What are your thoughts ON Little Children playing Violent Ass Video Games?

And this is why I hate rockstar games. That kid is not even old enough to remember the last one, and he's freaking out like god just gave him superpowers.

It depends on how mature the kid is, it depends on the game. Children are technically the property of their parents and are allowed to see anything the parents decide they can.

Would I let my 8 year old play GTA? Probably not. Would I let my 12 year old play it, maybe.

I might let my 8 year old play Call of Duty multiplayer, because that's just simple gun violence. Not the single player campaign though, there's too much stab-guy-watch-life-drain-from-his-eyes going on in the campaign. But firing gun and guys fall down? Meh.

I played Doom at age 8, and I turned out Doom.

I play violent games since I was 6 years old. Now I am a proud assassin.

Until a certain age, toddlers/children do what they see in the house, parents are their main influence, not video games; unless the kid is cuckoo in the head for real. Little children will always try new things to learn, they are curious and fearless, they don't know the danger of what they are going to do; not if you ban for some years M rated games, that wouldn't stop them at all. Teenagers are more dangerous, a pain in the ass, because their brain is more developed, they are more powerful physically and they get inspired by games. I believe that it matters more in what circumstances the children are growing. The way some people concern about their children, they give me the impression that a child is like a dog, learning automatically and not with logic. I don't want children, but if I'd had a one, I would never add in his education this kind of restriction, because I will want him to experience, teach him to have more alternatives, to aknowledge by himself whatever he likes and enjoy the most, and I will be his angel without knowing that I am watching him. Parents who put so many restrictions, they don't trust their children. Then no wonder they lack a good relationship between child-parent. Most of them.

I think it depends on the context. I was like 10 when I played Resident Evil 2 and I think I turned out fine. But with games getting as realistic as they are I sure as hell wouldn't let a young kid play GTA.

I'm still confused why people here call Kotaku Kotatsu... some kind of un-pro fridays in-joke I missed?

Anyway if I were a dad I'd totally just mess with my kid by enjoying my violent video games and then locking them away with the liquor when I'm done. He'll know it's there... but he won't get at it. Although by then I guess I'll need some kind of digital liquor cabinet to lock.

But I think at probably 14-15 kids are old enough for almost anything content-wise. It's just whether they're smart enough for the material or not. For video games that's... probably never going to be an issue.

What I want to know is why this 11 year old kid is so hyped for GTA V? I mean the last game came out when he was 6 and he wouldn't have even been born when GTA 3 came out and effectively created the sandbox genre. How does a kid that age even get the necessary cultural context to literally be moved to tears at the sight of this sequel? When I was that age and got the super hyped Mario 64 as my first Mario game, my reaction was "Oh, Mario... I think I've heard of this before". I was only really impressed when I put the game in and it dawned on me how amazing it is to run around a 3D environment.

I think it really depends on the kid in question. If they are mature enough and can understand the difference between fantasy and reality and realize that it's just a game then I don't see a problem with it. Obviously if the kid in question has some mental problems or something like that where they can't handle the content (whether it is from games, music, movies - any kind of media) then the parents should step in and not let the kid play it and make sure that they don't play it elsewhere.

I guess I'm a bit biased here because I grew up watching 80's actions movies that were pretty violent from a really early age, but at the same time my parents explained to me that it was just a movie, or just a game, and if they felt that it was too much for me then they didn't let me consume that media. It's pretty simple really.

It's really dumb to get onto the whole media censorship/ban waggon when it only affects 0.000001% of the entire population.

I loved it as a kid and it didn't do me any harm, but I don't want other kids doing it and it makes me uncomfortable when I see it. Hypocrisy!

@mikkaq: The reason the little kid is excited is because older kids are excited, teenagers are excited and the reason they're excited is young adults are excited. Kids want to grow up, and the way they do that is by emulating the behaviours and habits of slightly older people, even if they don't fully understand it yet. This is why sex sells to preteens that don't even have sex drives; teenagers do have sex drives and preteens want to be teenagers. Teenagers want to be young adults. Young adults want to be adults. And then adults just want to be themselves. And have these other Goddamn generations stop stealing the things they love.

Nah, a kid will get excited about anything else, it happens that this one got excited for the game. If he would got excited for a Metropoly game, no one would give any attention. Maybe the kid knows the things you can do in the game, not all of them but that's why he wanted it so bad.

@apocalybra: what's Metropoly, because it sounds awesome! Is it like Monopoly for grognards who play Crusader Kings? A real estate speculation simulator?

