Parents

[Rational-Delirium]

M rated games were forbidden, until we harped on them enough about Oblivion, and how it was actually rated T on the older, PC versions of it, and that we could turn the blood off. Then we got it, and found out that the PS3 version didn't have a gore meter...
But when it all comes down to it, my brothers and I don't really have that big a thing for M rated games, so I guess that makes our parent's jobs really easy.

 

[Clashero]

Unreal Tournament 2k4, Call of Duty 4 and the Metal Gear Solid series are the only M rated games I own. My parents are rather good at picking out games. It kind of annoys me that the game I want right now is M rated and called freaking KILLzone.

Ah, yes. The title of the game is a big factor for parents. If Fantasy World Dizzy was actually a about eating babies and general bloodbath, no one would bother.
However, a game called "MASS CARNAGE KILLFEST OF GORE, BLOOD, AND SATANISM" is bound to shift some people's views on it.

 

[x434343]

Not a real problem. I got BioShock at 14, now I'm about to turn 16.

The only game I'm banned from playing is Saints Row 2. Because my Mom walked in on me customizing a female character.

=P

Other than that, I research a game, I'll know what the content is, and my parents will let me get it because it's fiction.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

My mum would refuse to buy me 17+/18 games. She never really had a problem with sex or nudity, as long as it wasn't derogatory or violent in any way. She just didn't want me exposed to explicit drug use or extreme violence.
She would sometimes let me borrow games she deemed inappropriate from friends so she could see what all the fuss is about. More often than not, she'd say it's okay for me to play, but I wasn't allowed to buy it because my younger brother might sneak on when no-one's looking.

It used to bother me when I was younger, but now that I've grown I see it's a fair system.

 

[zacaron]

there is very short list of games that my parents wont negotiate on me buying
-GTA
-sequals to GTA
thats about it.

 

[white_salad]

MY mom had no problem with whatever I played as long as it wasn't M. For M was the devil.Until I was 10 I couldn't play T games. I wasn't even allowed Wrestmania 2000 because you COULD turn on blood. My mother even got angry when I got super smash brothers because it had beloved character Mario beating the tar out of my favorite racer in F-zero X.

 

[boomo_lao]

None of them really cared about what games I played, or movies I saw, as long as I didn't spend too much time/stayed up too late. I remember watching alot of stuff that's probably considered inappropiate for kids, but I was always told that it wasn't real and I had perspective enough to understand not to try to reenact shit, like some darwin-award kids out there

 

[Flying-Emu]

not really my mom lets me buy whatever game as long as its not grand theft auto (mainly because of the media attention probably) Example, she let me buy mass effect with no objection whatsoever

Did she hear about the four seconds of bare ass in ME?

 

[Wanderer1911]

My parents didn?t really care what I played and always bought me whatever I wanted. I thought I was lucky at the time but now when I look back I kinda wish they had been stricter. I remember being really bothered when I found out my 10yo brother was playing Manhunt (I was 20 at the time and thought that was the most messed up game ever, of course that?s because I had a copy and was loving the hell out if it, but I digress). I think when it comes to my kids I will monitor the content they are exposed to, its just responsible.

 

[RebelRising]

No, because my mother has an avid gamer for a boyfriend (and he's of the baby-boomer range to boot) who owns a PC and Xbox 360. Her favorite games are anything that reminds her of Tolkein (she is an English major); consequently, games like Fable and Oblivion rank well with her.

My dad, however, is a bloodthirsty (regards of Martin Scorcese and Quentin Tarantino) nationalist who actively enjoys playing the Russian missions in Cod: WaW with me, and watching GTA car chases. He actually gets bored with talking in games (he initially thought Mass Effect was a movie); he just want to blow heads off of German and Chechens (in CoD 4).

So I guess I was luckier than most, in that respect.

 

[Syndef]

My parents strictly monitored what I was playing up until I was about fifteen years old. My mom stopped paying attention by then, and my dad just let me do whatever after realizing I didn't react strongly to inappropriate content anymore.

