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## Brackets (Oct 26, 2014)

I played games like half life and doom (so pretty gruesome killing games) with my dad since I was about 5. I loved them, and didn't turn out violent. As long as the kid can handle it and realise that real life shouldn't be like that, then why the hell not


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## Pokemanz (Oct 26, 2014)

If they're looking to have fun and just play a game, I don't have a problem with it. When they start imitating the behavior on the game, that's when it becomes a problem.

These games are rated M so you know they are made to be played by "mature" audiences. Mature audiences know what stuff is real, what stuff is fake, and that they shouldn't act that way in real life.

Some children are mature enough to handle these games and should be able to play them, but others should not.


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## Reindeer (Oct 26, 2014)

Shirohibiki said:


> and people _really_ need to stop blaming games and whatever else for peoples' attitudes. it may _contribute,_ but it is nowhere NEAR the sole reason people become violent or vulgar or whatever else have you. as someone else mentioned, that would ESPECIALLY be contributed to by parenting, as well as core personality, among other things.


But it's so much easier to blame video games than to take responsibility for your own bad parenting or your crappy school system.


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## Trickilicky (Oct 26, 2014)

I have two kids, and I don't let them play/watch anything that I don't think is suitable, so I do tend to stick to the ratings guidelines. I guess when you're a parent, you kind of have to do what you feel is right, and I personally feel like my daughters have plenty of time in the future to play more mature games, but right now they're kids, and they're in no rush to grow up. The only consoles we have in the house are two 3DS's, and gaming isn't something they have a huge interest in anyway.
All I can say is, I don't judge how other parents raise their children, every household is different! What works for some kids, doesn't work for others.


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## Leela (Oct 26, 2014)

Star Fire said:


> I've played GTA V. I'm 10. I've played Call of Duty. All I know is my cousins force me too play.



What did they say? "Play Call of Duty and GTA V or we'll beat you up"? lol


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## Murray (Oct 26, 2014)

Pokemanz said:


> If they're looking to have fun and just play a game, I don't have a problem with it. When they start imitating the behavior on the game, that's when it becomes a problem.
> 
> These games are rated M so you know they are made to be played by "mature" audiences. Mature audiences know what stuff is real, what stuff is fake, and that they shouldn't act that way in real life.
> 
> Some children are mature enough to handle these games and should be able to play them, but others should not.



this is why games have ratings to discourage the training of murderers and psychopaths


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## RhinoK (Oct 26, 2014)

I played GTA II when I was like 4 like yay!!!!

I just thought it was cool riding the cars and I didn't play it alone


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## Watchingthetreetops (Oct 26, 2014)

LoveMcQueen said:


> I don't believe in ratings. There is no correlation between video games and unwanted behavior. If someone is trashy or obsessed with guns it's because that's how they are and always have been, not because of the games they play. It's really stupid to think that someone could be so weak-minded to let video games influence their actions and if someone is that weak-minded then they are just stupid people.



~
This

Everyone has a different level of maturity at different parts of their life.  For example, I think I'm far more immature right now then I've ever been.  I have very little responsibilities.  But when I lived with my parents, I helped them with everything from watching my siblings to washing the car.  Kids can be pretty mature.  I don't think it's 'all 13 year olds' who swear and talk about violence.  And I think it looks different on the outside, then it feels for them, (if that makes sense.  It's like we're looking into a window at what they think).  I remember being 13 and my friends and I would see how many dirty things we could fit into a sentence, simply because we could.  I don't know...I don't think that has to do with maturity as much as it's funny because it's taboo at that age.  There's literally no one else you can talk to about perverted stuff at that age but your parents, and who wants to do that?  So, when I was that age, I turned to my friends, and we'd joke and swear and try to do as many taboo things as possible, (without crossing the line to physical violence/sexual activity).  I'm just saying.  It seems like sort of a phase, not something caused by video games.

