to wonder why youd have COD black ops for kids way under 18?

[bettymoody]

or is it really not that bad?

This game for a 10-year-old? Willingly bought by the parents?

Jeez.

It is bad. And 10 year olds shouldn't be anywhere near it. And I think parents who condone it are, frankly, very silly indeed.

Dp wants to buy it for his 9 yr old for Christmas.

I don't agree with it at all but he's not my child so can't really say anything.

I have made it perfectly clear that he won't be playing it in this house whilst my toddler is up and around.

its a shoot em up game yes?

Aren't they all shot em ups?

Do you think they'll go round shooting people?

They know it's not real

My ds is 12 and would love this. Not happening. I might get him a 15 game but no way an 18. When he was 10 he did get a few 12 games early. The rule us I'll consider games that are one certificate older than he is individually and will sometimes bend the rules but no chance will I go two certificates up. So when he's 15 or 16 he might get an 18 iyswim. He is the exception as a lot of his schoolfriends get any game at all no matter what certificate it is.

that's a bit glib, shinyshoes. Games are given ratings for a reason, and playing violent games/watching violent movies does have in influence on those watching, and not for the better. Can anyone really justify buying this for their underage DS's?

I don't see why we should justify it. I'm impressed that people automatically assume that people buy them out of ignorance, rather than anything else. It's even slightly ironic given that many people are commenting without having seen the game at all. I am satisfied with my decision and frankly can't be bothered providing a lit review to convince anyone else.

It's is a shoot-em-up shiney. It's pretty dull.

my 9 yr old saved his pocket money for weeks and bought this today, he loves it

I don't assume ignorance, I assume apathy. I have seen the game reviews and the previous releases, I play games myself and have done since I was a child. I have nothing against shoot 'em ups in general but when the violence gets more and more realistic, it becomes necessary to restrict access for children.
I would expect someone who buys this for a child to have some kind of justification, surely.

my facebook page is full of people talking about black ops. i know that many of them have children not yet teenagers, let alone 18.

i did comment on one post saying that i was sure it was a certificate 18 game and that her son was only 9.

she didn't respond

I think apathy is quite an assumption too.

I have my reasons for deciding it's fine. I don't see why I should bother explaining them to you. I don't see why you need to assume that my reasons are poor or why you care at all.

"It is bad - but seriously, it is just a computer game... A 16 or 17 yr old is unlikely to be traumatised."

How the heck would anyone know this?

The more you see extreme violence in any form, in RL/animated or in film/games, the more normalised it becomes.

Computer games have only existed in our generation. TV/Film standards have nosedived, violence and related crime is higher, general standard of behaviour is lower.

The film/game censors are there for a reason, we simply do not know the effects of ultra violent, ultra realistic game exposure to our DC, it's 18 for a reason.

I'm sorry, but I happen to think that anyone that buys this or allows their much younger DC to buy/play this is acting negligently.

I'm with DID. I wouldn't buy it for anyone under 13. But it's not ignorance and it's not apathy.
My son isn't as young as 10 - nearly 15 - but he's really enjoying playing the game with his mates online. I can hear him now, laughing and hooting with them about zombies jumping out in front of them. It's a shoot-em-up, and just another strategy game. Quote -

"X, you're on the window; they're behind you, you know....watch your back... okay, someone open the door....we need to revise what we do....protect me, Y!!!! Y, survive, survive! Okay, respawn over there."

I care because I don't think it does young boys any good to be playing games like this. You don't have to explain to me, you're right, but I am curious as to any possible justification why people buy children these games. Do you think your DS benefits from it?

I think my son benefits from it, yes.

succinct, but unpersuasive

I'd go with the 'one cert above' rule, like mollycuddles. So I'd buy a shoot-'em-up with fairly graphic, er, graphics, for a teenager, but not a 10 year old.

I'd a bit at anyone who bought it for a younger kid unless they'd played it, or at least viewed it, themselves, were familiar with the content, & had made an informed parenting choice based on their knowledge of their own child.

Tbh I feel the same about film certificates once a film is being viewed on DVD etc at home - I appreciate them as guidance, but ultimately I'll exercise my own judgment.

I would gladly get my DS the new COD for xmas, but I'm not sure he has the dexterity yet to work the controls. (5 weeks old, lol)

There is actually considerable evidence that violence in media does players, including children, various types of 'good'. You're welcome to read up about it. I'm not going to do the work for you. There's also no reason to equate representation with practice. Again, you're more than welcome to read up on this. It is worth looking at what kids/people do with it rather than making assumptions/believing what you read in the press.

You can believe what you like about me really. I still don't see why I need to justify myself to you.

I think according to the reviews its a case of "Emperors new clothes" with black ops anyway. Its rubbish and full of bugs and will be forgotten about in a week (or being sold on in Game) a complete triumph for Microsoft though because they can make much more money if even 9 year olds get to own their 18 rated games. What people are falling for is marketing and hype and more fool them.

Nice bit of anecdotal evidence for you - I played COD as a teen. It encouraged me not to join the Army....

I have read up about it, but funnily enough haven't found evidence that steeping young boys in violence does them good. Must have missed that one.
I'm not disagreeing with you because I haven't read up on it, I'm disagreeing because I have.

I know a family whose youngest child (7) is a seasoned pro at COD- has been playing since he was about three.
I'm a keen gamer myself, but some of the content in some of these games (people have previously mentioned the airport scene in Modern Warfare) has left me feeling pretty uncomfortable, I can't imagine what makes someone think it's appropriate for a child so young.
Also, with the COD franchise, the main selling point is the online play. At least with a story-line, a parent can vet a game before a child plays it. When playing online, you're relying on every other player not swearing, not be abusive and using the system responsibly. Does that EVER happen?
The industry has changed massively within the last few years, with some consoles such as the Wii being really family friendly. With such a huge range of choice in the market, I don't see the logic in buying a young child games like COD, Halo, GTA or Left For Dead. Ratings are there for a reason.