I was about 14 when gta 3 came out, played the hell out of it.

If the kid was around 15 then i would say yeah why not, but 11 is way too young.

@brodehouse: I had Metropoly when I was a child. I haven't written the name wrong. Even the link is in Romanian and I am Romanian, nice trying with making fun of me, but is always better to check that on google before you will try to look cool. The world is not that limited. This one I had it, exactly the same model. If you check, there are more similar models.

@apocalybra: I'm NOT making jokes on you, Metropoly SOUNDS AWESOME. Like I said, it sounds like hardcore Monopoly. To hear it's just Romanian Monopoly is a disappointment.

@brodehouse: Why a disappointment and I did not said it's only Romanian, I think for you it only sounded like that because I mentioned about Romanian. I see that there's also in Metropoly with English language, Metropoly it's just an another version of Monopoly - the original game.

@apocalybra: it's a disappointment because a grognard version of Monopoly would be awesome. Regular Ass Monopoly is for little kids, I want to be adjusting amortized assets and altering book value to market.

If grognard doesn't translate, it means like... hardcore, minutiae-obsessed nerd. The guys who get into hour long arguments about how the mechanics of a D&D feat should work.

The trouble is there are extensive psychological studies that suggest that even when they say otherwise children under the age of like 12 or something are unable, cognitively speaking, to discern between reality and fiction. Even if they say "that was clearly fake" their brain reacts the same way as when viewing real trauma or violence. That alone tells me that we should be very cautious with what we show our children as it can be damaging to the developing psyche. Even as adults, everything we view/listen to has some effect on us, but we're better able to sort the real from the fake as discerning adults.

As it stands, I still don't use the "well I'm an adult" excuse to just watch, play, or view just anything. But then I'm a Mormon, and we're taught to be cautious and discerning and seek the good things in the world so there's that. I'm not perfect at it by any means but I try to be careful.

It's rated M for a reason. If parents thin their kid is good to go, who am I to judge.

Depends. I'd be ok with a younger (10-12) kid playing Halo or something similar. Something over the top like Manhunt though I would probably want to wait till 15ish.

Ultimately, as everyone has said, there is no one right answer to this question. I played GTA3 when I was 11, and I like to think I turned out with a level head. But some kids can handle it and some can't. I also think it's good for parents to play games with their kids at that age, to help them understand what's happening and put it in the proper context.

I watched Terminator 2 and Robocop when I was 4, I played Mortal Kombat to death when I was 6 and learned the fatalities. I had watched every Friday the 13th movie, Nightmare on Elm street and Child's play movie by the time GTA3 had come out and I bought it underage from a Walmart without hassle one month after it came out. (And I've never listened to anything but Metal my whole life)

I have yet to kill, injure, main or attack anyone and I'am now 26 years old.

And on the other side; two of my nephews goes into a homicidal rage if they slip off they're A.D.D medicine and start smashing windows, killing animals and stabbing people with kitchen knives or anything they can get they're hands on. (Like a blow torch or power drill) And they have never come into contact with a horror movie or violent video game.

Violent video games don't make violent people. Stupid people make violent people. If your kid goes on a rampage after they play a violent game or watch a movie: YOU f*cked up. Don't try and blame it on media, because if you do you will bring Jack Thompson and his buddies back to life and all kinds of bad crap is going to go down and no one is going to be happy.

I remember when my parents got me GTA3 for Christmas one year, and then they watched me mowing people down in a car laughing and having fun. They took it back then next day and I picked out a much less violent game to play. I NEVER cried from happiness before from getting a simple game though, that is kind of odd.

I remember when my parents got me GTA3 for Christmas one year, and then they watched me mowing people down in a car laughing and having fun. They took it back then next day and I picked out a much less violent game to play. I NEVER cried from happiness before from getting a simple game though, that is kind of odd.

Man, how did this Kotatsu thing start again? I understand the joke just... Why?

Man, how did this Kotatsu thing start again? I understand the joke just... Why?

Please watch this episode of Penn and Teller's 'Bullshit!' (in 3 parts on youtube) and consider RE-considering your view on this subject. Please, please, I honestly am begging you.

Man, how did this Kotatsu thing start again? I understand the joke just... Why?

I played GTA3 when I was 8ish. I wasn't all that into it, though. I certainly wasn't happy to be playing it, if anything it was kind of boring.

I think it ultimately depends on the child. I think my only issue with letting a child play it would be some of the more childish elements of the GTA world, like some of the radio gags.

Middle schoolers were bad enough with some of the Dave Chappelle gags from his show ;_;