Quote by PSORaine:
Pretty much...
At least Santa Claus has a use... and a job... and gives to others... and some level of intelligence...
The point is, if your kid doesn't know that you can't shoot people in real life and have them respawn, then on some level you HAVE failed.
I don't want my son to lose all his innocence, but to some degree I've changed my position on this. I used to think it was just plain WRONG to let anyone under 17 play M games (no, I really did think this, I think I posted about it a while ago). But the older my little boy gets, I think... it's my job to teach him that entertainment entertains, but real life is real.
If you don't want your kid to play those games because of the gore, because they might have nightmares, because you want them to be your little kid just a little longer, that's one thing. That's fine. That's parenting.
But if you don't teach your children right and wrong, real and imaginary, and the common sense to not tape a plastic bag over someone's head and then shoot his knee caps... Well you're not a good parent.
Because in the end, your kid is GOING to see this stuff. It's a right of passage. All kids have sleepovers at the house of the kid who can watch Friday the 13th and play Halo. And once it's in an uncontrolled environment, when your kid feels they can't talk to you if they need to, you've lost the ability to guide your child.
I guess it's seeing my son get older- he's 6 now so it's not like he's what I'd considered an older child at all but still... seeing what scares him and what doesn't, what he can handle and what he can't. He can play gears just fine (better than some adults I've seen), but prey scares him so it can't be played around him. He watches Dead Space, and follows the story, but the movie Gremlins scared him so much he couldn't go to the bathroom alone for weeks. It's knowing your child that's important. It's being an involved parent, not following some abstract rating system created by people who don't even play games themselves.
So part of my job as a mom who is a gamer is to judge each game individually based on what is specifically in the game, and what my son can handle. It's just sad that so many parents rely on other people to tell them what their kids should be doing.
At least Santa Claus has a use... and a job... and gives to others... and some level of intelligence...
The point is, if your kid doesn't know that you can't shoot people in real life and have them respawn, then on some level you HAVE failed.
I don't want my son to lose all his innocence, but to some degree I've changed my position on this. I used to think it was just plain WRONG to let anyone under 17 play M games (no, I really did think this, I think I posted about it a while ago). But the older my little boy gets, I think... it's my job to teach him that entertainment entertains, but real life is real.
If you don't want your kid to play those games because of the gore, because they might have nightmares, because you want them to be your little kid just a little longer, that's one thing. That's fine. That's parenting.
But if you don't teach your children right and wrong, real and imaginary, and the common sense to not tape a plastic bag over someone's head and then shoot his knee caps... Well you're not a good parent.
Because in the end, your kid is GOING to see this stuff. It's a right of passage. All kids have sleepovers at the house of the kid who can watch Friday the 13th and play Halo. And once it's in an uncontrolled environment, when your kid feels they can't talk to you if they need to, you've lost the ability to guide your child.
I guess it's seeing my son get older- he's 6 now so it's not like he's what I'd considered an older child at all but still... seeing what scares him and what doesn't, what he can handle and what he can't. He can play gears just fine (better than some adults I've seen), but prey scares him so it can't be played around him. He watches Dead Space, and follows the story, but the movie Gremlins scared him so much he couldn't go to the bathroom alone for weeks. It's knowing your child that's important. It's being an involved parent, not following some abstract rating system created by people who don't even play games themselves.
So part of my job as a mom who is a gamer is to judge each game individually based on what is specifically in the game, and what my son can handle. It's just sad that so many parents rely on other people to tell them what their kids should be doing.
I fully agree with you. My parents know that I wont go out there with a gun that looks like it is from Halo 3, and go shooting people with it. The ESRB is basicly a Guideline saying what is in the Game and who that gmae is for. That does not mean that anyone under the age of 17 shouldnt be playing Halo 3.
I mean, if you watch the late time news with your parents(Or kids), you know what is in 90& of these games. If you live in most cities(New York, Boston, Phili, etc, you know what is in these games. As long as you are taught to be responsible and not go imitate everything you see, you can play those games.
Some parents may not want their kids to see or play these games, and that is fine. But if you kid is at a responsible age, and you dont want them to play games like these, you may be pushing it a little too far.
and btw live, as ive said many times before, I WASNT THE ONE WHO MODDED EVERY CONSOLE IN OUR HOUSE.....the only thing i know how to mod is the nintendo wii (watched my dad mod it) but i dont like the wii so idc about that...oh yea live, if you havent noticed, the locust are (basically) already naked...you wouldnt need mods/hax to see those...but if you wanna fantasize (that goes for you too mike) do that in your head...because its disturbing, and id rather not hear about your fantasies for your fave games 
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