Well I never use profanity. Ever. Though I am desensitized to violence but that has worked more in my favor than not so no unless your kid can't help but turn into the kind who swears at there parents when they don't get there way.
Poll: should parents monitor what video games their children are playing?
- Thread starter Fitscat
- Start date
Whatever happened to the days where parents monitored this sort of thing anyway? My mom would always ask what a games about before letting me buy it (granted she let me have just about any game by the age of 14 but i was very mature for my age anyway, i'm talking 16+ and 18+, she wouldn't bother when it came to things i was old enough to play). Hell my sister does a similar thing with her son now so at least someone still monitors what there kids do.
But saying that my parents would always make sure i was in by a certain time, did my homework, never swore (although i swear alot now a days but, thats just who i am really, still can't swear in front of them though lol), was punished when i did things which were bad. Most kids today get away with just about anything, etc. alot of the so called parents in the UK (of the newer generation, those about 5+ years below me) just let the police deal with them (well the chav parents do this).
But saying that my parents would always make sure i was in by a certain time, did my homework, never swore (although i swear alot now a days but, thats just who i am really, still can't swear in front of them though lol), was punished when i did things which were bad. Most kids today get away with just about anything, etc. alot of the so called parents in the UK (of the newer generation, those about 5+ years below me) just let the police deal with them (well the chav parents do this).
They should know what their kids are playing just like they should know what they're watching on television, not knowing what your kid is doing is bad parenting, if you kid goes out the house you should at least have an idea where they've gone and what they're doing ie playing football (unless they've lied)
The problem isn't games at all imo, it's parents who use games as the virtual babysitter, they need to spend more time with their kids on the games, understanding them. My parents used to interact with me and even motivate me while playing difficult Mega Drive games. If it wasn't for my dad I would never have made it up the Waterfall in Lion King.
The problem isn't games at all imo, it's parents who use games as the virtual babysitter, they need to spend more time with their kids on the games, understanding them. My parents used to interact with me and even motivate me while playing difficult Mega Drive games. If it wasn't for my dad I would never have made it up the Waterfall in Lion King.
To a certain extent. If they are a teenager, let them play T rated games. If they are over 18, let them play M rated games. If they are old enough for a certain rating, don't let them play it. No need in forcing a kid not to be able to play a game that they are old enough for.
Yes. Violent games alone don't turn children violent, but if you let the game parent the child, all bets are off. My parents were pretty lenient, letting me play some pretty violent stuff, but saved GTA until I was at least a teenager. Even so, I had to play it with my dad in the room for a while.
About that... I loaded it with candy for him... Your welcome! No but seriously, monitoring depends on the child.Furioso said:
yes
the parents should see what their children are playing
i have been a gamer since i was 12, im 16 now, and i usually play games like assassins creed or Deus Ex: HR, i play them because of the gameplay and the story, my parents are ok with that because i see games as a media who can tell a story and entertain as well, the thing is that i have a smaller brother who loves videogames as well but he is here for the gore so when i play gears of war he gets way too excited when i chainsaw a guy than in the saga touching moments, he obviously have a bigger love of violence than me. thats why i let him play halo, a soft M with barely 2 drops of blue blood, but not gears of war, a strong M with swearing and gore everywhere, my parents couldnt do that because they didnt knew what the games were about, so i am the one who takes charge of the content of my brother so he can grow with no tendence to violence that often videogames do in sensitive children
the parents should see what their children are playing
i have been a gamer since i was 12, im 16 now, and i usually play games like assassins creed or Deus Ex: HR, i play them because of the gameplay and the story, my parents are ok with that because i see games as a media who can tell a story and entertain as well, the thing is that i have a smaller brother who loves videogames as well but he is here for the gore so when i play gears of war he gets way too excited when i chainsaw a guy than in the saga touching moments, he obviously have a bigger love of violence than me. thats why i let him play halo, a soft M with barely 2 drops of blue blood, but not gears of war, a strong M with swearing and gore everywhere, my parents couldnt do that because they didnt knew what the games were about, so i am the one who takes charge of the content of my brother so he can grow with no tendence to violence that often videogames do in sensitive children
Yes, because when the parents don't the government does, getting it wrong along the way with plans that; A.) Don't work, if something's age restricted then they just get their older brother/sister to buy it for them. And B.) Restrict the people who are allowed to buy them.
Parents have a responsibility to at least pay attention to the ratings guidelines and the content warnings printed on the box. They only have a right to complain about content in children's games when it's not stated on the box.
By that I mean if there is say nudity in the game, or violence and it's not listed. I don't mean if there is some questionable words used that you could still hear on broadcast TV in the US.
By that I mean if there is say nudity in the game, or violence and it's not listed. I don't mean if there is some questionable words used that you could still hear on broadcast TV in the US.
Parents should monitor everything their child does.Fitscat said:
Now, note that monitor does not mean interfere. Kids need to make their own mistakes, and parents constantly messing with what they do doesn't help with that.
That said, parents should be at the very minimum aware of what their child is up to. Know what they're doing, make it clear they can seek aid, and generally be ready to intervene and teach the important life lessons to the kid. That's basic parenting 101.
While I'm as libertarian as they get, I still have to say "Yes". Games had deep influence on me as a kid, and I would have liked for my parents to have been involved in this world, playing with me and joining me in exploring gaming as hobby. I still game at the age of 26, and I hope to be able to keep playing for a very long time. If I opt to have offsprings at all (I'm not really thrilled about raising kids in my country and with all of the... not so good things... going on) I will definitely keep an eye out on what are they playing, try to influence them a bit and see if we can play together. Also, it would be hilarious to outDPS your son/daughter in WoW raid (for example 
I should probably start by saying that I'm not a parent and that I'm not trying to tell anyone here who is a parent what they should be doing with their kids (they're your kids after all, at the end of the day when it comes to them your word is final).
If I were to put myself in the position of having kids then yes, I would monitor what games they were playing and would obviously be personally involved in deciding what games they are allowed to purchase (or what ones are allowed to be purchased for them by others, as far as reasonably possible of course).
I would also make a point of not letting them play games alone, I would join them in the game if possible (or failing that, I'd be sat next to them in the room, in any case it'd be a social activity so that I could try and make the experience as enriching for my son/daughter as possible as well as just to have fun with them).
I do have issue with the people who decide to just sit their kid in front of a TV set and bugger off for the afternoon (in essence, making the TV more of a parent than they are) but these are usually the ones who cry the loudest about how video games 'corrupted my baby' and how we need the government to step in and prevent them from 'poisoning our youth'.
If I were to put myself in the position of having kids then yes, I would monitor what games they were playing and would obviously be personally involved in deciding what games they are allowed to purchase (or what ones are allowed to be purchased for them by others, as far as reasonably possible of course).
I would also make a point of not letting them play games alone, I would join them in the game if possible (or failing that, I'd be sat next to them in the room, in any case it'd be a social activity so that I could try and make the experience as enriching for my son/daughter as possible as well as just to have fun with them).
I do have issue with the people who decide to just sit their kid in front of a TV set and bugger off for the afternoon (in essence, making the TV more of a parent than they are) but these are usually the ones who cry the loudest about how video games 'corrupted my baby' and how we need the government to step in and prevent them from 'poisoning our youth'.