Victor Omega
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Gamer Parents, How Important is ESRB To You?
- Thread starter Victor Omega
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Elog
Member
Strict with the small kid but I have limited options to control what is on my teenage boy's computer unless I make it either a full-time job or me taking away the computer.
More important to have discussions about content and make him choose away certain themes for now - i.e. trust based. In addition, ensuring that he does not have a credit card etc so I can see afterwards what has been bought on the Epic store or Steam (through credits that I purchase to him - he does not have my credit card details ofc).
More important to have discussions about content and make him choose away certain themes for now - i.e. trust based. In addition, ensuring that he does not have a credit card etc so I can see afterwards what has been bought on the Epic store or Steam (through credits that I purchase to him - he does not have my credit card details ofc).
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gtrwll
Member
I think the most important thing is to play with them and have an active role in it, discussing themes and scary/confusing parts...but I still reckon it’s a good thing to follow the lower ratings as a guideline and the higher one(s) as absolute.
I myself did play many games that probably weren’t suited for my age, but at first there were no age restrictions and when they started using them, some (or even most) of the parents probably didn’t have a clue about them (but we have to remember that the games themselves were pretty rudimentary compared to what’s available today). It’s the same as every other thing that we gather data from - the more research, the better analysis.
I myself did play many games that probably weren’t suited for my age, but at first there were no age restrictions and when they started using them, some (or even most) of the parents probably didn’t have a clue about them (but we have to remember that the games themselves were pretty rudimentary compared to what’s available today). It’s the same as every other thing that we gather data from - the more research, the better analysis.
Kuranghi
Member
My parents never really stopped me from playing anything, was about 8 when I started on A500+, they just trusted I could tell a game from reality and wouldn't emulate the negative things in the real world, I'm sure my mum worried when I talked about running people over in Carmageddon but thats just mums, they will be worried something because its their job, if I had been a flower collector she would've been worried I'd touch something poisonous.
I say when they reach an age where they are starting to realise the world isn't made to serve them then equip the kid with the skills to discern reality from fiction and right from wrong and go from there. I can see how really young kids might have problems separating the two and go around punching in real life, but again thats kind down to how you raised them up until that point unless its a medical thing maybe.
I don't envy any parents having to get this right, its super daunting raising a chill'en so I raise a glass to all my GAF 'rents and I wish upon them one hour of peace and quiet to have sex with their partner/watch a film/drink a booze/smoke some of the devils lettuce/nap.
Hear! hear!
I say when they reach an age where they are starting to realise the world isn't made to serve them then equip the kid with the skills to discern reality from fiction and right from wrong and go from there. I can see how really young kids might have problems separating the two and go around punching in real life, but again thats kind down to how you raised them up until that point unless its a medical thing maybe.
I don't envy any parents having to get this right, its super daunting raising a chill'en so I raise a glass to all my GAF 'rents and I wish upon them one hour of peace and quiet to have sex with their partner/watch a film/drink a booze/smoke some of the devils lettuce/nap.
Hear! hear!
Kuranghi
Member
I was thinking this for something like Carmageddon but then remembered I used to play Soldier of Fortune as well:
Not one I'd show to mum haha. Although I was 15 by that point.
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StateofMajora
Banned
It's kind of meaningless when Halo is M and Majora's mask was E lol.
Just have to do some work and research games a bit. Not something i'd really have to do since i'd know anyway.
Just have to do some work and research games a bit. Not something i'd really have to do since i'd know anyway.
Mistershine.
Banned
ESRB and PEGI ratings don't concern me. I judge each game myself.
yurqqa
Member
I don't care about these rating and decide for myself.
But for few exceptions (like Manhunt and maybe some really bloody games) I let my older one (10 y.o.) play anything singleplayer, but careful with multiplayer games.
The horrors of murders and tits in the games are way overblown.
The younger one (5 y.o.) is playing mostly different Mario/Kirby games on switch or some Spiderman on PS4. And he's not interested in gory games, but I have a feeling that the concept of killing someone in the game is recognized like rules of the game by children, not the act of killing and example as some adults paint.
