Computer games & age ratings

@Junkyard, respectfully I think you’re wrong on this. GTA is a weird game; it’s basically a story of ne’erdowells and the world within which they live. By itself that’s not wonderful, but no different from a thousand other stories, in print and on film. The novelty of the game is the freedom to act within it. I’m not going to suggest that it doesn’t ‘encourage’ some iffy stuff within the story line, but it’s nothing that you won’t see in films or read in books. You can choose to play with or without a moral compass, though. The behaviour of the player character reflects the character of the person playing it, to some degree. The game does not actively encourage the more heinous acts, and in fact will actively punish them, with increased ‘wanted’ levels and the like. Yes, it’s easy to get away with stuff, but actually, there’s a hell of a lot of stuff that is gotten away with in real life too, and I’m far more concerned about them. I suspect you could tell an awful lot about a persons character by the way they play games like GTA when they think no one is looking…

Getting aerated about the fact that you can kill prostitutes and ‘get away with it’ in GTA is a bit like getting aerated about the fact that you can kill prostitutes in real life and get away with it.

That said, in the context of this thread, it so should be a STRICT 18. In fact, I’m personally not sure a lot of ‘adults’ should play it either…

It’s tough one.

Some studies show it promotes parts of the grain development while other studies show it impairs parts of the brain.

Game developers know the reward pathways of the grain and try to use at least 2/3 from 4 in each game – brain feels good and wants more rewards.

Done studies show improved hand to eye coordination while other studies show early dementia and depression.

I love games, my kids love games but I limited them and kicked them out if their rooms for the real world. Did it work? Who knows but if the movie or game said 18 or above, then 17 or under should not be watching it for a reason? Duh!

Well, with the combined input from you guys, mumsnet and a few friends in similar situations we’ve reached a decision.
GTA is staying off limits indefinitely, COD is to be permitted under certain strict conditions ie multiplayer mode only, blood/gore and bad language options disabled and only closed groups online so he knows everyone who’s playing.

We’ve also retained the right to veto if we don’t like what we see when he gets it and used it as a negotiating tool to implement some rules around playing time limits (which we’d been planing to do anyway).

So hopefully a win-win, although I’d still rather he stuck to good old FIFA!

We have always been conservative on this. 14 year old just started a couple of 15’s and 16’s, and the 13 year old has also just got Halo (15?)

I also agree there is immense naivety around the game content – too many of our sons classmates parents just don’t understand, or are unwilling to resist the peer pressure, or want to limit to films or games as a positive choice.

as an aside..what exactly is the edinburgh defence…

Talking bollocks then when you get called out on it trying to pretend you were joking. Usually unsuccessfully. Named due to it’s regular use by Edinburgh dwelling forumites past and present.

How thick are your kids?

The age ratings are surely just made up for the council housers, none of which will adhere to them anyway.

I was a bright lad; I got to play GTA when it was released; think I was 12 or 13 at the time.

An old friend of mine, who was one of the first to get it, is now a copper; would you believe?! Ironic really, since we used to sit in his room, giddy with excitement, after mashing one of them into the pavement in a getaway car.

GTA 3 (to which I assume you are referring) is a different proposition to 4 and 5.

GTA 3 (to which I assume you are referring

😀

It was the original!

From what I’ve seen, the new ones are a bit more realistic/graphic? 😆

Although kids are a bit more clued up these days aswell, compared to when I were a lad.

It’s all character building stuff though innit. Just look at all the kids who went off the rails/a bit wild later in life. They were always the ones with the really strict parents. something to think about…

Oh.. Flipping eck. GTA 1 was silliness. 4 was dark, 5 is messed up…

GTA 1 was silliness. 4 was dark, 5 is messed up…

I think the last one I played on was Vice City on the PS2.

The first was certainly daft, especially looking back. Although running over cops and setting Hare Krishnas alight was deffo ground breaking at the time.

I imagine the latest ones are just over the top for the sake of it; their target audience is kids afterall. As an adult, I’ve seen it all before on the internet anyway 😉

Getting aerated about the fact that you can kill prostitutes and ‘get away with it’ in GTA is a bit like getting aerated about the fact that you can kill prostitutes in real life and get away with it.

Isn’t getting aerated about the second thing is a perfectly legitimate reaction?

