Rockstar: Only "Terrible Parents" Buy Our Games for Their Kids

[KaiRai]

Not necessarily terrible parents. My parents bought me MGS at 7 as well as RE1. Then when I was 13ish I think, they let me have GTA titles. They trust me not to go crazy though.

Still I wholeheartedly agree with rockstar on what they say though. If you buy your child a game rated 18, then you should have no grounds for anything. Parents saying "This isn't suitable for children" should now be aware - it isn't designed to be.

 

[KaiRai]

*Snip*

-snip-

I'll snip your comment just as you did mine because you clearly didn't read anything I wrote, I read half of what you wrote and its what I'm trying to put across with my rubbish jokes.

So in conclusion, you have a good point kid, but you stumbled on "its up to the parent", when my entire shit joke was about how Rockstar games are designed to appeal to kids and not adults.

I'm an adult and I hate RockStar games, I also hate scones (Tea for the win though), when I was a teen I thought DMA design (thats what rockstar used to be called) were avant garde.

You can't sit there and tell the world that "its the parents fault" when RockStar actively markets there games for children.

RockStar games are like a coffee with 17 sugars in it, fun when you 13 years old, but once your palate grows you'll wonder what the fuck you was doing drinking a coffee with 17 sugars in.

They don't actively market their games for children though. I recently played through vice city again now that I'm 19, and now the majority of the game that didn't make sense now does. It is aimed at adults. Just because you don't like something, doesn't mean you are the voice of everyone above 16.

 

[DigitalSushi]

They don't actively market their games for children though. I recently played through vice city again now that I'm 19, and now the majority of the game that didn't make sense now does. It is aimed at adults. Just because you don't like something, doesn't mean you are the voice of everyone above 16.

I never said that I was the voice of a generation, I voiced my opinion though.

Rockstar games have shoddy combat systems though, seriously shit combat systems.

I'm off to play a real mature game like KILL ZONE, YEAH KILL ZONE, A ZONE THAT KILLS! I can totally relate to such a mature game.

 

[Jake the Snake]

And yet we continue to have FOX "news" reporters say this stuff is marketed to kids and video games are the spawn of satan...sigh, this country disappoints me sometimes...

 

[Rosen2012]

*stands up*

*Applauds*

Well done.

 

[RAMBO22]

In my opinion, the problem really isn't with parents buying violent video games or entertainment in general for their children, the problem is that they buy these things for their children AND THEN turn around and blame the developer of the game for a problem they could've prevented or ended. If I child is adversely affected by a video game/other violent media, parents need to realize THEY CAN STOP THE PROBLEM THEMSELVES by banning the game's use, destroying the game, or being more aware of a game's violent content in the future.

 

[Mcface]

Way to insult about 40% of your fans and customers parents and their parents.

 

[mrflopster]

FACT.

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

Amen, Rockstar!
Video games still have the 'it's for kids' stigma attached to them, despite most gamers being over 20. It's time the general, non-gamer public woke up to the fact that video games aren't just for kids, and that not all games aren't made for kids.

I used to work in an EB Games (Canadian 'Gamestop'), though, and I can tell you that there are plenty of 'bad parents' out there. They just don't care, even when warned of serious mature content. I don't care how mature you think your 8 year old is, GTA 4 isn't for them.

You forgot to add, "then they come back to ***** at you for not warning them when you did..."

Cuz yea.... I've seen plenty of that personally.

 

[Malediozone]

I'm usually a really jokey person, but right now I have have something serious to say. Violent games do not drive kids to bring guns to school. It's bad parenting. When I was young, my parents let me watch Dracula, Scarface, I saw it all. I never had violent impulses. My parents gave me guidance and taught me right and wrong. Nowadays, I'm as gentle as ever. I look back and feel good that they respected me enough to not expect me to be influenced by a movie.

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

That makes sense, but that just means I have bad parents. Although I am turning 17 in two months.

 

[Spectre39]

This is exactly the kind of coverage we need. In fact, this needs to go national.

Especially since that whole appeal to the supreme court coming up. You know, the case that could redefine games as not free speech?