But for few exceptions (like Manhunt and maybe some really bloody games) I let my older one (10 y.o.) play anything singleplayer, but careful with multiplayer games.
The horrors of murders and tits in the games are way overblown.
The younger one (5 y.o.) is playing mostly different Mario/Kirby games on switch or some Spiderman on PS4. And he's not interested in gory games, but I have a feeling that the concept of killing someone in the game is recognized like rules of the game by children, not the act of killing and example as some adults paint.
dcx4610
Member
Not a parent but I've thought about it and I've had discussions with friends on it. Ultimately, I'm glad it exists as a warning but I'd use my own judgment based on the kid. I doubt I'd want a 10 year old playing GTA but at the same time, you can't hide this stuff from them. If you don't let them play it, they'll be playing it at a friends house. It's better to educate your kid on what they are seeing and what is and isn't appropriate in real life.
I go back to Mortal Kombat. I was playing that in the arcades in my early teens and my dad was watching me play. I don't think he ever worried about me ripping some kid's head off on the school yard. It's a fantasy video game with cartoony blood. It wasn't serious. As long as the kid isn't a psychopath or too young, I think most kids will handle this stuff fine.
I mean imagine having a 16 year old kid and preventing them from playing GTA because they aren't 18. Is 2 years going suddenly going to make them be able to "handle" the game?
I go back to Mortal Kombat. I was playing that in the arcades in my early teens and my dad was watching me play. I don't think he ever worried about me ripping some kid's head off on the school yard. It's a fantasy video game with cartoony blood. It wasn't serious. As long as the kid isn't a psychopath or too young, I think most kids will handle this stuff fine.
I mean imagine having a 16 year old kid and preventing them from playing GTA because they aren't 18. Is 2 years going suddenly going to make them be able to "handle" the game?
Captain Toad
Banned
It's not important to me, just because I am such a big gamer I'm pretty clued in on what is in a certain game, that I don't need to see a rating to determine if it's appropriate or not.
nikolino840
Member
Well....mk 1 and 2 was not so gorish and full of details like 10 and 11
AJUMP23
Gold Member
I know so much about video games I don’t look at the ESRB rating. My wife would care but she wouldn’t buy a game. My 6 year old doesn’t play call of duty but he does watch me play.
He does play Rocket League. Playing Hitman in front of him was hilarious as he told me I had to always act normal. He figured out was that game was about real quick. And was telling me to walk so no one suspects me.
He does play Rocket League. Playing Hitman in front of him was hilarious as he told me I had to always act normal. He figured out was that game was about real quick. And was telling me to walk so no one suspects me.
StateofMajora
Banned
Current mortal kombat is a no from me. Old ones where it's not so detailed is ok. GTA 5 is not ok. My son is still a baby, but i've thought about it, and just because something is mature doesn't really mean much, context is key. For starters, Mario and Yoshi is all he needs lol.
MiguelItUp
Member
Not a parent, but man, I really appreciated my mom for allowing me to play games all willy nilly, haha. Growing up she had issues with me seeing nudity in movies, at least until I was in my teens. But she never cared about violence. She just told me she didn't understand how I didn't have nightmares, lmao. Especially since I watched a lot of horror and sci-fi films as a kid.
I will say though, she did a great job of establishing that it was all entertainment and nothing else. Especially when I was younger. When MK was still fairly new she'd watch me play the arcade cabinet at the grocery store, haha.
Edit: Also wanted to add, MAN was I happy that she wasn't concerned about my drawings as a kid. I remember being less than 10 drawing MK and DOOM theme pictures with a bunch of blood, lol. When she asked me what I drew I told her what it was so she wasn't concerned. Thank god.
I will say though, she did a great job of establishing that it was all entertainment and nothing else. Especially when I was younger. When MK was still fairly new she'd watch me play the arcade cabinet at the grocery store, haha.
Edit: Also wanted to add, MAN was I happy that she wasn't concerned about my drawings as a kid. I remember being less than 10 drawing MK and DOOM theme pictures with a bunch of blood, lol. When she asked me what I drew I told her what it was so she wasn't concerned. Thank god.
