video games have as much an effect on kids as any other media. kids might start swearing like a bastard after watching Scarface, they might do the same after playing GTA IV. the point is that niether of these things are MEANT for children. it all depends on how impressionable a child is.
will playing GTA IV affect a child's behavior? depends on the child, but if the child is impressionable enough, yes, it can. the point is that the child isn't supposed to be playing it in the first place. we shouldn't be telling parents that games are totally harmless, this will only encourage them to buy their kids mature games without knowing exactly what they're exposing their kid to. if anything, we should be educating the parents on the finer points of research. their kid wants "Grand Something 4" on their "GameBox"? RESEARCH. Look it up. any good parent would then see what a game like GTA is rated MATURE for and REFUSE to buy it for their kid.
tl;dr: Video games won't turn your kid into a serial killer, but if you don't want them watching an R rated movie, don't let them play an M rated game. it's that simple.
will playing GTA IV affect a child's behavior? depends on the child, but if the child is impressionable enough, yes, it can. the point is that the child isn't supposed to be playing it in the first place. we shouldn't be telling parents that games are totally harmless, this will only encourage them to buy their kids mature games without knowing exactly what they're exposing their kid to. if anything, we should be educating the parents on the finer points of research. their kid wants "Grand Something 4" on their "GameBox"? RESEARCH. Look it up. any good parent would then see what a game like GTA is rated MATURE for and REFUSE to buy it for their kid.
tl;dr: Video games won't turn your kid into a serial killer, but if you don't want them watching an R rated movie, don't let them play an M rated game. it's that simple.