*edit*  To kind of add on to this, adults have been saying: the next generation will be our doom since Plato, and probably before Plato.  It's an age old fear that the new generation is screwing things up.  So when I hear stuff like this, and about how the next generation is...bad, I take it with a grain of salt.  Well, of course it looks bad, they're doing everything differently then us when we were kids, (which, to be honest, I don't think is true, we just don't realize how stupid we were when we were young until we see younger people doing dumb things).  And I'm just saying...these kids, they look dumb when they get onto an m rated game and can't be mature about it.  But that isn't going to be EVERY kid online, and I don't think it has to do with how mature they are.

*disclaimer, I don't really believe in ratings*


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## epona (Oct 26, 2014)

as long as the mature content isn't going to upset the child i really don't see the problem
i mean these things are going to become present in their lives sooner or later so why bother going to extra lengths to shelter kids when they're young


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## Chris (Oct 26, 2014)

Apple2012 said:


> Did you know that most of the people who cuss online, talk about sex and nudity online, and those who say "go to hell" a lot online are actually immature people under the age of 13? It's true.



No, it's not true. People of all ages act like this online.



CR33P said:


> I know a person who played rated M games their whole life.. let's just say that he has an obsession with guns.



Guns are pretty fascinating. You don't need to play rated games to take a liking to them. 



FoxWolf64 said:


> Yeah, you can definitely tell what somebody does by their personality. I hate pretty much everybody who plays rated M games at my school. Know why? They have the worst personalities. They're the perverted ones talking about violence every 5 seconds. I'm glad I'm more of an audiophile, it's kind of a better turnout for me ;D



Don't blame the games a person plays for their personalities. A lot of school age people can be show offs and jerks regardless of their interests. 



LoveMcQueen said:


> I don't believe in ratings. There is no correlation between video games and unwanted behavior. If someone is trashy or obsessed with guns it's because that's how they are and always have been, not because of the games they play. It's really stupid to think that someone could be so weak-minded to let video games influence their actions and if someone is that weak-minded then they are just stupid people.



It's rare I agree with you, but yes, absolutely this. 



FoxWolf64 said:


> ?How? I mean, it is kind of true.
> 
> EDIT: The ones that casually play it are fine, it's not an obsession. However, I know kids who let those games control their lives, and you can see it. Not that I care, though: why should I?



There's no problem with that. Games are a form of escapism for a lot of people. Something that provides a bit of a thrill and a way to vent a little is a good thing. 



sp19047 said:


> *It only gets annoying when other kids call out on other games who play different games than "M-Rated games" (Mainly Nintendo here, cuz imma Nintendo fanboy over here) kiddy.*
> Even those games are just as fun or even more fun than the M-Rated games that people play.
> Really don't have to call out on some body for liking different stuff.
> 
> Then again I do that with Smash Bros 4 with people here so....



Off topic a little bit but I agree with them. Nintendo games are aimed at family audiences, so yea, they're made to appeal to children as well as adults. Even in my mother calls them "kiddy" when she's watching me play say _Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker_ or _Mario Kart 8_ but hey I don't care. 



Gideon said:


> A particularly notable issue is when children who are already questionable in their mental health, get their hands on things, whether it be video games, movies, etc. with content that can be considered inappropriate (especially for young children). A child who is easily influenced in general has a greater risk in my opinion of doing the wrong thing when they take part in experiencing in such mediums.



I think this is the one exception, but at the same time, it'd be down to what was effecting them mentally. When I was in school I tutored the sweetest boy who had various behavioural and mental problems. He had trouble grasping a lot of things, and he found it difficult relating to the kids around him, but once I got him talking about video games he could go on forever about them. If you didn't ask him then you'd have no idea he spent every night playing violent games - and he seemed perfectly capable of distinguishing that what happened in those games wouldn't be okay in real life.  



Shirohibiki said:


> and people _really_ need to stop blaming games and whatever else for peoples' attitudes. it may _contribute,_ but it is nowhere NEAR the sole reason people become violent or vulgar or whatever else have you. as someone else mentioned, that would ESPECIALLY be contributed to by parenting, as well as core personality, among other things.



Absolutely yes. 



Reindeer said:


> But it's so much easier to blame video games than to take responsibility for your own bad parenting or your crappy school system.



