I Just Had a Video Game Debate With my Parents

[Secret world leader (shhh)]

I remember me and my dad used to really like terracon and tekken on the PS1 when I was about 4 or 5 and my mum quite liked the original tomb raider back then and gave me an original game boy with tertris that used to be hers.And she didn't didn't mind me playing the hitman games when I was 9. However the extent of her gaming is now occasionally checking her BMI on wii fit and once played just dance with my sister.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

I have tried, but as soon as I brought up a good point that he couldn't argue with, he would basically just throw a temper tantrum and end the argument with the old "You're too young to understand everything". Eventually, I just gave up trying.

 

[Fidelias]

My parents tolerate my gaming, even though they don't like games. I mean, they're okay with playing a game here or there, but they don't like how I actually enjoying games more than a book or TV. But yeah, they deal with it, probably because they know that if they push it I'm now close to having enough money to just move out on my own if I wanted to.

 

[liveslowdiefast]

dude my parents were great, they taught me well enough that i knew morals and that these products were not real and were, well games.

 

[megapenguinx]

My parents never took issue with me playing any sort of game.
Then again I never really enjoyed ultra violent games. I sort of feel the more violent a game is the lower the substance of a game.

I mean look at Postal or Manhunt, both those games are pretty much crap.

 

[TPiddy]

I had a fairly standard video game upbringing, with games like Mario, Donkey Kong, Dragon Warrior, Earthbound, Ninja Turles, eventually giving away when I was around 13 to games like Mortal Kombat, Primal Rage, arcade shooters, PC shooters like Doom and Wolfenstein. I got the original Playstation at 16 and with it came stuff like Resident Evil and Twisted Metal.

So I would say I had a decent curve of gradual exposition to the dark and violent side of video games, and now, I've got Gears of War 2 on one side, and Kirby' Epic Yarn on the other side, of my video game tastes.

 

[Eric_Autopsy]

I say: Why do you let me watch movies rated 18+, but not play games rated 16+? They are both art.

 

[sir.rutthed]

Mine were never really against it. They actually bought me my first games like Operation Neptune, Oregon Trail and Math Blasters since they were at least partially educational. When my dad got Decent II way back in the day, me and my brother ended up playing it more than he did. As far as censorship goes, I haven't really discussed it with them, but I can't imagine them approving of a game like Postal 2 to use the hot button game. We had to go to friend's houses to play Grand Theft Auto or Halo, but we had Twisted Metal 2 and 4, which we got away with by saying the cars were remote controlled. My parents understand the ESRB rating system, so I don't think they'd see the need for the California law.

 

[ssgt splatter]

My parents are ok with it, so long as I don't import a game from Japan with questionable taste...which I never do anyway.

 

[Samwise137]

dude... what happened with the chat?? what are their views?? i mean, i have talked with my dad about that but in the end he said it as a moot point because we live in México, and if sales start dropping on the US, it would seem obvious (as a business standpoint) that they would move to another country and focus on different markets (he is a great business man)

anywhay, i´m just interested on hearing the opinion of your parents.

Sorry, you're the second person to ask that. I'm a teacher and my students grabbed my attention before I could reply earlier. Anywho: my parents, as it happens, actually don't agree with each other. My dad feels that while, yes, video game ratings are important, it's really up to the discretion of the parents involved. Dad also respects that many games are and should be considered art. Dad was also that guy who would always pop his head in the room and at least act interested in how the game worked. My mum, on the other hand, believes that games are as far from art as could possibly be and that censorship should be in the hands of the government. My mum argued that although many of us escapist regulars have good solid upbringings and Real-Life/In-Game filters that some video game purveyors may lack with a less than solid upbringing (ie. parents buy any and all games for their kids and fail to explain that separation between real life and gaming). In all honesty, it's an interesting take on things and I appreciate her bringing it to my attention.

 

[SanJ]

My Dad was quite apathetic to the whole gaming thing, though he did buy me the games in the first place.
My Mother played 2 games, mechwarrior 3 and heavy gear 2 and she was really really good at both and to this day i have no idea why.
So they were cool about gaming, they werent so happy about the internet tho, this great tool that will help me with my school work to one day turn on my pc and have some video of a woman stripping playing on start up ¬¬ thats how porn was back in the day, got people caught.

 

[Drakmeire]

I had to slowly introduce the idea to my parents. as a kid, I would play mostly colorful platformers and I got away with a few more adult games like doom, goldeneye, or jet force gemini (the last two being more violent than you'd think) but when I was around 13, they really got anti-gaming and I wasn't allowed anything of the M rating. now that I'm 19 I'm on my own and playing anything I have enough money for. but just recently my Mom caught me playing my DS and said "I figured you'd outgrow that stuff by now" and this saddened me. she knows I'm in college for game design and I've explained to her many times that games aren't always for kids, but I guess it's a hard belief to break.

 

[Huxleykrcc]

My parents kind of cared until I was sixteen or so. I think they had a lot of misconceptions about games like GTA, and once they actually saw them played, they didn't mind as much. Once I got older, they didn't really have a right to stop me doing anything, anyway.

Video games are just scapegoats. Blaming something on a TV show or movie would be just as stupid, but nobody even does that, because they're accepted as a valuable part of culture. Anyone who's going to, for example, shoot someone at random was screwed up by a long list of genetic and environmental factors, of which video games, movies, TV, books and music are an extremely small one, if one at all.

Then there's the fact that consensual sex between two adults is more objectionable to America as a whole than (literally) blowing off someone's head with shotgun, and I have no interest in the debate.

 

[omega 616]

When I was younger I would get my mum to play sonic (the originals) till she completed it, then ask her to do it again as I sat and watched.

I have been able to play games since I could ... well play games, I played manhunt at release, the same for resident evil, I am 21 now, so work out how old I would have been, 9 or so I think, my brother is a year younger than me and also played them (he completed them before me aswell).

So I have had total freedom to play any game as long as I choose to. There has never been a discussion of "wouldn't you like to go out and play with friends" or "aren't you on that too much", even a "no, that is too mature for you".

I am still yet to kill anybody, I am not too dumb either.

 

[The Cheezy One]

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.

 

[ssgt splatter]

My parents are ok with it, so long as I don't import a game from Japan with questionable taste...which I never do anyway.

Who buys those anyway, lol. Other than perverts.

T.T japan your letting me down. Stop making shit like that and hurry up making a FFXII agito/golden sun dark dawn/dissidia 2 and making the sequel to disgaea/shadow hearts/dragon quest (for guys this time, not little girls)/persona!!!

RAWR

Exactly. That's the joke. I don't need to import a porn game from Japan, I already get more than my share from the internet.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Yes. My parents are fairly open and trust me to make good decisions. Therefor they listen to me when I talk about games, a subject which they have little knowledge on. We're cool like that.