Grand Theft Auto: Age Limit?

[CarMadMike]

Too long, cba reading the paragraph below? -> What age would you let your (future) children play GTA?

 

 

With the next-gen GTAV releases coming soon, I've been discussing with parents at work the whole 'would you let your children play GTA' question which has been discussed since GTA was released.

 

Due to the the main audience on this forum being 16-25, and everyone knowing and almost everyone ignoring the 18+ age limit the game has, I think it'd be interesting to ask those that were brought up with GTA what age they'd allow their child to play GTA from.

 

My parents were always very lenient with it to be honest, I remember playing Doom on the N64.

 

The years GTA were released:

- Vice City (2002)

- San Andreas (2004)

- IV (2008)

- V (2013)

 

I can't remember if I got Vice City at the same time as San Andreas, as I'd have been 8-9 when Vice City was released which seems way too young tbh.

 

This isn't necessarily about the games being a bad example, keep in mind the whole 'kids should be kids' and the fact games like GTA can open a child's eyes to maturity long before they need to be.

 

You don't really have to stick to GTA as the main game example either, I remember my mum taking Resident Evil off of me and putting in a draw until 'i was older' :lol: Even though I was playing GTA at the time.

[Milli]

I think GTA should be played only by 17+. Not only because of the violence of the game, but other aspects of the game. Today i understand my mother when she took GTA San Andreas away from me and my brothers. :lol:

[Eudemon]

It's an interesting question and I personally think it has more to do with how the kid's behaviour already is. Mind you this is even harder now with the Call of Duty generation as around 10 is like the age where that comes into play anyway despite what the box says. In all fairness though I would say 12 when they're in the High-school is probably a good age providing they are not always aggressive or seen to pick on others. Games culture is something that is synonymous with that school age anyway and it's extremely likely kids that age have already watched a few (non-xxx) 18 movies they shouldn't have.

 

Hell my kid bro watches the Gotham series on TV and LOVES IT! And as far as I can tell he ain't no psycho. :susp:

 

I should say though that my parents have a good system with him in what he watches and plays; if he utters or replicates anything he's seen or heard in them then it's taken away for a good length of time.

[CarMadMike]

GTA is similar to comedians like Frankie Boyle though, they're always trying to push the boundaries of what jokes are acceptable, and what jokes are just far enough over the line to be shocking but not get them in too deep a hole.

 

This constant search for more risqué jokes with every release is what makes me think it'd depend on the game, I'd have to release (and play it myself :p) before deciding what age my child should play it at.

 

I agree about every person being different though, but it does come down to the fact games ratings are completely ignored. If there was an improved advisory rating you'd say 12ish? I'd probably go for 14 personally. Though I agree they've already been exposed to games like COD and definitely by 14 a fair amount of both xxx and non-xxx 18+ films- It won't do too much harm to try and slow this rather than throwing more at them.

[TIMELESS]

Well I remember playing the original GTA series, back when it was 2D before we got Vice City, so I was pretty young. I played them purely because my older brother and I shared a "play room" with the second TV and PS1 (and 2 eventually). When I was an early teen my parents were pretty lenient with this stuff, purely because they knew I understood the difference between games and reality.

 

 

I think younger generations are more exposed to things that they technically shouldn't be so I see no reason why lowering the age limit to 14-15 should be a big deal considering.

[Milli]

I don't see the problem as making the kid go psycho, but if there is something that i can do to control what my kid watches or has contact with, i will do so. I really don't think GTA suits for a kid that's 12. A movie already isn't good, imagine a videogame, which is WAY more immersive and can make a stronger connection than a TV series.

 

It is more a matter of: It's not necessary for you kid, so, no. Deal with it. :lol:

[CarMadMike]

I don't see the problem as making the kid go psycho, but if there is something that i can do to control what my kid watches or has contact with, i will do so. I really don't think GTA suits for a kid that's 12.

 

Being too controlling means they might go looking for things like it elsewhere, and in a more secretive manner. I think being lenient (to a point) but observant will have a similar result to what you want. Though I agree it isn't suitable for 12 year olds.

[Eudemon]

Milli's going to be one of those rare mums that actually sticks to the ratings and polices her kids by the sound of it, in a good way. :nods:

[Milli]

Not if i tell them why i am not allowing.

 

Edit: You see, what really makes kids go and do thing behind your back is this lack of comunication. I believe that if you explain things to kids, tell them why you're not allowing something, i think they might understand.

[TIMELESS]

Being too controlling means they might go looking for things like it elsewhere, and in a more secretive manner. I think being lenient (to a point) but observant will have a similar result to what you want. Though I agree it isn't suitable for 12 year olds.

 

I agree with that 100%.

 

Would you rather your kid feels the need to do this behind your back or do it with your knowledge, so you can actually teach the rights and wrongs of life (phrasing? lol).

[CLR-GTR]

One side of me says, no problem. I don't see harm in it, and if they don't get it from GTA they'll get it from other sources. Also, I first played GTA1 (300-secs demo) when I was 7 and played through GTA2 when I was 8. I only found it hilariously funny and wasn't good enough in english yet to get 50% of what they meant with their words on the ingame radios. I loved driving tanks over cars as much as I could, or roll behind a running pedestrian to blow him up towards the screen. Didn't affect me, I'm too easy going and kind and I don't suffer from it in any way.

 

Then here's the reason I might say no... GTA 1 and 2 looked like nothing but fun because they were graphically too basic games. Simple puppets seen from top down with funny movements. A modern GTA looks very realistic, the human characters do so too and so do all the fights, blood and what not. I'm not sure if that would scare kids or not.