There doesn't need to be a cause. Some people are just jerks. 




Age ratings are just guidelines, not facts. Many children and young teens will spout about how "mature" they are not even realising what that word really entails. Being able to handle viewing mature content doesn't mean you are mature yourself - it just means you're not upset by it. Even adults can be upset by mature content, and that doesn't make them any less mature.

You can shelter children, but there's going to be a point where they're going to get their hands on that material anyway. Sure, they might act childish about it, but to be honest so might a lot of people when they first view something of that nature for the first time regardless of their age. Violence is fascinating. So is sex, and drugs, and weapons, and fast cars. If they weren't so interesting then we wouldn't keep reusing them in films and games and books time and time again.


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## Gideon (Oct 26, 2014)

I forgot to mention earlier, but parenting does play a massive part in all of this (much more so than the games). There are a lot of kids that do some shockingly bad things, but it starts with the parents/guardians. Too many kids not being raised properly in my opinion, parents seem to be viewing punishment for wrongdoing by children as less and less of something they are willing to do. A "slap on the wrist" just isn't enough of a punishment to convince many of these children to act disciplined, I've seen some awful little brats in public, and it really annoys me when the parents don't even do anything about it. These are the same types of children who will pick up on the profanity and other content in mature games and spread them around when in the company of other children (That is, if they didn't pick it up from their parents first.) 



Annachie said:


> I played games like half life and doom (so pretty gruesome killing games) with my dad since I was about 5. I loved them, and didn't turn out violent. As long as the kid can handle it and realise that real life shouldn't be like that, then why the hell not



Off topic: I don't know much about Doom, but I don't think "gruesome killing game" is an accurate description of the Half-Life series. There is violence, but most of it is against non-humans, or things that would be difficult to distinguish as a child as a human being. To me it's just not "gruesome," but it is violent.

As another note, I don't agree with the practice of exposing children (young children to clarify) to many of the mature themes in video games, movies, and other related media. I personally just don't think it's something children of certain ages should see, hear, or know about. Better to keep a child innocent for as long as innocence can be kept than to allow them to experience the vile things of this world before they are ripe enough to deal with it on their own.


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## Wish (Oct 26, 2014)

leave people the **** alone it's their life


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## cannedcommunism (Oct 26, 2014)

Wish said:


> leave people the **** alone it's their life



THIS


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## Alolan_Apples (Oct 26, 2014)

oath2order said:


> Citation needed. Just because the stereotype of "little 13 year olds swearing online" exists, and just because you say "it's true" does not make it true unless you back it up with facts from a reputable source.



Now that really bugs me. Please do not ask me to cite my sources when I voice my opinion on the forums. It's not worth my time and there are no rules against posting unsourced facts on this site.


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## Beleated_Media (Oct 26, 2014)

Most parents don't really care... Its kinda upseting to me because half of my friends just play GTA and COD, and talk about the latest games a stuff like that. I mean I'm ok with that, it just bothers me that they constantly exoect me to know what the heck that stuff is! 

Plus most stuff in there is pretty bloody and messed up... So thats a thing


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## Wish (Oct 26, 2014)

if something brings someone joy like who the **** are you to take that away from them

mind your own ****ing business amen goodbye


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## Lovelylexi (Oct 26, 2014)

Apple2012 said:


> Now that really bugs me. Please do not ask me to cite my sources when I voice my opinion on the forums. It's not worth my time and there are no rules against posting unsourced facts on this site.



They're probably asking for a source because it's a little judgmental of you to claim most people who cuss and act like jerks are automatically 13 or younger, especially since there are people on this forum around that age. There are some mature people at the ages 13 and younger, there are some who are very immature, and there are people at the ages _18 and older_ who are very immature. We could talk about ANY age and there is probably someone at that age who is immature, really.


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## Alolan_Apples (Oct 26, 2014)

Lovelylexi said:


> They're probably asking for a source because it's a little judgmental of you to claim most people who cuss and act like jerks are automatically 13 or younger, especially since there are people on this forum around that age. There are some mature people at the ages 13 and younger, there are some who are very immature, and there are people at the ages _18 and older_ who are very immature. We could talk about ANY age and there is probably someone at that age who is immature, really.



