to think SIL was wrong to buy game for nephew?

[geekymummy]

The game is The Simpsons, my nephew is 5, the packaging says suitable for age 12+... she says she'll keep an eye on it whilst he plays.

I used to work in a game shop, I used to come across so many parents buying games for their kids that were unsuitable. It irked me no end, and this was before I became a mum

I know the game probably won't have blood and gore, but my point is about what I think is a lax attitude about these things...

I always feel a bit out on a limb with this one too. DS1 (10) does get to see some 12A films now, but not many. DS2 (8) isn't allowed to see 12As.

Their friends all get to see them from being tiny.

They have got a couple of DS games which are 12+ PEGI ratings, for instance they play on my SIMS2 game, and ds1 has Eragon.

Agree with serenity - good posts!

I know I bought some 12+ simpsons games for my older ds when he was under that age - I think he was around 10 years old (he's now 13). And both he and his younger brother have been big Simpsons cartoon fans for years. I don't agree that it is wrong to expose children to cartoon violence - but not, obviously, as a major part of their day.

FWIW, my oldest ds favourite game now is Legand (I think that's what it's called) where he chooses to spend his virtual time marrying, trading, sleeping and buying property, and ignorning all the battle elements.

With my younger, army mad son age 8, it's always been a problem getting him computer games as he automatically gravitates towards all the warfare ones. Star Wars games are a good compromise IME. I do exercise some control over his choice of games, but I better not tell you what he plays . 12+ games figure strongly in his collection as most military and even Star Wars games have this rating at least. I don't watch him, but I make sure he doesn't spend huge amounts of time on shooting games or get too obsessed with them. He will easily go for weeks without playing them.

I'm even more boring. I stick to film ratings (husband ignores them) and I won't let them play on the computer ever. Of course they do at other people's houses but not mine.

To the OP - I wouldn't be mad, but if you feel the game is not appropriate, keep it and say he will get it when older, or kindly say you feel its too old. Incidentally I have that game, and DS is only interesting in episode 1 where homer falls in the chocolate!

On the generic topic, I would say its really a parental judgement call. My DS (3.9) has watched Harry Potter (with a 30% interest), Pirates of the Caribbean I (70%), Simpsons (if the episode is okay by me - e.g. non adult, and non explicit violent), Simpsons film, Cars, Ice Age, and many others.

The ones that upset him the most, and so we don't watch:

General Disney films - almost always have a parent or parents being killed - what is it with them?
Cartoons on children's channels - too much fighting!!!

Ice Age - he never realised there were two deaths in that one, until my Dad told him arrrggggh. Luckily he is not concentrated on the death scenes, like he was on Nemo (that was the other half, who didn't pay attention to the effect it was having).

I take a judgement on what he is picking up from the film/show. And I'll even edit the film, or game, when I feel I have too.

And before anyone thinks I put him down infront of the DVD , he hardly watches anything like that, its either a back drop to him play acting, or he is playing other things. He's not an addict to TV.

oh dear it is the 21st century isn't it??
Children are exposed to all sorts nowadays I prefer mine is exposed with my knowledge and supervision...mine is pretty smart and knowledgable and not damaged by anu over age games or movies (SHE adores LOTR ..she is 6)....
I do plenty of baking reading writing playing park etc but if you think the life of a child today doesn't include computer games movies etc then you are being very naive and they will not be on a level playing field with their peers...he world is a very different place to when we were kids....
And yes I have time to supervise I don't sit on top of her...I am either sat on couch browsing MN or working on computer with one eye on game..or in and out to kitchen next door...H sits and plays with her when he is here...
Oh and the thing which did scare her was bloody Dr Who which is on early with no rating so there.....

Oh and things like TV and computer games are time limited sensibly...but TBH she is quite happy with that and at the mo is sat quite happily in kitchen colouring in and chatting to herself with NO desire whatsover to play computer games or watch TV....then we will go downstairs to clean and play with guinea pigs ...so am not a terrible parent who just plonks them in fromof computer/TV ....life changes and today it needs to include exposure to things they will not be able to avoid for ever

My 8 year old is far more frightened seeing episodes of Dr Who than, say, an old army film on TV. I think it's because he can closely relate to the settings for many Dr Who episodes - UK, contemporary life. The street/shop/school locations etc look totally familiar to him and people talk in accents he recognises from real life. So when cybermen appear, it is far more frightening for him. Star Wars, military films and cartoons are on far more of a fantasy level and he seems to be more detached from them.

Both my boys love playing computer games but their time on them is limited and my youngest who is only 4 has no idea how to play them properly anyway so he plays for about 2minutes before moving onto something else lol. As for the age limits on games I use my own judgement. My ds1 who is 10 has the pirate of the carribean games for his DS and also a couple of other 12+ games for both that and the PS2 but none of them are violent blood thirsty shoot em up type games and despite all his friends having it I refuse to buy Grand Theft Auto as I feel any game that encourages theft or violence is not the type of game i wish my children to own.

