Parents Worry More About Games Than Booze, Porn

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Parents Worry More About Games Than Booze, Porn


Here's an interesting tidbit: Two polls conducted by What They Play [http://www.whattheyplay.com/blog/2008/08/11/parents-more-concerned-about-video-games-than-alco/] have found that parents are more concerned about their kids' exposure to videogames than to booze and porn.

More than 1600 people who responded to a poll asking what parents would be most concerned about their children taking part in during a sleepover, 19 percent of whom listed playing Grand Theft Auto [http://www.rockstargames.com/iv] as their greatest concern, compared to watching pornography, which came in at 16 percent, and drinking beer, which received 14 percent. In fact, videogames were second only to the Evil Weed; smoking marijuana clocked in as the greatest concern among 49 percent of parents surveyed.

A second poll determined that parents were far more apprehensive about the depiction of sex in videogames than of violence. Covering 1266 participants, the survey found that a man and a woman having sex was cited as the most offensive videogame content by 37 percent of respondents, followed by two men kissing, counted as the worst possible thing their kids could ever see by 27 percent of parents. A "graphically severed head" earned "Most Offensive" status from only 25 percent of parents, while nine percent said multiple uses of the F-bomb in videogames generated the greatest offense.

"Although these findings seem surprising at first, they hint at fears parents have about videogames," said Grand Theft Childhood [http://www.grandtheftchildhood.com/] co-author Cheryl K. Olson. "To some parents, videogames are full of unknowable dangers. While researching for Grand Theft Childhood, parents we spoke with in focus groups often bemoaned the fact that they didn't know how to use game controls - and felt unequipped to supervise or limit videogame play. Of course, parents don't want their children drinking alcohol, but that's a more familiar risk."

"These poll results demonstrate that parents are as apprehensive about their children's media diets as they are about traditional social issues such as alcohol, drugs, violence and sex," added John Davison, president of What They Play parent company What They Like, Inc [http://www.whattheylike.com/].

Findings like these, particularly in the light of ongoing efforts by the ESRB [http://www.esrb.org] and other agencies to educate parents about videogames, are both disappointing and demoralizing because it would appear that parents are more inclined to simply throw their hands in the air (like they just don't care) and either give up entirely or leave the whole thing to external supervision and control (ie., government legislation) than to take the time to equip themselves to "supervise or limit videogame play." If familiarity is a mitigating factor in parental concern over their kids' behavior, and yet parents stubbornly refuse to acquaint themselves with videogames, what is the industry to do?


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SilentHunter7

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Nov 21, 2007
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I love it. It's now a fact that simulated porn and alcohol concerns parents more than real porn and alcohol.

I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Thank you.
 

Smyter

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Aug 10, 2008
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so if kids get got watching porn the can just say at least its not video game porn and get out of it... go parents
 

HobbesMkii

Hold Me Closer Tony Danza
Jun 7, 2008
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I hope their aren't any kids reading this right now. Otherwise they just learned that there's an 86% chance their parents aren't concerned about them drinking beer.


Seriously though, this is great an all, but what it demonstrates is irrational response to the unknown. <20% of Americans have used pot, most use(d) it in their teens to 20s, and half of all pot users drop the habit once they leave that age range (I'm not making this up, it was in TIME). Yet half of the surveyed parents are worried about it. Likewise, I feel this is an irrational response to gaming. Especially because it's "Grand Theft Auto." I'm sure if you slid "Condemned" in place of that, it would've been last on the list. We hear of the famous horrors: Pot is a popular drug, therefore we are afraid of it's use (by the way, can I interest you in some totally legal cough syrup? You'll be Robi-tripping in no time). Likewise, Jack Thompson has succeeded in terrorizing the American Mother to the point where she fears GTAs influence on her children far more than Playboy's or Budweiser's. Which is a shame, because nothing goes better with a round of GTA like a nice, cold bottle of not Budweiser.
 

Mstrswrd

Always playing Touhou. Always.
Mar 2, 2008
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I'm just dissapointed in humanity, once again. It is times like these that I wish... actually, I don;t know what I wish. Eh, either way, this, once again, concludes that the best thing to do is to just wait. Make sure no stupid leislation is passed, and then wait. Eventually, most of us gamers will be parents, and we'll know what our kids can and can't play, 'cause we're gamers too! It's already happening, but, unfortunately, not fast enough.
 

meatloaf231

Old Man Glenn
Feb 13, 2008
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Hooray for parenting.

You know, that thing that people used to do? Instead of relying on the media to tell you what to be afraid of?
 

eclipsedshadow

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Aug 10, 2008
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haha, thats very...unusual,most likely true. My mum has never let me play GTA im 14, but if i was caught on porn.. she would most likely say something like "well your a boy"
 

Aries_Split

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May 12, 2008
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Wow, I can not believe that two men kissing would be somehow more offensive then a severed head.

Actually, sadly I can believe that.
 

DeadlyYellow

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Jun 18, 2008
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Something disturbs me about people getting together to watch porn. I'd rather they play videogames.
 

Lt. Sera

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Apr 22, 2008
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Seems logical enough.

People (especially parents) often fear what they don't understand. Explaining them why you game, what the game is and how a game (doesn't) affect you goes a long way.
 

Zemalac

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Apr 22, 2008
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This is absolutely hilarious. Reading stuff like this, it's love/hate...on the one hand, it's funny that they think that. On the other hand, it's frightening because you know you'd never be able to convince them that they're wrong.
 

SamSloth

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Dec 23, 2007
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hehe, my dad just lent me gta4 after he finished playing it, awesomeness to the power of kewl, this article really makes me appreciate the fact that he hasnt tried to ban me from "my internetting and that videogaming" on the offchance that it'll turn me into the next ed gein
 

Artheval_Pe

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Jul 7, 2008
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This is both hilarious and frightening...
I'd expect parents to be afraid of real dangers, things like using drugs (not just marijuana), smoking, having unprotected sex, being violent or victim or violence. Instead, parents are afraid of video games and porn...

And then it becomes pathetic. People having sex, people kissing... those things being judged as offensive... more than someone getting killed in an atrocely violent way...

Those parents seems to be more old five-feet-tall kids than actual adults. "Sex ? huh, that's durty" "Vidéo games ? Something we don't understand... Huh, that's frightening !"
If only people like that are having children, then I'm afraid to say that mankind isn't going to get anywhere soon...

allright, seing other people having sex is not something that is necessary appropriate for a child or a teenager. But there's basically nothing wrong with that kind of sight. That's just a fact that is part of life. Whereas violence... that just shows to children something that they should never do. Something that should be banned in every advanced civilisation.
People are more afraid to have their children see something necessary to the survival of the species, than something dangerous and useless. Where is the logic in that ?

I'am not saying that violence should be banned in video games, but I think that love and sex should not be seen as bad as they are.
Beyond that, when you're used to video games, and can see beyond the pixels, you don't see the violence, in multiplayer games for exemple, as what it looks like, but more as what is means. It just become a representation for the act of beating your opponent (by being smarter, faster, etc...), nothing more. Just like when you "kill" the king when playing chess, you don't regard this as violence. Just as victory in a game.