I can say this much. Not everybody who does it are kids. Not all kids do it. But from my experience, most of the time, they are kids. I've seen bad adults online before, and they talk more extreme.


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## Aradai (Oct 26, 2014)

Wish said:


> if something brings someone joy like who the **** are you to take that away from them
> 
> mind your own ****ing business amen goodbye



I agree this is so damn true.


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## Saylor (Oct 26, 2014)

It's not any of my business what parents are buying for their own children and I really don't care, it's up to them make those decisions. 

If I was a parent I wouldn't go solely off of the ratings because I don't think it's so black and white. If my young kid wanted to play an M-rated game I'd rather play it myself and decide if they could handle it rather than go off of what the rating says. And I agree with what others have said that it depends a lot on maturity; every kid handles things differently and I think a lot of kids could definitely handle most mature games, it just depends.


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## Beleated_Media (Oct 26, 2014)

Off topic, one or two of my friends bought a game/CD (I don't remeber, I only saw the cutscenes) from Japan. All I have to say was *WOW*, the game was rated for kids and it had a ton of messed up stuff in it, refrences were commonly used that involved gore and sexuality. Could this mean something?


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## meo (Oct 26, 2014)

Up to the parent. Depends a lot on the child as well and their maturity level and if the parent has taught their child how to play respectfully with others.


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## RayOfHope (Oct 26, 2014)

Depends on the kid, depends on the game. I was and am able to handle mature subjects, but not all kids can.


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## Shirohibiki (Oct 26, 2014)

Beleated_Media said:


> Off topic, one or two of my friends bought a game/CD (I don't remeber, I only saw the cutscenes) from Japan. All I have to say was *WOW*, the game was rated for kids and it had a ton of messed up stuff in it, refrences were commonly used that involved gore and sexuality. Could this mean something?



they have different standards and rating systems in different countries.


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## Zane (Oct 26, 2014)

I played an M-rated game as a kid (Conker's Bad Fur Day lmfao) and it didn't warp me, as far as I know - the sexual content mostly went over my head and the gorey content I thought was "gross" but it was a fun game and I played it a lot, as did my siblings. 
Around last year I saw my step-nephew (is that even a thing) playing some kind of shooter on their PS3 with hyper realistic graphics and killing people by shooting them in the head and it kinda seemed wtf-ish to me but I guess that's hypocritical since I did the same thing at his age, just with polygonal graphics. xD I don't know if I'm going anywhere with this, anyway my thought is that media is influential, but not so much that a kid should have any real and lasting damage done to them if they're allowed to play a game with violence and sexual content, and I'd be loathe to call it bad parenting since my mom was pretty open-minded about which content we were allowed to take in as kids.

And in fairness to my mum, she didn't realize what kind of game Conker's Bad Fur Day was, she only knew Conker from Diddy Kong Racing lmao


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## Eldin (Oct 26, 2014)

Zane said:


> *I played an M-rated game as a kid (Conker's Bad Fur Day lmfao) and it didn't warp me, as far as I know* - the sexual content mostly went over my head and the gorey content I thought was "gross" but it was a fun game and I played it a lot, as did my siblings.
> Around last year I saw my step-nephew (is that even a thing) playing some kind of shooter on their PS3 with hyper realistic graphics and killing people by shooting them in the head and it kinda seemed wtf-ish to me but I guess that's hypocritical since I did the same thing at his age, just with polygonal graphics. xD I don't know if I'm going anywhere with this, anyway my thought is that media is influential, but not so much that a kid should have any real and lasting damage done to them if they're allowed to play a game with violence and sexual content, and I'd be loathe to call it bad parenting since my mom was pretty open-minded about which content we were allowed to take in as kids.
> 
> And in fairness to my mum, she didn't realize what kind of game Conker's Bad Fur Day was, she only knew Conker from Diddy Kong Racing lmao



That game is hilarious. A lot of people were tricked by the graphics, aha. I mean, it looks like it's for children.

