I Just Had a Video Game Debate With my Parents

[Okysho]

My parents know that I'm not about to go and murder someone simply because I play No More Heroes or Smash Brothers.

Heck they let me play Smash brothers Melee when I was 11. Even then though... I didn't really pick up an M rated game until I was maybe 1-2 months away from 17.... I know it seems silly, but I followed the ESRBs pretty well... sometimes even harshly. (Smash brothers was my first breaking of this rule, I almost threw a panic attack when I found out I had to wait 2 years to do it)

 

[Mr. Omega]

I remember a talk I had with my dad about this. I was 15 (or maybe 14, I forget exactly...), and he saw me playing a game I borrowed from a friend... I'm almost certain it was GTA San Andreas, but I forget the exact game, I just know I was shooting some guy when he walked in. He just looked, and walked out. I was expecting him to yell, or something like that, becuase he never let me play games like that when I was younger.

I asked him if he had any problem, and he said "You've seen movies more violent than that, and you knew that it was just a movie. I've heard kids in your school use language much worse than what I just heard, and some of the music they insist on playing at full f***ing volume has lyrics even more graphic than what I just saw. I know you're smart enough to know that that was just a game."

I said "I thought you'd freak out becuase I wasn't mature enough to play the game. The rating basically says 17 or older." He replied (This is bolded because this was the big part of what I got from this talk) "Being 17 doesn't magically make you mature. I've seen grown men who act more childish than you or your brother. Maturity isn't a matter of age, it's a matter of knowledge and behavior. You know that the things in a game or a movie aren't meant to be done in real life, you know that violence is wrong, and you know it's all fantasy."

 

[Okysho]

My mum was always OK with gaming, just setting a 3 hour daily limit when I was younger. my dad disapproved of gaming, and still does, as does anyone that grew up solely in the real world, but still bought me games, and even asked if I wanted Fable 3 for Christmas. Seriously. That is how great a dad this guy is. I hope I can be half the man this guy is.

FUCK I remember having a 2 hour time limit. It was total shit... Too bad I did not know about how great anime was back then or could drink lol. Now I HARDLY play video games. Too busy watching anime/doing school school/hanging with friends/flirting with girls/drinking.

Now thats going to change once I get golden sun dark dawn and zettai hero project!

Anyway, I used to get angry at my mom when she made me check with her whether or not I could get a game. She changed that once I turned 16. But anyway, I'm kinda glad. That's what caused me to play less violent japanese games with no fps stuff. That's why I like turn based strategy RPGs and normal turn based RPGs.

/rant rant rant rant rant rant

What was I talking about again?

you think thats bad? I had to ask to go on any console/PC, AND I couldn't go on anything or watch TV until my room was tidied and checked by a (lazy, it took him about an hour to get around to it) nazi of my mothers partner. I'm glad he's left.

I also needed to ask to play anything lol

I bought my first game boy with my own money and it seemed like a real struggle. My parents bought me my first N64, but after I totally got into it, they started setting time limits and such. It's fair I guess. in my younger days I mostly played RPGs and E rated titles anyways

 

[Tharwen]

My parents don't mind the content of the games so much (well... my Dad does, but he doesn't do anything about it), but they believe they're directly affecting my work at school and causing me to fail at life.

 

[slackbheep]

It all depends on the argument your parents made.

 

[GooBeyond]

i turned my 50 year old game hating dad into a gamer.

 

[Durxom]

My parents never really cared about what I was playing when I was growing up. They weren't supportive of it, but they weren't against it either.

Both of them play games too. My mom mostly plays stuff like Mario Kart or Bubble Bobble, while my dad is more of a fan of RTS games(mostly AoE 2, 3 and SW: Empire at War), that and poker games.

The only negative things they have said about them, is just to not waste too much money on them.

 

[Hiphophippo]

My parents were totally cool with them because I had good, active parents. They were both heavily vested into the things I spent my time with and did not make base judgments derived from media but from actual time with me and the games themselves.

I had (and still do as an adult) have great, loving, understanding parents. If I liked something they learned everything about it. Who took me to see the (awful) He-Man movie? My dad. Who played Earl to my Toe-Jam? My mom.

Great people through and through and now that I've a daughter of my own if she pursues the hobby her old man did she'll get the respect she deserves with it.

 

[Vetinarii]

The only thing mum will do, Is if I swear or shout at a game, She comes and turns it off.
"You can't be having fun if you're getting angry"

¬¬

That's an awful justification... Oh One flew over the Cookoo's nest made me sad, so therefore I didn't enjoy the experiance it gave me. If she does it again tell her that you were having fun. It was making you experience emotions for reasons that you may have felt before. Failure is a huge part of gaming and LIFE and how to deal with that failure helps with life, it is making a observation on the aspects of life that may get us down. Why else would books have challenges for the protaganist to overcome? To make a point on the expectations of your reaction to failure.

Or the game could be really bad... in which case she is justified.

