Poll: What Age Do You Buy Your Child a Violent Video Game?

[MetallicaRulez0]

Is your kid a moron or showing signs of psychopathy? Then maybe that Call of Duty game isn't in their best interest just yet.

Is your kid smart, well-adjusted, and generally not insane? Any age over 10 should be plenty old enough for most games. I was playing Doom and such at 8 and I didn't murder people or get into trouble at all really.

Moot point, though. Never having kids, and my entire house is a man-cave.

Amen. If I wanted a creature that cried all day and ate all of my hopes and dreams, I'd get a dog.

 

[Nostalgia Ripoff]

I'm assuming that by violent, you mean rated M or PEGI 18.

I watched/played GTA III and Vice City through first grade. I didn't really understand what was going on and it mostly just me and my friends messing around with cheat codes. The first really violent game I played and understanding it was maybe... Halo? No, Halo 3. Wasn't really interested in it before that.

Anyway, the point is I played these games well before the letter on the bottom right corner told me to and I came out fine. As long as it's not absurdly over the top like Bulletstorm or God of War, I'd let my kid play starting at 10. At the youngest (Coincidentally, this is also when I'd start letting him watch R movies). Before that, T and lower.

This is assuming the kid is just a tiny me, of course.

 

[TheDarkestDerp]

Whenever they're old enough to actually play it.

It's only a game, and putting all things in perspective and moderation is a part of life as well. If I insulate them from even fantasy violence, I'm stifling their growth even worse than just letting them have some fun offing digital adversaries. Whether it was me waxing hundreds of aliens in Samus' 8bit glory, or my little one (assuming I ever have one) doing whatever you do in GTA 50-The Quest For Cash, it's only a game.

 

[Radelaide]

Is your kid a moron or showing signs of psychopathy? Then maybe that Call of Duty game isn't in their best interest just yet.

Is your kid smart, well-adjusted, and generally not insane? Any age over 10 should be plenty old enough for most games. I was playing Doom and such at 8 and I didn't murder people or get into trouble at all really.

Moot point, though. Never having kids, and my entire house is a man-cave.

Amen. If I wanted a creature that cried all day and ate all of my hopes and dreams, I'd get a dog.

Your point is moot completely unwanted. I wasn't asking if you ever wanted kids, I was asking if you HAD kids. Jeez.

 

[Himmelgeher]

Well, I don't have any children, but I didn't have any restrictions on what I watched/played when I was growing up. Don't get me wrong, my parents are awful as human beings, but as parents they were fine. Honestly, if your kid is smart enough they can get around whatever you try to do to stop them, the only difference is that they'll resent you. So, my siblings and I didn't have any restrictions on what we watched (well, okay, for some reason we weren't allowed to watch Cat-Dog, but Silence of the Lambs was just fine), my nieces don't have any restrictions based on what they watch, and I can't think of a single legitimate reason for not allowing my child(ren) to watch/play whatever they like. I don't believe that what media you choose to partake in can really negatively affect you. Unless the child suffers from some form of genuine mental retardation, then the point at which a person can distinguish between, say, a movie and real life, is generally the same age they can actually comprehend what's being shown.

 

[Danial]

When you believe they are mature enough to understand that its not real. When they are mature enough to understand that what happens in the game is not real life and never to be confused with real life. Then.

 

[Chrishu]

This is a very complicated question, and there are no easy answers. It depends on the level of violence. Arkham Asylum would be, for instance, something I'd allow a twelve year old to play. Oblivion, too, would be unlocked at twelve. Fallout 3 and the Dead Spaces of the world I'd probably restrict until 14, but something that's mostly bloodless like infamous would probably be okay at ten. Remember, I played Mortal Kombat at 7 and I'm not a psycho.

 

[JoJo]

Depends on the mature content of the game, some ratings are out-of-whack (SSB Brawl, a 12? Halo, a 15?) so I'd rather rely on my own judgement of what child could handle. My sister who's almost 8 now has already played those and free-roam GTA SA/4 (not the missions) and it hasn't had any negative effects on her.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Honestly, I think my decisions would be informed by the gender of the child as much as anything else.