 

Then again, I find it too easy to blame bad behavior of people/kids on games. Usually that would involve private real life problems too, causing them not to grow up properly with the right guideance. And that's a fact, and I got the real life experience to back it up with.

 

In the end though I would let em play such games.... say maybe from 12 years and up, because I think beyond that age they'll find such stuff otherwise anyway. I'll just tell them it's like an action fighting movie and made to kick against some legs here and there because the makers like to annoy people. First make sure they understand what's good and what's bad, and what's fact and what's fiction. And if I see the first signs of influence, such as the kid becoming less polite, more destructive or trying to do really questionable things, intervene.

[Eudemon]

Easy solution: bring back the fart and burp button and it's fun for all ages! Used to laugh like a madman when someone would fight you just because you passed some gas next to them.

[Ozzmcom]

Interesting I mean it depends I guess. My parents didn't care what I played when I was young and I didn't turn out to be a psychopath serial killer and even though I think the violence in-game hardly transfers over to the real life some people might get affected HOWEVER if your concerns are those people there a lot more happening outside video games to be considered cough* TV cough*.

Anyway back on topic

I think violence, swearing, nudity should be there and I am against all kinds of censorship and I would apply the same rules to my children. If they want to go for it they can go for it, that way it won't be a tabu thus they won't make a complexion,obsession or fixation out of it.

[CarMadMike]

I didn't turn out to be a psychopath.

 

Hmm, debatable :cheeky:

 

I'm for a certain amount of censorship because I think children are maturing at too early an age now to the point they won't have that big a difference between the memories of pre-teen years and the actual teen years. I think if you can slow this maturing process from the age of 10-14 slightly it'd benefit the child in question, though there are always exceptions to this.

[Ozzmcom]

well :evil:

 

anyway if we go on topic again I wouldn't obviously impose those on the children but like I said I wouldn't censor it either

[Milli]

:fp::fp:

[CarMadMike]

:fp::fp:

 

Great input. :susp:

[Milli]

I held my comment back. But still felt the need to express my feelings. :lol:

[Ozzmcom]

I held my comment back. But still felt the need to censor my feelings. :lol:

more like it

[Milli]

[CarMadMike]

Anyway, back to the discussion:

 

Then here's the reason I might say no... GTA 1 and 2 looked like nothing but fun because they were graphically too basic games. Simple puppets seen from top down with funny movements. A modern GTA looks very realistic, the human characters do so too and so do all the fights, blood and what not. I'm not sure if that would scare kids or not.

 

I agree with what you mean about GTA 1 and 2, definitely a lot more harmless than the subsequent GTAs due to the simplicity and how far from reality it seemed. As for actually scaring children, I'm not sure, I think it softens them to it more than anything, same with GTA and war films, it slowly stops the blood and gore becoming a big deal.

[TIMELESS]

Easy solution: bring back the fart and burp button and it's fun for all ages! Used to laugh like a madman when someone would fight you just because you passed some gas next to them.

 

Ha, just had major flashbacks, totally forgot about that xD

 

--- Post Updated ---

 

Hmm, debatable :cheeky:

 

I'm for a certain amount of censorship because I think children are maturing at too early an age now to the point they won't have that big a difference between the memories of pre-teen years and the actual teen years. I think if you can slow this maturing process from the age of 10-14 slightly it'd benefit the child in question, though there are always exceptions to this.

 

Except you can only censor your own home, what happens when your kid goes to school and friends show him/her what you've been censoring?

[CarMadMike]

Ha, just had major flashbacks, totally forgot about that xD

 

--- Post Updated ---

 

 

Except you can only censor your own home, what happens when your kid goes to school and friends show him/her what you've been censoring?

 

I'm not going to blindfold them and keep them in a wifi-free zone :susp: I just think there are steps you can take between the two extremes being discussed here.

[hassan1995]

It depends of what you think a decent level of leniency is? What would you teach your child to do and not to do? What's the ideal parenting method to bring up a successful kid... I personally wasn't allowed any of the Gta games hence V being my first my parents were aware of the game and how it was when I was younger so they didn't let me have the game.

[Milli]

I know that many will say that GTA is just a game, but, again... i will try to bring a different point of view.

 

Kids, in general, needs limits. Kids constantly challenge their parents to see how far they can go before get a punishment, and this is natural. It's part of the psychological growth. So, someone has to tell the kid to stop somewhen and who are the responsible to do so? Their parents... so, that's basically why parents tell you no to a bunch of stuff.

 

Now, GTA... as much as we, gamers, know that real life and fiction do not mix, kids do not go around killing other people just because they did that in the videogame. That's absurd. But, as much as we like GTA, that game has in it's core: Extreme violence, pornography, drugs, stealing, lieing, racism, prostitution and a lot of other bad things. Sure, it is just a game, it is not real and nobody will go around using drugs just because the GTA character did so.

 

But, it's not because that your kids is smart enough to recognize that what is right or wrong, that it is ok for the kid to be in contact with this sort of thing at least 1 hour a day. A rough comparision would be, is it ok for your 14 years old kid watch 1 hour of pornography on internet? I am sure you don't think so. Or 10 years old kids looking at nude pictures for hours. Do you really think that sounds remotelly ok?

 

So, it's not about "censor" it to the kids just by the pleasure of censor things, it's a matter to stablish a limit, to anything. Be it a videogame or not. Kids are not supposed to have so much contact with this sort of thing, and we all know that. That's why we don't swear on this forums, this is why we don't post nudity on this forums, that's why we have to keep it PG13.

 

And to make it sure, if my kid ever come to me, and ask to know about drugs, pornography or anything else, i will sure tell them. Because that is how you teach kids, telling them and giving them some guidance, not allowing them to do whatever they want. As i said before, communication is the key, for almost everything.