Media Ratings

[happytimes]

If you're a gamer then you probably know that Grand Theft Auto IV came out today and everyone's like so hyped. Anyways, today I asked my dad for a ride to pick the game up and he refused. He said the reason he won't help me pick the game up is because you bang hookers and kill people in the game. I was really pissed not because I couldn't get a game (well actually I was pissed because of that) but I can't believe after 14 years my dad still treats me like I'm a immature juvenile. Just because a few idiots living in their own world played the game and went on a massacre doesn't mean others are going to be the same. They are treating games and media like it's drugs or alcohol. Do you believe in the rating boards? Do you believe restricting younger people from playing our watching mature media is a right thing even though they can handle it? Please reply.

[Maverick]

Believe it or not, 14 is still a very juvenile age. I'm not saying that you are, but acting as if 14 is an age where its expected to be sensible and responsible just isn't justified. I don't believe that game ratings are really accurate determinations, but that its up to the parents to decide if they want their kid playing the game or not or if they can handle it.

I believe they rate it high for good reason because I don't think its right to say its okay for younger kids to play the game that has sex, killings and drug use (?) because not every person under 16 can be in the right frame of mind to play it. I feel for those who are younger if their parents are cool with it, they can have it. You have to think about liability and years ago they got into a lot of shit because supposedly the game was turning people into violent ones. You see teens repeating stuff they saw on Jack Ass and getting hurt, so the danger is there. I don't know why some people can't separate the difference but apparently it happens.

Parents know their kids better than what some bureaucratic ratings organization does. Maybe if you borrow the game from someone and show your dad all there is to it maybe he'll reconsider. Otherwise parents sometimes don't think you're responsible for certain things even when you are and when that happens I'd talk to them maturely about it and explained why they should reconsider and usually it worked or I dropped it.

When you're on your own you can make your own rules and do however you want and be responsible for yourself. Until then you just have to put up. You'll be on your own faster than you think.

[Mzor203]

Yes, I actually do. If you went back into the early 1900s, you'd find that all the children were polite, educated people who didn't go around swearing like a pack of mad sailors, which is completely untrue. I do believe that this has to do with games, television, types of music, etc.

With new things coming out, our "trends" are changing, and kids are changing to follow them. With rock & roll, it seemed to a lot of people that it was "cool" to do drugs, with movies out where so many people are swearing all the time, it looks, "cool" to swear, etc. I'm not going to go on a rant about it, but video games affect a lot of people badly. Some violent movies and games affect my brother in negative ways.

I'm not going to go on, though I could make a 5000 word essay on it. I just don't have the time, but there are ratings on those games for a reason, and I think that they are more than justified.

[Maverick]

Yes, I actually do. If you went back into the early 1900s, you'd find that all the children were polite, educated people who didn't go around swearing like a pack of mad sailors, which is completely untrue. I do believe that this has to do with games, television, types of music, etc.
Where did you get that idea? Bad kids have already been around.

[redcar]

I love restrictions, partly because I no longer fall into them. But I work in a dvd/games/music store and I have to say I love refusing people things if they are not the correct age.

But seriously, people of say 14 can be very much influenced by what is happening around them, and that is why I say the restrictions are good.

[0=]

Frankly, most high school students are very immature, so I wouldn't put it above a freshman or eighth grade student, as you are based on your age, to be influenced by a game. I don't know you personally, but it's a pretty safe bet that some would be. This may sound hypocritical and arrogant, but it's what I've observed. Most people don't really mature mentally until they're through their twenties. Some never do. I agree that age is a flawed measure of maturity, but there really isn't any viable alternative. You can't administer a maturity test. There's nothing wrong with the ratings system, as it does solve this in a way; it's up to your parents, who live with you and know you, to decide if you're mature enough.

[theOperaGhost]

I agree with the ratings to a point. Like Alex said I like them because I don't fall under any of them, but a lot of teens are immature. Kids younger than like 13 should definitly not be able to have that game (which I really want to get). And like 0= said, most people dont mature until they are in their 20s. That's why guys car insurance doesn't get lowered until you're in your mid twenties. A certain part of your brain that controls impulse (or something like that) hasn't fully developed in your teens. thus a lot of teens can act before they actually think about what they are doing.

[Mzor203]

Where did you get that idea? Bad kids have already been around.

They may have been, but if you look at today, just about every single kid now would classify as a 'Bad Kid' back then.

[Maverick]

I don't think so.

[Camazotz]

Restrictions are good because some people are easily influenced by their surroundings such as movies, games, etc. I think some people can handle violence, but others may just look at it as an "okay" for real violence. Although, I disagree that all people of a certain age should be discluded from buying games. Isnt the USA supposed to be "free"? Aren't we supposed to pursue anything that will make us happy, as long as no one else is hurt? So why cant I buy it? Im extremly mature for my age, as I never talk back to anyone, no matter who they are. Why must people look at age as a maturity, rather than intelligence or personality? **GTA 4 looks amazing, I think Id get it if I had a PS3 or X-BOX 360.*

[Antares]

I have very neutral opinions on this. Sure its graphic and stuff but there is also alot of stuff in everyday life like that. I say be real. All of that stuff happens. Do we want kids to do it? No, and that is where I get lost :P

[Underground_Network]

I don't think so.

As true as I think that is, I think that if you looked at the kids of the early 1900s and were to classify them as a whole, you would PROBABLY classify them as more civilized individuals, but probably less mature. Most kids nowadays seem to be more mature, but less "civilized". They didn't have video games back then, nor did they have mass media. There were bad kids, but those bad kids weren't the news everyday. Nowadays 90% of news is bad news, and we always hear about teen pregnancies, teens doing drugs, teens doing this and that... It's just that, though it was going on, it wasn't made such a big deal back then. I think, if anything, society was a bit more lenient back then. It was kind of a time when people didn't make such a big fuss out of what everybody did. Nowadays you hear about a murder everyday, back then the general population probably only heard about a murder if it was especially heinous or if there was a serial killer on the loose. Plus, there weren't any "gangs" like we think of them now back then... But yeah, this is a bit off topic...

[theOperaGhost]

I have very neutral opinions on this. Sure its graphic and stuff but there is also alot of stuff in everyday life like that. I say be real. All of that stuff happens. Do we want kids to do it? No, and that is where I get lost :P

I agree with you. I don't mind the violence because, hell even the news is full of violence. The sex on the other hand, could be cut down a bit.

[0=]

The news needs to be more violent. Scar people with war images so they aren't so comfortable with it.

[kolte]

Its your fathers money. Make your own and solicit an adult other then your father to buy if for you, then you can play it in secret until you get caught. But at least you could enjoy it for that brief moment.

Everybody is immature at heart, eventually you bottle it up so you look good to your neighbor or your spouse or your boss. Meh, I still dance at work all the time and joke around and do kartwheels and flip off the homeless and the rich alike and key hummers because I don't like them and I'm sure I'd disagree with the drivers and I make run on sentences witch duplicate and over and over and over again. Fuck it. Be yourself.

[Underground_Network]

Its your fathers money. Make your own and solicit an adult other then your father to buy if for you, then you can play it in secret until you get caught. But at least you could enjoy it for that brief moment.

Everybody is immature at heart, eventually you bottle it up so you look good to your neighbor or your spouse or your boss. Meh, I still dance at work all the time and joke around and do kartwheels and flip off the homeless and the rich alike and key hummers because I don't like them and I'm sure I'd disagree with the drivers and I make run on sentences witch duplicate and over and over and over again. Fuck it. Be yourself.

Kolte, you're back! That is really true... You should really be able to do whatever you want to... You should have ultimate control over your life, you should make all decisions that affect you without any restrictions. If they negatively affect you, fuck, it was your decision, so now you have no one to blame but yourself, and there isn't as much conflict, there's less stress, etc.,e tc... I agree, just be yourself; there's nothing wrong with that...

[Maverick]

Kolte, you're back! That is really true... You should really be able to do whatever you want to... You should have ultimate control over your life, you should make all decisions that affect you without any restrictions. If they negatively affect you, fuck, it was your decision, so now you have no one to blame but yourself, and there isn't as much conflict, there's less stress, etc.,e tc... I agree, just be yourself; there's nothing wrong with that...
Well you pretty much can once you become legal age and can pay your own way.

[Underground_Network]

^^ Well, yes, in terms of buying an M rated game and the focus of this thread, but I wasn't just referring to that, I was referring to life in general and making your own decisions with minimal restrictions, etc...