While this is true at the time it was pretty damn visceral. Along with the combination of digitized characters that looked real(ish).
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GreenAlien
Member
Does it really matter when you don't even micro manage what they do on their phones?
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Northeastmonk
Gold Member
When I was a kid I played MK and then later on my dad would have to go to Babbages with me for Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and any M rated game. Now that I have kids I’m on the fence. Games are way too realistic and there’s a lot of content that can cause nightmares.
I played House of the Dead III with my step daughter and she had nightmares. Mind you, I was a new parent and I didn’t want to look like a strict step dad. I thought it would have been dated enough for her. Nope. She wanted to play Call of Duty Zombies and I said no. It became an issue because she told everyone at her bday party that her favorite game was CoD Zombies. I thought everyone was looking at me at that point. Let’s just say I don’t let her play or watch anything from T-M. Her bio dad plays AC and Cyberpunk and I try and tell her that she is too young for that type of game.
She has a Switch Lite now and we have her parental controls setup. She can’t play anything unless we allow it. The Nintendo app blocks certain features and it is unusable after a certain amount of time. I honestly think the ESBR or whatever ratings system they have is working. It only really works if the parents enforce it. She can’t play T rated games on her Switch. Whenever we sit down and browse games online, her mom or other family member checks the rating.
I have been playing games since MK and I’ve gotten to play a lot of M rated games for a very long time. I rented and bought RE and Silent Hill since their conception. With my son, I honestly don’t want him overly exposed to violence at an early age. I realize it’s fun, but we’ve had an issue where my step daughter is hitting people when they tell her to get off the Switch or “your time is up”. We didn’t instill this behavior. Hell, I didn’t let her play violent games long enough for a habit to form from it. I fear it’s more of an addicting trait of hers. She had two hours and now she’s down to 1 hour of game time per day. She’s currently grounded from her Switch because I told her that we needed to get off the Switch and do something important. She proceeded to punch and kick me. This was after two hours of game time. I don’t feel like that is normal behavior. She’s playing Smash Bros on the Switch too. Is she mad and acting out Smash Bros moves because that’s what she’s doing in game? It’s a fine line and honestly I don’t want to go through that with my son.
I played House of the Dead III with my step daughter and she had nightmares. Mind you, I was a new parent and I didn’t want to look like a strict step dad. I thought it would have been dated enough for her. Nope. She wanted to play Call of Duty Zombies and I said no. It became an issue because she told everyone at her bday party that her favorite game was CoD Zombies. I thought everyone was looking at me at that point. Let’s just say I don’t let her play or watch anything from T-M. Her bio dad plays AC and Cyberpunk and I try and tell her that she is too young for that type of game.
She has a Switch Lite now and we have her parental controls setup. She can’t play anything unless we allow it. The Nintendo app blocks certain features and it is unusable after a certain amount of time. I honestly think the ESBR or whatever ratings system they have is working. It only really works if the parents enforce it. She can’t play T rated games on her Switch. Whenever we sit down and browse games online, her mom or other family member checks the rating.
I have been playing games since MK and I’ve gotten to play a lot of M rated games for a very long time. I rented and bought RE and Silent Hill since their conception. With my son, I honestly don’t want him overly exposed to violence at an early age. I realize it’s fun, but we’ve had an issue where my step daughter is hitting people when they tell her to get off the Switch or “your time is up”. We didn’t instill this behavior. Hell, I didn’t let her play violent games long enough for a habit to form from it. I fear it’s more of an addicting trait of hers. She had two hours and now she’s down to 1 hour of game time per day. She’s currently grounded from her Switch because I told her that we needed to get off the Switch and do something important. She proceeded to punch and kick me. This was after two hours of game time. I don’t feel like that is normal behavior. She’s playing Smash Bros on the Switch too. Is she mad and acting out Smash Bros moves because that’s what she’s doing in game? It’s a fine line and honestly I don’t want to go through that with my son.
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Ozzy Onya A2Z
Member
The games themselves are pretty varied as your child's maturity and understanding is as well. They're a guide but each game and kid is different so best to just review what they play. It's handy from the point of view you can use the parental controls to stop them playing certain things but by a certain age they're playing whatever at their friends house and seeing things on YT anyhow.
