Can someone explain the problem with 'mature' rated games? As kids (under 10), we played Mortal Kombat and GTA III, laughing when we interacted with hookers in GTA. It was fun, and we had a great time playing these games. What's the issue? It's no different from playing with a wooden sword and shield.

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BeetleB an hour ago | parent | next [-]

We can quibble about the actual age but in principle I agree about GTA. That's because it's a game designed to be fun for kids.

Let me tell you about elements of games I'm thinking about:

A girl is bullied at school to the point of committing suicide. This isn't a game of vindication. Justice isn't served. Things aren't set right. It's just how things are.

Your brother committed suicide a year ago. As part of the game you have to deal with someone who blames you for it.

A couple has to deal with the grief of their baby drowning in the bathtub. It's not an abstract thing. You as the player have to ensure the baby drowns and set the conditions for it to happen, knowing full well this will be the outcome.

You're a scientist stuck in a weird dimension and trying to figure out how you got here. Well, you got here because you murdered your wife and kid and then killed yourself but before you did that you made a copy of yourself and your family in a virtual world. That plan didn't work out well.

	▲	mcherm 44 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		It's been a long time since I kept current on games. Reading these descriptions, I have only one comment: What the HELL?!!?!!!

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explorigin 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Go type this into perplexity: "Are there any health studies about what exposure to pornography does to childhood development?"

Here's another good one: "Are there any health studies about what exposure to violence or horror does to childhood development?"

There is a reason that rating systems exist and that we shelter children from these things.

The pre-rebuttal that you posted "this was common in my childhood" is no indicator that this was a healthy behavior for you or the masses.

	▲	pnt12 an hour ago \| parent [-]
		That's an even weaker argument: AI and ratings. Ratings are very criticized by artists, eg as being fueled by conservative moms. For example, in the USA, movies with guns and explosion can be shown to younger audiences than nudity - seems very illogical. Also, some anecdotes: lots of my friends were into GTA as kids, ie early teens, and turned out fine. Comparing to kids who didn't do so well, I consider the most important factors to br family, education, and finances, not violent multimedia. With that being said, I'm sympathetic to limiting internet access due to communication with strangers, and extreme content (eg violent rethorics that appeal to action, not fantasy violence).

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ccppurcell 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

My dad says the same thing about seatbelts.

	▲	DebugDruid an hour ago \| parent \| next [-]
		So you’re trying to say it’s a survivorship bias? Well, I did turn right, and everyone I know from childhood has turned out alright as well, except for a few who had problematic parents. So games did not cause harm, but rather irresponsible parents (or, to be fair, parents with mental problems...).
	▲	BizarroLand an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		I was against mandatory seatbelt laws at first because I disliked the intrusion. That was it. My entire argument was (and I emphasize WAS) that I didn't like no gubment tell me what to do. If I wanted to be a damn fool and kill myself why would they care? It's a stupid act to try to outlaw stupidity. Then I found out that seatbelt laws are actually about decreasing the financial burden of underinsured accident victims. The "gubment" doesn't care if you die, but they do care if they have to fund weeks of medical support before you die despite the treatment, or if you survive but are disabled and wind up on social security. That realization made me give up. It was always about saving money, not lives. With seatbelts and airbags you are more likely to either walk away uninjured or at least not so injured that you spend more than a few hours in the hospital.