11 year old plays Contra for the first Time

[Timber]

I can remember the exact moment I thought video game violence was out of control and it was only going to get worse. I'm not complaining, but this is when I knew nothing was going to be taboo in the industry very soon.

[gamevet]

Anyway, not every parent who gives their kids a violent game is a bad parent. You have to know your particular kid and what they can handle at a certain age.

Nah, there's nothing wrong with letting your kid play violent games, but letting them play an M-rated game online may be a bit much. Does your 10 year old kid really need to experience t-bagging?

[Rem]

They want a 360 and an M-Rated game, they get it.

At least stores like target and EB card now, I have no idea if wallmart does though. The real problem is parents buying the games but it's only a problem if well...it's a problem. I think violence has a desensitizing effect but at the end of the day this shit aint real. And if you can't tell the difference that's not the games fault, some people are just screwy.

[epmode]

I actually got a little sick to my stomach when I saw Mortal Kombat 2 for the first time. The first game didn't do anything.

[YellerDog]

lol

[epmode]

I got over it. Bring on the murder sims.

[Rumpy]

My sister was in town for a few weeks with her kids (aged 5 and 2). I played Ninja Turtles ('89 Arcade) a shit ton with my nephew (he's 5) and he loved it. Played through the game at least a dozen times. I also got him into Geometry Wars 2 and Pac-man C.E. He did pretty well too, his hands are a bit too small for the 360 controller still, but he got the hang of things pretty well. Going to newer stuff he's surprisingly good at Pure and Burnout Paradise.

It's interesting seeing a young kid play Wii too. There's nothing really to teach them, they instantly get how to play. Actually it's more of a challenge starting the game than actually playing the game (Wii Sports rules for keeping a kid entertained for awhile).

It's all about how you introduce a game to a kid. Play it with them, show them how to play it, guide them and encourage them when they get stuck. If you just put them in front of a game and say "play" they won't go far.

[NeoZeedeater]

R-rated movies are generally more disturbing than M-rated games, and we probably all saw plenty of those when we were kids. Most kids can handle adult stuff fine without it warping their minds. I'm not buying the whole "interactivity makes it worse" argument either. Playing Saints Row doesn't feel like I'm doing something violent in real life at all.

[sethsez]

You don't let them play the PS3, until they're old enough to take care of, or appreciate such an expensive item.

My nephew grew up with NES and Genesis games during the early 2000s and now that he's 15, he's trying to save up for a PS3. He'll appreciate both the old and the new, because he's been there.

Kids just have it too easy these days. They want a 360 and an M-Rated game, they get it. If I'd asked my parents if I could go to a PG-13 movie and I was 11, they'd say no, but not today's kids. They get whatever they want and then when the real world isn't so easy, they kill themselves or go Columbine.

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place
of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their
households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They
contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties
at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."

-Socrates

Kids are stupid because they're kids. Most of 'em grow up to be fine, but the world isn't going to go to hell in a handbasket exactly one generation after yours. I'd also bet anything damn near everyone here saw R-rated movies long before they were "supposed" to.

And anyone who judges a generation based on the videogames they like is a manchild.