Anyways, it's up to the parent. If I had kids, I wouldn't have a problem letting them play graphic/violent games as long as they were old enough to understand a) video games are video games and nothing more and b) not to be obnoxious playing online. tbh with shooters I would worry more about online play than the actual games themselves. I might let them play the games but without chat or something. Some people get insane on multiplayer.

But honestly with really young kids (like 10 and under) I couldn't see myself buying them anything that intense anyways. But that's just me.

Being a gamer myself, if I had children I'd play games with them, so they'd probably know how to be civil anyways. I think the problem occurs when parents just buy their kid like COD or something and then just let them play it all day and don't give a **** or ever supervise them. Not saying kids can't play games on their own, but at first I don't think you can just give it to them and be like "alright have fun bye".


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## Lady Timpani (Oct 26, 2014)

If the kid can handle it, I don't see why not. I didn't play my first T game until I was 13, and I didn't play an M-rated game until I was 17, but that was more because of my own interest in games as opposed to my parents' restrictions. My brother got his first M-rated game when he was 14/15 and he turned out fine.


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## Reindeer (Oct 26, 2014)

Apple2012 said:


> Now that really bugs me. Please do not ask me to cite my sources when I voice my opinion on the forums. It's not worth my time and there are no rules against posting unsourced facts on this site.


You stated something as if it was a "Did you know...?" thing, followed by "It's true". That's not an opinion, that's stating a fact. That's why he was asking for sources, especially since literally everybody else who has reacted to that statement has exclaimed some confusion or outright said it's not true. So a source would shift it from an assumption ("I believe it's 13-year olds that do this") into a researched fact ("I know it's 13-year olds that do this, and here's the information to back it up").

- - - Post Merge - - -



Beleated_Media said:


> Off topic, one or two of my friends bought a game/CD (I don't remeber, I only saw the cutscenes) from Japan. All I have to say was *WOW*, the game was rated for kids and it had a ton of messed up stuff in it, refrences were commonly used that involved gore and sexuality. Could this mean something?


If anything, it either means that Japanese children are more mature than western children, or Japanese parents are not as sheltering because they know that their children will have to face these things eventually. It's when you watch stuff like Shin-chan, which is aimed at children, and it has a lot of imagery of butts, sexual innuendo, dirty jokes, etc. Kids gotta grow up someday and the way parents treat their children nowadays is just sad. You're not going to be around for their whole life and one day they'll have to face the cold hard truths of life.


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## Alolan_Apples (Oct 26, 2014)

Reindeer said:


> You stated something as if it was a "Did you know...?" thing, followed by "It's true". That's not an opinion, that's stating a fact. That's why he was asking for sources, especially since literally everybody else who has reacted to that statement has exclaimed some confusion or outright said it's not true. So a source would shift it from an assumption ("I believe it's 13-year olds that do this") into a researched fact ("I know it's 13-year olds that do this, and here's the information to back it up").



I should've said it differently. But I don't anyone asking me to cite my sources anymore.


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## Mercedes (Oct 26, 2014)

I ****ING LOVE GTA


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## Gracelia (Oct 26, 2014)

Wish said:


> if something brings someone joy like who the **** are you to take that away from them
> 
> mind your own ****ing business amen goodbye



basically
worry about yourselves people. if a parent is buying a game for their child, it's their choice + _most_ (not all) buy it based on how they know their kid. in other situations, it could also be the kid is crying over the game and could manipulate their parents into saying yes. at the end of the day, it doesn't relate to you whatsoever.

as a kid, my parents bought me a VHS for South Park and said I couldn't watch it til I was 18. You're god damn right if you guessed I just busted that baby out and watched it when they left the home, LOL. They found out later and it was like "ok whatever, pls don't do it again." i played FPS games and the like. it depends on maturity level, etc. can tell you i did not turn out to be no trashy kid lmao


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## cIementine (Oct 26, 2014)

It depends on who the parent is and how strict they are about these things. My brother is almost 10 and isn't allowed to play COD and GTA etc and neither am I. 
However even when my brother's friends were 5-6, they were watching 18 rated films and playing 18 rated games.
I'd probably let my kids play them when they were 11-13 since it can't be much worse than on the playground language wise, and the violence isn't a problem unless I forget to tell my children not to beat people up.


