to think games have 18 certs for a reason?

[princelypurpleparrot]

Can someone please explain why a video game has an 18 cert? We're not a gaming household (our DC's are only tiny) so I have no experience. Earlier BIL came over with DN who's 10, and he'd just bought him COD which I saw was an 18.

I pointed at the cert and said "that's there for a reason, you know", and BIL just said "ooooh!" to which I just shrugged.

Like I said, I know nothing about games, but I do know that there's usually quite a big jump between a 15 and an 18 film, and I assume it's the level of violence in a game that gives it an 18 certificate?

So, AIBU to think that a 10yo shouldn't be bought an 18 cert game?

Arseface There's actually some evidence that by being in control of the character perpetuating the actions of the game it allows the viewer to detatch more from the character than films and books. I'll see if I can dig out the link.

Another favourite quote was explaining the content of GTA to another Dad and getting the response "Oh he's just going to do the driving bits". We were never quite sure what he thought the game was, he was quite insistent even after having the game, genre and gameplay explained, that his son would "just do the driving bits".

Although not as funny as describing Saints Row 3 and the giant purple dildo to parents

In answer to your original question, btw, 18 ratings generally come down to violence and language. In addition any game that has online multiplayer content, that section isn't covered by ratings (or even any form of basic human decency by many players!) and is not rated, moderated or policed in any significant way. Consider it something of a wild west!

The violence and language in any 18 rated game is not suitable for children imo. I totally support parents rights to make maturity based judgements on their own offspring's emotional development but as mentioned upthread, everyone thinks they're an exception.

YANBU. I'm not totally strict on ratings, but a 10yo playing a game like COD, no way. I don't think it really matters that it's not real - the graphics on those sorts of games are very realistic, and the interactive nature of the game make it feel more real so you get more involved.

My dd is 8 yrs old & i would say probably half the boys in her class either have COD or have played it. Its crazy.

Iv played COD & GTA & they are not suitable for kids. No matter how much my dd moaned for something if its not suitable for her age she wont b getting it.

I am relaxed about games ratings. DSs are 13 and 11 and they have games up to a 15 rating. They won't be having 18 rated games for some time. The reason I am relaxed it not because I think they are mature for their age but because I feel they are able to recognise that it is a game and not real life and that these things are not appropriate for real life. This is in relation to shooting games. I would not be letting them have any which show sexual violence.

Inevitably, DS2 will have 18 games 2 years before the age DS1 was allowed them as otherwise I wold have to ban him from the room when DS1 is playing them. DS2 is desperate for CoD as his friends have it. We found that one of the earlier ones was a 15 rating and he has that. Both DSs have accepted that 15 is as high as I am prepared to go. Which is not he same as them being happy but I feel we have reached a compromise that works for us.

I don't think these games automatically turn your average child into some kind of thug. If anything unacceptable creeps into their language or play, I come down on them and give them a lecture on why it is not acceptable.

Most of the research into the effects of violent video games have been a bit dodgy I seem to remember. There has been an interesting paper about football games being worse (think that was level of aggression/pulse etc) as they are more realistic from a child's perspective, so they become more wound up by it.
Mine is playing COD as we speak, with some of his mates online. From his perspective, it's problem solving + shooting. Can't say he looks like he thinks it's real!
Hardly a scientific study but I'm really not bothered by him playing it
Otoh I would be much more careful with films. I find films far more scary than games so I am presuming kids do too. That research paper mentioned upthread would be interesting to read
The worst part of COD is playing it over the internet and talking to random strangers. You have to make sure they're in control of that aspect of it imo - ie not talking to random strangers over the internet!

I think films with real actors and what looks like real violence, blood and ore are far worse. Certainly my children are easily about to disassociate what is portrayed by the graphics in a game and anything real.

I agree that DS1 (13) gets more het up about FIFA 12 than he does about shooting games.

As an aside, I've just got back from a car boot sale and I am delighted with how my DSs accept that they are allowed 15 cert and no higher. They do not beg to be allowed the 18 games at all. I wish they were more compliant in other areas.

I read an anecdote about a dad in a games shop trying to buy GTA for his 10 year old. The guy who worked there was trying to persuade the dad that it wasn't suitable but he wasn't having any of it.

So he turned to the kid and said 'Here's a tip, once you've had sex with a prostitute, kill her and then you can steal your money back'.