Isn’t getting aerated about the second thing is a perfectly legitimate reaction?

hmmm, I thought that after I wrote it. What I’m trying to say is less than clear, I’m sorry.

My point is, it’s tilting at windmills. Im trying (poorly) to highlight the difference between getting cross at the concept of the possibility of the crime, rather than at the crime itself. My badly made point is that the game allows horrific behaviour, but as far as I’m aware it doesn’t actually encourage it in any meaningful way more than say, a Tarintino film. To condemn a ‘sandbox style’ game for what is possible, vs what is encouraged by the storyline is misguided, I think.

Generally think GTA is a great game, the sandbox allows for all kinds of mayhem. As messed up as GTA5’s story is, I don’t think you find yourself empathising with any of the characters (except Trevor, poor guy, so misunderstood).

The satire is ok and on occasion brilliant, but I think they shoot for South Park levels and often miss.

That torture scene was just weird though, I found it pretty uncomfortable (far more so than CoD’s “No Russian” airport scene).

Agree on the murdering prostitutes thing. You can run over old people, set fire to police officers, RPG a church and drink drive and crash a car into a fast food truck. Just because you can do them, doesn’t make them a particularly fun part of the game, in fact they’re not game-ified at all – there’s generally no incentive to do them.

davidtaylforth

I imagine the latest ones are just over the top for the sake of it; their target audience is kids afterall. As an adult, I’ve seen it all before on the internet anyway

There, you’ve made the mistake most parents make. The target audience of the GTA (and similar) game developer is not kids. It’s 20-30 year old males.

My view on games is I’ll play them first before my lad does. In general this has meant that he plays things that list as up to a couple of years older than him. At 6 there’s no way he’s playing Halo (would have nightmares, is 16 rated) and Rise Of The Tomb Raider (excessive graphic violence, 18 rated). Tomb Raider I struggled with though. For most of the game as I played it, it’s fine, jumping around solving puzzles, and he’d love that and be able to play it. Then she gets eaten by a bear, burnt to death by a maniac with a flamethrower, and killed by being impaled on sharp spikes. All in beautiful high-def detail.

Certs are on games for a reason, just as they are on films. But it appears the advice to play before you give to kids falls on just as many deaf ears as view a film before you let the kids see it also does.

Then she gets eaten by a bear, burnt to death by a maniac with a flamethrower, and killed by being impaled on sharp spikes.

You think that’s bad. There’s a game where you fire a blackbird at a pig’s home before it explodes taking the pig with it.

My 10 yr old plays cod online, no chit chat allowed to randomers etc NO gta.
I watch him play nown again. I thought I was good a few years ago when high up in original battlefield rankings but by God he’s a different league. How longs black ops 3 been out, I noticed there was people ranked 50+ already. He was winning these matches. Should I be a proud father, I’m not sure….

You think that’s bad. There’s a game where you fire a blackbird at a pig’s home before it explodes taking the pig with it.

That’s nothing. My two play a game which encourages running down railway tracks narrowly missing oncoming trains.

Can someone gimme a leg up please? I can’t seem to get on to this moral high horse 😉

My suggestion is that responsible parents will know and understand their kids and be able to relate to where their child/ren are in terms of age and emotional intelligence and development. Similarly, honest, realistic discussions about gaming content and….. wait for it….. trust, yes, trust, combine to healthy happy parent/child relationships.

Given that, have you thought about the fact that most of the aforementioned considered brutal bits of all these games are freely available on YouTube walkthroughs? With the added benefit of uncensored very colourful language in many different geographical accents and are most probably viewed extensively by those little precious darlings considered too young and delicate to witness such bad taste.

Go get ’em folks! Or have you all had your memories from your own childhood removed shortly after your first ****? 😉

Or have you considered that those self-same responsible parents who know and understand their kids also don’t let their kids have unfettered access to Youtube and similar on the interwebs?

Good point, although the parental reach tends to be confined to the boundaries of home…

With the added benefit of uncensored very colourful language in many different geographical accents and are most probably viewed extensively by those little precious darlings considered too young and delicate to witness such bad taste.

Some of the better Goat Simulator walkthroughs are particularly colourful, in an Irish flavour no less.

Not sure if the videos are funnier than the game tbh.