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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think games have 18 certs for a reason?

192 replies

princelypurpleparrot · 26/08/2012 22:37

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?

OP posts:
whatthewhatthebleep · 28/08/2012 17:03

The other thing is....Do some people have a predisposition towards becoming dangerous killers?...

Like alcoholics and drug users?...links have been found to suggest this is in fact a reason for some people falling into these abuses of themselves

Maybe some killers and deviants are born....I don't know but the question is definitely out there amongst scientists ....

James Bulgers murderers...they were very young boys with serious issues and still are imo and I have never agreed that they should have been released....ever

JamieandTheOlympicTorch · 28/08/2012 17:34

I am sure they do. But I think you can influence whether a child is likely to express his or her natural aggression by how you parent them, including how much access to violent and upsetting imagery you give them.

Stunt girl, that quote is interesting. I do think some degree of acting out violence in fantasy is normal and fine for some normal people. I just don't think we can be sure that it is fine for children, who have not yet developed empathy and self control

StuntGirl · 28/08/2012 17:53

The BBFC quote makes clear that although children can 'disengage' to some degree that adult content is still not suitable for them.

I absolutely believe children should not play games that include adult content, however I don't believe the hysterical hype that video games turn people into amoral little bastards. There are many other more nuanced factors that contribute to that.

JamieandTheOlympicTorch · 28/08/2012 17:57

Oh yes, me too. Lots of factors involved. Amoral bastards attracted to violence in the first place, children who could go either way parented in neglectful way that allows them to witnes to much violence in several forms. Or a child might play cod every day and be fine. I wouldn't risk it though

StuntGirl · 28/08/2012 18:11

I actually have a bigger issue with online content than in-game content.

Parents can make a considered and educated decision on their own child's emotional development and maturity to allow them to play a game with a rating older than their child. I'm not naive enough to think that children magically change overnight on their birthday; so I absolutely believe it's up to the parents to make a considered decision.

However the online content - where you play multiplayer matches against other people - is like the wild west. Some of the most racist, sexist, homophobic, disablist and misogynistic language you can imagine is used there. Obviously not by everyone, but by a sizable amount. It's barely even suitable for adults to hear, let alone children!

TheBigJessie · 28/08/2012 18:14

Sorry, StuntGirl. I think I saw two words in your post and veered off on to a tangent.

I'm going to find a grandmother and teach her to suck eggs, for my encore.

TheBigJessie · 28/08/2012 18:20

However the online content - where you play multiplayer matches against other people - is like the wild west. Some of the most racist, sexist, homophobic, disablist and misogynistic language you can imagine is used there. Obviously not by everyone, but by a sizable amount. It's barely even suitable for adults to hear, let alone children!"

This. And sometimes you will hear all that, in one^ foul-mouthed sentence.

StuntGirl · 28/08/2012 18:42

Jessie yy! I generally only play Left 4 Dead online, I'm not a massive FPS fan in general so don't really do CoD/Halo/etc. L4D has a much lower level of that kind of thing I've found. Maybe because there are fewer people playing per match, or because you work together in a team, I don't know?

My boyfriend plays Gears of War and I shudder at the language used on that. It's seen as par for the course. I have even more issue with the ones who send you a text or voice message after a game (usually after you've beaten them Hmm) hurling abuse at you. I laugh at the idiots and delete the messages and move on, but I wouldn't want my kid to get those kinds of messages. Duck Hunt it ain't!

TheBigJessie · 28/08/2012 18:55

Yeah Left 4 Dead was pretty nice community. That said, I've still had to initiate votekicks for that kind of abusive behaviour all too frequently.

Do the COD developers block sprays on their servers? I remember seeing porn sprays on Counterstrike servers, for example.

These days, if I feel like online multiplayer shooting-at-each other, I am so careful to pick the "no homophobia etc, we have mods, and we will ban you" servers.

