Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto: Would you let your 6 year old play?

The_One_Who

somethingcorporate wrote: »

At 6 years old? you'd let your 6 year old play GTA? Seriously?

From your statement I can conclude you've either never played GTA or don't have kids.

Honestly, some things are not suitable for children, glorifying killing, drugs, prostitution and bad language should not be presented to children as far as possible.

I don't have kids, no. However, I am around children fairly often, and they are playing games that some here would deem to be unsuitable. And let's face it, how many of us spend a few hours just driving around in GTA?

Flyonthewall wrote: »

Good parents wouldn't let a child play an 18+ game. Even teaching them right for wrong and supervising them they are still being subjected to violence, bad language and sexual content. They shouldn't see/hear things like that as a kid.

When is it okay for someone to see/hear those things? At ten, twelve, fourteen, sixteen? No one gets to eighteen and magically changes. For many, a six year old would be too young (and in some cases I'd agree), but for others that sort of game wouldn't be suitable to a fourteen year old.

In my experience, kids are already being subjected to violence, sex and bad language. You only have to turn on the television for that to happen, unless you only watch CBeebies when your children are in the room. And then there is what they learn from other children, their own age and older.

Would you let your child play with toy guns (water, NERF, cap, or just one with nice lights on)? What about toy blades? Children have been playing with these sorts of things for years!

Even in children's games I was 'killing' enemies. They weren't necessarily people, but so what? I was killing on-screen animals/creatures.

RichL74

No

A good parent is one letting a 6 year old play an 18 rated game?

Need your head looking at mate.

The_One_Who

RichL74 wrote: »

A good parent is one letting a 6 year old play an 18 rated game?

Need your head looking at mate.

No. A good parent will allow a child to play such a game with supervision, and only if they deem the child to be mature enough to understand that it isn't real, it's a game, and that it is not to be copied in the playground.

Hell, I'd rather my neighbour let their child play GTA than roam the streets at night acting like a feral dog.

gboom2000

No

Well this opened a hornets nest! I played Doom when I was 10 and I've yet to kill anyone, I would not however let my 6 year old play GTA. Would I make them wait till 18, no probably not, but 6 is too young to be playing it.

Flyonthewall

No

The_One_Who wrote: »

I don't have kids, no. However, I am around children fairly often, and they are playing games that some here would deem to be unsuitable. And let's face it, how many of us spend a few hours just driving around in GTA?

When is it okay for someone to see/hear those things? At ten, twelve, fourteen, sixteen? No one gets to eighteen and magically changes. For many, a six year old would be too young (and in some cases I'd agree), but for others that sort of game wouldn't be suitable to a fourteen year old.

In my experience, kids are already being subjected to violence, sex and bad language. You only have to turn on the television for that to happen, unless you only watch CBeebies when your children are in the room. And then there is what they learn from other children, their own age and older.

I've spent plenty of time just driving around in GTA. On the other hand, I've also spent plenty of time killing, crashing cars, trying to outrun the police, cause massive explosions etc. There's nothing to stop a kid driving around one moment and mass murdering moments later. Not to mention the bad language being yelled in between or gang fights or whatever that go on as you drive around. Even listening to the radio isn't child friendly.

ALL 6 year olds are too young. Whether they grow up to be fine or seem to deal with it, they shouldn't have to. They're just children, they shouldn't be dealing with adult things such as what is in GTA (or any other 18+ game).

There is no set age, obviously. Kids will learn and experience plenty before they're 18 and they'll each deal with that differently.

Just because they may be subjected to it through other media doesn't mean you should stop caring and start giving them 18+ games. If a TV show/film is violent, the news is showing war and badly injured people, a song is using bad language or whatever else, you turn it off if a kid is present.

The_One_Who

Flyonthewall wrote: »

There is no set age, obviously. Kids will learn and experience plenty before they're 18 and they'll each deal with that differently.

Just because they may be subjected to it through other media doesn't mean you should stop caring and start giving them 18+ games. If a TV show/film is violent, the news is showing war and badly injured people, a song is using bad language or whatever else, you turn it off if a kid is present.

When did I say stop caring and just give them it? I said it should be with supervision, and only if the child is mature enough.

Again, would you let your child play with toy guns (water, NERF, cap, or just one with nice lights on)? What about toy blades? Children have been playing with these sorts of things for years!

Even in children's games I was 'killing' enemies. They weren't necessarily people, but so what? I was killing on-screen animals/creatures.

Flyonthewall

No

The_One_Who wrote: »

Would you let your child play with toy guns (water, NERF, cap, or just one with nice lights on)? What about toy blades? Children have been playing with these sorts of things for years!

Even in children's games I was 'killing' enemies. They weren't necessarily people, but so what? I was killing on-screen animals/creatures.

