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Original poster

Opinions please on whether Call of Duty Black Ops is suitable for a 13 yo boy

43 replies

WideWebWitch · 24/01/2011 20:38

Thanks

OP posts:
isitspringyet · 24/01/2011 21:58

I'm sick of hearing about cod.. My ds (mature 11 yr old) Is not allowed and mysf and dh go into preach mode about it (I.e 18 for a reason, wouldn't allow you to watch porn, drive a car etc). He is in the minority in his class. Found out he'd played the game at a friends house. He knows why we say no but he was so upset as he says it's all his friends go on about and he feels 'zeroed out' can't join in conversations as that's all they talk about. Finding it tough but we had a long chat. I explained we couldn't allow him on it but can't control other peoples house rules. Broke my heart he was so upset :-(

frogs · 24/01/2011 22:00

First person killing means that the person who plays the game is carrying out the killing.

I think there's a big psychological difference between watching killing on the news (and news images are pretty heavily censored, tbh, you don't see people actually being killed on the mainstream news channels, and dead bodies are shown tactfully, in the main, and that first person dynamic in games where the player is the agent of the killing.

Original poster
WideWebWitch · 24/01/2011 22:01

I agree frogs
And with everyone else

I will stand firm against COD
Thanks for these views

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maryz · 24/01/2011 22:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
WideWebWitch · 24/01/2011 22:03

Maryz, he's asked for Assasins Creed too and I've said nfw to that too

OP posts:
notrightnow · 24/01/2011 22:04

No from me too. My son is the same age. Colleagues at work who play it said absolutely not. We don't have the previous one with the airport scene either. All his friends have both that and Black Ops, depressingly.

We have an older COD which is rated 16 - pretty unpleasant to my mind but seems more focused on tactics and teamwork than close up violence. Although I hate the way the screen goes red when you die :(

Frogs I was interested in what you said: that once an image is in your head that you can't take it out. I had a long talk with my son about why we were never going to allow these 18 rated games, (and a whole host of others actually) and I mentioned this. I read The Road by Cormac MacCarthy last year and still haven't recovered, and I talked about my experience of that and really wishing that I hadn't exposed myself to it, and my job being to protect my children from that kind of stuff. He did listen - don't know whether it sunk in though.

ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 24/01/2011 22:05

you are explaining it well, i understand now. EXP used to play it and i know what you mean about teh camera angle now.

Lamorna · 24/01/2011 22:07

NO, I go by certificates and they have to put up with it, they are there for a reason.

roisin · 24/01/2011 22:12

I hate these violent, addictive games. So many of our yr10 & 11 students (usually boys) are obese, arrive at school sleep-deprived and never do any homework, because they spend every moment of their lives on these games.

It is our job as parents to establish boundaries.

ds1 turns 14 this year, he is not allowed 15 games, let alone 18s. And yes all his friends have been playing 18s since they were about 8 and watching 18 cert films as well. Sad

maryz · 24/01/2011 22:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Changeisagoodthing · 24/01/2011 22:17

I hanse played black ops. My 13 year old has it. I have no problems with the con tent. IMHO 18 in games is not like 18 in films.

frogs · 24/01/2011 22:28

Notrightnow -- yy to the idea of an image being in your head.

My work sometimes involves viewing disturbing images on film or stills, and although I obviously never bring that kind of material home, the dc know broadly what I do, so it does come up in conversation.

I have very clear limits about the kinds of material i will not work with for the sake of my own mental health, and I use that analogy with the dc when discussing film and game content, and have used the same argument to warn them about being tempted to watch pornographic stuff online. We all know this stuff is out there, if you go looking for it out of curiousity, you may get much more than you bargained for. Just because it exists doesn't mean that one should watch it -- it's not some kind of macho contest to see who can be the hardest. There are good reasons we find certain images disturbing, and those reactions are telling you something useful.

I do worry a bit that teenage boys in particular do view it at least in past as a test of masculinity or adulthood, so I work very hard to counteract that.

frogs · 24/01/2011 22:29

Notrightnow: yy to the idea of an image being in your head.

My work sometimes involves viewing disturbing images on film or stills, and although I obviously never bring that kind of material home, the dc know broadly what I do, so it does come up in conversation.

I have very clear limits about the kinds of material i will not work with for the sake of my own mental health, and I use that analogy with the dc when discussing film and game content, and have used the same argument to warn them about being tempted to watch pornographic stuff online. We all know this stuff is out there, if you go looking for it out of curiousity, you may get much more than you bargained for. Just because it exists doesn't mean that one should watch it - it's not some kind of macho contest to see who can be the hardest. There are good reasons we find certain images disturbing, and those reactions are telling you something useful.

I do worry a bit that teenage boys in particular do view it at least in past as a test of masculinity or adulthood, so I work very hard to counteract that.

Sorry, posted again to take out the weird crossing out!

roisin · 25/01/2011 07:23

I think that's a very helpful and wise comment from Frogs.

SkyBluePearl · 25/01/2011 22:04

it's an 18 so no.

aloiseb · 05/12/2011 05:55

But so is Torchwood series 1 an 18, just because it has some gay scenes in it.
I don't think you should go just by the rating. That's why I am reading this now.

somanymiles · 05/12/2011 06:11

I wouldn't let my DS play it... but even if you do the "live" side is another thing altogether as you can't control what the other players are saying - lots of swearing and racist language.

nooka · 05/12/2011 06:30

My ds is 12 and we've had a few conversations about CoD over the last year or so. My view is that I don't want him playing at killing real people in my sitting room. I don't mind aliens but I don't think killing people should be fun. He gets bothered when his online friends get a new game and disappear for a while, but they all seem to come back to Halo as their favourite playground, so he has learned that it's not that big a deal. dh is a big gamer and has lots of gaming buddies and they all said CoD was in no way suitable (too real and too nasty). In any case he ds did get to play one of the CoD games at a friends house and decided it really wasn't for him.

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