Never. My parents always got me the M rated games. I can remember playing Mortal Kombat on SNES when I was like 6.

I've not bought games because they were M, but only because I thought the gore/language was excessive and stupid and it was a "meh" game to start with in the first place (No More Heroes or MadWorld type games for example)

Given that in Canada the rating is a suggestion and not law it has never affected my game buying. Shortly after I reached the age to which it doesn't matter a number of parent groups convinced the retailers to make it store policy so the younger generation doesn't get to enjoy the freedom I once knew.

My parent's got me any Mature 17+ game if I asked for it.
Well, there I just sound spoiled, I'm trying to say If I were to get a game, they would get it anyways, regardless of the rating.
Why? Because they know I'm not an idiot and won't imitate the things that happens in games like GTA and such.

Although, i'm only 16, so I've been denied buying Mature games by myself.

When I was young and a tad dumb I let scores pretty much dictate what I bought and not. I could read up on a game for a year only to decide not to get it when it released because some magazine gave it a low score.
Pathetic, really, and I know that now. Nowadays I usually get disappointed when I get games that scored highly, they're almost always a letdown.
The last time a game delivered on my expectations was probably either Oblivion or Half-Life 2 (the latter was even bette than I thought even with me thinking it'd be stellar!).

No Ratings have ever stopped me, then again I never wanted a mature game until I turned 17 this year, (Madworld). Last Gen with my Gamecube I had one T rated game

When did the rating system start? I was 17 in 1994 so I'm not sure it was even an issue for me. My folks did not buy me games when I was a kid, I had to find the money myself, and there weren't a ton of mature games (blood and guts wise) on the SNES anyways. My parents always hated the fact that I played video games, you should see my dad's reaction now that I'm 32 and still gaming!

CommonMan said: When did the rating system start? I was 17 in 1994 so I'm not sure it was even an issue for me. My folks did not buy me games when I was a kid, I had to find the money myself, and there weren't a ton of mature games (blood and guts wise) on the SNES anyways. My parents always hated the fact that I played video games, you should see my dad's reaction now that I'm 32 and still gaming!

The ratings in America first started part way through the SNES era, but they are merely guidlines and the stores back then didn't have their own policy not to sell the games. The ratings back then contained the K-A rating which was replaced by E.

Being an oldie, from a parent's point of view, yes I have kept myself from buying some games, and I won't let my kids buy any games that are rated significantly higher than their current age. So, no R16 games from my 12-year old, but R13 games are OK. I'll probably let him play R16s only once he's 16, or if I've played first and think the R16 elements are at the low end of the rating. Like Uncharted is R16, but I think it is borderline R13, so my kids can play it once they are 14 or 15.

No R18 games (GTA games are R18) in the house, period. Unless God of War III is an R18 in which case I'll convince the wife to make an exception. But for the most part I don't need R18 levels of violence, sex, drug use or whatever else puts a game over the top into the highest rating category for me to have fun with a game. When it gets to that level I find that it ends up detracting from the game rather than adding to it. I pretty much don't bother with R18 movies either, though there have been some good quality R18's I've seen, like Requiem for a Dream, a brutal but compelling movie.

Did I care ? Nope