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Age ratings. What is their real purpose? People claim it is to give adults an idea of what exactly their children are going to be able to view once they have bought an 18-rated game. Funny that, as I don't see many parents giving a monkey's fart about age ratings or game content...
You see, most parents don’t class games as being intended for anyone over the age of 16, and therefore games are just harmless bits of fun. Well, you’re all wrong.
Because when most parents used to play games they were primitive 80’s arcade machines, and it means that adults generally think of games as being nice, simple little puzzles where you bounce a ball around a screen. Well, here’s a message to all you parents out there- GAMES ARE NO LONGER JUST FOR KIDS!!!
Why parents cannot get their heads around this, I don’t know, but I do know that young children are getting hold of games such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice city, which for anyone who doesn’t know, is an 18. Well, parents, if your kid owns this game, then prepare yourself for a shock. This harmless, silly little ‘computer game’ contains extremely strong violence (You are able to massacre hundreds of innocent people. In fact, the game encourages it), strong sexual scenes (In the film studios you witness an ‘adult movie’ star doing the unthinkable), very strong language (A line of dialogue goes something like this, “Oi, you know that wan*** Diaz?” and a poster which displays a note saying, “F***ing brilliant”) and drug use. Yep, this game has it all- pimps, prossies, sex, swearing, strips and sauce, all mixed up into one anti-Daily Mirror package. If you’re over 18, then that’s all well and good, but do all you parents really feel comfortable with your children playing something like this?
Another example is ‘The Getaway’. Last night I saw the very thing that inspired me to write this post. A mother and her child, who was about 8-10 years old walked into Gamestation whilst I was looking at the Getaway stand. They came over in my direction and the kid said, “I’m gonna get this”, or something like that, and he picked up a copy of the Getaway. The Mother then asked him what the ‘Parental advisory’ sticker was for, and he replied, “It’s probably just the difficulty”. Then the Mother said, “as long as it isn’t just a load of swearing like that other one” (The conversation might not have gone exactly like that, but it was the best I could remember it to). Then they went off to pay for it.
Now, if the Mother had any sense then why did she not ask the store assistant why the game was 18-rated? After all, they’re not there just to make the shop look nice! And why the hell didn’t she realise that “Explicit content” obviously wouldn’t mean that the game is hard?!?! It’s just common sense! It just isn’t right that a 10-year old kid is getting hold of something which is essentially a swear machine. Seriously, the creators of ‘The Getaway’ couldn’t really have put any more usage of the ‘f’ word in without it becoming a circus of shocks and swears. And then I came to my final idea…
Why don’t the ELSPA or BBFC put a content rating chart on the back? You know, like they have on films. That way parents could tell how much bad language, sex or violence a game had in it and choose whether they want to let their child play it or not, KNOWING what it had in it. Some games are rated 18 for no apparent reason (Like C&C: Red Alert), but some truly are only suitable for over 18’s, and parents should be able to know which these are.
Realistically, though, would anyone really take any notice of it? I mean, to parents, games will always be stupid, harmless fun. The reality is, though, that they’re not. Games are getting more and more intended for the ‘mature’ audience, and adults still allow their children to play them. I think that games should be treated just as films, but they never will be. For example, most parents would be quite happy to let their child play on GTA: Vice City, but they probably wouldn’t even consider letting them watch Pulp Fiction. Why are games not treated with the respect and knowledge they deserve? WHY?
I’ll tell you why. It’s because games have no place in most parent’s lives, and therefore they are meaningless. Everything about them is meaningless, and there is no way to change this. Until our generation becomes truly adult, parents will not know exactly what their children are viewing on their screens, and this is a problem.
Old people, on the other hand, just use games as a means to criticise the young. To them games are the devil himself. You see, kids are the only ones who REALLY understand games and they’re not going to tell their parents if a game is unsuitable for them, are they?
A note to all the more ‘mature’ gamers out there, if you are considering buying the Getaway or GTA: VC, but are put off because you think they are two poor games sold entirely on controversy then don’t worry. They are both fantastic experiences which should be played by everyone, but if you only get one, then get VC. All i'm saying is that i don't think it's right that primary school children are being able to play these two titles.
If you are a parent who's reading this right now (Unlikely, but possible), and you would like to know what your kids are being able to view then go to www.esrb.com (Or something like that) and you can search for any game to see if it is suitable for your child.
