Cracking Down on Rated "M" Games

I was just watching the news the other day and some people were cracking down on rated 'M' games. The found how stores were selling rated 'M' games to people who were under the age 18. They sent two teens in the store with some cash and hidden cameras to see if the store will allow them to buy the viedo game. The clerck sold them the game Grand Theift Auto: San Andreas. The person behind the study went to interview the clerck. I can remember some of what the clerck said. "It is store policy and I can't break that mam!" When he said this he was backing away.

What are your opinions on this???

Well, even if the shopkeepers didn't let underage people buy M games. There is still loads more ways for them to get there hands on the M game. Like e-bay or amazon. Or just send an older friend to get it for them. So I think its pointless anyway.

Well, if the kids can buy rated "M" games in the stores, then it's the parents' responsibilities to stop their kids from playing the games at home and instead, demand them to return the games immediately.

I don't think just because some kids who bought games that are way beyond their ages is reasonable enough to affect other gamers who are older. If they use this excuse of young kids buying rated "M" games to ban these mature titles, then I think they are foolish.

Right in the UK, I've seen 9 year olds play 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' (excluding me, I only ever bought Grand Theft Auto London >.>). It's chaos that clerks let children especially under 9 buy those games. Something has to be done about it, it's just plain wrong. Why let children play games with ultra-violent language, and violance? And yes, what Dark Oreon said, ban the games rated M for Mature (17+).

They use this kind of stuff to stop gta from being made. Its not rockstars fault that there games are being sold to children or that they play the game they have no control about who it gets sold too. My cousion back when it came out got san andreas and he went to gamestation and he was 12.

The people against this are afraid that people who play the game are gonna go on a rampage. Only really crazy people do that.

There's no point in monitoring age for selling games. Its such a big market, how is it going to work? you have all the game stores, all the department stores and all the wasted little shops that sell copies. No way will everyone check IDs. If you start being strict about the age of your customers, theyll just go to the next game shop. Then theres places like Blockbuster that rent games, im almost certain theyre not gonna refuse to rent you a game if you're under 18. I think things are fine the way they are. My little sister is 14, she played all of the GTAs and is still top of her class, getting 99% on math tests and she hasnt gonna on a city wide rampage. just a little food for thought.

I guess some parents are too paranoid because of all the school shootings and stuff happening in the states. What they don't get is the fact that such events happen rarely and the media tends to exaggerate these types of incidents to increase audience and ratings. Also, most of the time, these troubled teens hardly played games and even if they did, games hardly affected them.

Truth to be told, I've studied Criminal Behaviors before and I've realized that suicidal teens that have a wish to kill everyone first before taking their own lives, are ones who have terrible childhood lives with poor parental guidances. As well, pressure and ridiculing from peers put way too much stress on them. In the end, they snapped just like that as their thresholds went to the limit.

Of all the studies I've read, not one, I repeat, not one is about games influencing children. In fact, I've already read some reports about games being good because they let you vent out your anger and they train your hand/eye coordination reflexes as well as problem-solving skills.

The rating is there to show what sorts of things the game contains, not to show who can and who can't buy it. The ratings do give an age group but there is no law that you have to follow it (well at least there wasn't any law). Even if they do put up a law there are still alot of ways around it, Block Buster wouldn't let me get Mortal Kombat Deception so my dad got it for me.

I think it's fine for 9 year olds to buy M games. I mean, Blood, Violence, and SWearing is fine for a nine year old. Well, for me, anyway(my dad swears occasionally and if I go to the bar he goes to there's lots of swearing there). I was allowed to play a T game with Blood and Violence. I love the game, I play it a lot.

And like jehuty said, the rating just tells you what the game has in it. ESRB/Nintendo/Game Stores have no way of stopping a 5 year old playing an Ao game.

I think M-rated games should be treated the same way as R-rated films. Obviously tons of people see R movies before being 17, and tons of people play M videogames before being 17. But that extra bit of security gives the movies a cleaner image in general I think, while most parents associate the word videogame with violent trash. Enforcing the M-rating more wouldn't keep most younger gamers from playing them, but it should give videogames a better image and parents might feel less paranoid about them.

I don't think age matters cause tons of kids get m rated games either from there older brother or cousin or jut a good friend who is 18 or older, that's how I get most of my games

I've played Grand Theft Auto Vice City, and it was one of my favorite games I ever played. And Im 13 years old. I've bought San Andreas with my own dollars and I haven't had any seizing of the title away from me. Sure, there is prostitution and such within San Andreas, but if we truly think about it, whether a child is raised well or horribly, whats going to stop him from running into these things in adulthood? Nothing. This is the kind of world we live in, and in my opinon, reality M games like Vice City and San Andreas are a GOOD thing, because, like someone mentioned earlier, they allow you to unleash your anger in fake public dispute, they allow you to have fun, and they open your eyes to what your are going to inevitably face in the real world.