Nobody is dying or getting injured from a water or NERF gun. It's not a fight and there's no bad language going on at the same time.

You clearly had a more violent childhood than I did. I remember squirting patterns on the concrete/wall with a water gun lol. I know I would have squirted water at other people, but never as an enemy or fight. Pretty sure I spent more time tying to make patterns or create words than I did squirting it at others. No idea what age I was when I first had a water gun, although I can't remember having one when I was really young.

I never had any blade, although I seem to remember wanting one, and even if I had have had one I wouldn't have been killing enemies. I did have a gun with pegs that had suckers on. I used to shoot it at a target or try and see what surfaces they would stick to. Never used it for anything else or in any violent manner.

Giving a kid a "weapon" and no adult environment isn't as bad as giving a kid a game with violence, bad language and sex right from the start where you are expected to kill and can see the horrible outcome of such actions.

Flyonthewall

No

The_One_Who wrote: »

When did I say stop caring and just give them it? I said it should be with supervision, and only if the child is mature enough.

Again, would you let your child play with toy guns (water, NERF, cap, or just one with nice lights on)? What about toy blades? Children have been playing with these sorts of things for years!

Even in children's games I was 'killing' enemies. They weren't necessarily people, but so what? I was killing on-screen animals/creatures.

You said you didn't see the problem with giving it to a kid and that violence is all around us anyway. So instead of trying to protect the child from the violence you're just basically saying whatever, it's there anyway so game this will be no worse.

I quoted what you originally put. I've answered the other part below.

The_One_Who

Flyonthewall wrote: »

Nobody is dying or getting injured from a water or NERF gun. It's not a fight and there's no bad language going on at the same time.

You clearly had a more violent childhood than I did. I remember squirting patterns on the concrete/wall with a water gun lol. I know I would have squirted water at other people, but never as an enemy or fight. Pretty sure I spent more time tying to make patterns or create words than I did squirting it at others. No idea what age I was when I first had a water gun, although I can't remember having one when I was really young.

I never had any blade, although I seem to remember wanting one, and even if I had have had one I wouldn't have been killing enemies. I did have a gun with pegs that had suckers on. I used to shoot it at a target or try and see what surfaces they would stick to. Never used it for anything else or in any violent manner.

Giving a kid a "weapon" and no adult environment isn't as bad as giving a kid a game with violence, bad language and sex right from the start where you are expected to kill and can see the horrible outcome of such actions.

Flyonthewall wrote: »

You said you didn't see the problem with giving it to a kid and that violence is all around us anyway. So instead of trying to protect the child from the violence you're just basically saying whatever, it's there anyway so game this will be no worse.

I quoted what you originally put. I've answered the other part below.

No one is getting killed from playing a video game, either. Although I will say that I have had many bruises in my time from a NERF gun, those yellow foam balls can hurt, even from a distance!

I killed many things in my video gaming history, some when I was a small child playing an "age-appropriate" game, what's the difference? That Mickey Mouse is killing them, rather than a man?

We played 'war', we played soldiers, we played at being pirates with plastic or foam swords. I know children who attend shooting clubs and fencing clubs and archery clubs and are essentially playing with weapons that can and do hurt others, albeit under strict adult supervision. With the right supervision and education, a game should be just that.

Violence is all around us, so shield to a certain extent, sure, but teach them about it as well. Teach the child that in-game violence isn't real, nor is it 'good'. Children aren't playing lovely, innocent games all the time. They play cops and robbers (who wants to be the cop all the time?), cowboys and Indians, and there are certainly some versions of tag I've seen that look like they hurt.

Sparhawke

The_One_Who wrote: »

No one is getting killed from playing a video game, either. Although I will say that I have had many bruises in my time from a NERF gun, those yellow foam balls can hurt, even from a distance!

I killed many things in my video gaming history, some when I was a small child playing an "age-appropriate" game, what's the difference? That Mickey Mouse is killing them, rather than a man?

We played 'war', we played soldiers, we played at being pirates with plastic or foam swords. I know children who attend shooting clubs and fencing clubs and archery clubs and are essentially playing with weapons that can and do hurt others, albeit under strict adult supervision. With the right supervision and education, a game should be just that.

Violence is all around us, so shield to a certain extent, sure, but teach them about it as well. Teach the child that in-game violence isn't real, nor is it 'good'. Children aren't playing lovely, innocent games all the time. They play cops and robbers (who wants to be the cop all the time?), cowboys and Indians, and there are certainly some versions of tag I've seen that look like they hurt.

When I was a kid we used to build 'forts' then hide behind them as kids threw bricks at them. If nothing else it taught you about sound construction rules and in the end not even a nuclear bomb could've got through my garrison lol