Don't Blame the Kid, Blame the Parent

It's true, parents are nieve.  They usually listen what their kids want.  When a young kid wants to buy a violent video game, he will usually turn to his parents.  His parents in turn will be nieve and buy the game just because that is what their child wants.  It's a cruel circle, but in the end, you cannot blame the kid for wanting the video game, kids love video games. 


Parents cannot be so nieve.  If parents want to blame the violence their kids cause on violent video games, they need to take a stand.  They cannot wait till the violence happens and then blame the violent video games.  Instead the need to take steps to stop their kids from getting their hands onto the violent video games.  They need to understand video game ratings first and foremost.  One way I plan on regulatting video games on my kids is not giving them a video game until seven or eight years old because I feel at this age, kids are more mature then say age five.  From age seven or eight, to age thirteen I will only let them play games rated "T" or below no matter how much they demand.  This is where parents need to gain control of the situation and not cave in to the constant begging.  At the age of thirteen start allowing "M" rated games into the picture, but start with games that are more on the moderate scale.  Understanding the ratings here is the key.  Don't start with a game such as Grand Theft Auto where the situations in the game are realistic and the ESRB says contains stuff such as extreme violence, sexual situations, profanity, and intense blood and gore.  Start with a more moderate "M" game such as Halo, where the game is not based on real world aspects.  Think about it this way, what is worse, exposing a thirteen year old child to a video game that includes real world aspects such as prostitution, murder, and swearing, or exposing the same child to a video game where you're shooting aliens with fake-looking guns? (Question Below Picture)

The question I want everyone to answer is how you will regulate violent video games for your kids?

Safety First

The entertainment software industry has a regulating system for video games called the Entertainment Rating Software Board (ESRB).  They rate games based on the game's content and suitability taking into account factors such as blood and gore, language, and sexual inuendo.  According to many people, who I will describe in my paper, the ESRB does work because it is meant to rate video games based on all of the factors in the game and allow parents to make the final decision to buy the video game based on the rating assigned. 

Parents are quick to blame the violence in children on video games, but in the end who is buying the video games for the kids?  Parents cannot be nieve, I mean the rating that the ESRB assigns the game is plastered throughout the game's case on both the front and back sides.  Additionally the cashiers at the store usually ask the parents to verify that they know their child is buying a violent video game.  The only way around the system is to buy a violent video game online, but in that circumstance, you would need a credit card, and I doubt some kid, under the age of sixteen has a credit card.

I used to work at Best Buy while in high school.  I worked as a cashier, and one thing that I was told over and over was to always check with the parent to make sure they approve of the video game their child is buying.  I was always good at it, because I understood how serious our company took the policy.  One day an undercover employee from Best Buy corporate came into our store with their child.  I was not working that day, but according to my boss, the undercover employee proceeded to have their child, who was about 13 years old walk up to one of the cashiers carrying four video games, all of them rated for his age, except one which was rated for "mature players ages seventeen and up" and would require verification from the parent.  The cashier had thought that because the parent was standing right next to the child, they were approving of the game, so the cashier did not ask if they approved.  In the end, our manager was confronted with the problem and the cashier recieved a very nice talking to.  What I am trying to show here is how strict the retail industry takes on the ratings of video games, and the ways which we make sure violent video games do not slip into the wrong hands.  This shows that parents have to understand the rating of a video game and what their kid is playing.  So why do parents blame violence in children on the violent video games when in reality they are the ones putting the video game in the child's hand, fully knowing what the game's content includes.

A New Era of Fun

It's Monday, November 7th, 2011, the day before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is about to be released.  Already numerous people are outside the local Gamestop waiting to get their hands on the game at midnights, when it is finally released.  Nothing was strange about that, but according to my friends who were there and said that nearly 400 people in line, they estimated half of the people in the line were young kids with their parents.  They couldn't believe what they were seeing; hundreds of kids around the ages of ten to fifteen waiting to get their hands on what was said to be one of the most highly anticipated games of all time.

This is the era we are in.  Kids younger, and younger continue to be exposed to video games that continue to become more violent and this is becoming the "norm."  When I went to get my hands on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 the next day after school, I too was shocked by the number of young kids waiting in line to get the game.  Of course I had went around 2:30 to 3:00 in the afternoon when elementary, middle, and high school was just getting out, but it just baffled me with the number of young kids in line with their parents who were impatiently waiting to buy the game.  Years ago when the first Call of Duty game came out, there would not have even been half of the amount of kids waiting to get this game.

I have been playing violent video games including Halo, Call of Duty, Battlefield for many years.  Over these years, I have noticed the complexion of the kids playing the game transform from teenagers and adults to younger and younger children.  I think it is getting a little ridiculous with the amount of young kids entering the violent video game world and I think the video game Modern Warfare 3 has pushed the limits for kids and violent video games; I mean when I was their age, I wasn't killing aliens, soldiers, or civilians in a virtual world, but this is the new era of fun.  Young kids think that this is fun and they don't realize that these games aren't meant for them.  The new era of fun shouldn't be learning how to kill people or blow up houses, but rather it should be focused on playing with friends and meeting new people, just like when I grew up.