 

[superbatranger]

I never talked about video games with my parents, so I don't know how they feel about them. All I know is that they don't even touch them.

 

[master m99]

i use to play alot of n64 with my dad when i was younger ,mainly rayman 2 and after we found out he was alot better then my mum banjo kazzoie, so no he didnt have any problem we my gaming ,tho iwas only 11 when he died so i want quite a full fledged gamer, my mum has no problem with me playing any games but get irrateded by the amount of time i spend playing them (looking at you wow!!)

 

[BlackStar42]

I remember a talk I had with my dad about this. I was 15 (or maybe 14, I forget exactly...), and he saw me playing a game I borrowed from a friend... I'm almost certain it was GTA San Andreas, but I forget the exact game, I just know I was shooting some guy when he walked in. He just looked, and walked out. I was expecting him to yell, or something like that, becuase he never let me play games like that when I was younger.

I asked him if he had any problem, and he said "You've seen movies more violent than that, and you knew that it was just a movie. I've heard kids in your school use language much worse than what I just heard, and some of the music they insist on playing at full f***ing volume has lyrics even more graphic than what I just saw. I know you're smart enough to know that that was just a game."

I said "I thought you'd freak out becuase I wasn't mature enough to play the game. The rating basically says 17 or older." He replied (This is bolded because this was the big part of what I got from this talk) "Being 17 doesn't magically make you mature. I've seen grown men who act more childish than you or your brother. Maturity isn't a matter of age, it's a matter of knowledge and behavior. You know that the things in a game or a movie aren't meant to be done in real life, you know that violence is wrong, and you know it's all fantasy."

Your dad's awesome.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

My parents never really took umbrage with my game playing. They knew I liked it and so didn't try to take them away or tell me they were a bad influence. My dad has a passing interest in games. He would play Wave Race with me on my N64 bu that's about it. Sometimes he'll watch me play games now and he'll be amazed at how far they've come. I can't get my mom within 30 feet of a game controller though. She hates violence, cursing, and she just doesn't like them. She once got motion sick playing a racing game at an arcade

As far as gaming discussions go, I recently talked to my dad about how video games are art, and he told me he never thought about it in such away and was surprised to see just how passionate I was about games. But then he couldn't understand why this new law in California is a bad thing :/ Go figure.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

Last night over dinner, my mum asked how I felt about the recent California vs. Video Games supreme court case. I NEVER like to debate video games with my parents because a) they never let me play them as a kid; if I wanted to I had to go to my buddy's house and b) because they know my standpoint almost as well as I do (considering they raised me) and it turns into an attack Zach's hobby fest (complete with shouting and a loss of appetite). Needless to say, my parents were okay with my playing things like Mario or Pokemon or even MegaMan but the minute I tried to bring StarCraft into the house, forget it. They threw a fit. I do, of course, understand their reasoning but I think it may have been a bit harsh. I can understand it if I had been, say, 11 but considering I was 16 at the time...I just don't know. I was wondering if anyone else has ever tried to civilly discuss video game censorship etc with their folks and what parents other than my own have to say on the subject.

My mother has actually always been totally fine with my videogame habits...hell, she even says that they do wonders for my hand-eye coordination and reflexes.
Videogames have as much to give as movies do to people who love film. Put it this way; I'm currently writing an essay for my university course. One of my points is concerning thermal imaging, but I can't find anything on Google...so what do I do? Youtube the AC130 mission from COD4 and get my answer. Fuck yeah, games.

 

[PrimoThePro]

I don't talk about video games with my parents. Best to avoid the topic. They can make casual remarks about how they think I play too much, but I ignore it. Playing for one hour is not too much, my mom just wants a fight. So ya, I just avoid the topic.

 

[XzarTheMad]

My parents played video games with me and my brother when we were 8, my dad still plays them. They don't mind. Then again, I don't live in a country where half the people there think Barack Obama is a socialist.

 

[StBishop]

They've let me play games since I was 3.

My nephew who's not in school yet has an Xbox Arcarde and a couple of games. He's actually not bad.

His parents are awesome though. Like, the other day I was over and he was showing me his transformers game and dinner was ready. His mum called out and I got up straight away and told him to pause it, he turned and said "Mummy, I'm just about to finish the mission, can I come in a few minuites." and she said yes!
I never even got to go to a save point in Final Fantasy and shit. I was so impressed.

I use to just pause it and turn my tv off. My mum didn't understand how it all worked.

 

[AVATAR_RAGE]

I have tried to talk to them about th state of video games but they refuse to listen. Both of them, they arn't opposed to me playing them, but when it comes down to letting my little brother play a game I am always to one who must make the decision of whether or not it is suitable.

Video game censorship is fine as it is but people seem to just ignore the warnings on the box and think "how bad can it be", before realising that their small child is playing a game that is violent, or has sexual references, etc.

Wow that turned into a little rant there, anyway no I don't talk to my parents about stuff like this because they just roll their eyes (even my mum who plays games on her DS)