Police Believe Sandy Hook Shooting Was An 'Emulation' Of Video Game Scenario

[sergiodaly]

pokoko said:

sergiodaly said:
IMO, games are rated for appropriate ages, and those should be used to guide people in the usage of video games. i know people will say its easy for me because i can play what ever i want (32 years old, no limits here) but i am a gamer for almost 20 years now and when i was a young gamer i did not need FPS to be a happy gamer, and 12 year old children shouldn't be playing 18+ or 16+ rated games. what we play does not define what we are, but could certainly shape some part of us...
totally against game censorship, but the rates are there for something... Parents and game stores should implement them...

Most stores that sell or rent games won't let kids have them.  Sure, some get through, but the overwhelming majory of kids who play violent games get them from a parent.  Even if they get them another way, it still often means that the parents aren't making any effort to see what their kid is playing.  It's not like a porn magazine they can sneak into the bathroom, games have to be played on large television screens.

I speak from experience on that.  I ran a video store for several years.  Even games where I felt I needed to make an extra effort to warn the parent about, like GTA, were usually met with a shrug.

Not that I'm necessarily saying those parents are bad.  Some know their children and what they can handle.  Some fifteen year olds can play or watch something 18+ with no problem, some can't.  It was those who display complete apathy that bothered me.

i understand the difficulties, we as a society have to do, to educate our selfs as adults and the children as future adults. its a eternal task.
but blaming games, as once movies, music, and others were blamed, because they did transport a violent content to the masses, isn't the answer, supervising the exposure to these content is the solution, because i, as a adult, don't want any kind of censorship, but for me to have that freedom i have to do my role of a good parent. People have to realize freedom have a price and we all have to pay it.