Ds2 loves Pirates and has seen all the Pirate of the Carribean films although they are usually on in the background while he is playing with his toys. He has also seen the Harry Potter ones but that is it and he only watches them under adult supervision so that we can skip anything we think is too violent/scarey etc.

I admit sometimes ds1 will watch films with a 15 certificate but only if I feel they are ok ie comedies. I know there is more swearing in them than films aimed at younger children but he knows that he is not to repeat any of it. He hears worse walking the streets.

I think I am quite fair to my children in regards to what they watch/play etc and the time they sit in front of the tv/computers. They both have great imaginations and prefer playing with toys/going out to play anyway so I never have any problems.

I do not agree with some friends of mine though who allow their children no matter what their age to watch horrors and other types of films obviously not aimed at children. I know one boy the same age as my ds2 who loves the Chucky films (i know they arent exactly scarey to us adults but i saw a clip of one when i was 8, coutesy of my big brother and had nightmares for weeks) I cant even watch the Nightmare on Elm Street films at the grand age of 29 without hiding my face through the gorey bits yet many of ds1's friends have seen them and think they are great

Obviously it is up to every individual parent what they expose their children to but i think we see enough horror on the news without encouraging our children to watch/act it out, as a way of entertaining them

god that's really depressing, to feel you HAVE to expose kids to stuff just because other kids are allowed to and to 'put them on a level playing field'; that's a great way to go down the line of the lowest common denominator. As a parent it is really hard to go against certain things but it is part of being a parent to do that sometimes, and allowing stuff to put your kids on a level playing field with others who are allowed to watch all sorts of stuff......we don't all want to do that. Just because some parents think it's ok doesn't mean we all have to or should feel pressured into doing it for our own.

I didn't quite understand the level playing field bit either.

I'm glad this thread has popped up as I have been thinking about starting one on this very subject all week.

My SiL has Grand Theft Auto for her DC - ages 8, 6 and 4. She was raving about how good they are at killing policemen etc and giggling with them about it.

My DS turned to me and said 'oh its so not fair that I'm not allowed it (he was 14 at the time).

SiL then had the cheek to stage whisper to him.... 'oh just come over to our house to play it, we won't tell your mum' .

I told her rating were for a reason and, when it boiled down it... she was a common criminal for buying an 18 game to give to a 4 year old!

Its not called lowest common denominator...its called progress...if you seriously thing that being a child today is same as it was when we were kids you are seriously deluded
Oh and the snobbery of MN rears its ugly head

'Progress' can mean different things to different people though. I know that childhood is different now but thats not necessarily a good thing - rising obesity, early onset diabetes, 23 children shot or stabbed in London so far this year...

My dd is going to have a different upbringing and way of life to most of her peers anyway, and I hope that it will equip her with the confidence necessary to be able to find common ground with other children regardless of the TV they watch or games they play.

Being a child today is different than previously. I'm aware of that but I don't see where computer games comes into it.

And I can see that computer games are progress in a technological sense but watching a bunch of bright kids huddled round a playstation is depressing. Even worse when dads get involved.

I don't think childhood today is the same as it was - how does thinking that watching AGE INAPPROPRIATE games and films is not something that I'd want to allow for my child, mean that I think childhood is the same as it was??? I'm not saying that children shouldn't see the TV or the computer, just that it should be age appropriate and that the age limits should be respected because they are there for a reason....

I don't see how the SImpsons game could be a problem - it's hardly Manhunter. My DS is only 3 so have not got to deal with that sort of thing yet, but will use my own judgement when it comes to age-related stuff as he gets older.

FWIW, I used to find that when advising parents about the content of GTA, they really didn't care about the violence, the crime or the bad language. As far as they were concerned, it was just a game and it wasn't the same as viewing such content on the television. The only thing that actually bothered most of the parents was the sexual content alluded to in the game. Visiting prostitutes (not actually seeing any sex) and there is an allusion in one of the games in the series that a prostitute is raped.

we have the game

its got words liek crap in ti that im not so sure baout but tbh i dont hink ds3 is listengin adn he hears worse at shcool i am sure

I think computer games are popular with parents because they keep children entertained and quiet for hours on end.

I think computer games are popular with parents because they keep children entertained and quiet for hours on end.

My DS who is 6 has a Nintendo DS and I had to take back a number of games people gave him on his birthday that were age 12+, YANBU! I do let him have the age 7+ games but not the ones much older that he is as it says they contain scenes containing violence, not that the Simpsons one does.

THE SIMPSONS GAME IS OK but id not recommend it fo a 5 year old

its hardly criome of the centurey thought is tia slight misjudgement

Mot quite sure why insisting on sticking to age ratings is "snobbish"!