Whatever happens, something needs to be done about under-aged gamers getting access to 18's.
You see, most parents don’t class games as being intended for anyone over the age of 16, and therefore games are just harmless bits of fun. Well, you’re all wrong.
Because when most parents used to play games they were primitive 80’s arcade machines, and it means that adults generally think of games as being nice, simple little puzzles where you bounce a ball around a screen. Well, here’s a message to all you parents out there- GAMES ARE NO LONGER JUST FOR KIDS!!!
Why parents cannot get their heads around this, I don’t know, but I do know that young children are getting hold of games such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice city, which for anyone who doesn’t know, is an 18. Well, parents, if your kid owns this game, then prepare yourself for a shock. This harmless, silly little ‘computer game’ contains extremely strong violence (You are able to massacre hundreds of innocent people. In fact, the game encourages it), strong sexual scenes (In the film studios you witness an ‘adult movie’ star doing the unthinkable), very strong language (A line of dialogue goes something like this, “Oi, you know that wan*** Diaz?” and a poster which displays a note saying, “F***ing brilliant”) and drug use. Yep, this game has it all- pimps, prossies, sex, swearing, strips and sauce, all mixed up into one anti-Daily Mirror package. If you’re over 18, then that’s all well and good, but do all you parents really feel comfortable with your children playing something like this?
Another example is ‘The Getaway’. Last night I saw the very thing that inspired me to write this post. A mother and her child, who was about 8-10 years old walked into Gamestation whilst I was looking at the Getaway stand. They came over in my direction and the kid said, “I’m gonna get this”, or something like that, and he picked up a copy of the Getaway. The Mother then asked him what the ‘Parental advisory’ sticker was for, and he replied, “It’s probably just the difficulty”. Then the Mother said, “as long as it isn’t just a load of swearing like that other one” (The conversation might not have gone exactly like that, but it was the best I could remember it to). Then they went off to pay for it.
Now, if the Mother had any sense then why did she not ask the store assistant why the game was 18-rated? After all, they’re not there just to make the shop look nice! And why the hell didn’t she realise that “Explicit content” obviously wouldn’t mean that the game is hard?!?! It’s just common sense! It just isn’t right that a 10-year old kid is getting hold of something which is essentially a swear machine. Seriously, the creators of ‘The Getaway’ couldn’t really have put any more usage of the ‘f’ word in without it becoming a circus of shocks and swears. And then I came to my final idea…
Why don’t the ELSPA or BBFC put a content rating chart on the back? You know, like they have on films. That way parents could tell how much bad language, sex or violence a game had in it and choose whether they want to let their child play it or not, KNOWING what it had in it. Some games are rated 18 for no apparent reason (Like C&C: Red Alert), but some truly are only suitable for over 18’s, and parents should be able to know which these are.
Realistically, though, would anyone really take any notice of it? I mean, to parents, games will always be stupid, harmless fun. The reality is, though, that they’re not. Games are getting more and more intended for the ‘mature’ audience, and adults still allow their children to play them. I think that games should be treated just as films, but they never will be. For example, most parents would be quite happy to let their child play on GTA: Vice City, but they probably wouldn’t even consider letting them watch Pulp Fiction. Why are games not treated with the respect and knowledge they deserve? WHY?
I’ll tell you why. It’s because games have no place in most parent’s lives, and therefore they are meaningless. Everything about them is meaningless, and there is no way to change this. Until our generation becomes truly adult, parents will not know exactly what their children are viewing on their screens, and this is a problem.
Old people, on the other hand, just use games as a means to criticise the young. To them games are the devil himself. You see, kids are the only ones who REALLY understand games and they’re not going to tell their parents if a game is unsuitable for them, are they?
A note to all the more ‘mature’ gamers out there, if you are considering buying the Getaway or GTA: VC, but are put off because you think they are two poor games sold entirely on controversy then don’t worry. They are both fantastic experiences which should be played by everyone, but if you only get one, then get VC. All i'm saying is that i don't think it's right that primary school children are being able to play these two titles.
If you are a parent who's reading this right now (Unlikely, but possible), and you would like to know what your kids are being able to view then go to www.esrb.com (Or something like that) and you can search for any game to see if it is suitable for your child.
Whatever happens, something needs to be done about under-aged gamers getting access to 18's.
