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

[bettymoody]

or is it really not that bad?

You know what, I find it absolutely astonishing that parents come on here and attempt to justify allowing young children access to this kind of thing. The argument is nothing to do with whether it dulls their empathy or makes them see violence as a game or anything: why on earth would you ever think it was okay for your child to be playing a game with prostitutes or realistic shooting action etc at all? I would go so far as to say that it is appallingly bad parenting, to be quite honest.

Say what you want to justify it but the bottom line is that actually, you are talking bollocks in order to try to make yourself sound considered rather than negligent. Disclaimer - IMVHO.

where are these attempts to justify?

I see people talking about it and trying to negotiate a complex issue that unfortunately exists, particulalry in teenland. I think people are still trying to work it all out, as is society, we simply don't know how to handle it all.

My son is 9yo and the only one in his class who does not have COD, several already have Black ops so it is not only a "teenland issue" and it seems saddly that it is widely seen as acceptable because it is not real.

But it isn't 'complex' at all, really. It has an 18 rating - they are not 18. End of.

Sure, at 15-16 it could be deemd to be more complex - but not at 10, or 12. There's really nothing complex about that. They are children.

My ds is 13. I find it complex.

Perhaps we should agree to disagree!

I had to register as I so wanted to make my point about this game (and other media-hyped cert 18games). I work in a primary school where a large proportion of the children have been bought this game - from reception up to y6. It is affecting behaviour in a number of ways - more fighting in the playground, younger ones talking about bad dreams, those older children already with challenging behaviour are more confrontational and some are attempting to be excluded in order to go home and play the game out of concern that their friends may get to a higher level than themselves. In the past we have had to deal with boys in year 3 and 4 pushing girls to the ground and demonstrating 'tea-bagging', which as staff we didn't even know what they were talking about (look it up) and they told us it was from Grand Theft Auto. It does effect behaviour. It does effect emotions. It does effect social skills. I see it every day. My son is 12 and I have refused to buy him the game. A film is something watched passively. A game is an interactive experience and children immerse themselves completely, it is an active experience and therefore more real and more emotive. Rant over.

I would agree that primary is too young for the reasons you describe.

However, your rant is overshadowed by the fact that you are a teacher and have said "effect" when you mean "affect" several times...

And equally I have seen all this sort of behaviour (but from other sources) long before any of this stuff was invented.

That "effect" comment was so not meant to be rude. Please don't take it that way (no tone in typing)

Gorionine, does he say that?

Wassa, it would not surprise me to learn that this many 9 year olds have the game. Most parents I have experienced simply are not interested in video games, without realising that you have to be au fait with the world if your children are into games. It's no good blinkering yourself and pretending that they're still playing Tetris.

I can't stand FPS myself, I'm bloody awful at them!

You are completely right about people assuming that they are all the same. Sheesh, Silent Hill scares the crap out of me.

No his friends tell me very proudly when they gat a new game because it is really a normal thing to play with for them ( I work in the school). I very often feel very inadequate because I do not want to say anything that could suggest I desagree with their parents but in my head I can't help but go "what are they thinking?"

A lot of them have older siblings, that might explain it.

Gori - you are absolutely not being inadequate by refusing to buy it - those who give in and buy it are the inadequate ones because they have failed to take adequate steps to protect their children from entirely unsuitable material.

Agree that the 'effect' overload was unfortunate, Hully - but I do think that some of Ellie's points are worth considering. I have no idea what tea-bagging is but Yr 3/4 boys pushing girls to the ground in what I assume to be a pseudo-sexual way is most certainly a worry and would not happen in 'normal' circumstances.

"Gori - you are absolutely not being inadequate by refusing to buy it"

There has been a bit of a misunderstanding, I do not feel inadequate because I do not buy it, I am very confident with my choice. I feel inadequate when they come and tell me very exited that they just got Black ops and I cannot say "great do you enjoy it?" because it does shock me but I cannot either say "your stupid parents!" because it is really not my place to say so IYSWIM.

But why does that make you feel inadequate? Do you mean uncomfortable?

yes, that is a much better choice of word I feel uncomfortable.

:)

just to put my two penn'orth in

i did start out having these games for my boys but one of them is midly asd and it was definitely NOT good for him

We now do not have games ( electronic) at all and there are times when i would really love for the to be able to pay on a wii or ds or whatever but hey ho.... we have this blanket 'ban' and it's fine

There was a time in maybe 5th yr lower sixth when ds was reluctant to have people round and would say 'all they want to do is play those games' and i felt really cr*p but I dont know if it was just that or a mix of that and a bit of social ineptitude.

DD is a different kettle of because she has no interest in games but does like tv

ds2 is now 14 and we too have discovered air cadets. Part of that does not rest easy with me being a frustrated hippy and cnd old timer. I would rather ds was out socialising than socialising on these games. They wound him so sky high when he was about 8 I dread to think what he would be like now

Plus he would NEVER come off them and that would be another whole battlefield in itself

Where's the other thread discussing this please?

My 9 year old watched Exorsist years ago. Didn't scare him.

Both my children not so young now I have bought 18 games for in the past.

Would you say they could not watch the news in case there was a murder on there? A bombing that massacred 100's?

Children watching The Exorcist - yep, Classy alright, Diva.

The news is entirely different because it is REAL and because one would assume that intelligent parents hoping to rear intelligent children would discuss what was happening and why it was sad etc.

Hullygully you mentioned possible effects this is one study i am sure there are many others

Now, that brings up at interesting question. In general, do parents who buy 18-rated games for under-eighteen children also allow them to watch similarly rated films?

My mother let me watch 18-rated horror films (including The Exorcist, actually!), but was, and is, very against games.

maryz the parents /alcohol thing drives me nuts. I sometimes think that the parents want to be seen as cool