MrsTerryPratchett · 28/08/2012 18:59

Don't get me started on the Nazi and similar team names and player names. I don't want my DD to see that stuff without understanding context. Online CoD is not for children or anyone else, frankly.

Empusa · 28/08/2012 19:01

MMORPG's tend not to have so much vile abuse, from what I know, Xbox live is usually the worst for it.

TheBigJessie · 28/08/2012 19:25

Can't pronounce for all MMORPGs, but the one I know best City of Heroes has a population that frowns on it, pretty much.

Two incidents of the community speaking up against disablism come to mind. Prats always turn up of course, but if they say anything on a public channel, they get simultaneously reported multiple times. A private group I'm on banned a guy for it. I thought he should have been gone light years before for trolling, and sexual harassment, but can't have everything...

I don't go near XBoxLive. Every abusive prat in the universe is taking advantage of the free mic with his Xbox. Horrible.

Empusa · 28/08/2012 19:28

Guild Wars, Age of Conan and The Old Republic were all really good for stopping trolls.

TheBigJessie · 28/08/2012 19:36

Oh, I've thought of another -ism I've encountered online! Yay!

Anti-semitism. Nasty, nasty song about killing Jews typed out over chat.

Eurgh!

TheBigJessie · 28/08/2012 19:42

I tell you, GTA is not Harvest Moon, but it's better for underage players than anything with online play.

I'm an adult- I know how to report, and I will. Every. Single. Time. I don't want my children ever hearing that stuff before they're old enough to know it's wrong and object to it.

TheBigJessie · 28/08/2012 19:46

Actually, I take that back. There's lots of online games with nice communities, that are much better for impressionable teenagers than GTA. That was hyperbole.

Tallalime · 28/08/2012 21:30

I know someone who lets his 4 (3 at the time) yo DC play - as far as a 3yo can - Red Dead Redemption. He seemed really surprised that anyone would be surprised at that, which surprised me because normally he's quite a sane rational intelligent bloke.

But what do I know, My DD (also 4) has no interest in gaming unless you count Brave on the leapfrog explorer, she loves that but I am horribly mean and won't let her play it for long as she holds it right up to her face, which winds me up and turns me into my father in a YOU'LL GET SQUARE EYES!! kind of way

StuntGirl · 28/08/2012 21:46

Maybe that's where I'm going wrong Jessie, I'm Xbox Live all the way!

MrsTerryPratchett · 28/08/2012 21:53

You get nutjobs on all online games. I play Farm Story and some psycho had a swastika planted in their field.

Somebloke · 28/08/2012 21:54

So, we've established there's a population of fairly sane courteous types on MN... anyone fancy a bit of L4D sometime?

TheBigJessie · 28/08/2012 21:56

Aaaaaaargh! Duplicate all your favourite games on the pc at great expense, and FLEE!

I really wish microsoft didn't include free headsets with every xbox. It allows opportunistic trolling and abuse from people who would never have gone to the effort of buying a headset.

NovackNGood · 28/08/2012 21:57

People on this thread are vile and abusive at other posters on other threads so you see no matter where you go on the net people who disagree with someone else become abusive no matter what.

As for Nazi's well that's just Godwins law at work.

MrsTerryPratchett · 28/08/2012 22:01

Not Godwin's Law, actually. I didn't compare anyone to Nazis. I was talking about people online calling themselves Stormtrooper1 or some such nonsense.

Unless anyone mentioned the Nazis before me in which case definitely Godwin's Law.

NovackNGood · 28/08/2012 22:12

Stormtrooper could just as easily come from Starwars and especially if it was an american child using that name as they have no clue about WW2 history in general over there.

TheBigJessie · 28/08/2012 22:12

I may or may not be vile and abusive when I disagree with people- I'm biased! But I doubt I've ever accused someone of incestuous relations with their mother. Or used the n-word, or the r-word. Or the s-word. However deep the disagreement.

And I don't do it when I lose on a game, either.