Back when San Andreas came out, a whole bunch of the 13 year old kiddies I knew had it. You would have been considered a weirdo if you didn't have it because your parents were literate enough to read the label. If more parents could be bothered to take a remote interest into what they buy their kids, then maybe the unjust PR about games wouldn't exist.

[Still has not forgiven Fox News for Mass Effect]

 

[wargrafix]

Very true. I mean if a parent buys if for a kid over 18, then its ok since their kid would have been legally entitled and have developed a sense of ethics.

 

[annoyinglizardvoice]

I can see the sense in his statment.
Personally I feel "If you're a parent and blindly buy one of our games for your child, you're a terrible parent." might be a beeter way of phrasing it. Some kids are mature enough to handle it and some certainly ain't. A parent who isn't using reasoning and common sense when buying such a game for a kid is definatly a very shitty parent.

 

[Oh Hephaestus]

When did "It is the parent's choice" turn to "you are an idiot"? What happens if a parent doesn't buy into all the shenanigans?

If Rockstar's GTA and RDR are "pushing the boundaries"... then what are games like RapeLay doing? Introducing quantum mechanics to savages?

 

[Penguinness]

I think it's a fair statement for rockstar to make, I mean it's your parents responsibility, they're to blame. If you're going to buy it for them, get offended and complain about it, then you should be labelled a dumbass.

My parents were okay about it all, you could say I was introduced to life early. Goldeneye was a 15 when it came out here, it came out in '97 so I prolly got it christmas '98 or '99 which meant I was 9-10. Perfect Dark was an 18 (prolly cos of the dino creatures in it, it was basically a reskinned Goldeneye) and I played it at 11-12. Played GTA 3 at perhaps 13-14. I mean we'd watch films as well. Holidays, BBQs and other things we had alcohol from 12 onwards, not over the top though. And it was fine to have a beer or two when they were in the fridge from like 15 onwards. I'd be missing out on a lot if I had to wait for these magic age barriers.

The positives from it all? I'd say that I don't get angry at games, I'm used to most kinds of films and I can handle my drink. Certainly beats coming of age at 18 (or 21 in some places) and getting so smashed from not ever having alcohol before, you'd get into worse situations in that state.

I mean many of you have prolly heard 'a little bit of dirt never hurt anyone' and the whole thing about protecting your kids from germs will lead them to not having a great immune system. I think the same applies in my situation.

 

[DividedUnity]

"Our games are not designed for young people"

Well that is a load of bullshit. Id like to see how many people under 18 actually make up the sales figures for GTA games and even RDR. Its the sort of game every kids wants.

So your saying that despite the age restrictions, targeted audience, mature content and desire to keep kids from playing it, the fact kids WANT it means that Rockstar MUST have designed it for young people?

Picture a man. this man runs a bar and sells alcohol for a living. Some kids, after having stole some and tried it, or after seeing the effects, decide they want it. But the barman won't sell it to them. So they get their parents, oblivious to what alcohol actually does despite the numerous age restrictions and laws surrounding it, to go in and buy it for their children displaying a lack of understanding of the product. The kids then get wasted, and suddenly, the parents turn round and pin the blame on the barman for selling such a product, even though he was selling it only to adults and refused service to minors, and had no way of knowing the parents were buying it for kids.

Now who is at fault here - the barman, the impressionable kids, or the parents too stupid to understand what they were doing?

Your example is wrong as the barman did not make the alcohol so it would be the brewery in that case. I take your point though. Alcohol is a fairly simple substance and is a single component not a finished product. Its my opinion that they target their games towards an audience who want guns and action. A heavy section of this falls in children. I should not have said it in such a way that rockstar are purposefully designing games for children but the audience they design for contains quite a few of them whether they like it or not. I was simply responding to the games are not designed for arguement but yes I do believe that parents are more to blame. They ignore every warning put in place sure as the big red 18 sticker or M for mature depending on where you reside and im pretty sure the store clerk warns you as well before you buy it. Not to mention those little graphics of the fist, the syringe and such which tell you exact what themes the game contains then complain that it screwed up their kid. Of course it probably wouldnt have screwed up their kid if they were decent parents but then again if they were decent parents they wouldnt have bought their 12 year old such a game because he asked for it.