Dad did not buy the game.

One of my friends overheard some people in a shop boasting that their kids were advanced enough to play an 18 rated game as if the rating was a sign of difficulty!

Euphemia Mon 27-Aug-12 06:44:01
As a teacher, I would be invoking child protection procedures if a child told me they had seen seen an 18-rated film.

Gosh that stuns me. In some parts of the country, you'd be doing it everyday, I would think.

I check every game and my DS does have games which are higher ratings/age ranges....the reason is to do with them being strategy games and the average age which will be able to comprehend and 'use' the game rules and format iykwim...

So he has civil war, air/sea wwII, games workshop warhammer, type games...these are about building bases, creating division's and special op's and full of tactic's and historical facts and what not....they have higher ratings because they are complex strategy/tactical and have difficulty levels, etc....not because they are graphically OTT or violent or whatever.....
Apart from these types he plays minecraft, lego designer, driving games...F1 and wrc rally, supercars (need for speed)....

"the reason is to do with them being strategy games and the average age which will be able to comprehend and 'use' the game rules and format iykwim"

The age rating is nothing to do with difficulty/comprehension/ability.

On board games, yes. On video games, no.

It is emotionally abusive to expose young DC to violence/sex/inappropriate language. In form of games, TV, films, day to day family life. Would people feel differently if a 10 yo watched his father beat his mother, or if he saw his mother screaming 'die you cunt' at his father, or his older brother fingering his girlfriend. Why is it so different if it is real life? Anyone who calls their DC mature enough is deluded and a fool.

Yeah, and that Tom and Jerry's pure evil too

Euphemia Mon 27-Aug-12 12:46:29
I'd certainly be very concerned if children were being exposed to pornography/sex scenes.

Interesting. Not violence? That would concern me even more, particularly with some of the slasher type stuff [where women are often the targeta, I understand]

Would people feel differently if a 10 yo watched his father beat his mother, or if he saw his mother screaming 'die you cunt' at his father, or his older brother fingering his girlfriend. Why is it so different if it is real life?

If you can't understand the difference between real life and a game you are not very bright.

I can understand the difference of course, I am an adult. I am talking about the difference between a CHILD seeing it. Quite clear from the post soup. Sad that you couldn't make a reasoned argument, just be insulting.

If you know the difference why did you ask why a game was different to real life? One is real life and the other, er, isn't.

I wasn't being insulting at all. If I were being insulting I would have made an insulting statement directly about you, which I didn't. So, no different to your "insult": Anyone who calls their DC mature enough is deluded and a fool.

Sad that you couldn't make a reasoned argument, just be insulting.

in actuality games with their active involvement are much worse than passive watching of film and tv, and are more akin to real life interaction. They stimulate different parts of the brain and have been shown to increase aggressive behaviour in young teens, amongst other bad effects.

Even without all that, I would imagine most sensible parents have the whit to realise that 10 year olds shouldn't be pretending to shoot hookers and behead soldiers. Perhaps I'm wrong.

YANBU at all. My DS is 2, and myself and DP (both avid gamers) no longer play games rated 12+ when our son is awake/in the house. And he won't be playing inappropriate games when he's older, either, not matter how much he whinges.

People don't seem willing to let their children stay children anymore. When I was under 10 the only games I even remember were equivalent to a U rating, none of this violent CoD rubbish

On a side note, I've noticed in the past that it's non-gaming parents who are more likely to let their child play an inappropriate game, where they wouldn't let them watch a film with the same rating. Lack of knowledge might play a part, though not finding out these things makes you pretty lazy tbh.

Dd is 11 and now allowed to play 12 rated games.
I wouldn't entertain even a 15/16 rating.

I find it perplexing that parents go to lengths avoiding discussion and viewing of sex, a natural, normal everyday occurrence, yet find people being shot in the head acceptable. Bizarre.

Robert Winston performed an interesting experiment on his Child of our Time documentary, showing how children become desensitised after playing violent games. I see this myself at work, children who stay up late playing violent video games are often zombie-like in school the next morning.

Yanbu. Some games are very graphic and not suitable at all

GalaxyDefender I'd noticed that too. I think it's because gamers are aware that there are such things as adult video games, whereas a lot of non-gamers still seem to think video games are always designed for children.