Adults Safe gaming guide for Kids - My new blog.

[Floody]

I hope I'm allowed to post a link here, if not, slap me on the wrist.

I started a new blog yesterday after coming across a little problem I had with my 4 year old wanting to play Battlefield 3 on the Xbox since he's now bored of the games he's got...and because daddy plays it.

with all the swearing and violence in games I decided to start a blog for parents who know jack about gaming and need a decent point in the right direction towards buying games for their kids. It's quite a big subject and through the use of google found it was a very sore subject but also a very well searched subject. Only went up yesterday and clocked a good few hits already.

i hope you will have a quick scan, give me some feedback be it good or bad. I'm not the worlds greatest writer but I've been a gamer for god knows how long and it's a subject I know very well so I'm trying to make it as genuine as I possibly can.

the links is James Flood ? Childrens Computer Games

Also, if you have a blog about a particular subject why not post about it here so we can have a nose? No shame

cheers fellas

 

[Floody]

Any feedback?

 

[danzor]

This has stumped me.

The game has an age restriction of 18, granted the kid isn't playing it, but what difference is there to playing it than watching it?

 

[Floody]

suppose thats down to the parents really.

are they monitoring their games? what are they purchasing for their kids?

a lot like movies in a sence.

 

[wade88]

I vividly remember sitting next to my old man whilst he blasted his way through wolfenstein 3D, the entire Doom range, Blake Stone, etc, all the early shoot em ups.

I would have been probably 7-8 and those games in their day were ground breaking in their genre. Compared of course to the modern equivalents such as BF3, CoD, the general mish mash of horror themed shooters and RPG's, these old classics are a stroll in the park. But as each generation progresses, new extremes and plateaus of games are released bloodier, scarier, more dismembering, blah blah. Each generation grows along with this development and is in turn desensitized to the violence and maiming.

Having said that, now being 25 years old and still avidly playing my Xbox where i can (which is fairly recent for me was always about playing PC games) and also having a 3 year old son who is getting more aware of life in general, i have to agree that at 4 years old, there is no place for violence at such levels in his life, same applies to mine. I am still unhappy about letting my son even catch glimpses of violence on Tele. Not because i am over protective, or being un realistic, i just feel that there is a time and place in a kids life when they can understand what they are seeing and its at that time they should be guided through it with their parents (usually Dad's) watch ful eye.... who else will high five you for that immense head shot anyway.

I grew up watching and playing violent games, but did so sat next to my old man who explained things to me as i watched the Baron explode into a mass of steaming guts after taking a full face load of my BFG or stabbing a prison guard to death then killing multiple dogs with my combat knife in Wolfenstein, let alone intentionally shooting the limbs off unsuspecting mercenary's on soldier of fortune with my 12 gauge. But knowing when to differentiate between life and fiction, is crucial.

The problem is, and i love playing video games, it's an easy escape from the general stresses of the day, wife, kids, job whatever, it's most men's "cave" to go and relax in for a couple of hours, but video games have replaced every other form of recreation for kids. When i was a kid, and im still a young lad, we were out playing football until 10pm, out in the woods running around, actually playing but now all kids are interested in, is console gaming.

What was once a treat to play, a reward for good behavior or simply a weekend allowance, is now just a part of every kids life that is as demanded and as expected as food on the table every night. I play on line games involving hours of straight up murder bascially, where more points are scored for shooting a dude in the face, and on the mic comes this 5-6 year old lad, so frequently do i notice that kids are just getting younger and younger and playing these games. Not saying they will be out in the street within days trying to kill people, this isnt America, but the innocence of children is rapidly being replaced.

 

[Floody]

Excellent post mate you should cope that and paste it into a comment on the blog somewhere actually, if you don't mind?

and maybe one day we can hook up on BF3 and I can show u how to fly choppers

 

[wade88]

Dude, I cannot for the life of me, fly choppers on bf3, let alone even consider getting into a jet and getting anywhere near a kill or two.

Get me on the ground and it's chaos, ill drop a brother from 600 meters away, but anything with a jet engine on it, it's just embarrassing lol

 

[Floody]

Lmfao ill send me your gamer tag and we'll have a game later
cheers for the comment

 

[wade88]

Your welcome, it's been an interest topic of contention for me for years the whole does violence in games influence violence in reality and i have always argued against the influence violence in video games has on kids (despite what i just said, i guess its always different when its your own kid) but for violence within a video game to take any serious grip on a child that can manipulate it to commit violent acts, there is already a seriously innate mental issue within it. Deeply rooted from any number of variables within its up bringing.

For people to solely condemn violent games and media as the cause for mass shootings or killings, is just ignorant and escapist. The scape goat just gets laid out for all to kick.

I read an interesting stat some years ago - that by the time a child reaches the age of 18, they will have witnessed, through the form of games, film, tv, comics or any other form or media, approximately 16,000 deaths. Now if you ask me, if such media was responsible for causing kids to take automatic weapons to school or carry claw hammers into the park and hide in bushes awaiting the next jogger, then we would have a serious problem on our hands. But clearly, even after seeing 16,000 people die by the tender age of 18, it just doesn't happen that often. So i would start lookjing to point the finger at abusive or neglectful parents, drugs, and bullying, before i wag the finger at video games.

 

[Floody]

I think you need to be posting for my blog pal you have a lot to say on it ill give you that you seem to know your stuff too.

 

[wade88]

I did a degree in Criminology, touched on this sort of things once or twice, use to seriously get my back up when the righteous female contingent, who have never lifted an xbox pad in their lives, would sit there and solely blame video games for any serious violence that emerged in the news. The back hand of fury nearly emerged once or twice. Suggesting the cause of classroom violence was probably more likely the result of idiots like them, never seemed to sit so well with my lecturers, so i left it out of my essays....

 

[PEM]

4 years old and even watching let alone playing an 18 rated game.

What's gone wrong with the world!!! Totally stark raving mad.

Kids have the rest of their lives to have their innocence and illusions shattered but at 4!!!

Livid about this thread !!!

 

[markc123]

Im livid about this thread aswell...wade, i always knew you were abit...y'know...odd 38, but you've just confirmed it by the term 'xbox'. Everyone knows PS3 is the way forward.

 

[rmc86uk]

Fell out with games when PS2 came out. You will not beat the Snes!

 

[Floody]

Livid about this thread !!!

What's made you 'livid' about it? We are addressing (what i think) is an important issue. I don't condone 4 year old watching 18 rated games, I think you've got me twisted mate.