Trogdor1123
Gold Member
I watch what they consume pretty close but the biggest concern is the social parts of the games, not the games content.
JetSetJustin
Member
My mom seemed like the only mom that gave a shit about the ratings when I was a kid. Used to hate that. She was right though, some games are just not for young kids. Although, some kid bought me Mark of Kri for my birthday one year and she let me keep it but I was ehh, already 12 then? lmao
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devilNprada
Member
Yeah YouTube and Tiktok are far worse than anything they'll get in Video games...
Caught an open window on my 9 year olds phone where he googled "Naked Lady Pics".
God forbid if you google that and Micheal Angelo paintings come up... No it's raunchy triple x shit.
edit: This a great topic glad you brought it up... Thanks for all the helpful comments from other parents...
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JetSetJustin
Member
Lol when I was a kid I tried to look at pics of Pamela Anderson on AOL and my mom saw the history and got pissed. Can't imagine what young kids are seeing now days.
Zog
Banned
Today in psychobabble class.
Dad: Ok Lucy, you need to aim for their head for that one-hit kill.
Lucy: Thanks Dad!
BigBooper
Member
Anime gangbangs.
Ozzy Onya A2Z
Member
Yep, I've been telling my wife it's only a matter time for one friend of our kids, or our kids too, just searching something other than ARK or minecraft of a more adult nature. Regardless of filters they have access to so much so easily and via each other rather than just your filtered internet. We take the "inform them first approach" as much as we can e.g. discuss it right on the precipice of it becoming a thing through their circles. Our son for example (at 11 years) already has phones, text, xbox chat etc with his buddies. They all know how to group watch, share attached content and more. I know what I was starting to want to look for by around 13 so he's not far off. Son already searched what a vagina looks like when he was under 10 so your comment hits home. We don't let our kids play GTA or watch R movies etc, just for your reference. Cyberpunk is a no no for my son. Apex etc are just fine.
I just try to remember it's better to be on the inner circle and discuss rather than come crashing down on them and lose their confidence to talk with you about any topic as they grow.
Also this is us now -
My kids are gonna hate me when they are older lol...or if I start them off properly with boundaries and a trust system, everything will be ok...
The_Mike
I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
I don't care. I played Doom as a seven year old and I still haven't killed anyone despite the urge for it sometimes.
If my daughter is ready for it, daddy will be there to help and teach her. If it's too much for her, then we'll find something else for her.
How my daughter reacts to the game matters more to me than a silly esrb sticker.
If my daughter is ready for it, daddy will be there to help and teach her. If it's too much for her, then we'll find something else for her.
How my daughter reacts to the game matters more to me than a silly esrb sticker.
Spokker
Member
My son is 4 going on 5. I'm aware of the ratings since I buy games obviously, but I would prefer to look more at the actual content as I understand it rather than going strictly by ratings. Same with movies. Some PG movies are fine now, and some PG-13 movies will be fine at 8. Forrest Gump came out when I was 10 and I loved it even then. The higher quality something is, the more lenient I'm going to be. I'm not going to show him Goodfellas at 11 but if I think he's ready for a PG-13 movie at 9-10, I'm open to it.
For games, he generally plays E and E10. There are select T games I would let him play in a few years, but he's not as interested in those games yet. He does understand he cannot play M rated games yet and will ask me if I give him a game, "Is this E, T or M?" His favorite games are Mario Maker, Splatoon and Miitopia in that order. He's not yet interested in trying to play games above his age range but parental controls are on anyway.
For games, he generally plays E and E10. There are select T games I would let him play in a few years, but he's not as interested in those games yet. He does understand he cannot play M rated games yet and will ask me if I give him a game, "Is this E, T or M?" His favorite games are Mario Maker, Splatoon and Miitopia in that order. He's not yet interested in trying to play games above his age range but parental controls are on anyway.
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michaelius
Banned
No kids yet but as someone who played Mortal Kombat when i had 10 or 11 years I'm gonna consider this as loose guidance. Might only block really questionable stuff (GTA, Manhunt, TLOU II etc) from kids.