NIMF Blames Parents for Kids' Access to Violent Games

[Legzman]

Parents of gamers, on the other hand, showed poor performance this year, getting an "Incomplete" grade. The NIMF points out that many parents don't pay enough attention to the ratings and don't use the parental control features of game consoles.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3171533

I would put this in the games section, but I consider this to be news worthy! It's about fuckin time "the powers that be" started recognizing that it's solely the parents fault for their kids playing violent video games.

I'm so sick of people whining and bitching about how violent video games are. All the while, these same people don't make any effort to stop their kids from getting a hold of said games.

Only thing I don't understand is why isn't GTAIV on the highlighted list? That series is the main offender for getting parents all up in arms about sex, drugs, and violence in video games in the first place...

 

[Dawn]

It's about fuckin time "the powers that be" started recognizing that it's solely the parents fault for their kids playing violent video games.

So true.

 

[Will E Worm]

What if they go behind their parent's back and play the games?

 

[Legzman]

What if they go behind their parent's back and play the games?

You mean at a friends house? In that case it's the other kids parents fault. If they have a concern that their child is going to a friends house and playig violent games they need to talk to the friends parents and let their concerns be heard.

Retailers are getting better about what children can buy too. I've seen them starting to crack down on selling "M" rated games to children. So children are less likely to be able to just walk into a store and buy the game on their own.

The ESRB makes it very clear what is in the game that parents should be wary of. But most kids don't have to go behind their parents back because the parents are either to dumb or lazy to know what kinds of games their kids are playing. Besides there are parental controls on the consoles now. I've seen em. I dunno how they work with PC games though.

 

[ChefChiTown]

Retailers are getting better about what children can buy too. I've seen them starting to crack down on selling "M" rated games to children. So children are less likely to be able to just walk into a store and buy the game on their own.

I've never seen anyone get carded for an "M" rated video game or an "R" rated movie. Even though a kid is obviously underaged, I've never seen them get carded at all.

Why? Because businesses would lose millions upon millions of dollars every year if they actually followed the age restrictions on purchasing/selling "mature" video games. So, lots of them don't pay attention to those restrictions, make their millions upon millions of dollars and pay the relatively small fine for selling "mature" games to underage kids, ending up with a huge profit.

 

[Dawn]

Why? Because businesses would lose millions upon millions of dollars every year if they actually followed the age restrictions on purchasing/selling "mature" video games. So, lots of them don't pay attention to those restrictions, make their millions upon millions of dollars and pay the relatively small fine for selling "mature" games to underage kids, ending up with a huge profit.

Thats the reasonning that leads me to think that parents, only parents, can really set the standards for their children. Ratings are just there to please public morality but stays almost totally ineffective.

Besides, on other ground, why does the Governement should control what is acceptable and for which age.

Murder 8+
Boobies 13+
Massacres 16+
Sex 18+

It's so tainted with puritanism... Since when sex can traumatise children more than violence?

Sorry for the rant - i hate ESBR ratings and those forms of moderate censorship - who can tell what is worste than what if not parents themselves? Ok... ok... Enough ranting already

:2 cents:

 

[jibbijib]

I don't think it's the fact that the parent let their kids play these games, I think it's the fact that the parents don't moderate their childrens behaviour and discipline them accordingly. Some kids are capable of playing violent games and not being affected by it, others need that extra hand to realize that it's just a game, and real life is much more important.

Let them play the games, at least they are taking out their frustrations on a virtual world, and not on real people. But moderate it, and only allow it for an hour a day. Kids gotta learn self control.


Besides, tvs are a hypnobox anyway. Set any child in front of a tv and within 5 seconds they will be completely entranced with it. Set them infront of a challenging puzzle and they will lose interest in the same 5 seconds.

 

[Peter Gazinya]

A survey of most of the people I know revealed that not only should parents not let their kids play violent video games, they shouldn't have kids at all.

 

[Legzman]

A survey of most of the people I know revealed that not only should parents not let their kids play violent video games, they shouldn't have kids at all.

:rofl: