Power Pros Forum

So this briefly came up yesterday, so I'm curious on the opinions of everyone. So the question is, should kids be allowed to play rated M games? I feel that young kids shouldn't. I think a good time to start allowing it would be around 13, probably closer to 14. You want kids to know about stuff and not be sheltered all the time, but introducing them to these kinds of games too early I feel can be bad for their development. They need to be allowed to mature first.

Some are fine, some are not. I believe that grand-theft-auto and god of war should not be aloud to under 15 year olds

my mom started letting me play M games when I was 12

I say definitely not until they're older, probably high school age, driving age, etc. There is nothing more heartbreaking when I'm in a Gamestop or Target or something than seeing a parent walking by with some game like Saints Row or Call of Duty or some other game along those lines, so they can bring it home to their elementary/middle schooler and encourage them to sit in their bedroom for hours on end playing these violent games. I'm not trying to sound like some wuss who's against violent games at all costs or whatevs, but the abundance of these games in the hands of kids (not even teens, but kids) is pretty wrong in my opinion.

I'm okay with it. But only some games.

GTA and games of the sort should be waited on. But things like Dishonored and Skyrim I'm alright with.

Skyrim is the BEST

You think Dishonored is ok for kids!?

I definitely don't think young kids should play them, but I could also see that maybe some games get a pass but others don't.

Teenagers are probably a good start to play M games.

Teens can. I've been playing it, it isn't all bad.

Hell, you ca go through the whole thing without killing anyone if you so choose.

My vote went to the teen one, by the way.

"Some games are fine, but others are off-limits."

I don't know whether they are M rated or not, but I've heard the Portal series isn't very violent. Also, Super Smash Bros. Brawl was rated T, yet I started playing it around age 10. It depends on the game certainly, not just the rating.

Portal 2 is E10+. Portal 2 is just a puzzle game, no violence

It really depends on the kid. Parents should know their kids well enough to know if they can handle M games. Like with Super Smash Bros being rated T. I think if a kid is a fan of all the characters in that game they should be able to play. We are talking about M rated games, though. Definitely not for elementary schoolers. Maybe at seventh/eighth grade. I saw a lot of third graders playing games like CoD when I was in third grade and I feel that that is a problem.

Overall, once their teenagers, it depends on the kid.

I think there should be a rating between T and M. Some are really bad but some aren't too bad...

I was never even interested in anything M rated until I was 14, and even then only so I could play with my friends. By then, I could handle blood and I was smart enough not to be an idiot over the mic, so I think that's a good time. I remember a few kids played CoD back in middle school, and I always thought they were getting way ahead of themselves.

Currently games are more consistently rated in terms of appropriate audiences. Before games like Manhunt for example before it was banned in Australia was rated M and that game should seriously be rated R. It all depends on what you would define a kid as. Some kids are mature and can distinguish between real and not real, bad and good. Put some kids in front of games like call of duty etc and some may pick up a gun and go to town while others may not. Being a young parent I would say looking at the overall picture, M should be for those over 15-16 years but some that are that age don't gave tge maturity for those types of games.

I saw a kid of elementary school age with his parents in the mall at Gamestop today looking at some Playstation games. Didn't hear and don't remember their whole conversation, but I did hear them talking about not getting games like Grand Theft Auto and all for their kid, et cetera et cetera. In essence, they were pretty much talking about what's being discussed here, and they were definitely of the opinion that they weren't going to get their kid games like CoD and all.

As they left, I leaned over and told the mom that I'd been raised the same way, and that even at 18 (practically) I don't play those games, albeit now for lack of interest. I think she was really happy to hear this, y'know, that she wasn't alone.

Made me feel pretty good. ^_^