to think that 8 years is too young to be playing Angry Birds?

[PushyDad]

To those not familiar with Angry Birds its an iPad/smartphone game where one uses a catapult to launch birds at a series of structures with the intent of demolishing the structure with as few as birds as possible.

I was outraged when I saw a 8 year old playing the game on the parent's iPad. The parent was busy chatting away with her girlfriend while this was going on.

Just before Christmas there was a story in our local free rag about how some kids tortured some poor animal. I can't help but think that this is how it all starts. Its just a cartoon the apologist say. The children know its not real, goes the argument. I don't agree. Once you say to children that it is alright to hurt cartoon creatures then it is a small step for them to think that its ok to hurt real animals.

I so wanted to go over to remonstrate with the mum. Am I being unreasonable?

A co-worker was boasting about how she spoke several languages including Latin. I said with a straight face that it was great that she could travel to Latin America and be able to converse with the locals. She gave me the is-this-guy-for-real look for about 5 seconds before carefully and patiently explaining to poor stupid me that they speak a combination of Spanish and Portuguese and not Latin which is a 'dead' language. Ground Hog Day! I guess not every one gets my sense of humour :(

Anyway, there was a serious point to my post. You can take almost anything and make the point that it is bad for children. For example, a lot of parents who don't allow COD & Co into their homes are quite happy (and proud) of DC's ability to do a jumping round house kick on another child.

But martial arts teaches kids discipline, confidence and self control, you say. You've been reading the marketing literature from your local dojo again :) As a young man in the 'old country' young boys like my dad would routinely learn kung fu except it was minus the Mr Miyagi 'Karate is for defence only' trappings. The purpose for the art and the training was to learn how to seriously hurt the other guy.

But in order to sell it to the Gwailoh it was wrapped up to be this Zen thing.

It reminds me of a great comedy line - 'You would eat a snail if it had a French name'. If I took away the Japanese name and psuedo Eastern mumbo jumbo and call it Ultimate Fighting I don't think the parents on this forum will see it in the same light.

I was going to reply properly but this comment Dunno. Look in the mirror and tell me what you see made me realise you are probably here for a giggle.

You didn't really think I was going to seriously engage a poster that called me a unfunny wanker did you? Wanker? Sometimes but 'unfunny'? That was sooo cold and harsh.

Yabu! And they don't kill the birds in that game anyway, they let them out of the cage and they fly off!

Ah just seen update
Boring
Next

Posters who turn up and post 'boring' are just sooo boring. At least come up with a witty put down that shows how superior your wit is compared to mine.

It is rather funny how everyone agrees this will not make a child torture a bird yet they still believe this when it comes to certain games.

Angry birds is not going to make a child torture birds and playing grand theft auto will not make you beat people with baseball bats and modern warfare is not going to make you shoot terrorists with guns.

The only way a game or any other form of media is going to make someone do something horrific is if they have something not quite right about them in the first place.

And, watching Saw won't make my DD torture people but I still wouldn't let her watch it.

My DS has been playing this game on my iPad since he was 2 (he's just turned 3). I had no idea it was so violent! I wonder if that's the reason he headbutted me in the stomach this morning and then laughed about it?

Who seriously lets their kids use their phone/PS3/computer anyway? It's MINE! Hands OFF!

plays angry birds

My 4 year old, (who loves playing angry birds, and wants to be a vet when she grows up), saw a man with a parrot on his shoulder the other day and said excitedly 'mummy, he's got an angry bird on his shoulder!'

Thank fuck it's a joke thread, DD is better at angry birds than me and she's 4.

Nice one OP. You ruffled our feathers with such a simple thread!

What I find funny is all the parents that think learning to do a jumping round house kick on another kid builds character and self confidence BUT think playing as a SAS operative online will turn DC into a Columbine-type kid.

and dont get me started on peppa pig

Oh bugger, my 3 dc's all play on angry and I've been wasting money sending our pigs to the local slaughter house. If I'd known I could have just let the kids do the killing. Not sure how the sausages would turn out though!

*MrsP - "And, watching Saw won't make my DD torture people but I still wouldn't let her watch it"

It is so black and white with you. Parents are either caring, nuturing people who raise kids who have useful hobbies like yourself OR they are parents who let their kids play violent PC games and watch slasher movies.

Just because a parent doesn't share your concerns about COD, GTA & Co doesn't automatically mean they let their kids watch slasher movies.

Did people really fall for this [sniggers].
My 3 yo is brilliant at Cut the Rope.

It is so difficult to catch birds these days. They flap about too much, and really, there is not much fun to be had chucking a bird at scaffolding.

1. The scaffolding normally don't fall down to crush any pigs. At least not in my neighbourhood.
2. The birds just fly off!

You live in the wrong place ;-)

Erm..it is harmless. My 3yr old loves it. As does my 8yr old. I don't see the problem & I am quite strict about what I allow to them to do/watch etc.

Are you joking? My 4y old plays it. Harmless.

And I am one of those mums that wont let them have guns and stick rigidly to guidance ratings for movies and games.

aaah gotcha

Angry Birds

Sorry but an 8yr old shouldn't even be looking at a screen. No TV or electronic devices until they are 18. Some parents are just cunts.

It is not "so black and white" with me. You have a line too, over CoD and under Saw films. Mine is under CoD. I would make judgement calls on different things. For example, I would let a younger than 12 year old girl watch Made in Dagenham. The swearing makes the certificate higher but that is mitigated by the message. However, listening to my nephew (8) who plays sports, has friends and 'nice' parents talk about stabbing and shooting people makes my skin crawl.

It is also a pet peeve of mine that people complain most about swearing, second about sex, lastly about violence (on TV and so on). WHY? Swearing sounds horrible but hurts no one, sex can be harmful but not if you're doing it right and violence, by definition, hurts someone. Yet people let their kids play CoD and I assume don't let them watch porn.

Yanbu, we don't want birds to be hurt by nasty thugs. Get them playing World of Goo or Jelly Defense. No Goo or Jelly will ever be hurt as a result.