Viewing Thread:
"I wonder if anyone feels the same"

I’ve been a gamer all my life, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a console nestling beside my TV and a controller planted firmly in my hands. What I can remember though, is a time when children would play the games intended for children, and adults would play something that suited them. Tell me…where did it all go wrong?

I work in a busy music/video/games shop and over the past few months I’ve become increasingly horrified at the games children bring to the counter. A child no older than 9 presented me with a copy of Onimusha 2. Now, I own this game and am aware of the level of blood, violence and demons contained within. I glanced at the box and realized that there was no BBFC certificate listed, just a pointless ELSPA age recommendation. Anyone who works in retail will know that this is not a legal rating and is merely there as a guideline, not enforceable. I had no choice in selling the game to the child.

Now I realize that there are worse games than Onimusha out there, in fact, that game in particular is mild in comparison to other titles on the market. There’s Vice City, the Getaway, the Resident Evil games, Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, BMX XXX, Mortal Kombat, etc, all arguably unsuitable for a particularly young child. However what links these games is an enforceable BBFC certificate, forbidding retailers to sell the product to underage children. That’s all well and good, but what of Onimusha, Devil May Cry, Dead or Alive (no prizes for guessing the unsuitability there!) and games such as that. Nothing too severe I know, but would you seriously hand a small child a copy of Dead or Alive so they can watch the animated breasts bounce, or Onimusha so they can carve up some demons?

Ok, you may think I’m being hysterical over this, but my point is, it’s not so much what our children are playing now, it’s what children in the future could be getting their hands on. Playing violent games is in some ways worse than handing them a copy of Reservoir Dogs. Why? In a film, you’re merely a spectator, witnessing the horror onscreen. In a game, you control the whole thing. You’re the perpetrator of the violence. It’s interactive. Surely that has got to be more dangerous.

One thing I’ve noticed too, is that parents are more likely to buy an 18 game for an underage child than they are to buy an 18 film. For some reason, parents don’t view the games as harmful and often buy them on behalf of their children if their children have already been refused sale. What choice do we have? We can’t refuse sales to the parents even though we know the game’s going straight into the hands of children. It’s quite a frightening situation and something needs to be done to make parents treat 18 games the same way they’d treat 18 films.

I know I’m going to get a barrage of answers protesting that games aren’t harmful to children and that I’m just being hysterical, but is there anyone out there who thinks games are becoming unnecessarily violent? Not for adult gamers who are old enough to establish the difference between a computer game and reality, but for children who are still developing. There’s a huge adult fanbase out there, but computer games have always been predominantly for kids, and a huge amount of gaming mags are read by them too. Anyone else see the danger?

Working in a games shop, do you ever tell some kid wanting to buy Hairy Pooter or something equally as dreadful that they should buy someting else.
Like something good?

I know I would

Chiana wrote:
> Thanks!
>
> Just one question, what's a JAT?

A JAT is what you are.

A 'Just Arrived Today' (Red)

Soon you will be a Newbie (Skank)

Regulars after that (Purple)

Notable if your lucky. Or not. (Gold)

Et etc etc.... :)

Chiana wrote:
> Hm just realised there's a Future of Gaming Prime forum. Should I have
> posted this in there do you think?

Being here almost a year now, people never tend to post things in the correct thread so dont sweat it

Infact here was prob the best place to post it anyway

There are so many games out there. Only a select few are violent and not suitable for children. These few should be made more aware to parents who buy games for their children.

I am a huge fan of Vice city so i will use this as an example

Vice city !! i know this is an 18 so it does have some restiction but children still get hold of it and play it. This will make children think that shooting people, driving (even though they cant drive), robbing banks etc, correct and that it is ok to do this. This is not right. As it is game children adapt to it more.

Rockstar (makers of Vice City) themselves should make a bigger deal of telling people that this game is not for children. You might think they wont because it will reduce their profit but they sold so many copies and sold out in like 2 hours or something, so it wont.

Anyway that is my though !

Alexj17.uk

Thanks!

Just one question, what's a JAT?

Nah. Maybe?

You'd get less replies.

Good post for a JAT though.

Nice enough not to see 'wat u gys fink?' the whole time.

Hm just realised there's a Future of Gaming Prime forum. Should I have posted this in there do you think?

oh of course. It is the third option, as I call it, to defeat the filter.

Berserko wrote:
> Chiana wrote:
> Scruffy begger?
>
> I meant what I said which is a filted word but I have made my own
> thread apologizing for it.

I know...but the forum wouldn't let me say it. I should've said b*gger.


Which looks like 'bigger'

Le petite clanger.