Our parents don't realise the extreme adult natures of these games becaus eof the way they had been brought up. Most of them never played games. But you see, when we are parents ourselves *shudders* we will know and most of us will be still playing games becaus eit won't be considered as 'childish' anymore. We will then be able to judge what is right and what is wrong. Its a whole 'new generation' thing.
Okay, my mistake.
Nebuchan_fan wrote:
> Why parents cannot get their heads around this, I don’t know, but I do
> know that young children are getting hold of games such as Grand Theft
> Auto: Vice city, which for anyone who doesn’t know, is an 18. Well,
> parents, if your kid owns this game, then prepare yourself for a
> shock. This harmless, silly little ‘computer game’ contains extremely
> strong violence (You are able to massacre hundreds of innocent people.
> In fact, the game encourages it), strong sexual scenes (In the film
> studios you witness an ‘adult movie’ star doing the unthinkable), very
> strong language (A line of dialogue goes something like this, “Oi, you
> know that wan*** Diaz?” and a poster which displays a note saying,
> “F***ing brilliant”) and drug use. Yep, this game has it all- pimps,
> prossies, sex, swearing, strips and sauce, all mixed up into one
> anti-Daily Mirror package. If you’re over 18, then that’s all well
> and good, but do all you parents really feel comfortable with your
> children playing something like this?
Actually i think you mean an anti-Daily Mail package as the writers of that paper are the ones who are blaming violence in society on games. The Daily Mirror however says that it is nonsense to blame games for the amount of crime.
> Why parents cannot get their heads around this, I don’t know, but I do
> know that young children are getting hold of games such as Grand Theft
> Auto: Vice city, which for anyone who doesn’t know, is an 18. Well,
> parents, if your kid owns this game, then prepare yourself for a
> shock. This harmless, silly little ‘computer game’ contains extremely
> strong violence (You are able to massacre hundreds of innocent people.
> In fact, the game encourages it), strong sexual scenes (In the film
> studios you witness an ‘adult movie’ star doing the unthinkable), very
> strong language (A line of dialogue goes something like this, “Oi, you
> know that wan*** Diaz?” and a poster which displays a note saying,
> “F***ing brilliant”) and drug use. Yep, this game has it all- pimps,
> prossies, sex, swearing, strips and sauce, all mixed up into one
> anti-Daily Mirror package. If you’re over 18, then that’s all well
> and good, but do all you parents really feel comfortable with your
> children playing something like this?
Actually i think you mean an anti-Daily Mail package as the writers of that paper are the ones who are blaming violence in society on games. The Daily Mirror however says that it is nonsense to blame games for the amount of crime.
You have to have a licence for a TV.
You have to have a licence to drive a car.
You have to sit exams to prove you're intelligent.
You have to fill in multiple forms to get a bank account.
You have to be checked out by the RSPCA if you're buying a dog from them.
To become a parent? Nothing. No checks, no forms, no references.
There's something incredibly wrong with that.
You have to have a licence to drive a car.
You have to sit exams to prove you're intelligent.
You have to fill in multiple forms to get a bank account.
You have to be checked out by the RSPCA if you're buying a dog from them.
To become a parent? Nothing. No checks, no forms, no references.
There's something incredibly wrong with that.
Was in Blockbuster earlier and this kid; about 6 or 7; was picking up a PS2 game off the shelf to rent... His father came along and when:
"You dont want that, its a bit old..."
*Looks around*
"agghh, here you are son. This is a new game."
*Picks up The Getaway*
*Son looks with amazement, father walks to till...*
*Son begins to jump around excited"
I was confused, I bet the dad just wanted the game to play himself...
"You dont want that, its a bit old..."
*Looks around*
"agghh, here you are son. This is a new game."
*Picks up The Getaway*
*Son looks with amazement, father walks to till...*
*Son begins to jump around excited"
I was confused, I bet the dad just wanted the game to play himself...
Yeah.
On the topic of age ratings, how the hell did the crime special of Official PS2 mag manage to get away with an ELSPA rating of just 15+? Especially with the UN-censored Getaway demo.
I just bought the Getaway today, and to be honest, it makes VC look pretty tame, what with all the swearing etc.
On the topic of age ratings, how the hell did the crime special of Official PS2 mag manage to get away with an ELSPA rating of just 15+? Especially with the UN-censored Getaway demo.
I just bought the Getaway today, and to be honest, it makes VC look pretty tame, what with all the swearing etc.
well the thing is children are usualy with a parent or guardian so if the parent or guardian isn't bothed then they will buy the game for the kid. Sort of pointless in a way having it an 18 certificate when it's the parent paying for it lol.