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## Ghost Soda (Oct 26, 2014)

Anyone who tries to say that video games somehow turns people into jerks or phycos with no help from anyone else is full of baloney. [High chances of them beings parents trying to blame anything besides their poor parenting.]



Apple2012 said:


> Now that really bugs me. Please do not ask me to cite my sources when I voice my opinion on the forums. It's not worth my time and there are no rules against posting unsourced facts on this site.



Just as there are no rules against calling out the baloney in them either.


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## Leela (Oct 26, 2014)

If the child can handle it, go ahead and let them play. If they are more sensitive, maybe they should wait another few years. These ratings are only guidelines, after all. It depends on the individual.


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## Isabella (Oct 26, 2014)

while I'm not a fan of shooting games or other gore/violent games, I have friends that enjoy them (such as Call of Duty, GTA, L4D2, Saints Row, etc.). 
My brother used to be really annoying about wanting these games cause his friends had them..he's past the phase now. He started playing them at like 13, shows that younger kids are a fan of those kinds of games. I say to each their own.
Also, Saints Row is fun as hell. Shame on me for playing it when I was 15 & now 18 since it's a M+17 rated game? LOL
The idea that violent games change someones personality is kind of weird to me. Tons of people I know play those kinds of games and they're not affected at all?? Parents just like to blame something for how their kids act when it's probably just how they are.


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## Nuclear Bingo (Oct 26, 2014)

Is it a good idea? No. But parents have the right to buy their kids whatever the **** they want. Hell, even video games in general aren't a a good idea for children or adults haha. It truly can become an addiction that takes away money and wastes time. My parents hated that I played video games when i was a kid. They would always roll their eyes when i bought a new game or when i asked for them to come with me to get a rated m game. But, I mean if a kid wants a rated M game then by all means, go ahead i guess.


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## starlark (Oct 26, 2014)

i play select horror games, specifically amnesia, for the artistic quality of them. i'm fascinated with the macabre/ sophisicated gore side of art, which very few people seem to touch on. i see past the engines and mechanics and the man telling me how he's murdered dozens of people and see a broken story, and i think it's beautiful.
i'm 14, and i'd say it depends on the kid. if you're mature enough and you can handle the game, you have every right to play it and no one should stop you. but if you decide to be immature and abuse the game, and it affects your actions, there's no way that's safe for you.


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## Brad (Oct 26, 2014)

I've been playing games that are rated M like Halo, and Grand Theft Auto since I was in the 5th grade. I don't feel that it's any sort of negative effects on me. My parents have always really been open about letting me consume the kind of media I wanted. I understood what I saw was fake, and that some of the things that were said and done were not okay.


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## TaskBarR (Oct 26, 2014)

It's actually a bit hilarious to see little kids acting all mature and "edgy" if that's how you describe it. Little kids do ruin a lot of games from what I've heard though.


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## Dork (Oct 26, 2014)

Eh i'm not really for it. I've seen what those type of games have done to my mom's friend's children and ew are they vulgar.


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## TaskBarR (Oct 26, 2014)

All I know is that if I ever have kids, I'm not gonna let them play mature rated games until they're, well, mature enough to play them. I've seen how some kids act after playing them, they just can't handle all of the violence.


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## Cam1 (Oct 26, 2014)

Im mixed about this. When I was 9 and 10 I was playing COD (which I hate now; pacifist), but that was because I could handle that stuff without going insane. GTA is COMPLETELY innapropriate for children. Im 14 and STILL not allowed to play that even if I wanted to. It really just depends on the kid. If they are mentally stable and can handle certain things close to that, I would say go for it. Like I said though, it depends on the kid.


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## Mega_Cabbage (Oct 27, 2014)

I've played M rated games when I was 14 because those were some of the tines I could spend the day with my older sister. I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I'm pretty sure I have control of myself, at least more control in comparison to the people I associate with. It could just be parents buying it for themselves and letting their kids play it.