So, tough luck little kids, your parents won't buy you the games and the stores wont sell you them because they want to keep you sheltered as long as possible from the inevitabilities of the real world.

I read an article similar to this in the EGM magizine a friend let me borrow. It was really interesting. They had two people, one who thought video games and their ratings were ok, and the other who thought that video games only produce negitive influences. If anyone wants to check it out, its really neat. IT also has the front cover on zelda.

But about my opinion, i think that its sad really that people sell M rated games to such a young audience. I mean, selling it to a 16 year old is ok, but tecnically still wrong. The thing that just gets me is that somtimes you see a 8 year old playing these types of games. You cant stop it really, and younger kids esspecially nowadays, are more commonly seen playing these games. So putting a M on a game cover isnt gonna stop people if they really want it. Although i think its sad that a parent would let their child who is 8 play a game with prostetutes and people shooting heads off. But even if i could buy a M rated game i wouldnt, only because that kinda stuff just doesnt appeal to me. i dont mind people playing them, i just dont care for games like that is all.

This hype about M rated games is driving me nuts! They think just because some kid gets a sniper rifle, goes on the roof and shoots people that the rest of us are going to do it! They also say stuff like 'oh, but it dulls down your sense of violence...'. Yeah, right. If I have a gun at my head I'm going to freak out, not say, 'oh, this is just a game, everything's gonna be okay.'. Parents think that we're gonna try this stuff just because it's in a video game, they don't study they aspects of that person first. You can't exactly go on a killing spree if you don't have a gun at you're disposal.

All in all, if a kid is crazy enough to commit a school shootin, and parents, this is good advice for all of you, just don't let the kid have the game! Better yet, don't let the kid have a gun at all! Keep locked up or put it into a place where the kid can't get it.

I don't know, but it's these kind of people that are ruining it for the rest of us. Soon, GTA is going to be AO and then none of us will be able to play it.

Most people who are under the age of 18 play rated 'M' games a lot. I even myself play them and nothing bad has happened. It's pointless to only let those who are over the age of 18 only buy games that most people play anyways. Most 'M' rated games only have fighting things and blood and I'm pretty sure everyone has seen blood and sometimes violence does break out in the world but not because of games.

Besides, what kind of parents would let a young children under the age of 10 play rated 'M' games? Sometimes some kids around 11 or 12 can't play them but I know 13 and over could. So it's kinda pointless and big brothers or sisters let kids watch them play rated 'M' games and nothing bad happens.

The parents need to be more responsible. =/

Seriously, if they let their kids buy a Mature-rated game, even after the clerk says "Sir/Madam, this game is rated M for violence, gore, etc etc", and they find the material offensive, they have no right whatsoever to whine about it. Maybe if you actually paid attention to the rating system, your kids wouldn't be playing stuff you don't want them playing.

On the other hand, I don't think it's that big a deal if, say, 15 or 16 year olds play Mature games. As long as their parents don't mind them playing those games at a young age, it doesn't matter. However, kids who are unde 14 really shouldn't be playing such games, and ESPECIALLY not little 9 year olds.

The rating/s are just guidences to what the game contains. Heck, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 was rated a 15 in Europe, and I don't see why. It just follows the principles of the majority.

Banning M games is ridiculous. Video games are just an easy target for the blame of bad parents who let their child go bad and eventually kill someone or something like that. That's like saying 'books, magazines, web sites, movies, and TV shows might contain inappropriate content, so they should be illegal'.

I personally see nothing wrong with M rated games. I play a lot of M rated games and nothing has happend to me, anyway I think the simplest solution to this problem is to wait 10-15 years when our generation is in politics.

Age-old issue.

Kids can acquire cigarettes, alcohol, guns, NC-17 movies, etc. All it takes is one hole in the damn.

Age restrictions on products are aids for parents. I may not agree with how parents choose to raise their kids, but do think they should have all possible mechanisms in place so they can maintain the degree of control that they feel is appropriate for their children. When any of the above breaks down it takes away one tool. In the case of the above, each is a tool that parents can not only choose to utilize, but will also typically come to trust, and each seems to be a reasonable trust to maintain.

Doesn't take a lot to ID someone.