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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to not let Grand Theft Auto 5 into the house?

82 replies

wigglybeezer · 10/09/2013 20:09

DS1 thinks I am being monumentally unreasonable banning him from playing GTA until after his exams next summer. EVERYBODY else at school is allowed to apparently, but then maybe they do not have the attention span of a gnat and the will power of a wet flannel like DS1.

I think it is simpler to say no outright than have to nag him to revise every weekend.

He claims he is going to punish us by being in a foul huff for the next nine months.

Sigh...potty training was a breeze compared to wrangling teenagers.

OP posts:
StuntGirl · 11/09/2013 15:53

It's not a beat em up. It's an action adventure based on being a crimimal. Beat 'em ups tend to be 16 rated max. too, FYI, whereas action adventure games often go up to 18.

GTA gets a bad rep because it's the big name, but there are countless other games not suitable for children due to their content. GTA is no better or worse. I don't for a second think it will turn players into criminals. But that still doesn't make the content suitable for children either.

StuntGirl · 11/09/2013 15:53

Oh fucking hell, *criminal.

Seriously. This place needs an edit button.

gamerchick · 11/09/2013 18:52

and a bloody quote function.

mum11970 · 11/09/2013 19:09

I ordered it last night for my 15 year old. He's a sensible lad, who gets up 7 days a week to do his paper round; got great marks in his yr10 GCSEs; paid for it himself and is way more mature and less easily led than his 19 year old brother. He also promises me he's not going to become a gun carrying pimp.

MattZelst · 12/09/2013 10:30

so you want to ban him from GTA... that's really going to drive him to do well, and definitely not be annoyed at you. he certainly won't just go play it at a mates.

jellybeans · 12/09/2013 13:56

'Well, other than the prostitutes and the snorting cocaine, it's just fine and dandy'

Teenage/family TV programmes cover these topics...Waterloo Rd, Home and Away etc. It's not going to suddenly make them a pimp/druggie. I agree banning teenagers just does not work. DD 14 has GTA and is doing fab at school, lovely friends etc.

MurderOfGoths · 12/09/2013 15:42

Matt So what, just roll over? Christ, what kind of lazy parenting is that?

Original poster
wigglybeezer · 12/09/2013 15:56

he can't just go and play with mates luckily as we live in the country with buses once every two hours!

Anyway, although I don't like the content, its more what he isn't doing when playing rather than what he does in the game that worries me. He has been banned from playing anything on school nights for two years now and that seems to work OK. If all the boys he normally plays Day Z online with switch to GTA he will be forced to actually go outside, come out of his room for more than two minutes when grandparents come over, stop bolting his meals and maybe even open a book.

It's not my job to be popular and I haven't permanently banned it anyway jsut said he can't play it 'til the summer holidays.

OP posts:
kali110 · 12/09/2013 16:21

Clearly these games shouldnt bother having certificates as people will buy them for their kids no matter what.

quoteunquote · 12/09/2013 16:37

grim game, for grim minds.

JCDenton · 12/09/2013 17:28

Oh, good, a GTA thread. *gets popcorn

To be honest, as a fan of the series, I can't imagine what GTA would do to revision that's nine months away that other games wouldn't. It'll have a lot of content, but it can be pretty much finished mission-wise and as for online, most games have online play now.

I always enjoy the parts of this thread where GTA goes from being a violent game with adult content to outright bullshit like necrophilia as was stated on page 1 Hmm

A lot of films are 'worse' than GTA but somehow it's become the horrible game for horrible people on MN

JCDenton · 12/09/2013 17:29

Sorry, exams that are nine months away, I'm not at all suggesting that he start revision in nine months! (My specialty as a student)

WowOoo · 12/09/2013 17:40

Yanbu.

Let him huff. Stick to your guns.
I think you're great, even if he doesn't at the moment. Smile

MurderOfGoths · 12/09/2013 17:42

To be fair, Rockstar don't exactly shy away from marketing their games as being more shocking than any others (despite them actually being fairly bland)

nancerama · 12/09/2013 17:43

YANBU. I used to work in the video game industry and know why games are given the ratings they get. I'm hard line on age ratings - they are there for a reason.

ILetHimKeep20Quid · 12/09/2013 17:47

grim game, for grim minds

Care to elaborate?

Some books I've enjoyed aren't exactly sweetness and light, a lot of the fiction I enjoy has quite dark story lines. I've read books about drug addiction, prostituion, trafficking, gang culture (all fiction). I'd that grim reading for my grim mind ?

StuntGirl · 12/09/2013 17:49

I agree, I've read books with far more grim content than GTA .

Then again I don't hand out copies of The Pianist to children either.

ILetHimKeep20Quid · 12/09/2013 17:57

I agree it's not for kids, in the same way lots of books, films and TV shows aren't for kids

BinksToEnlightenment · 12/09/2013 17:59

YABU

valiumredhead · 12/09/2013 18:05

There's a difference between watching a film/book with graphic content than actively taking part in it like you do a game imo.

JCDenton · 12/09/2013 18:24

"I agree, I've read books with far more grim content than GTA ."

I read American Psycho a few months ago, that was hard going at times. Great book, though.

LadyFlumpalot · 12/09/2013 18:29

I love GTA. Feel it peaked with Vice City though. Some moments of San Andreas are sheer genius though. The radio broadcasts in particular.

gamerchick · 12/09/2013 18:38

See the thing is about that game is the things you can do just for 'fun' like pick on random bystanders I don't see the fun in that and it simply does not sit well with me to let my 13 yr old play it.

If that makes me a stick in the mud then so be it. I spoke to my son earlier and he's trying to convince me that 5 is 'different' and will I take a look when it comes out.

OP if your son is seemingly addicted to his games then it's quite right to break his focus.. regardless of what game he's playing.

valiumredhead · 12/09/2013 18:56

Jc, yeah, it's a great book and worthy of discussion so when ds is a bit older he can borrow my copy!Grin

YeahWhat · 12/09/2013 19:17

I am a bit flexible with age ratings of computer games but I refuse to ever have any of the GTA games in my house. My kids are in their twenties and late teens and approve of my ban. There are loads of other great games.
I didnt let them have any first person shooters until they we 15/16 ish regardless of age rating.
Our family, including me, are big computer game players and we have lots of systems and lots of games. I have never felt any desire to even try GTA.

LINK telling you about GTA 5s content

Here is an excerpt from the article I have linked to above

   <span class="italic">"The words “f<strong>*k,” “c</strong>nt,” and “n**ger” can be heard in the dialogue."</span>

    <span class="italic">"Even the in-game TV gets in on the act, with programs and radio ads containing "instances of mature humor: myriad sex jokes; depictions of raw sewage and feces on a worker's body; a brief instance of necrophilia (no nudity is depicted)."</span>

....lovely!!!! Like I said, its never coming in my house...