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## DoctorGallifrey (Oct 27, 2014)

CR33P said:


> I know a person who played rated M games their whole life.. let's just say that he has an obsession with guns.


 There is a strong chance that there is zero correlation between the two. Most of the games I play are Rated M, however I'm not obsessed with guns. 



Apple2012 said:


> Now that really bugs me. Please do not ask me to cite my sources when I voice my opinion on the forums. It's not worth my time and there are no rules against posting unsourced facts on this site.


You stated your opinion by saying "It's True" implying that it is a fact, if you're going to claim something like that and pass it off as a fact then the very least you could do is give a source about it. Especially considering most of the people who replied to it were in a state of confusion. 



Anyway, I honestly I think if the kid is around the ages of 10 or 11 then they should be able to play it. However, only under supervised use, that way a parental figure can see what kind of reaction the kid has first hand. That way the parent can determine if their kid is mature enough to handle the material in the game, if they notice they are, then allow them to continue playing. If they notice that the child can't handle the material then the parent should take the game away right then and there, and come back to it at a later time.


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## oranje (Oct 27, 2014)

Personally if I had kids, I wouldn't let them play M-rated games until they're in high school (and ditto for R-rated films). Some M rated games have pretty cartoony violence like TF2, so I wouldn't have a problem with younger kids playing games like that but there are M rated games out there that are more intense, so I wouldn't think it's appropriate for kids to play them at a young age. Plus I feel like kids are kind of pressured by their peers to play M-rated games because they're more "grown-up" and are made fun of for playing games that are rated lower, like many Nintendo games.


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## Locket (Oct 27, 2014)

Oh yeah, I am also paranoid about blood.


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## EndlessElements (Oct 27, 2014)

i would play M rated games when i was around seven, but then again that's just me. do i agree with kids under the age of fourteen playing games like GTA and something with a lot of gore or sexual content to it? absolutely not. I also don't agree with parents blaming things on video games if they are the ones that bought it for them -- my parents never did that, but again, i understood the fact it was a game and nothing more. sure, when i would play games like Tomb Raider, i wanted to be like that character because she was bad ass, and i always liked how her hair was and outfit was in some of the levels in Tomb Raider Chronicles, but did i feel the urge to go out and shoot at things while collecting artifacts?  absolutely not. 



Star Fire said:


> Oh yeah, I am also paranoid about blood.



nice username : P


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## Dustmop (Oct 28, 2014)

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

*This is 100% up to the kids' parents/guardians.*

If said minor can handle mature themes, then what's the problem?

If said minor cannot differentiate fantasy from reality.. especially once you hit, like, 13... you've got far bigger problems on your hands than the games they may or may not play.


At the end of the day, nobody else can be at fault other than the parents, and I'm so tired of the media blaming other media for violent behavior in kids. Violence has always been prevalent in all animals, humans included. This is not a new 'thing' to us.
Kids are a product of their environment. Why don't you get to know their parents and their living situation before assuming... frankly, before assuming anything else about the kid.


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## HeyPatience (Oct 28, 2014)

Dustmop said:


> I've said it before and I'll say it again.
> 
> *This is 100% up to the kids' parents/guardians.*
> 
> ...



Exactly, if the kid knows its a game and nothing more then I dont see a problem. ^

I didnt really play any games outside anything rated E until I turned 16 though o.o;


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## Dustmop (Oct 28, 2014)

HeyPatience said:


> Exactly, if the kid knows its a game and nothing more then I dont see a problem. ^
> 
> I didnt really play any games outside anything rated E until I turned 16 though o.o;



Haha, my parents actually let me play all ranges of M-rated things when I was really young, about 10, from Resident Evil and Mortal Kombat (ya know, just gore, really) to stuff like Conker's Bad Fur Day.
I still had my Mario/Yoshi/Zelda type collection of E-games, though.

There was little to no 'censoring' in our house. I was watching the Hellraiser movies as a toddler. But my parents were really active in my life, too. And I've always been polite and respectful, never had one of these 'violent episodes' kids today seem to so prone to.. despite my "horrid" media influences. =p


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