Age ratings. What is their real purpose? People claim it is to give adults an idea of what exactly their children are going to be able to view once they have bought an 18-rated game. Funny that, as I don't see many parents giving a monkey's fart about age ratings or game content...
You see, most parents don’t class games as being intended for anyone over the age of 16, and therefore games are just harmless bits of fun. Well, you’re all wrong.
Because when most parents used to play games they were primitive 80’s arcade machines, and it means that adults generally think of games as being nice, simple little puzzles where you bounce a ball around a screen. Well, here’s a message to all you parents out there- GAMES ARE NO LONGER JUST FOR KIDS!!!
Why parents cannot get their heads around this, I don’t know, but I do know that young children are getting hold of games such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice city, which for anyone who doesn’t know, is an 18. Well, parents, if your kid owns this game, then prepare yourself for a shock. This harmless, silly little ‘computer game’ contains extremely strong violence (You are able to massacre hundreds of innocent people. In fact, the game encourages it), strong sexual scenes (In the film studios you witness an ‘adult movie’ star doing the unthinkable), very strong language (A line of dialogue goes something like this, “Oi, you know that wan*** Diaz?” and a poster which displays a note saying, “F***ing brilliant”) and drug use. Yep, this game has it all- pimps, prossies, sex, swearing, strips and sauce, all mixed up into one anti-Daily Mirror package. If you’re over 18, then that’s all well and good, but do all you parents really feel comfortable with your children playing something like this?
Another example is ‘The Getaway’. Last night I saw the very thing that inspired me to write this post. A mother and her child, who was about 8-10 years old walked into Gamestation whilst I was looking at the Getaway stand. They came over in my direction and the kid said, “I’m gonna get this”, or something like that, and he picked up a copy of the Getaway. The Mother then asked him what the ‘Parental advisory’ sticker was for, and he replied, “It’s probably just the difficulty”. Then the Mother said, “as long as it isn’t just a load of swearing like that other one” (The conversation might not have gone exactly like that, but it was the best I could remember it to). Then they went off to pay for it.
Now, if the Mother had any sense then why did she not ask the store assistant why the game was 18-rated? After all, they’re not there just to make the shop look nice! And why the hell didn’t she realise that “Explicit content” obviously wouldn’t mean that the game is hard?!?! It’s just common sense! It just isn’t right that a 10-year old kid is getting hold of something which is essentially a swear machine. Seriously, the creators of ‘The Getaway’ couldn’t really have put any more usage of the ‘f’ word in without it becoming a circus of shocks and swears. And then I came to my final idea…
Why don’t the ELSPA or BBFC put a content rating chart on the back? You know, like they have on films. That way parents could tell how much bad language, sex or violence a game had in it and choose whether they want to let their child play it or not, KNOWING what it had in it. Some games are rated 18 for no apparent reason (Like C&C: Red Alert), but some truly are only suitable for over 18’s, and parents should be able to know which these are.
Realistically, though, would anyone really take any notice of it? I mean, to parents, games will always be stupid, harmless fun. The reality is, though, that they’re not. Games are getting more and more intended for the ‘mature’ audience, and adults still allow their children to play them. I think that games should be treated just as films, but they never will be. For example, most parents would be quite happy to let their child play on GTA: Vice City, but they probably wouldn’t even consider letting them watch Pulp Fiction. Why are games not treated with the respect and knowledge they deserve? WHY?
I’ll tell you why. It’s because games have no place in most parent’s lives, and therefore they are meaningless. Everything about them is meaningless, and there is no way to change this. Until our generation becomes truly adult, parents will not know exactly what their children are viewing on their screens, and this is a problem.
Old people, on the other hand, just use games as a means to criticise the young. To them games are the devil himself. You see, kids are the only ones who REALLY understand games and they’re not going to tell their parents if a game is unsuitable for them, are they?
A note to all the more ‘mature’ gamers out there, if you are considering buying the Getaway or GTA: VC, but are put off because you think they are two poor games sold entirely on controversy then don’t worry. They are both fantastic experiences which should be played by everyone, but if you only get one, then get VC. All i'm saying is that i don't think it's right that primary school children are being able to play these two titles.