 

[implodingMan]

I feel sorry for everyone who had strict parents, since my parents were basically the definition of trusting parents. Their positions on life were:

Mature games/movies: Didn't care. My dad wasn't interested in all this "video game" business anyway, and my mom was just mildly perplexed by my interest.

Alcohol/drugs: Don't ask, don't tell.

Taking out the car: Ask first. Try not to drive in to a ditch or something.

I'm so damn thankful.

 

[Rogue of Hearts]

My parents didn't mind me playing "violent" games where you go around shooting people because they figured at least then I wasn't playing Pretty Pretty Princess (that's not a video game but you get the point) or Barbies with the girls and they wanted me to be a "normal" boy and the violence and gore would supposedly reinforce that.

 

[Nazulu]

My Mum didn't really look at what I was playing but I guess when your playing SNES games, you don't really have to worry about violence and crap!

 

[thePyro_13]

My parents were never very strict about games. Or maybe i just never wanted any game that would have looked to violent for me.

 

[sirsolo]

Short answer: My 8 year old brother is downstairs playing Halo right now.

 

[Bulletinmybrain]

I have been able to watch rated r movies since I was 10 and rated m video games. I am still as smart as I was before, while my social skills may lack this has not hampered my growth.. I believe it has helped my growth, I have watched masterful movies such as pulp fiction, enticing movies like Their Will Be Blood.

 

[Bored Tomatoe]

My mom was a little more worried about what games I played when I was younger, and Looking back, I think she might have had a point about seeing graphic violence when I was little. My Dad on the other hand, didn't really care, he took the "It isn't real, go nuts" approach, let me play DOOM when I was 6, and would buy M games for me as long as they weren't terribly bad. Hell, he would even play the games with me....

 

[Inverse Skies]

I don't think they ever cared to be honest, but when you own a Nintendo system for the majority of your childhood/teenage years Mario and other cutesy characters tend to distract them somewhat.

I remember they wouldn't let me watch Tomorrow Never Dies when it first came out... I must have been in grade 5 at that stage, but games they never cared about.

 

[Shade Jackrabbit]

My parents never bought games for me (except Neverwinter Nights), and I've always been so much of a wuss that most rated M games didn't attract me either. Recently when I bought BioShock though my mom had driven me to the local EB Games and I ran into a slight problem, seeing as how she had ownership of my money at the time. (Why? it's a long story involving IOUs and un-cashed checks.) Basically the event went like this:

"Mom: Did you find any games you wanted to buy?
Me: Yes...
Mom: What is it?
Me: Uhm... BioShock. *hands over box carefully* It's apparently a really good game and very atmospheric and stuff.
Mom: Rated M for violence and blood? ...I dunno, couldn't you pick up an adventure game or something instead."

Lucky for me I can put up with adventure game bullshit to such an extent that I enjoy adventure games, so I added two games to the pile. Then the following happened:

"Mom: ...these look sorta weird. What are they about?
Me: Well... this one, Outcry, is about pseudo-science and trying to find your brother. This other one, Darkness Within, involves you following a killer and is very Lovecraftian.
Mom: Oh... okay, so why don't you just buy these two?
Me: Well, sure, but I could buy all three. But in terms of content, Darkness Within is probably as scary as BioShock. And the violence in BioShock isn't any worse than in any other similar game I played except that it's with newer graphics so the "realism" factor is up a bit more, but it actually will end up falling more into the uncanny valley because such realism makes you use your imagination less so things are simply their face value.
Mom: Yeah okay, that makes sense. Sure."

That was the only time I've encountered restrictions as to what games I could buy. And I talked my way out. Then again, my mom never actually sees me play most games... Good thing too because everything I said about BioShock not being scary or violent was bullshit. >_>

As for my dad? Well he walked by me as I was fighting a headless in Dungeon Lords and was just like "Huh. Cool."