hue

Commissar Sae

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Nov 13, 2009
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Yeah I've seen this happen quite a bit. As long as the parent is properly informed about what the game contains then I see no problem. I was playing mature games at 12 or so (granted my parents didn't know) and I've grown into a responsible if slightly lazy adult. Keep in mind I do think the mature games I grew up with are nowhere near as brutal as some of the mature games out now. Compare say Diablo with God of War. Yes there was blood and relatively graphic death but I wasn't tearing the heads of medusas either, Meh, I say it depends on the case and as long as the parents know what they're getting into then everythings cool.

This is especially true in Quebec where retailers actually don't accept returns for opened software. So if you bought a game your kid can't deal with too bad for you, should have informed yourself before buying.
 

Tdc2182

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May 21, 2009
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I generally think that a kid really is mature enough to play an M-rated game much earlier than 17.

I just bought my little brother Fallout: New Vegas. He hasn't killed anyone that I know of yet. In fact, he's been in a very good mood.
 

Valate_v1legacy

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Sep 16, 2009
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Derp 6-18-1994 derp I don't care anymore.

My thoughts. It used to be annoying till I learned ESRB liked Battlefield: Bad Company. Then I was like "Shut up and take my money!" Now I can say that about anything except unrated.

Yaaaay I can proudly buy ME3 and Skyrim with my own money, after getting off the bus ride I paid for, and all WITHOUT my parents. They only cared when I tried to get into MMO's anyways.

Edit: I find ratings unwarranted. although I can think of one example to support their institution, and several theoretical arguments.

In the end, I think anyone who can earn the money to buy a game deserves it. Gift cards and little kids who were clearly given money need to be shown the E/E10+ games. If you're 13 and are a babysitter/lawn mower and can round up 60$ from hard work, you're already more mature than many people who do the same with money that's not strictly theirs.
 

neonsword13-ops

~ Struck by a Smooth Criminal ~
Mar 28, 2011
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Well, my parents did the right thing for me. When I was ten, I got a copy of Super Smash Bros. Melee for my birthday. My parents knew it was okay because they purchased the original version for my N64. They knew what they were doing. I also knew I was not allowed to have M-rated games. My parents said you can't have this game. I said "Ok.". I went on to picking another.

I've grown and i'm still under the jurisdiction of the law. My parents will buy the mature games because they know I can handle them. Being the most mature 15 year old of my intire school, (voted by the school itself) I would say i'm qualified to play those types of games.

But when Parents exploit the rating system, it's only doing harm. It's kind of sad really.
 

Fishdog52

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Apr 18, 2011
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I've definitely noticed a trend in a mature game being much more graphically intense in modern times as compared to older games, if only for their hardware constraints. Still, the parents should know their children, and know if they have the maturity to realize that reality =/= media. The knowledge found in the games will always teach people something. I recall a girl who knew to abandoned an upturned vehicle (because they explode) from GTA. More often do people remember negative things rather then positive ones.

Laws do not fix a parent's failures, just like warning labels don't fix stupid.
 

Seives-Sliver

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Jun 25, 2008
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Well, the retailer should let the parent know what the game entails for their child, but it's really the parent's decision to buy what they want for their child, and making a law about it is complete crap since that only inhibits game sells to certain parties, because we all know that certain games you buy are only interesting to the party that buys it.
 

CM156_v1legacy

Revelation 9:6
Mar 23, 2011
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Tdc2182 said:
I generally think that a kid really is mature enough to play an M-rated game much earlier than 17.

I just bought my little brother Fallout: New Vegas. He hasn't killed anyone that I know of yet. In fact, he's been in a very good mood.
I don't know. I've been letting my brother play it, and he keeps trying to kill me using V.A.T.S. And he's stared carrying junk food around with him "Just in case"
 

Stall

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Apr 16, 2011
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I remember that I got my first M game when I was 12 or so: it was Diablo 2. I've never been the same since heh. My parents knew what the ESRB ratings meant, and never let me get M games before that. It was nothing but Teen rated games until ol' D2.

Anyways, retailers should be allowed to sell parents M rated games for their kids. I think it's unfairly targeting the video game industry more than anything: it seems a little unfair that a parent could take a kid to see an R rated movie, but not be allowed to buy an M rated game. The simple fact of the matter is that you can't legislate good parenting.
 

JB1528

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Mar 17, 2009
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A law telling parents what they can and can't buy for their kids? Who the fuck are we to tell other parents how they should raise their kids? Also how in the fuck would you even enforce that law? Parents could just say their buying it for themselves and the give it to the kid anyway.
 

Kvaedi

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Jul 7, 2011
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A law prohibiting what parents can and can't buy is plain ridiculous. To be perfectly honest, there's nothing all that bad in a videogame. I doubt anywhere in Amuricah a store would refuse to sell a Bible to a kid.

There are wars, absolute massacres, rapes, sex, whores, violence, religious intolerance escalating into bloodshed and outright war, all in the Bible, yet that's never been banned or restricted in my country.

So really, I think video games get annoying restrictions, laws, and parents clamoring for banning because they're newer, plain and simple. Happened with rock n' roll, happened with heavy metal, happened with movies, now it's games.
 

omega_peaches

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Jan 23, 2010
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Until Christmas last year,( I was 13,) I wasn't aloud to play games rated M (Or own them.)
The first present I opened that Christmas?
Grand Theft Auto IV.
I mean, I've played them before, and as long as I can realize that I am unable to run around New York with a shotgun, jumping out of motorcycles, into helicoptors, I think I'm fine.
Also, I'm pretty mello most of the time (No weed at all!)
 

Olrod

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Feb 11, 2010
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Are parents legally allowed to buy R-18/M rated films (or whatever the equivalent would be) for their children at the moment?

Whatever the answer is to that, it should be consistent with the same age ratings for videogames.
 

dyre

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Mar 30, 2011
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I don't think they should be restricted, but I do hope retailers explain the games to the parents a bit further than "it's rated M." I mean, everything is rated M these days, but there might be parents who are fine with their kids playing Battlefield, but don't want them playing, dunno, Manhunt or w/e
 

Corven

Forever Gonzo
Sep 10, 2008
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The cashiers responsibility stops after warning the parent of what content is included in the game from what the esrb notice on the back of the box states.

It's the parents job to figure out whether or not their child has the mental maturity to differentiate was is real and what is fiction.
 

Olrod

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Feb 11, 2010
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Frehls said:
Olrod said:
Are parents legally allowed to buy R-18 rated films (or whatever the equivalent would be) for their children at the moment?

Whatever the answer is to that, it should be consistent with the same age ratings for videogames.
Yes. All media in the US is self-regulated, save for straight up porn. They can even buy a ticket for their kid and let them go in by themselves. The problem is that games, being new and "scary", garner the most attention and are attacked in various ways. Had the supreme court not shot down that California bill a while back, video games would be the only media restricted by the US government, and would not have first amendment protection.
Really? I didn't know that, I'd actually expected it to be the opposite.

Regardless of that, my previous sentiment is still the one I'm sticking with: Consistency between movies and games.
 

Sacman

Don't Bend! Ascend!
May 15, 2008
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Parents should be able to buy whatever games they want to for their demon spawn... they should just know that doing so makes them a terrible parent...<.<
 

Jim Tungsten

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May 9, 2011
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Well in New Zealand parents are not allowed to buy games for their kids if their kids are too young according to the rating, the parents can get a fine of up to $40,000 NZD i think and so far as i see that is perfectly reasonable(not the fine that's ridiculous but the system is fine)