If you are a parent who's reading this right now (Unlikely, but possible), and you would like to know what your kids are being able to view then go to www.esrb.com (Or something like that) and you can search for any game to see if it is suitable for your child.
Whatever happens, something needs to be done about under-aged gamers getting access to 18's.
You see, most parents don’t class games as being intended for anyone over the age of 16, and therefore games are just harmless bits of fun. Well, you’re all wrong.
Because when most parents used to play games they were primitive 80’s arcade machines, and it means that adults generally think of games as being nice, simple little puzzles where you bounce a ball around a screen. Well, here’s a message to all you parents out there- GAMES ARE NO LONGER JUST FOR KIDS!!!
Why parents cannot get their heads around this, I don’t know, but I do know that young children are getting hold of games such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice city, which for anyone who doesn’t know, is an 18. Well, parents, if your kid owns this game, then prepare yourself for a shock. This harmless, silly little ‘computer game’ contains extremely strong violence (You are able to massacre hundreds of innocent people. In fact, the game encourages it), strong sexual scenes (In the film studios you witness an ‘adult movie’ star doing the unthinkable), very strong language (A line of dialogue goes something like this, “Oi, you know that wan*** Diaz?” and a poster which displays a note saying, “F***ing brilliant”) and drug use. Yep, this game has it all- pimps, prossies, sex, swearing, strips and sauce, all mixed up into one anti-Daily Mirror package. If you’re over 18, then that’s all well and good, but do all you parents really feel comfortable with your children playing something like this?
Another example is ‘The Getaway’. Last night I saw the very thing that inspired me to write this post. A mother and her child, who was about 8-10 years old walked into Gamestation whilst I was looking at the Getaway stand. They came over in my direction and the kid said, “I’m gonna get this”, or something like that, and he picked up a copy of the Getaway. The Mother then asked him what the ‘Parental advisory’ sticker was for, and he replied, “It’s probably just the difficulty”. Then the Mother said, “as long as it isn’t just a load of swearing like that other one” (The conversation might not have gone exactly like that, but it was the best I could remember it to). Then they went off to pay for it.
Now, if the Mother had any sense then why did she not ask the store assistant why the game was 18-rated? After all, they’re not there just to make the shop look nice! And why the hell didn’t she realise that “Explicit content” obviously wouldn’t mean that the game is hard?!?! It’s just common sense! It just isn’t right that a 10-year old kid is getting hold of something which is essentially a swear machine. Seriously, the creators of ‘The Getaway’ couldn’t really have put any more usage of the ‘f’ word in without it becoming a circus of shocks and swears. And then I came to my final idea…
Why don’t the ELSPA or BBFC put a content rating chart on the back? You know, like they have on films. That way parents could tell how much bad language, sex or violence a game had in it and choose whether they want to let their child play it or not, KNOWING what it had in it. Some games are rated 18 for no apparent reason (Like C&C: Red Alert), but some truly are only suitable for over 18’s, and parents should be able to know which these are.
Realistically, though, would anyone really take any notice of it? I mean, to parents, games will always be stupid, harmless fun. The reality is, though, that they’re not. Games are getting more and more intended for the ‘mature’ audience, and adults still allow their children to play them. I think that games should be treated just as films, but they never will be. For example, most parents would be quite happy to let their child play on GTA: Vice City, but they probably wouldn’t even consider letting them watch Pulp Fiction. Why are games not treated with the respect and knowledge they deserve? WHY?
I’ll tell you why. It’s because games have no place in most parent’s lives, and therefore they are meaningless. Everything about them is meaningless, and there is no way to change this. Until our generation becomes truly adult, parents will not know exactly what their children are viewing on their screens, and this is a problem.
Old people, on the other hand, just use games as a means to criticise the young. To them games are the devil himself. You see, kids are the only ones who REALLY understand games and they’re not going to tell their parents if a game is unsuitable for them, are they?
A note to all the more ‘mature’ gamers out there, if you are considering buying the Getaway or GTA: VC, but are put off because you think they are two poor games sold entirely on controversy then don’t worry. They are both fantastic experiences which should be played by everyone, but if you only get one, then get VC. All i'm saying is that i don't think it's right that primary school children are being able to play these two titles.
If you are a parent who's reading this right now (Unlikely, but possible), and you would like to know what your kids are being able to view then go to www.esrb.com (Or something like that) and you can search for any game to see if it is suitable for your child.
Whatever happens, something needs to be done about under-aged gamers getting access to 18's.