I'd be apprehensive about giving a boy CoD like I'd be apprehensive about giving a girl a Barbie doll...in fear that they'd grow up anorexic or wanting to be a soldier.

I suppose that's just the reality of being a parent. You could do a good job and still have fucked up kids.

 

[omega 616]

If they have the ability to play the game they can buy it, I was playing manhunt at about 8 years old. If you have never seen manhunt gameplay go and youtube it, it's a messed up game.

Hacking peoples heads off withe machetes, putting plastic bags over people heads and punching there heads in etc.

The thing I don't get about you escapists is you go into "oh it's fox news again" when you hear some moron say "violet games are just murder sims!" but little Jimmy isn't allowed to play killing floor till he is married with children of his own!

Either you fully believe games do not effect you and run with it or you say games do effect you and run with it, saying games don't effect older people is stupid. Just watch that penn and teller show about games.

Some kid loves COD, Halo etc then goes to a firing rage, (I think) fires one bullet, stop 'cos he doesn't like it, then cries off screen.

If the kid has a nightmare, so what? Not the end of the world. If he gets scared, so what? Not harmed him. It's not like he is going to grow up as a serial killer off games.

 

[Mechanical Cat Fish]

I suppose I would have to judge based on the game itself, because the ratings are so often seemingly arbitrary, and I'd factor in the child's maturity too. Assuming I actually knew anything about my own children, which I would hope that I would.

 

[Radelaide]

Results so far: 90% of those who voted say you'd buy the game for your child if you thought they were okay to play it!

 

[RBBelkar]

I have been playing Diablo 2 since I was about four but the stuff that goes on in more modern games is alot worse. Still though, as long as he/she can seperate fiction from the real world and the game has no extreme profanity I see no problem.

 

[Quietus Legion]

I mainly follow the ratings on the game, but I voted the "I decide" option because I would also modify it according to how my kids develop. Which means I might increase/lower it accordingly. I would also take into account on how much my kids want to play relate it to how long they would have to wait. So far both kids have been interested in subjects suitable to their age so no difficulties yet...

 

[xchurchx]

well i wouldn't give him CoD at the age of 10, maybe start him off with a decent 12/teen action title then gradually move him up to more violent games

 

[spartandude]

Id say about 14 or 15, my reason is (assuming id be a good) parent, my kid would already know enough not to be influenced by violent games or movies
for example my first Uber violent game was Gears Of War when my mum brought it when i was 14

 

[thom_cat_]

Maturity. Ages are stoopid.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

If I was a parent, I'd decide.

And that means restricting 18 certificates even if they're over 18 - if I believe it would hurt them. Sure they can do it themselves at that age, but I'm letting them know I won't do it for them.

If they start having a tantrum on me as a child, I'll let them know exactly why I'm restricting them - or exactly why I think they can handle it. I'll also be there (like in Portal where GLADos starts to berate you) so that they know it's a game.

Yes, publishers, I thank you for your recommended age - but the person who knows their child's maturity is the person who spends time with them. And I'd be willing to take the fine if I thought it was important for the child.

 

[Project_Xii]

I plan to introduce my child slowly, at their own pace, to both movies and games. The first few times I plan to sit with them, explain anything they don't understand, put things into perspective, and answer any of their questions. Once they understand that the violence is purely comedic, or designed to show how bad these things would be if they happened in real life, then I'll let them play/watch other things.

Even then, extremely violent or sadistic stuff (ie. manhunt, aka murder porn) I'll keep them away from until they;re at least 15. And their play will be monitored when they do. Honestly, it's not about denying kids things. It's about being a parent and making sure the video games don't start to become their own twisted reality. They're images on a screen, an escape, a form of entertainment. Nothing more.

 

[8OutOf10]

I feel that the parent who blindly follows age restrictions are the bad ones. Good parents will spend enough time with their kid to know when the right age is.